Bazaar Bargain Calculator

What to actually offer — opening, realistic and walk-away prices.

What this solves

Most visitors either pay the first price (insulting to the merchant) or offer 50% and walk away when refused (offensive to themselves and confusing to the merchant). The actual opening offer for most items should be 35–45% of the asking price, and the realistic final price is ~60–70% of the asking. This tool maps the dance.

Plan your offer

Item category

Vendor's asking price (₺)

Bazaar

Your opening offer

—

First number to say

Realistic final

—

What you'll likely settle at

Walk-away

—

Above this, leave

How to read the result

Open at the suggested offer — say it confidently. Smile.
The merchant will counter (usually at ~80% of ask). Counter at ~50%.
Meet in the middle around the "Realistic final." Don't go above "Walk-away."
If the merchant won't move, you can leave. Most will call you back within 30 seconds.

Limitations

Some items (kilims over 6m², antique carpets, gold jewellery) have real scarcity and the markup is more modest — 25–40%.
Spices and similar are priced more by weight than mark-up; bargain less aggressively on those.

FAQ

Is bargaining rude?

No — it's expected. A merchant who quotes the first price in a bazaar is inviting the dance. Refusing to bargain is read as "I'm too rich to negotiate" or "I don't know the culture."

Should I pay in EUR or lira?

Lira, always. EUR is accepted in Grand Bazaar but the conversion they use is bad for you. Withdraw ₺ at a PTT bankomat or bank.

How do I avoid fake "antique" carpets?

Use the Carpet Price Check tool — it covers antique-vs-replica detection.