Where is this scene from? Backwards Haggling

[Sermil]

So, there's a scene I once read, I remember it pretty clearly, but for the life of me, I can't remember what book it's from. Can someone with a better memory help me out?

The scene is between a main character (PC) and a merchant. The merchant is from a culture that expects to haggle over sales. The main character is buying... something. I don't remember the actual prices, but the conversation goes something like:

PC: How much?
Merchant: 200 coins
PC: I'll give you 100 for it.
Merchant: 100! Impossible! [Usual haggling speech]. But I suppose I could part with it for 190.
PC: And could give you 90 for it.
Merchant: Well, I supposed I could go down to... wait, what?
PC: Sorry, I misspoke
Merchant: OK, good
PC: I meant 80.
Merchant: [sputters, eventually gives the PC the item for 80]

My memory is that we're supposed to think "What a great bargainer the PC is!" but my reaction was "Oh, come on, the merchant would just be insulted and kick the PC out!" (and maybe a bit "I think the author is projecting their own dislike of haggling.")

Any ideas?

[No brains]

I recall there was some sidequest in the PS1 Digimon game where the player helps an NPC running a shop and does something ridiculous like that, but the PC is the merchant in that case.

[Narkis]

Are you sure you're not misremembering our very own Elan's antics? (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0675.html)

[hamishspence]

I vaguely remember the inverse - the price going up and up after the protagonist made the haggling counteroffer.

Something along the lines of "Except it's 500 now" and "You let me know how desperately you needed it" and later "if your next words are anything but "I accept" it'll be 2000."

I'm not sure if those were the exact words, but it was something along those lines.


EDIT: Apparently it was from Making Money - and the raised price for the ring (that had already been manufactured) was basically blackmail, and there wasn't any counteroffer - just a protest when the increased price was revealed.

Discworld does have examples of Trying To Haggle Gets The Price Worse Instead of Better though (Glod, in Soul Music, keeps doing this - haggling and getting worse prices)


A much better example of "one party pushing the price the opposite direction from the way haggling would do" was here:

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DoYouWantToHaggle


TV Series:

Bottom: Eddie tries to sell a hand carved wooden leg to a pawnshop for money to place on a betting horse, he tries to haggle with Harry the pawn broker with mixed results:

Harry: Must be worth at least two and a half grand, I'll give you one pound fifty for it.
Eddie: Um, let's haggle.
Harry: Alright, a quid.
Eddie: No, let`s haggle upwards.
Harry: ALRIGHT, Fifty pence.
Eddie: Blimey, they don`t call you "Harry the Bastard" for nothing, do they?

[paddyfool]

Another famous scene if haggling going wrong, if not exactly backwards, may be found in Life of Brian https://youtu.be/51_Qs8tq5c8

[Lord Torath]

In Stardust (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486655/), Captain Shakespear 'haggles' with a guy over selling some lightning bolts. He holds firm at 200, while the other guy slowly moves from 100 or so up to 190. Shakespear agrees and then charges 5% "sales tax" to arrive at a final value of 200.

[tomandtish]

Honestly this type of thing shows up a lot of places in varying forms. A very common one is the person paying for information. Put a stack of bills down, then the more they hedge pick bills back up until they give you the info. Not so much where the quote came from as which version. I recognize the tone of the one you are using, although I can't lay my hands on a specific example at present.

[Traab]

It also shows up in real life. You want to hire a contractor with a good reputation for a rush job, he quotes you a price, you hem and haw about how expensive it is, then say you will get back to him, you get back to him and agree and he says "now its this much more" "What why?" "Because now I have even less time to arrange to handle your job" And basically any time they call back later the price goes up till they either go away or just accept the freaking charge and stop playing phone tag. Its a sellers market, you came to them, you want them to do the work, then you pay the price for it. Admittedly that doesnt happen all the time, but its still semi common with those at the top of their profession.

[DavidSh]

Related, but not a direct answer to the question is the story of the Sibylline books, which were books of prophesy. The last king of Rome went to buy the books, but the Sibyl asked too high a price, so the king refused. The Sibyl then burnt three of the books, and asked the same price for the remainder. When the king refused again, the Sibyl burnt three more books, and asked the same price for the final three. The king accepted this time, presumably fearing that this was his last chance.

[RedCloakLives!]

It can be found in either The Adventures of the Mad Scientists' Club, or The New Adventures of the Mad Scientists Club, can't remember which.

Two of the group are getting something at auction, and they duel their way down to a price they can afford.

It's probably not what you were thinking of, but as tomandtish notes, it is not unique. But it's always entertaining. And memorable. :smallbiggrin: