Bargaining
Learn how to bargain effectively in Indonesia
Also see: Shops, Shopping and Things to Buy
Bargaining is part of the culture in Indonesia. The difference between a starting price and the price a vendor is willing to sell at can be large, especially in tourist areas. I once asked how much an ashtray was and the vendor asked for 50,000 rupiah. My Indonesian friend stepped in, and bargained the vendor down to 5,000 rupiah.
One essential trick is the slow walk away. Shake your head in sadness – yes you like the item, but surely it is not worth that amount. Slowly turn your back, and step away – but not too fast, as you are waiting for the vendor to call you back and lower the price.
Nevertheless, the actual price you can get is always likely to be above that of the average Indonesian. Similarly, a Balinese person in Java will not get as good a price as a Javanese person, nor will a person from Jakarta get as good a price in Malang as someone from Malang and so on. Before getting bitter, remember that the many Indonesians still earn less than a hundred dollars a month - and poverty can still mean the difference between life and death.
| Shopping | Belanja |
| Shop | Toko |
| Price | Harga |
| Expensive | Mahal |
| Bill | Bon/ Nota |
| Is there a discount? (i.e. Give me a lower price!) | Ada discount? |
| How much is this? | Berapa ini? |
| What is the price of this? | Berapa harganya ini? |
| How much is that/it? | Berapa harganya itu? |
| How much is that/it? | Berapa itu? |
| That’s expensive. | Itu mahal. |
| Wow, that's very expensive! | Wah, mahal sekali! |
| That's very expensive! | Itu sangat mahal. |
| That's crazy! | Itu gila. |
| That's a crazy price! | Itu harga gila. |
| You're joking, right! | Kamu main – main, iya kan? |
| Are you teasing me? | Apa kamu mainkan aku? |
| Can you lower (the price) (Lit. Can lower?) | Bisa kurang? |
| Can you lower the price? | Bisa kuranging harganya? |
| What's the final price? | Harga pasnya berapa? |