Gemstones/rocks

[Ann001]

Has anyone bought from the rock/gem sellers up in Valencia? I saw a couple large ones that were beautiful and they were 200.00 USD and an amethyst one was $500.00. I'm wondering if buyers are expected to negotiate these prices or if they are firm. I've never really haggled and didn't want to insult anyone, but also don't want to pay that much.

[DonJuane]

I should give you my crash course in shopping. To shop properly you adopt a sense of humor and before you even let it be known that you have any serious interest in some piece for sale, you exchange some info with the seller, perhaps asking about their shop and where they get their merchandise. You could explain maybe as a point of conversation that you moved to Mexico as a poor Gringo who left the US because you can't afford the prices in the USA (which in most people's case is the truth). Now as you converse slowly pick out the stone you want but don't get too excited about it. You can express interest in the stone but think a while when setting it slowly down after the price is quoted for it. Now don't set it down rapidly or walk away too fast, just have an "if only" sort of sad look on your face while maybe stating it is a shame this is the price because you can pay up to xyz for something like that. Make the offer a little less than what you are willing to pay and then at least let them think you are interested and all they need to do is bring your offer up and they can work a deal. And by all means never lose control of the conversation to allow the seller to have the upper hand - you have the money in your pocket at this point (or can get it) and you may or may not buy it, so keep calm and don't be foolish. Actually the more time you take the more pleasure you and the seller will gain from the interaction or transaction if the sale is made. Still at the same time, don't be pampas or arrogant about the fact you hold the cards because the seller after all holds what we are assuming you have been dreaming of. Still it's important to never act uppity or taunting of your money like teasing some shop keeper or never disrespect the shop owner or keeper in any fashion - keep a firm footing but if you are all about yourself, the shop keeper won't deal with you or even worse they will use you just to watch your uppity posterior sweat a bit. In other words, keep things on the same level, with an air of humor and on a level playing field.

Now after you have made it clear you have an interest, the seller knows you can possibly a) walk away while saying it's a piece of crap and you'll never pay that price for it (what some might be thinking) and terminate the possibility of ever owning it or better, b) you simply state again how beautiful the piece is but if it were only available for your offered price, how great it would look on your mantle and at that point marvel a bit more of it, maybe hand it then back to them while simply saying "some day" with a sigh (in Spanish) as you walk away without looking backward, this time not making the mistake of showing that same level of serious interest in another piece for sale at the next booth where you might appear to the original seller as some fickle time-waster but instead you will appear as someone who was for a moment, genuinely interested. Now they may pull out something less for the price you offered but no, that one may be nice but your heart is set on the other one. Well maybe next time you are in the area you will try to remember to drop by again and check the price.

Now as you slowly walk away you are giving them ample time to re-approach you with a better deal and they either will or won't make a move. If they won't you have the opportunity to circle back around the flea market or market for one more look, or you can always return the next week but each time you give at least a small glance toward the piece again while ensuring the shop owner sees you and thus they have the opportunity to approach. If that doesn't work, keep doing it over once week after week when you visit until someone budges - or not. Now all this is stuff is a wash if you have not realized that you are dealing with a young or uninterested shop keeper who is selling for someone else and if this is the case, yes a lot of your effort has likely gone down the drain but all is not lost. In this case you can try working down the shop keeper to the point they can't move any lower and then you actually tell them you know the owner would take your offered price if they will only give them I call (I have about a 90% success rate in the call, not the sale incidentally but at least you are at the end of the line and no longer dealing with someone who really can't change the price.) If your Spanish is great, maybe you can even take over the call to el heffe.

Otherwise if the seller is actually on site, that's the best hope for a bargain. In this case once a seller realizes you want something but are not the typical sucker buyer and "got to have it now!", you both reach a firm understanding of each other over a little time and begin to really negotiate the piece in question. You should never say a tacky thing to the seller, only express admiration yet at every price quoted you say you only wish you could pay that, and again offer your price. This way the seller always knows you want the piece but has the option to lower the price and as a non-frantic buyer, you always know the same, the price comes down to where you can deal with it and there you have it.

Or maybe it doesn't work out that way - then next week someone-else somewhere-else is selling it maybe at the price you want. A good rule of thumb however is unless it's a glass of water in the desert, don't get too anxious for things and always psyche your mind up that you can live without something before you even begin to negotiate. Don't fall victim to your impulses and always rely on what I call my "zoom out factor". Keep looking at your dwelling and those of others over the years and think to yourself, "in the general scheme of things, who really needs all this crap" and that would be me included as I look over all my endless collection of electronic gadgetry or then it could be someone else's rug or pottery collection. Bottom line is we don't need any of this junk but maybe we are passing the time away just to be doing so. It's then easy to return to ground zero, don't be too anxious and know that opportunities will keep presenting themselves repeatedly and keep in mind to if we don't make the deal, maybe we never needed it anyway.

And not to demean rock collecting, but unless it is a verifiable precious stone, then the price can be all over the board. To you a beautiful piece looks like it is worth every bit of $500 and to the child who picked it up in a mining scrap yard, dusted it off and sold it for maybe $1, it was not worth much, so think carefully about purchasing non-precious gems and save your money for important things in life like ... a new Android TV box ... or any of my own collection of personal favorites LOL.

Good luck to you anyway and before you go too much further, maybe a hat collection would be easier to transport?

[Ann001]

Thanks, I love your detailed instructions! Maybe I could just hire you to do my rock 'shopping'?

[DonJuane]

Sounds good, now let me tell you my price .... (here we go with my part) Where are you from and what gives you the desire for rock collecting? Now my price is $50US per hour and I have a lot of clients and I am so good that I am quite highly in demand ...... at this point, you already know what to do, all you have to do is re-read my instructions above and you'd be having me do it for some batch of sweets that I would trade for, cookies, chocolate, or a good cake - you name it LOL. I't all about spending a little time with someone, understanding them (or trying to) and trading a few favors. Shopping, selling, buying or friending, just a little give and take. Let me know how you make out. You can do it! The secret is to try to make a friend and the item for sale then becomes just a by-product. Who knows, after you get super good at it, maybe you come home after each day out with a full-heart and an empty shopping bag and from that you will have received the biggest "shopping find" of all ;-)