How the negotiation actually works, where it does not apply at all, what is genuinely worth buying — and how to tell real alabaster, papyrus and saffron from what is usually sold instead.
It is a conversation, not a contest
Most writing about bargaining in Egypt is either "everything is a scam" or a cheerful cultural anecdote with no practical detail in it. Neither helps. Bargaining here is a social form with a transaction inside it — the tone of the exchange matters more than the number at the end, and visitors who understand that consistently pay less than visitors who treat it as a fight.
Bargaining is expected in bazaars, in tourist-facing souvenir shops, with taxis and with anyone who approaches you on the street. It does not apply in supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, dive centres or anywhere with a printed price on the item. Trying to haggle in a supermarket is the tourist equivalent of arguing with a parking meter, and doing it in a pharmacy is faintly insulting.
The opening price is not an offer, it is the start of a conversation, and both of you know it. You counter low — meaningfully low, not insultingly so — and you meet somewhere between. Two or three rounds is normal. The seller who accepts your first counter immediately has told you that you paid too much, and neither of you will say so.
This is the part most visitors get backwards. It is a social exchange with a transaction inside it, not a contest to be won. Smile, take the tea if it is offered, be unhurried. Someone who bargains hard and warmly is respected; someone who bargains hard and coldly is overcharged, because at that point the seller is no longer enjoying it either.
If the price is not right, thank them and leave. Often you will be called back, and that call-back is the real price. If you are not called back, the price was genuine and you can return without embarrassment — nobody involved considers this rude. The one thing that does not work is walking away angrily, because that ends the conversation instead of advancing it.
"La’ shukran" — no, thank you — said pleasantly while continuing to walk, ends an unwanted approach better than silence ever does. And "aakhir kalaam?", literally "last word?", is the standard closing move when you are genuinely near agreement. Knowing the numbers in Arabic changes the conversation more than either.
Genuinely one of the best cottons in the world, and genuinely worth buying here — towels, bedding and shirts.
How to tell: Most of what is sold to tourists as Egyptian cotton is not. Real long-staple cotton feels heavy and slightly cool, and does not have the slick sheen of a polyester blend. Buy from a proper shop rather than a stall, and be sceptical of anything sold by the piece from a pile.
Cumin, coriander, hibiscus for karkade, and dates that bear no relation to the ones in a European supermarket.
How to tell: A supermarket sells these at a fixed, honest price with no negotiation, and for spices that is usually the better buy. In a market, the risk is not fakery but dust and age — buy from a busy stall with high turnover.
Sold everywhere here at prices far below what real saffron costs anywhere in the world.
How to tell: That price is the tell. Almost all of it is safflower, which is a different plant and worth a fraction. Real saffron is sold by the gram and costs accordingly. If it is cheap and comes in a big bag, it is not saffron.
Carved bowls, lamps and small figures, still genuinely hand-worked in Upper Egypt.
How to tell: Hold it up to a light. Real alabaster is translucent and unevenly veined, cool to the touch and surprisingly heavy. Resin castings are warm, uniform and light, and they are what most "alabaster factory" stops on a Luxor excursion are selling.
Real papyrus is made from the pith of the plant and lasts decades.
How to tell: Most of what is sold is banana or palm leaf, which cracks and browns within a year. Real papyrus is fibrous in two visible directions when held to the light, and it does not tear easily if you tug gently at a corner — a good shop will let you try that.
A name cartouche made to order is the one genuinely personal souvenir here, and takes a day or two.
How to tell: Ask for the silver stamp and buy from a shop with a fixed premises rather than a stall. Gold is sold by weight at the day rate plus workmanship, so the metal price is not really negotiable — the workmanship is.
The alabaster or papyrus "factory" on a Luxor day is not part of the itinerary; it is a paid stop. You are allowed to sit it out, and saying so politely at the start of the day is easier than at the door.
It is illegal to remove them, marine park rules are enforced, and a live shell is an animal. This is not a technicality — bags are checked at the airport and it is a genuinely bad way to end a holiday.
Exporting real antiquities from Egypt is a serious criminal offence. Anything offered to you as ancient in a market is either a reproduction being sold dishonestly, or a crime you are being invited to commit. Both are reasons to walk away.
Paying in euros invites a poor conversion at both ends of the transaction. If a card machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline it — that is dynamic currency conversion and it is never the better option.
Supermarkets and the marina shops charge more than a bazaar at its best and less than a bazaar at its worst, with no negotiation and no doubt about what you are buying. For spices, dates and everyday things they are frequently the sensible choice.
Last reviewed 26 July 2026. Something out of date? Tell us