Haggle at La Bufadora Market in Ensenada, Mexico

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I am not good at haggling…unless I feel like I am getting ripped off. Then, I will spend hours negotiating a deal that the sales person didn’t even think was possible. I am cheap. Or rather frugal. I just don’t understand why people don’t list the actual price of an item instead of chasing me down the street after I walk away from the “below cost, final offer.” But, I do realize that that is part of the charm of shopping the streets of Mexico so, I went to La Bufadora Market armed with a loaded wallet and my best poker face.

I couldn’t have been happier when the sexy Kandy Kruise, AKA 24-hour party boat, ported in Ensenada. I needed a break from whooping it up and was ready for some shopping therapy. We decided to take a $19.99 excursion to La Bufadora, a Mexican flea market and I was anxious to see what bargains were to be had.

Upon arrival, La Bufadora was bustling with shoppers. Save some haggling deals for me. There were booths as far as the eye could see.

necklaces at La Bufadora Market in Ensenada, Mexico
bracelets at La Bufadora

I ogled some haggling worthy turqoise jewelry, almost ready to make an offer, but then remembered that I haven’t even rotated my earrings for 7 years. What makes me think this would be a good purchase?

I walked by the shoes at La Bufadora. Who doesn’t need a good pair of leathers sandals? But, I looked down at my $9.99 black flip-flops that have gotten me through the entire summer. They still had some tread left to spare. I quickly bypassed the piles of straw hats since I brought a fedora with me and had to carry it in my lap on the plane.

shoes at La Bufadora Market in Ensenada, Mexico
La Bufadora Market hats for sale

There was definitely no room on this lap for a sombrero.

Knock-off bags at La Bufadora

I rushed past the knock-off bags, envisioning myself in handcuffs in a foreign jail. It was not pretty.

Mask at La Bufadora
Blow Fish at La Bufadora

Hmm…these items left me bewildered. Those masks reminded me of a something a WWE wrestler would sport, but these were pint size for children. The blow fish wasn’t so bad, it was the creepy fanged fish directly behind it that has haunted me for days.

Beautiful Braids at La Bufadora

What caught my attention in a good way was this young girls braids. Her mother had done them for her and it was pure sweetness. But, “getting braids done by her mother” was not for sale. I asked.

wine

What I ended up purchasing was one bottle of Tempranillo wine claimed to have been made in Ensenada. And there was no haggling. At all. He said $10, I said okay. But, that was after I made him prove that he was the actual wine maker by showing me his license.

Have you been haggling at a market in a different country? What for?

Traveling Soon? Use my Favorite Resources for Booking Your Trip!

Book Your Flight
Skyscanner is my favorite flight search engine, because it checks dozens of airlines so you can easily find the best fare deals. You can also select ‘cheapest month’ to find the lowest fares for your destination (I use this all the time!).

Book Your Accommodations
I use both Booking.com and Expedia for hotels, because each offers a couple different hotel choices and I like to compare the reviews on each one. If you have a group or are looking for more of a home atmosphere, head over to VRBO or AirBNB that has houses, apartments and even just a room for rent in every price range. 

Book Your Rental Car
If love the freedom to explore like I do, driving from place to place is the best option! I always book with Discover Cars for the best prices and top brand options.

Book Some Fun Tours!
Viator and Get Your Guide are my go-to search engines for cool bucket list experiences! Each one can have different tours, so check both—why limit yourself, right?

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel can be unpredictable. Whether it’s a last-minute cancellation, an injury, or (ugh) theft, things happen. That’s why I recommend never leaving the country without travel insurance. Here are my faves: Safety Wing and World Nomads.

Get Packing & Travel Essentials Ready
Check out the Bucket List Journey Amazon Store to find all my favorite travel essentials. Everything from Packing cubes, to travel adapters and toiletry containers to walking shoes.

*Lastly, check travel.state.gov for visa requirements and safety information.


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18 thoughts on “Haggle at La Bufadora Market in Ensenada, Mexico”

    • There risks anytime you eat anywhere in the world (though I’ve only be sick twice in 15 years), so if you are worried I would stick to places where you see the food cooked right in front of you.

      Reply
  1. My husband and I brought back a sombrero from Loredo Nuevo. He did the haggling since I do not speak Spanish. There are also flea markets like this in San Antonio, Texas which I tried to haggle for a T-shirt since some vendors speak English. I had to pick the one that spoke only Spanish, so my husband to the rescue again. But when it came to buying my KIA Sportage, I did haggle. I had done my homework ahead of time. I knew what I wanted, what the rebate was, and what the going price was. So when the dealer said, "I will drop the price by…" I replied, "That is the amount of the manufactor's rebate…" The price started out at $23,000 and the purchase price was $16,050, a savings of $6,050 plus I got out of paying the sales tax because I live in a state without a sales tax.

    Reply
  2. I hate haggling in markets.  But like you, I will do it if I think I'm getting ripped off.  I haggled a lot in markets in Central America for food.  They see my face and automatically the price would be double.  But you cannot fool this gringa!  Walk away and go to the next of 30 vendors selling avocado.

    Reply

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