What would you pay good money to avoid haggling over a car or negotiating a better deal from your internet provider? A lot of Americans would pay enough that a whole industry has emerged to take over the dirty work.
One savvy former car salesman has turned his know-how into a successful negotiating business — Delivrd (1). Tomislav (Tomi) Mikula charges a $1,000 flat fee to negotiate vehicle purchases on behalf of his clients, and business is booming.
A Wall Street Journal article profiling Mikula (2) detailed how the professional haggler works, and how he’s boosting his business by livestreaming his negotiations on TikTok (3) and YouTube (4) to hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
Mikula’s online popularity has some car dealers hanging up when he calls, while others are keen to hash out a deal with him, the WSJ says.
His business has a five-person team of negotiators, and pulls in about $200,000 in revenue a month, according to the WSJ.
Mikula has a deep knowledge of both sales tactics and dealer inventory. If he gets a good offer on a vehicle, he will still contact several dealerships to get quotes on the same model.
As prices climb for new vehicles — the average cost of a new car passed the $50,000 mark (5) for the first time ever last year — it makes sense that car buyers are keen to employ someone like Mikula to get them a better price, or at least watch him work his magic online.
Should you hire a professional haggler?
You may want to consider a negotiating service if the mere thought of calling your phone provider makes you anxious, or you don’t have time to wait on hold for several minutes — or hours — to argue over your medical insurance coverage.
But these services come with their own fees, so research the company and their prices to weigh whether the savings they’ll deliver are worth the cost of their services.
Look for services that work on a contingency basis, which means you’ll only pay the service if they are able to negotiate and save you money.
Read reviews and do your research to make sure a company is reputable — you may have to give them account or billing information, so make sure the company has strong data protection policies.
Negotiating services typically charge a percentage of the savings they secure for you, often between 30% to 60%, according to CNBC (6). They may also offer memberships that come with other services or features.
While these services may be able to save you money by canceling subscriptions you don’t actively use, finding features you’re overpaying for, or lowering bills, remember that they will take a bite out of those savings with their own fees.
And services that offer memberships can end up being another bill you’re paying every month, so make sure that the features that come with a membership are worthwhile.
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
Delivrd (1); The Wall Street Journal (2); TikTok (3); YouTube (4); Kelley Blue Book (5); CNBC (6)
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Rebecca Payne has more than a decade of experience editing and producing both local and national daily newspapers. She's worked on the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, Metro, Canada's National Observer, the Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press.
