I don’t know how many times I have been with visiting friends or family members and either had to rescue them or cringe after hearing how they paid 100 USD for a half hour rickshaw ride that should have been about 1 USD. On one occasion, I left my mother for literally 5 minutes at the Silk Market in Beijing to go and look at something and upon return saw her about to pay 10USD for the typical Chinese scenery prints they print en masse and typically sell for 10 RMB for the small ones. When I realized what she was doing, I bargained with the vendor in Chinese, much to his udder annoyance. He threw a fit because I wasn’t going to let him rip off my own mother. In China, most of the time Westerners get ripped off because they are a) thinking in their own currency and b) don’t realize how much things should cost and don’t recognize genuine versus fake products and c) don't know how to bargain. Here are 10 tips for bargaining in China so that you don’t get ripped off.

Photo: bbs.news.163.com

For starters, remember that you are in China. This may seem obvious but it’s not. I have heard people say, “I paid 200 USD for this fake Rolex watch. A real one would be thousands; I can’t believe how much money I saved!” First of all, stop thinking in dollars, or euros, or pounds sterling. 200 USD is about 1400 RMB and there is nothing in most markets in China, especially in the Silk Market, that comes close to warranting that price. It’s not real. It may be an awesome fake Rolex and you may have it for years, but not for that price. Don't think to yourself, “In Europe, an imported Chinese scroll would be 50 Euros, so 400RMB doesn't seem so bad. Here, at touristy markets, there is so much competition that “Chinesey items” should be very inexpensive. Before I tell you 10 Tips for Bargaining in China, remember, let the buyer beware. You can’t really blame someone for trying to see what he or she can get out of you. They are selling it to you at whatever price it’s worth to you.

1) Keep in mind where you are shopping. If you are in the vicinity of the Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, or Wutaishan Mountain, they will automatically try and charge you a bazillion times more than if you were to buy the item in a market within the city.

2) Keep in mind what time it is. The best time to get good bargains is closing time; suddenly the vendors start being realistic and try to get rid of their wares by the end of the day.

3) In general, don’t ask how much something is unless you are prepared to bargain for it. This will save you the trouble of having to fend off the vendors as they call after you waving their calculators and chasing you through the market. Never EVER assume that because there is a price tag that means that is the price! The price tag could say 300RMB and the real price could be 30RMB. It might actually be a fake Dolce and Gabbana t-shirt worth 40 RMB and have a price tag advertising 450RMB.

4) Bring small change. Do NOT walk around with a wad of pink 100RMB notes and don't use your credit cards at the market. This just announces to everyone that you have tons of money to blow and is just a dumb move overall. How can you convince someone to make it cheaper if they can clearly see that you have loads of cash? If you tell them, “but I only have 50RMB, that's all I can pay,” many times they will sell it to you at that price once they think you don’t have more. Also, if something is 40 kuai and you give them a hundred, they might try and whine that they don’t have enough change because all they have is a 50 RMB note. Then they might suggest that hey, why not up your price a cool 10 RMB and they will just give you the 50 RMB. Bring change and check the money to make sure it’s real.

5) Don’t act too interested and don’t get attached to whatever you are bargaining for. If you are in a market, chances are there are 10 other stalls selling the exact same thing. Browse around so you know more or less in what range the item should cost, sometimes you can get something for half the price right next door when that vendor realizes you didn’t buy from the first vendor.

 

6) Be polite, but be firm, it’s all a game. The vendors love to be dramatic, screaming, “Ah!! You kill me!! I lose money! No joking lady!” and other equally overblown statements. I have seen full-blown tantrums by vendors and some even used to grab your arm to keep you from walking away. The authorities have really cracked down on this in recent years and the salespeople in markets are not allowed to do this. They will convince you they won’t be able to eat for a week just so you get extra money from them. They will stomp and whine and tell you how evil you are, then smile and laugh with you as you give them the agreed price.

7) Walk away!! This is the hardest one to get used to but the vendor will only let you walk away when he or she cannot give you the bargaining price. I have seen vendors go from saying 800RMB for a t-shirt down to 20 RMB just as soon as I walked out of the store.

8) Joke with them. If they are being ridiculous, do the same thing. It’s a game in all its dramatic glory. If they want 800 RMB for a pair of fake sunglasses, tell them 5RMB. If you smile and laugh with them you will get much better results than if you act pissed off and offended, causing them to lose face. Remind them that it’s not real. The guy selling the pirated DVDs cannot try to claim they are real and sell them for 50 RMB.

9) Decide what you want to pay beforehand. Tell yourself you are NOT spending more than X amount. If you can’t get the price down, then leave. Otherwise you can end up paying more and feeling like an idiot because you got conned. This sounds harsh but it’s true: it’s your own fault for not leaving.

10) Finally tip 10!! Start way lower than what you are willing to pay -- if you want to pay 100, start at 25 and gauge the reaction to meet in the middle. But remember; do not pay more than what you initially decided. Throw out a low number initially. They usually will ask you what you think it’s worth even though you may have no idea. Remember, they will always give you the most ridiculous price first; don’t think that because you got them down from 500RMB to 375RMB for a “silk” scarf that you got a good deal. The scarf could be worth 30RMB. This happens all the time to people who assume because they got the price down a whole 150 RMB that it was a good deal. It wasn't. This is why comparative shopping around helps.

These ten tips for bargaining in China will help, but the best way to bargain is seriously by deciding what you think it’s worth, and if you don’t convince the vendor to give to the item at that price, walk away! If they chase after you they will bargain with you, if they let you leave, they can’t take your price. You don’t have to spend money if you don't want to, and the most efficient way to bargain is essentially not to bargain too much. Remember these Top 10 Tips for Bargaining in China and you will have a better idea of what’s going on and have a bit more confidence to say no! Happy Shopping!

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