| Shopping in Beijing is expensive! What city is still cheap? | |
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| Oct 31, 2007 00:04 |   |
| guest82494 | Hey guys I'm disappointed at what I heard about Beijing. Even Silk and Pearl market are quite expensive without hard bargaining. Electronics are more expensive in China than in Canada! I have tried Wangfujing and Silicon Valley .....everywhere. Cameras, PSP, etc... are all more expensive. I have 1 day left in Beijing. Is there a nearby city that has good (not knock-off) electronics for a cheap price? What cities still have cheap shopping? Beijing is a very expensive city now, don't come here for shopping! |
| Oct 31, 2007 00:52 | #1 |
 | Well, you didn't do your research before coming? Good electronics aren't cheap in China. Go elsewhere for those. And of course everyone needs to bargain for their "good deals". You want everything easy and cheap? |
| Oct 31, 2007 02:20 | #2 |
| GUEST82494 | Well here's the thing. I responded- but apparently somehow it is not showing. Firstly, I would like to say, I am Chinese and I have been to China 5 times now. And the prices that were there just 4 months ago are no longer here. And it is because of the Olympics here in Beijing that the prices have shot up to a ridiculous amount. These prices here in Beijing are so ridiculous, not even European's are buying much from places like the Silk and Pearl markets - the usual hot spots for tourists. And exactly where do you recommend I go for electronics, since electronics are cheaper everywhere else (including Japan) then China. I think China's become very arrogant about it's financial position, because a 4GB MP3 (that is a fake) should not be going for 1300RMB (which is about 185 CAD). A 8GB Ipod nano in Canada and the US is about $199 CAD- do you see how ridiculous that is? And I'm not unfamiliar with bargaining- I am Chinese after all. And frankly, I didn't ask for your rude response, I asked for help and tips that perhaps I am not aware of since I have been living in Canada for almost 18 years now. And I have done my research, plenty of it. And there is cheap shopping to be done in China since it's all made in China (and I can't believe you don't know that?) I'm just simply asking where abouts outside of Beijing is there cheap shopping. I'm not asking for it to be easy. I just asked for help, not your attitude and rudeness. |
| Oct 31, 2007 14:20 | #3 |
| GUEST46140 | you can go to HongKong , that's part of china. u may find something there |
| Oct 31, 2007 19:33 | #4 |
| As I have posted many times in this forum, the only bargain in China today is food. ...and you can get a very nice hotel room for 200 RMB that includes breakfast...but that's a big chunk out of a $100 USD bill so it doesn't "feel" like a bargain. The only places I have found bargains were in merchant-to-merchant stores in Guangzhou. The prices were good, but most of the merchandise was poor quality. I have been to jade "outlet stores" and while the prices were very high, so was the quality. Buying the piece from the "outlet store" provided a substantial savings over buying it in a specialty store in the US. Does that qualify as a bargain? Even tea is quite expensive. I easily spent $200 USD for less tea than $200 would buy in the US, however, even though I am not a connoisseur I can taste the tea is much, much better than what you can find in the US. I commented 2 years ago that my Made in China Kodak camera cost more in the Shengyang Walmart than it did in the US. I did find some electronics bargains in Nanning, but those were accessories not complete MP3 players, cameras or computers. Don't turn you nose up at the knock-offs; some of the knock-offs perform as well or better than the real item - but you have to know what you are buying and how to test it. It is very easy to spend $200 USD a day unless you are being extremely frugal. I am sorry that the Western media misled you. All those stores you see in Beijing, only a small percentage of them cater to tourists - the rest cater to city dwelling Chinese nationals who are "rolling in the dough!" :-) |
| Oct 31, 2007 21:39 | #5 |
| In your original posting you did not demonstrate any of your knowledge and research. You simply came across as a whiny person complaining that he can't find a "good deal". So what response did you expect to get from such a post? |
| Nov 1, 2007 00:18 | #6 |
| Commenting on various points: I have seen MP4 in Guangzhou for 400rmb. Electronic goods are just slightly dearer in Australia than China. The reason is clear - the goods are high value lightweight items that are chaeply sent by air, and using the business technique of 'just in time', there is little storage cost. The only reason they are a shade more expensive is that the foreign retailer needs a higher dollar margin to live in the more expensive country. There are many bargains in China, it is not just food that is cheap. However, many might not be the things that you want to take home - I mean, how many bags of cement can you carry?? !! I wouldn't know how to spend $200 a day, Griz. Even if I spent 200 rmb on a room. That still leaves 1200+ rmb a day! Strewth mate, you must drink a load of top shelf brandy!! |
| Nov 1, 2007 00:22 | #7 |
| also the main thing is any items or clothes etc that are foreign made or foreign-labels - generally costs more than what u can buy back home. |
| Nov 1, 2007 03:42 | #8 |
| I really can't understand anyone whether Chinese or not expecting International Brand Name goods to be cheaper in China. There is no business that would cut their own throats like that just when China's 'disposable income' is about to overtake that of many western countries. If China is becoming arrogant then is to the detriment of her own population since very few people come to China to buy International products. Beware of rip-off merchants, They are everywhere, no less in China. I'm surprise that a Chinese National is surprised to learn this. |
| Nov 1, 2007 08:57 | #9 |
| Except Beijing,Shanghai,Guangzhou and Shenzhen,the others are much cheaper:-) |
| Nov 1, 2007 10:01 | #10 |
| there is no reason why one looks for 'bargains' for international branded goods in china, they are normally more expensive here, unless, i observed, due to tax reasons, eg european perfumes & cosmetics are cheaper in HK (may not be the case in china) than Europe, or if they are international labels fabricated in china, somehow, for example, some designer clothes (genuine) are sold cheaper in unofficial outlets. For these significant 2 categories... i find a haven here! |
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