BeijingTravel Tips, Suggestions, Points for Attention, Page2

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Shopping: lots to buy but lacking the time?
By NAOMI1970 | 4/4/2006 8:00:00 AM

End of March, I was in Beijing on a business trip for a couple of days. This was my third trip to Beijing, so I had with me a shopping list with clothes, toys for my wife, children and friends. Shopping in Beijing can be a pretty exhausting experience, cause one tends to loose a lot of time finding the right place and bargaining for the right price. On the "Thats Beijing" website I found a Belgian girl that is assisting foreign tourists and business people during their shopping. She has been living in China for a long time, speaks English, French, Dutch and Chinese and, for a small fee, helps you locating the things you want to buy and does the bargaining for you. She picked me up at the hotel at 10AM. She had arranged a driver which brought us to the Yaxiu Market, the Pearl Market and the Silk Museum. I told her what I was looking for, she brought me to the store, let me pick out what I liked and bargained the price for me ( I paid about 25% less of what I paid last time ). The things we bought we left with the driver so we did not have to carry heavy bags with us while shopping. The fee I paid her was less than the money saved due to her bargaining and the shopping a much more pleasant experience. Ilse's mobile mumber is (+86) 13621068731, would you wish to contact her...

Oriental Plaza, Beijing - Bargaining!!
By LEMONCACTUS | 12/11/2005 4:22:00 AM

A Chinese friend of mine told me there's no bargaining to be done in the big stores.

Not true.

I went to a store in Oriental Plaza, Wangfujing Street (you can't miss it!) and managed to get 30% off a pair of (REAL) Gortex boots.

So just remember, you can try to get a discount, even in the big/brand stores.

Enjoy!

Souvenirs, fakes, cheap clothes......
By ELCABRON | 9/14/2005 9:02:20 AM

If you are looking for calligraphies, porcelain, antiques you have to go to the PANJIAJUAN market in Beijing. It is only on the weekend and you have to go there early, but it is the biggest market in Beijing. The size is about 4 football fields filled with people selling everything possible. And because there is such a big offer the prices are fine. Of course you have to keep in mind that there is a tough bargaining necessary. It`s part of the Chinese culture (like in Morocco or many other countries). A simple rule for a beginner is always less than half of the price they offer to you as a foreigner or lowai they say in Chinese.Advanced traders knock prices down to a third of the original price, it depends(keep in mind that vendors try to get moonprices so actually it is often just a tenth of their original price). Bargain is a part of Chinese life, it is not offending towards the trader. Everything is negotiable in China. As long as they still sell it to you, you can be sure they have a good profit. And it actually is big fun for you and the trader.
An example:
A handpainted calligraphie with a size of 190x70cm, with so called silkpaper and a wooden roll, sometimes covered with porcelaine endings should be less than 80 kuai. Check with hands and eyes that it is no print!!!
Without wood roll you get the same size for 20 Kuai!
When they pretend that they don? want to sell it for a certain price - leave them. They will come after you to bargain again. If you do this process two or three times you will get the right price!
For a good bargain you need time. Never be in a hurry.
(Chinese friends checked prices, too. They didn? get it much cheaper)

How to get there:
Take Metro Line 1 from the ForbiddenCity/Tiananmen for 5 stations and get off at GUOMAO Station. Outside the station take Bus No. 28 for 20-25 minutes to the market. Just ask people on the bus, they know the market.

If you are looking for cheap clothes, technical equipment and fakes you should try the HONGQIAO market which is inside a big building with three or four storeys. It is situated closer to the Temple of Heaven. From there it is easy to reach by bus, changing lines once.
An example:
A "real" fake of Lacoste or Ralph Lauren Polo Shirt should cost under 30 or 40 Kuai in the end, never pay more than that!
Oh, and never believe something is real;-)

Digital Products
By KINGDEE | 1/25/2005 11:21:04 AM

CyberMart Digital Square, Yayuncun branch, Beijing
Address: No.4 East Hu Xin Road (Hui Xin Dong JIe)

This shopping mall is very famous throughout the country, it has branches in many cities. You may find all kinds of digital products, PCs, mobile phones,etc, with a reasonable price. Sometimes you can bargain with the sellers.

Some Beijing prices
By INTIANJIN | 8/5/2004 4:57:59 AM

Here are some market prices based on my purchases in Beijing:

Jeans go from 60-120RMB

Shirts go from 15RMB for plain small ones to 70RMB for ornamented beautiful ones.

Chopsticks go from 0.2RMB for wooden ones to 10RMB for fake jade ones.

Those fake marble and jade rock balls you see everywhere go for 2RMB-5RMB.

A pair of dress socks (like playboy ones) are 4RMB.

The large sized chinese painting copy for 30RMB (you'll see stupid high prices in some places)

Watch (doesn't matter which) for 15RMB.

Old style big round glasses for 30RMB.

Traditional handmade shoes for 50RMB.

Bottle water 2RMB.

Bottle pop 3RMB.

Rickshaw averages 5-12RMB.

Shopping in Beijing
By BETH | 4/9/2004 5:32:37 PM

I have a tip about shopping in Beijing. Xiu Shui market is a big market, selling various kinds of goods. If you really find something you like and want to buy, and you can do lots of bargaining for the things we want. The good price for you is to pay 1/2 or 1/3 of the original price.

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