Bargaining Is Too Hard for Foreigners in China

Bargaining Is Too Hard for Foreigners in China
Feb 09, 2011 By eChinacities.com

For foreigners coming to China, two things are very important: learning Chinese and learning to bargain. Sometimes the latter is more important.

A few months ago I was shopping in a touristy area in Shanghai and I saw a foreign guy buying a T-shirt. It seemed like he could bargain really well. At first, the T-shirt seller said, "100 RMB." The foreigner shook the shirt around and said, "No way. That price is way too high. 10 RMB!" The seller's smile immediately disappeared.

They bargained for a long time and the price started coming down. In the end, the seller was visibly upset by the foreigner, who was good at bargaining, and conceded to 20 RMB. I was really impressed by this foreigner's performance – I imagine that I could only get the price down to 40 RMB myself.

The two then exchanged money and the goods at the same time. I thought this transaction made the seller satisfied because you could see he was trying to hide his excitement. The foreigner was also really happy because he was able to get the price down so low. For various reasons, many foreigners find bargaining in China very challenging.   

We all know that shop owners jack the prices up higher than they should be, especially for foreigners. So we can't judge very well how much a product should really cost. Plus, we also have language problems. Even if you're Mandarin is really good, the local dialects will always mess you up and shop owners can easily trick you because they know you aren't a local. I know a good way to figure out the price someone should pay. Stand to the side and pretend you can't speak Chinese. Listen for a Chinese person to ask the price of something you want to buy. After you hear the price the shop owners offers to the Chinese person, you can start bargaining. This is a very useful trick for buying things. Last time I used this to buy strawberries, I saved 10 RMB.

Bargaining is an important life tool you have to grasp to live in China. When I first got here, I couldn't bargain at all. Every time I had to bargain, it was like I was acting. Back then, the shop owners would just laugh and then give me a better deal. I've found that this way actually works pretty well.

If I want to buy a wallet, I'll grab the one I like and ask the seller, "Do you think I look pretty?" The seller is normally surprised by my forward question and after he answers, "Yes, you're pretty," I'll raise the wallet and ask him, "Well don't you think a pretty girl should have a pretty wallet?" Every time I've done this, the seller smiles and drops his price.

Even when you use tricks like this, bargaining is still difficult for foreigners. One time I ran into my Chinese friend, he had the exact same backpack as me and had bought it at the same place as me. I remember the seller started off at 300 and I got it for 50. When I asked my friend how much he paid, he told me 30. When he learned how much I paid, he sighed, "Bargaining is too hard for foreigners in China!" I wholeheartedly agree.


By Ericka Bancks, originally posted in Chinese.

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Related Links

Don't Get Ripped Off: 10 Tips for Bargaining in China
Bargaining in China: What’s Fair Game?
Should Mandarin Be Mandatory for Foreigners?

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