Found "the one"..Now how can I haggle?

Here's the deal I can get online for the Thinkpad T430s. Has anyone had experience haggling with Lenovo over the phone? What would be a reasonable goal to shoot for considering this configuration? Extended warranty? Few dollars off? Throw in a sleeve or giftcard for a lid decal? If you have experience with Lenovo please share some details and tips. Thanks much!


Here's the deal I can get online for the Thinkpad T430s.

$1,049.00- -$209.80 --> Total = $839.20


• Intel Core i5-3210M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz)
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64 - English
• 14.0" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
• NVIDIA N13M-NS Optimus Graphics 1GB, Intel Core i5-3210M Processor (3M Cache, 2.50 GHz)
• 4 GB DDR3 - 1600MHz (1 DIMM)
• Keyboard Backlit - US English
• UltraNav multi-touch touchpad & TrackPoint with Fingerprint Reader
• 720p HD Camera Mic
• 500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
• DVD Recordable
• Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader
• 6 Cell Lithium Battery T81+
• 90W AC Adapter - US (2pin)
• Bluetooth 4.0 with Antenna
• Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN
• Mobile Broadband upgradable
• Publication - US English
___________
$1,049.00- -$209.80 --> Total = $839.20

 

Make it MS Professional?

 

I've haggled with Lenovo over the phone when buying my W520. Configuration was $2167, I was aiming for around $1600, and I begun the haggling with a low-ball offer of $1400 (which I knew wouldn't work, but it would help negotiate towards the $1600 figure). In the end, I paid $1665 for my system, not including tax. Typically, 20-20% is about the best you can expect to get with an expensive laptop like mine, though I've seen other OEMs go down to even 28% (but is pretty unlikely, and they were very expensive laptops); as for a $1000, I'm not too sure how much you could shave off of that to be honest. OEMs make most of their profits on their expensive models, so it's easier to haggle for those types of systems, whereas it's hard to haggle much off of a system that doesn't make as high of a percentage profit. You might be able to get that config down to $700-$750 perhaps, though I'm just guessing here.

When I was ordering, I used this guide to help me out. While it's written for Dell/Alienware, the same general principles apply to all OEMs.

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Upgrading to 7 Professional probably wouldn't do much in terms of haggling, other than adding on to the price. As for using the laptop itself, 7 Home should be more than enough.

 

Thanks for the reply, Kuroi. That is a big help. I was kinda thinking it might already be at the lowest price they'll go. I came across that post with all the tips, pretty good!

 

I got 17% off my $1200 T430s CTO order. I signed up with eBates, and also with the Lenovo enews/deals emailing.

Then I waited for one of the Lenovo 12% off deals deals for my model (may take a month or more to come around) and started the purchase from the ebates site where it offers 5% cash back (just select one of the offers for free shipping or whatever makes sense for your purchase).

No haggling.

 

That's pretty good. Last November, a friend of mine managed to get 22% "off" her T430 CTO. (This can get obscenely ridiculous: in some cases the "you save" amount is higher than the "you pay" amount.)

No matter how you frame it, it's haggling.