How to cut the cost of large purchases

Learn how to negotiate so that you can cut the cost of large purchases. Stores have sales targets to meet, and are currently having difficulty reaching them. That puts you, the potential customer, in a strong bargaining position, especially when the purchase is a large one.

By large purchase, I mean the sort of thing that you would not go out and buy on a regular basis - stuff like a TV, DVD recorder/player, or furniture, for example.

Perhaps you normally pay by credit card. If you do, the merchant will be charged a "processing fee" of between 2% and 4% of the cost of the purchase by the credit card company.

Just a thought, when did the cost of processing a transaction become proportionate to the value of the transaction? Why does a purchase for $1000 cost more to "process" than a purchase for £100? The reality is, it takes the exact same amount of manpower and/or computing time for both of them.

You can use this "processing fee" to your advantage. You can offer to pay cash for a discount, pointing out that the merchant will avoid the "processing fee" that he would pay otherwise.

Another negotiating/bargaining point is the cost of delivery. If you are buying a large item, it will need to be delivered. If the store has a delivery charge, you can negotiate for this to be cut out (or at least reduced).

And of course, there is the cost of the item itself. If you are buying more than one item, it is easier to negotiate a collective discount.

Happy negotiating!