Are you planning your next vacation in China? China is a great place to visit. There are plenty of attractions that are beautiful and awe-inspiring.
Many people love to buy souvenirs to take home with them from the trip. It is a great way to re-live memories and take part of your vacation back home.
China is not like the United States when it comes to a customer buying goods. In most situations, many shops don’t have a set advertised price for their items. You must speak with someone and they will give you a price. This is where some tourists can get taken advantage of.
You can make sure you get a good deal by haggling. Shop keepers know that you are a tourist and that you may not know it is acceptable to haggle.
When I was in China, I had spoken to a shop keeper before and already knew how low she would go on some items. My father later went to the same shop and she was trying to sell it to him for almost a hundred dollars more.
I made the mistake of walking away to help someone else and she got my father to pay MORE than he originally agreed on! Make sure you have the skills to get the souvenirs you want at a fair price.
First thing you need to do is show great interest in the item you like. Many shops for tourists have “English” speaking employees. Talk about how nice the item is and that you would like it. They will offer you a price on the item. If you don’t look like a local, expect them to offer you a price much higher than they can sell it at. Act disappointed. Talk about how much you would really love to buy it but that the price is too high.
Offer a much lower price. Around 1/5 of the original price is a good start. They likely won’t agree on your price right away. They may lower their price and this is where things gets tricky. Offer your lower price one more time. If they don’t agree, then walk away.
Walking away from an item you want isn’t the end. They may give in and offer you a must better deal, especially if you talked about how much you liked it. I had a lady chase me down after I started walking away from an item. She really wanted the sale but was trying hard to sell it for higher. If they seem to not care, don’t fret. Many items can be found at a different shop near by. Try to find it elsewhere and haggle with them in the same manner. You could always go back to the same shop later and try again.
If your first attempt at haggling doesn’t work, don’t give up! Keep trying and you will start to notice what works. Be sure to check out all the great attractions China has to offer. Happy haggling!
About the Author: Andrea Booth is a blogger for Smith Monitoring, a company that works to deliver great Houston home security systems. She is a young writer who enjoys traveling and learning new languages.
Great advice, I’m pretty good at haggling in Thailand, I assume it shouldnt be that different.
I’m American and not so used to the bartering sort of thing.