A while ago, I watched a special report on the evening news. Reporters tried to negotiate the price for TVs, refrigerators or even t-shirts. In more than half of the cases, they were successful and saved hundreds of dollars. Sometimes, the salesperson couldn’t help with the price but offered something else, like free delivery or free installation.

Right now with the sluggish economy, it’s a buyer’s market. Hence, chances are high that it will be even easier now to negotiate. Many people don’t try because they feel embarrassed or are hold back by the fear of appearing foolish. However, sellers of products like furniture or cars even expect haggling and marked their products up.

Consumer experts advise to be always polite and discreet, and not pushy. Further, it’s important to offer a price that is fair and reasonable. If your offer is too low, the salesperson will just reject it without even considering it or making a counter offer. Also, make sure that you are bargaining with a salesperson who has the authority to offer a discount. If you are not sure about that, ask for the manager.

And last but not least, don’t bargain if you are not ready to buy the product.

More tips on ConsumerReports.org

For example, a few months ago I bought a new digital camera that was offered at $ 230 in one store and at almost $ 400 in another. In both cases, the price was for the camera body only, no extras.

Like many people, I’m not a huge fan of buying online (though I do it); I’m concerned about safety and I also like to see first with my own eyes what I’m buying. Pictures are sometimes deceiving. However, price comparing websites help me to find the right stores – and sometimes, after having seen the product in a store, I still end up buying it online.

Some of my favorite websites:
pricegrabber.com
bizrate.com
pricescan.com
pricingcentral.com
bestwebbuys.com
secretprices.com
And for the best gas prices near you gasbuddy.com

If you know of another great online shopping helper, please email me the link.