What is the point of bartering in this game? (Rhetorical question)

Your only option when a person refuses is to lower your price until they accept. You don't have the option to say "not good enough, goodbye". You're forced to acquiesce to the whims and mercies of whoever is holding the coin. Case in point: I am currently arguing with a wealthy count (Dysart), who wants Geralt to investigate his haunted mansion. He's not offering anywhere near enough for such a money-bags, but Geralt has to suck it. Well... that sucks.

Rant over.

At the conclusion of bartering you can always just not accept the contract. The NPC is just giving you the highest amount he/she will pay. It always lets you back out after that by saying goodbye to the NPC. It's probably not the most elegant system, but you're not locked in at that point.

It's a pretty limited bartering system. And you don't get to do it that often. I have found that there is not necessarily one max price that the NPC will accept. Rather, what they will accept also depends on how annoyed you have made them already. I have gotten different prices from the same NPC based on their annoyance level alone.

That's my point. You can ONLY do this at the conclusion. If, during negotiations, you are unhappy... let's say you have a price, and you won't budge on that price, there is no way to say to the person, look this is my price, take it or leave it. That's not bartering. No, it does not. There is no exit, close or cancel button, only a button to agree a price. If you won't come down on that price, you are stuck in the dialog until the customer gets so annoyed that the mini game ends, and the next time you talk to them, it's their price or nothing. That, again, is not bartering. Yes, you are. Show me a cancel button, or a 'take it or leave it' button.

Indeed the bartering system seems a bit odd. I would add an option to convince the buyer. Telling them that a Chort is not a Drowner and listing all the things that it can do if left alone would be nice.

I don't even see the point.
I once tried to ask 10 coins more than the starting amount (where the maximum I could have asked was 200 more that the starting amount).
The npc got pissed up to 50% and lowering got me to get my price accepted only when I suggested 1 coin more than the starting amount.

What's the point?
I can just loot a cave and get more than any contract anyway.

At first I thought that what the NPC says prior to bartering provides a hint of how much you can get. But it's of no relevance. Sometimes people complain about how poor they are, yet you can raise their initial price substantially. Other times the contract givers say they'll spare no expense, yet they won't raise the initial price by more than five coins.

The best bartering scene was early into Hattori's quest. Hint: go all the way!

It does let you back out after the conclusion of bartering, like I said. It is not during that "bartering" screen, it's after you try to get the most out of the NPC. You have the option say you'll help them/ask for info or just leave. That's why I said it's not the most elegant system.

No need to get angry over it, I'm not saying it's perfect, and it's a VERY simple system. But it makes a certain degree of sense that each NPC will have a limit that fluctuates based on how annoyed they are. If you don't like that limit, don't take the contract. It's absurd to think you should be able to force them over what they're willing to pay. That wouldn't work in the real world either.

If you're that angry about it go make a mod that fixes it to your liking. It's hardly a crucial part of the game considering money is no object as soon as you get to Velen. It wasn't even in previous Witcher games. In fact, some people purposely paid you less in previous games because of prejudice against witchers and you had zero say. It's a nice, simple addition to the game.

Since you harped on it so much, let me reiterate that after you conclude bartering you can simply say goodbye to the NPC and not complete the contract. It is entirely up to you. Usually the dialogue option is something along the lines of "I don't have time for this."

EDIT: WOW I'm bad it reading. I see you did say you know you can back out after bartering! That's why it's a rough system, but you do have the option to leave. I just assume if you've annoyed them/gone above their price they won't accept a "take it or leave it" button.

You are also very bad at judging people. I'm not angry, not in the least. It's an irritation at most. You've also missed the entire point: there is NO bartering whatsoever. It's only an 'agree to this or drop your price' interaction. As I said, Geralt does NOT have the option to say 'look, I'm a witcher, and I know a dangerous job when I see one, so this is my price... if you don't like it, I'm leaving right now'. That option simply does not exist in any way, shape or form. You do NOT have the option to leave the dialog, other than to meet the person's acceptable price. Period.

Haha forgive me if I misread the tone of text on the internet...but attack me all you'd like.
It sounds like you just really want the option to leave to be on the bartering page instead of the next page. That's when you currently say "That's not enough, I'm leaving," though maybe not in those words. Add some role-playing to it if you want. It's an RPG, after all.

No, you don't have a take it or leave it option. Would that be a nice addition? Sure. But, the person who is paying really does have final say anyway. It''s obviously a binary system. Like I said, it's a nice, simple addition to the game and it is totally unecessary. If it irriates you, go needlessly spend extra money so that you make less just like the the first game or just don't take the contract. In that way you have final say.

I agree that something like this (along with the extra dialogue that entails, unfortunately, so not a super easy thing to just mod in if that is possible when the RedKit comes out) would make the whole Monster Hunter aspect of the game WAY better. I love that so much of my time can be spent wandering around and getting money for solving monster-related problems, and being an expert in monster business, but not having the control in bartering makes the system really weird/useless.

You're doing it again. Where have I ever attacked you? Drop it. That's exactly what I want. It's a BARTER dialog, not a 'reduce your price right now' dialog. Spare me. I'm an accomplished role player of many years. Funny... I thought you said there was one. But there must be a process to get to an agreement, or otherwise, else there simply is no bartering. End of tale. You just don't get it, do you?

Same here. It's just not worth it.

I certainly should've asked your gaming pedigree before engaging in conversation. There's always some suspension of reality in games, and a reminder of that isn't an insult. No need to puff yourself up. No, I never said there was a take it or leave it option. Feel free to try to find that. Every time I've said you can leave after the conclusion of bartering. And you've said you just want that option moved up to the bartering screen as a take it or leave it option. Great.

What I don't get is why you're so adamant about this sytem being broken. It's made to be an extremely simple way to get a few extra coins out of a contract. You're not giving bad ideas. I just think you're irritated over something that doesn't even have to be there. Money is not an issue in this game.

The reason I posted in the first place was because your OP stated the count was not offering enough money. I just wanted to point out you don't have to take the contract. That's all. I also have continually said it's not an elegant system. There's no need to be contrary at every point; I'm not saying that you're wrong or that imrovements can't be made. You can post ideas to improve the actual system all you'd like, and that's awesome, but your original complaint has a solution. Don't work for what you consider insufficient money. That's what I was addressing, and that's all I was addressing.

Are you for real? You repeatedly accuse me of attacking you, patronise me regarding game play/role playing, and you certainly like to judge people you know nothing about. You now accuse me of "puffing myself up". Astonishing. Must be that American thing. I don't need to look very far: "but you're not locked in at that point."
You are locked into the dialog UNTIL you offer a price that the person agrees to. To say you are not locked in is to say you have a leave option. It does not exist. Because it IS broken. There is NO bartering. I've said it over and over... end of tale. I'm irritated because a mini game about bartering has... wait for it... no bartering. Sheesh! Not the point. Missing the point entirely. Give it up. Says the person contradicting my every word, and throwing accusations to boot. How many times must I reiterate this: you... are... misssing... the... point.