Haggling

Haggling has been on my mind lately, as we went to the artesians market in a Quito park this morning. I've come a long way in my haggling since my experiences at Otavalo on my first Saturday in Ecuador. Most noticibly, my vocabulary and verb usage is now nearly flawless when bargaining a price. I've learned other tricks, too. I never look too interested, even if something really catches my eye. Sometimes I even chat for a minute and say I'm going to look further. Occasionally, such as was the case of the hammock I bought for $10 today, I explain that I really don't think I need it; that I don't know where I could put it. If I have to ask how much it is, I try to not make an offer until hearing the line, "Pero, por usted mi amigo, hay una discuenta" (But, for you my friend, there is a discount). I quickly decide on a maximum price I'll pay (usually around 75% of the quoted price), and then the fun begins!
I always make a lowball offer, usually around 50% of the offered price. This brings a little shock to the vendor's eyes, and is followed by a head shake or an brief mention of the good's high quality or excellent craftsmanship. I concede, and raise my price, as little as I possibly can, usually $1. In the end, I usually get my target price, and sometimes beat it.
I really enjoy haggling. It's like a fun game to me, and there are a few cheap items I've bought here simply for the fun of haggling them down to half their quoted price or less.
Yet, as I've managed to bargain down the prices, I've wondered how I should feel about trying to pay these vendors as little as possible. Some of them are obviously rather poor. As I bargained the woman for the hammock yesterday, I was trying for $8 while she was holding steady at $10. Then she looked at me and said something about being poor, I didn't quite catch it but I heard the word "pobreza." At that, I felt rather guilty and consented to pay $10. It's a bit of a paradox. I'm here to address methods of helping microentrepreneurs, yet I am perfectly willing, as a consumer, to whittle down their profits as much as I can.