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Bargaining in China


Bargaining in China

See also: How to haggle Bargaining is a national pass-time in China. You can bargain over almost anything, and sometimes it's possible to ask for discount in a restaurant at the last minute before you check the bill. Many restaurants or bars will offer a free dish or two (such as a fruit plate in a KTV) if you have made a particularly large order. Shopping malls are less willing to bargain, but why not ask "Will I get a free souvenir?" Unlike many southeast Asian countries, tourism in China is overwhelmingly supported by local people, not westerners running businesses for their own such as seen in places like Bangkok's Khao San Road or Saigon's Pham Ngu Lao. Merchants in tourist spots, particularly street and sidewalk-stall sellers, are masters in exploiting the wallets of foreigners. They can also be very pushy, sometimes even grabbing your hands. Prices are almost always posted, but they are all marked up considerably high, normally 2-3 times. Some items like silk fan (largest size: 1'2") is posted as �60-75, but the lowest sold price is just �10. Therefore it's often better to buy souvenirs somewhere just a few blocks away from the tourist spots. Local Chinese tourists have no issue with posted prices because they are all well trained in the art of bargaining. Foreigners always pay more for everything in China. That being said, Chinese whose accents identify them as being from other provinces also pay higher prices than locals. The purchasing power of the nouveau riche in China makes the place not always cheap anymore. When you go to tourist spots, it is possible to see a �1,000 skirt tailor made by a designer, �2,000 per a bag of tea, or dozens of thousands for silverware. It is hard to tell how much low of a price you should offer to start negotiations. Depending on the city, product or market in question, 5% to 50% of the posted or first offer is common. Do note that if someone offers you too-great-to-be-true discount, it could be a sign that the goods are less than great quality. The rule of thumb is to walk around and compare. In tourist spots, it's common to ask for a 30-50% discount, but in a place catering to local people, asking for a 50% discount will only make a fool of yourself. In a tourist places, don't take what merchants say seriously. When you ask for 50% discount, they may be appalled and show scorn; it's a favorite drama. Souvenirs, including so-called antiques, are usually standard products from factories. Compare more. Do be aware that in tourist markets, the room for negotiation is not as wide as it used to be. With so many tourists all shopping for the same products, a vendor knows they can make high margins and may not be as amenable to negotiating. If your starting price is too low, they may also dismiss you because trying to get the margin they want isn't worth their time. In this former communist country, most local people still expect a standard price for grocery products and see it as 'black-hearted' (黑心 hēixīn) to charge too much, even if the shops are in a major business district. However, in a tourist place where rental payments are skyrocketing, if someone sells you a bottle of Coca Cola for �5 (usually �3 in most places), you may have a chance to bargain a little bit too. It sometimes works, but not all the time. Souvenir shops for jewelry, herbs, and tea recommended by hotel staff can also be tricky. While it is common that the staff takes tourists to places that give them commission, it is also common that they take you to certain places because they actually offer decent products and prices. If you make a show of being overly cautious, it is likely to offend your hosts because you are suggesting a 'good guy' is actually a cheater. In several places like the Lijiang Ancient City, when you ride on a horse carriage and the local ethnic drivers stop by a souvenir shop, assume that you're paying commission. These carriage operators are notoriously known for extorting money from shops, or creating troubles if shops refuse. The local government usually avoids intervening in these cases where minority ethnic groups are involved. Many tours include mandatory visits to Chinese medicine hospitals, silk or jade factories or similar shops. Tourists may visit the National Academy of Chinese Traditional Medicine, for example. The prescriptions are often very expensive and include a commission for the tour guide or group. Use your judgment if you want to buy anything. Oftentimes, however, the shops visited on tours can offer competitive prices and safe international shipping for goods like silk and jade.

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China Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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