nikki,
Haggling is a work of art, it has no rules and i am sure that you will receive loads of advice, here is mine.
1. Never really look interested.
2. Always keep walking (slowly)
3. Avoid entering the shop unless you intend to buy.
4. Do not accept items that are thrust into your hands.
5. If you do, make an elaborate gesture of putting it on the floor and walk away.
6. Remember once you start to haggle most Egyptians will consider this to be the prelude to a sale.
7. Start very low, If they say 100, you say 10, dont be embarrassed. Remember that you will meet in the middle, you go up & he goes down.
8. It is no good meeting in the middle if you are being ripped off. So if you are happy to pay say 20 Egyptian for something and he says 200, you dont start at 100. You would go in at say 1 and steadily creep up at 1 LE intervals whilst he drops by 20 LE.
9. Having said all this, I am a firm believer that you do not have to take a man for every penny you can make. A few pence to you, may feed his family for a week. Think to yourself, what is it worth to you, is that a bargain. If it is buy it, if not walk on (with a smile)
Tez