What I said what they use a 'suggested retail' pricing concept. The actual price paid can vary quite a bit with some providers. Now some of what I know is gotten from areas of Eccie that only guys can see, so I will not be commenting directly on that.
My personal experience supports my comment as well. So I will ask the guys reading this thread to share their experiences.
See if maybe I am just crazy...
Originally Posted by DNinja69
IDK my man. I've thought about what you have said a lot and have typed this out several times but I'm not able to communicate my thoughts very well.
My answer is no, I won't haggle or negotiate. To use a bad analogy, because I too am a professional in what I do. My time is valuable, costs of living is expensive. I used to be a freelance whore (not in the sense we're discussing here) myself. Before I changed jobs, in the mid 90's to early 2k, my going rate was 200 an hour with a minimum of a week plus expenses. That's because I had to pay for everything that came with being independent. Health care, 401k/savings, pimping myself out, you name it, my pocket book took a hit. I didn't negotiate. If the client didn't want to pay my rate, they moved on but that's what it took for me to sustain myself and build a career. Trust me, I didn't make as much money as one would think. Side note however, the travel back then was awesome, all the points paid for a lot of my vacations and other perks, but that's another story.
That said, if someone is offering up a special, sure why not, if it peaks your interests. I've done the same thing in my gig, most professionals do at some point or another.
If your experiences are different and you have luck with it, knock yourself out. To each their own.
Count me out as participant haggling in the hobby. To sum it up and to use an old saying, If the goods are Champaign but you're on a beer budget, learn to love beer.
Best of luck to you good sir.