There are many articles in TripAdvisor which range from calling every merchant in Marrakech a scoundrel to more sober tips which simply help the traveler better understand the culture of negotiation.

it is important to remember that there really are treasures in some of those dusty old hanuts; and there are many merchants who look only to earn a fair price. This said, when the cost of an item seems a too high and the merchant is saying the price is good while inviting you for tea while offering your daughter 2000 camels in exchange for marriage with his son, all in good humor of course, here are some things to consider:

Tip 1: not every merchant is spewing the same tired phrases about camels and upon pouring you tea you did not ask for in the first place, saying with a laugh, 'I give you good price!' The jokers are hustlers and you might as well just walk away from them.

Tip 2: Just about every price - much as the guide books say - can be halved. However, sometimes the price isn't really so high. How do you find out? Just offer the price and walk out the door. If the merchant lets you go, chances are he simply cannot let the item go for the price you think is fair according to formulized tourism guide book stuff, which you might as well know, was often written by someone who believes that every female beggar with a child bundled in a blanket on her back, is in business with rent-a-child babies they pick up for 50 DH on their way to the Medina.

Unfortunately, it is just a few scoundrels who make their presence known in the Medina in a big way.

Tip 3: Try looking into the eyes of the merchant. What do you see? If this seemingly genuine guy's eyeballs start bulging while his face contorts as soon as the sale looks a little iffy (like as if there were fingers moving about on the inside skin of his face), he is a possessed man, that is, possessed by the greed disease. He has managed to take advantage of a few tourists who handed him phenomenal amounts of money for nothing, and believes he is entitled to take large sums from anyone with a big Nikon strung over the shoulder. But if, on the other hand, his eyes are clear and his mannerisms, well, normal, chances are he is someone to talk to and bargain with.

Tip 4: Compare prices on similar items.

Tip 5: Once you compare prices and find someone agreeable to negotiate with, realize that in the end, the value of objects in transactions with people in this part of the world have less to do with book value as to the value they have for you. Put simply, what's this bracelet worth to you? Will you really wear it in style, or after a few times worn, will you lay it with all the other jewelry in the back of a drawer, never to be seen again?

What is important is: Are you content with the price or, if you see much the same piece somewhere else for 10 euros less, will you lose sleep over it? Remember, the merchant is like business people everywhere, looking to make a decent return on his own investment. Very often, a merchant in the Old Medina may also feel some attachment for the bracelet much as the one I noticed a traveler from Brazil purchased recently. She wisely left the first shop, considering she could have bought a car with the amount the very fat man with the bulging eyes asked for. I told her to look elsewhere, only to show her a place I sometimes go to find exports for my society, Marrakech International Exports, SARL.

The man was patient. When she asked if a similar bracelet for less than a third of the other's price was an antique, he told her no, "It is only some 25 years old." He also tended to other customers at the same time, a couple who wanted to negotiate over a cheap trinket; yet he gave them the same attention as the lady who might potentially make the largest sale of the day. That is a good sign of an honest Medina merchant, for sure.