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Last week I went to the Union Square street fair and wanted some earrings. I tried to barter and the seller wasn't having it. What gives? I thought the whole point of street fairs was bartering. Were my skills just not up to par or are there legalities involved?
-Cheap in Manhattan
It depends on the vender. Think of each vender at a street fair as a different store that sets their prices however they want. There aren't any legalities that Gothamist is aware of; if a vender doesn't want to negotiate, then he doesn't have to. If he is willing to give you a pair of earings for $10, then you got an awesome deal.
Street fairs can be an excellent place to get some cool things fairly cheaply, especially now that the weather has started to improve. See also Ask Gothamist's advice for participating in one as a vender, or if you end up in Union Square, be sure to walk through the Greenmarket Farmer's Market.
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i think this may be a strange american anomaly...i use to sell hats at a flea market and i spent most of my day trying to convince foreign tourists and/or newly arrived immigrants that the price is what it says....from what ive heard from friends in foreign countries (Europe mostly) it can be insulting not to haggle with the vendor...i had a friend get snarled at by a Turk selling this beautiful chess set...i think he ended up paying like 30% of the asking price....
New haggling tactic - mention to the vendor that you're an INS agent.
Recently a guy selling a crappy knock off purse, you know the guys, refused to haggle. He eventually did when I pointed out that the Kate Spade sticker was on upside down, but he seemed offended. Seems to me that if you're selling possibly illegal merchandise from a cardboard box on the corner, you should be happy to haggle.