Personally, as american who mostly shops on Amazon, negotiating price isn't something I'm used to doing frequently. I have had LatAm clients for a decade, so I know bargaining is expected in many transactions where most North Americans or Western Europeans might not expect it.
Examples: My Ecuadorian girlfriend always bargains with taxi drivers. She rarely bothers when she shops in tiendas, except when she is buying a large quantity of fruit or veg. Occasionally she'll ask for a modest discount, though, when buying shoes at a market or from an individual shop keeper. But that's just one example.
What is your experience like? I'm interested in hearing your experience with the acceptable negotiation range, where you won't insult the seller by offering an "insane lowball" (like countering an initial offer with an 80% discount).
I'm used to negotiating with cars and real estate in the USA. Although in some parts of the USA the tradition is to bid up real estate, most places the transaction closes about 3-4% under offer. Realtors call this Sale-to-List. I find other things, like used cars, typically settle at 5% under initial asking.
But what about buying a house in Ecuador? Is the price range much wider? 10%? 25%? Ecuador is a lot different!
So, In your experience with big ticket transactions (Real Estate, apartment rental, Cars, Furniture, personal services like legal, construction contracting, etc)
Here's what I'd love to know:
What were the items/services you negotiated ?
What was the seller's offer price?
What did you counter offer?
What did you settle for and pay?