I hope you find the following helpful and buy with ease in Turkey. I know I will!!

Chapter 30 of HOW TO EUROPE The Complete Travelers Handbook, John Bermont, claims, "In Istanbul, go to the bazaar and shop for Turkish carpets, leather goods, and dust collectors. Haggle, haggle, haggle, and keep on haggling."

In the book, Economics for Starters, it states that "In the oriental bazaars, like this famous one in Istanbul, haggling is expected."

I like finding out the boundaries of a haggle because it is a business and the stated price normally is unrealistic and is overstated to allow for haggling. If you know the boundaries, you can usually have more fun with the haggling and do it better.

Haggling can be as much fun as shopping if you treat it as a game and an expected part of the cultural business exchange. But, I also find it important to find out the rules of haggling in the country. One rule in Istanbul I do know is this..

This is shopping Grand Bazaar-style.
1. Haggling is expected. The rule is: offer half the initial price, and aim to settle at around two thirds.
2. Cash in Turkish currency works best and there are lots of cash exchange places.
3. DON'T make an offer and back away; it's considered very bad form.
4. You can comfortably accept refreshment without being committed to a purchase. It is part of their gracious culture.

Shops..other tips
1. Shops stay open late in Istanbul. Officially they close at 10pm but several stay open until midnight.
2. As a rule, haggling is not practiced in the shops in the main shopping districts and is likely to cause offence.
3. Claiming VAT is not easy in Turkey. In theory visitors are entitled to a refund on leaving the country on a purchase over $100 made in euros from shops displaying the tax-free sales sticker. Your passport has to be presented at the time of buying and you need to ask for a special invoice - 'Ozel Fatural'. This invoice is given to customs on departure and the refund collected at the airport bank. However, sometimes the refund is posted on. This can take months and it's common for it never to arrive at all. A better option is to enquire if the shop offers a cash refund or a bank cheque which may be cashed at the airport.