Customer haggling (Haggle/Bargain) refers to the buyer's behavior of negotiating the seller's quotation in foreign trade transactions, aiming to obtain a lower price or better terms. Common scenarios include after replying to an inquiry and before signing a contract, where the customer requests a price reduction via email, instant messaging, or at trade shows. Note: Sellers need to distinguish 'haggling' from 'price squeezing'—the former is usually based on market comparison or volume commitment, while the latter may be merely a test; avoid making concessions without limits, and can exchange conditions such as payment terms and delivery time. Unlike 'Counter-offer', haggling is more colloquial and informal, not necessarily involving complete modification of transaction terms; unlike 'Discount', haggling is a buyer-initiated action, while discount is a seller-initiated offer. Foreign trade practitioners should set a price floor in advance, prepare cost analysis, value-added services and other response strategies, and maintain professionalism and politeness to avoid damaging long-term cooperative relationships due to haggling.
📝 Examples
1. After receiving the quotation, the customer replied: 'Your price is 8% higher than competitors. If you can reduce it to $12 per piece, we can place an order for 5,000 pieces immediately.' (Demonstrates the customer directly haggling and offering a volume commitment as an exchange condition.)
2. At the trade show, the customer said: 'This price is too high. Can you make it cheaper? We will have large orders in the future.' (Demonstrates haggling in an informal setting, often using future orders as a bargaining chip.)
💡 Foreign Trade Tips
Foreign trade terms are the foundation of international business communication
Trade practices may vary slightly by country; pay attention when using them
When using terms in contracts, specify the applicable version (e.g., Incoterms 2020)
For unfamiliar terms, use GlobalSync's multilingual email helper to confirm with your partner