| good buys in China | |
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| Aug 28, 2006 05:04 |   |
 | hi everyone, as you know, more foreign friends come to visit China every year. what is a must during journey is that they will buy many some souvernirs to their friends and family members. facing so many goods on show, what to choose? some foreigners have complained that those pedlars raise the price at the sight of a foreigner. getting money from foreigners is easier? how to bargin? how to prevent yourself from buying fake goods. and the most important one: one can not take too many home, which we have to buy? could you share your ecperience with us? |
| Aug 29, 2006 02:29 | #1 |
| I think that buying and bargaining in China is all part of the experience of the travelling in the country- if you are there long enough you soon get the hang of it. Sometimes a helpful local in the hotel will let you know what you should be paying for the goods- this is usually very different from what they ask but good on them for giving it a go- bargaining is great fun, I love it!! |
| Aug 29, 2006 04:41 | #2 |
| I love buying the tiny Chinese knots and little good luck trinkets. They are cheap and easy to send abroad to friends/family and feel really 'Chinese'. I also like paper cuttings and jade. Sometimes bargaining is fun but after a year and a half I find myself getting a bit tired of it. I have found my own way of bargaining. As I am not good at hiding my feelings about something, it is no good me pretending that I don't love an item in order to get the seller to reduce the price. Instead I am open about the fact that I really love it/want to buy it but remain clear in my mind what I am willing to pay. If the seller refuses I walk away, always insisting how much I love the item... usually they will call me back, he he!! ;) I think the only way to avoid buying fakes is to go to a department store. You will pay the usual big money for the real thing, but can still bargain. I did for my North Face hiking boots. Tourists will pay a lot more for something because $ or £ etc are worth so much more than RMB. Those of us earning RMB must bargain all the harder :) |
| Sep 2, 2006 20:21 | #3 |
| I really did not consider most items to be a "bargain" by my definition. Most items were less expensive, but no real "deals!!!" ...maybe a 30% savings over in-store USA prices. Okay...that's a deal, but not the sort of deal I saw many years ago. 8x10 large woven wool rugs sold in the Friendship stores then starting at $400 USD...but in the states they'd start at $1200. For instance...a bag of loose tea...Huangshan Maofeng...was 18 RMB...very nearly the same price as loose green tea in the USA. (...don't know enough about tea to know quality...only if I like the taste) ...but then I did not visit China for bargains. I did get about a 60-70% savings on a big suitcase for shipping though... OH! Food was a tremendous bargain! There were usually 4 mouths at every meal and the bill rarely exceeded 50-60 RMB for 4-6 different dishes. I can hardly wait to return... ...but this time I will be looking for bargain printing in Beijing for a business project. :) |
| Sep 4, 2006 04:28 | #4 |
| China is kind of excluded society, even Chinese people from other province of China always get cheated by local people easily(becasue of dialect or unfamiliarity with the new place as a stranger),how can a foreigner win in bargaining? You'd better to find what you want in supermarket, it's a little bit expensive, but I think the quality is more trustworthy. I think Qipao (Chinese traditional dress) is a perfect present for girls. And also some hand-made dyeing cloth(my favorite) and embroidered insoles. As for guys, calligraphy and painting are nice and valuable. Well, it's up to the person who you want to buy present for. Have fun in shopping! |
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