In most of the secondhand world, the term "fair market price" doesn't actually refer to a set amount of money, but rather one person's opinion of what this particular flower pot is worth. When it gets right down to it, a "fair price" is the purchaser's opinion against the seller's, and is determined on a case-by-case basis.

And that's where the haggle comes in.

The classic haggle recognizes this flexibility and gives the buyer a chance to undercut the price posted -- providing that they: A) have the nerve to ask for a lower price, and B) can convince the seller that their sticker price is "just too damn high." Haggling turns every flea market stall into a miniature auction house, pitting seller versus buyer in a test of will and a game of wits.

But hard bargaining as an art form, first perfected in the open-air bazaars of Marrakech and Istanbul, has fallen on hard times since the golden days of America's frontier horse traders. Most contemporary shoppers, raised on retail and the occasional inventory reduction sale, wouldn't even dream of haggling, and are more than happy to pay the sticker price at a yard sale.

After all, isn't it so much less than they'd actually pay down at the outlet mall? Two bucks for a working bike pump? Five for the video game sensation of Christmas '96? To the untrained eye, these finds are not only good buys, but great bargains.

Hagglers, trained professionals in the art of the bargain, look at the same purchases and see missed opportunities. They approach every second-hand transaction as a high-stakes auction -- a rummage sale showdown where only one participant walks away. Each trip to the cash box is another chance to turn a simple business deal -- whether it be for a toy tractor or a pair of mustache scissors -- into a free-form exchange of offers and counteroffers.

Within the boundaries of the Lone Star state, there's no better place to hone your basic hagglin' skills than the fairgrounds of Canton's First Monday and no better teacher of the bargain than the lovely and talented Elaine Johnson, my dear sister.