If you homestead out past the pavement, chances are you’ve got a few “horse trades” under your buckle. Country folks are legendary for being hard bargainers who work for every cent in the final price. There’s a real art to “dickering.” If you’re new to rural dealings, bargaining is a skill worth cultivating.
The Definition of Dickering
“Dickering,” if you get all technical, is working a price to the place you feel comfortable paying. It’s not so much about the price as the journey to that mutually acceptable number. Unlike fancy penciled figures on slips silently pushed across boardroom tables, out here in the timothy, we look you in the eyes when talking money. Watching good bargaining, as a tractor jockey once told me, is like watching a really slow wrestling match. The buyer has a price, and the seller has a
