Is haggling a sin?

[sehrwunderbar]

I was reading an article where the woman explained that at many places things such as furniture and jewelry are marked up a lot and there is room to haggle. Many people commented saying that it is wrong to haggle a small business owner because they are trying to make enough to feed their family, etc.

I wanted to get a discussion going here on haggling because someone quoted this
“It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer; but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth” Proverbs 20:14" saying that people should not haggle just to get a lower price if the original price is “fair.”

I use coupons all the time, get lots of things for free for family, friends, etc. I have not really thought of haggling at regular types of stores, but want to know what people think about this and what the moral thing is to do. I can understand some of the position that it would hurt small business to haggle, but if they are lowering their prices to hagglers apparently they prices must be inflated a little for that cushion. It makes sense to mark some things up and then allow hagglers to get a lower price, but I don’t want to be sinning.

Any thoughts on this? What does that proverb actually mean?
thanks!

 

[txstm]

Haggling is not a sin, IMHO. If the storekeeper feels you haven’t offered a fair price, he’s under no obligation to sell the item to you.

 

[ChadS]

If your intent isn’t to cheat the storeowner or wrongfully deprieve them of something and if the storeowner is willing to part with it for the agreed upon price then haggling isn’t a sin. Neither one of you is under an obligation to either buy or sell something, so haggling can be a positive thing. I heard that in some cultures if you don’t try to negotiate a lower price then the storeowner can feel insulted, it had something to do with you not treating the storeowner as an equal or something along those lines. Maybe another poster would know.

ChadS

 

[Chi_Rho_Joe]

The selling price of *anything *(from cat chow to houses) is what a *willing *buyer and willing seller agree upon.

“It’s not personal. It’s just business.” - Donald Trump

 

[Advocatus_Fidei]

The store owner is already charging you more than the item cost thenm to buy.

Thats how merchants make their money, if your not making it worth their while they simply wont sell it to you.

You worked hard to earn your money as well your not obliged to give it away easily just to enrich someone else.

 

[JimG]

Haggling is no sin. After all, Abraham haggled with God over how many good men it would take to spare the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah. He haggled him down from 50 to 10. Unfortunately, they couldn’t find ten.

 

[Newbie2]

Haggling could, IMHO, be elevated to the level of a sin if it becomes overly zealous haggling. I’ve had people try to “negotiate” the price of the services in my veterinary clinic, and when they don’t get what they want, they’ve come just short of accusing us of being greedy bas-turds.

I suppose if we set the criteria of “ethical haggling”, then no, it is not sinful.

 

[Gerry_Hunter]

Like many other things, haggling is an instrumentality that is neither morally licit nor illicit. In some cultures, it is expected, and questions arise if a buyer refrains from doing so.

It is wrong to cheat or coerce someone in a bargaining or commercial transaction, and haggling can be an instrument in doing that wrong. But the sin lies not in the instrument, but in the outcome of its misuse.

Blessings,

Gerry