Going to a Chinese market (more popularly just called a "fake market") can be a daunting task. Various vendors shouting at you, shoving goods in your face, and even sometimes grabbing your wrists can make for a stressful outing. One way to make this trip a little less stressful (and a lot more wallet-friendly) is to walk in knowing how much you're willing to spend, and approximately how much things should cost. Are you getting ripped off by paying 200 RMB for that scarf? What about 20RMB for that wallet? Or are you simply better off buying it at a department store? After all, some people think it's worth paying extra money to avoid the hassle of haggling. Keeping in mind that prices vary from market to market (even within the same city), here is a rough guide to prices you can expect to pay for certain items.

1) Scarves
Ahh, scarves. Whether you wear them for fashion or simply to keep your neck warm, you can never have too many. You'll see these suckers everywhere at the fake markets, hung in various lengths, colours and materials. You can bargain down to about 10 RMB for one made from the "rough stuff" – a.k.a a semi-scratchy blend of cotton, nylon and wool. Generally, the softer the material, the higher the price but I'd recommend never paying more than 40 RMB, even for the "real silk" ones. Department stores like Carrefour or Wal-Mart usually carry some around the 30-50 RMB range, but the quality is likely to be a bit higher.

 

2) Shoes
Shoes can vary wildly, depending on whether you're shopping for sneakers, ballet flats or knee high boots. You can usually argue basic women's slip-ons for as low as 40 RMB a pair, with athletic shoes running closer to 80 RMB. Boots seem to be the most expensive, but don't be fooled by the common 600-700 RMB asking price. It may take a while, but vendors will often come down to around 100 RMB. Department stores vary anywhere from 60-300 RMB, depending on the style. In some of the bigger cities, such as Shanghai and Beijing, you can even find shops that will custom make you a pair of shoes (for around 500-1200 RMB a pair).

3) "iPhones"
First and foremost, be aware that any and all "iPhones" you see for sale at any place other than an official Apple store are fake. Period. That being said, you can find knock-offs that look surprisingly similar for a decent price. The older models will range from 200-300 RMB, while the newest rip-off model (the iPhone 4) will run you more like 700-800 RMB. I would highly recommend checking if the thing works, however, before purchasing. The real things will cost you over 6,300 for a 64GB iPhone 4S or almost 4000 RMB for an 8GB iPhone 4. The real ones are far superior for obvious reasons.

4) Sunglasses
Fake market sunglasses are one of those items that you can get super cheap – but then show just how cheap they really are by breaking within a few months. You can bargain down to about 10 RMB for a pair, with little to no variation in price between "designers." But again, these cheap prices come at a price – I've rarely heard of anyone owning a pair for more than a year. Department store sunglasses will run about 20-50 RMB, and the quality is (usually) distinctly better.

5) Video Games
You might think that prices for games would vary system by system, but they really don't all that much. Whether you're shopping for a Wii, PS3 or GameCube, any (fairly) modern video game system will cost you between 4 and 8 RMB per game. It's hit or miss as to whether they'll actually work when you buy them at a market – mostly hit, though (I've found that about 95% of all the games I've bought have worked perfectly. The ones that didn't, I simply returned for an exchange – it was surprisingly hassle free). These are all, obviously, burned (aka: illegal) copies of the game. If you buy a legitimate copy at an electronics store, prepare to pay upwards of 200 RMB for a game. This is one case in which it's definitely worth buying from the market.

6) Jewellery
Necklaces, bracelets and earrings abound at fake markets, and it's a great place to stock up on some cute accessories – especially if your skin is not overly sensitive to cheap metals. Earrings run as low as 10 RMB (even cheaper if you buy them directly off the street or in a metro station) and necklaces tend to be only slightly more expensive. You should, of course, expect the bigger and flashier jewellery pieces to cost a few RMB more than their smaller counterparts. Jewelry at mid-range department stores tend to range anywhere from 20-80 RMB. In this case, department store jewellery usually isn't worth the price difference.

7) Language Learning Programs
Rosetta Stone, the famous language learning program that's reportedly used to train CIA agents in the United States, is incredibly expensive if bought legitimately. We're talking around 3,500 RMB for a complete set (which typically includes Series 1, 2, and 3 and will pretty much take you to fluency). The burned (aka: illegal) copies are incredibly lower in price, around 40 RMB for a complete set. They're not always guaranteed to work, but I've heard that they have a pretty high success rate.

8) Handbags
Whether you call them handbags, purses, or suitcases, these things can vary wildly depending on size, material, and the intricacy of the design. Some of the smaller handbags can be talked down to around 70 RMB, while the bigger ones will usually run you around 100 RMB (if you're willing to work for it). Just beware that the more zippers the handbag has, and the more delicately the handles are attached, the more likely it is to break or rip by the end of the week. I've found that the average lifespan of a handbag from the market is roughly a year and a half – beyond that, things tend to go wrong. The upside is that, due to the crackdown by the government, the "designer" labels are now attached after you buy the bag – so you can handpick which designer you want! Those found in department stores run higher, usually around 150-400 RMB. The quality is usually a little better, but not by much.

9) Wallets
Women's wallets tend to cost more than men's, but overall you can usually talk the vendors down to around 20-30 RMB for each. The "leather" ones will start out at a higher price than the cloth covered ones but should ultimately only cost around 5 RMB more. Be sure to test out all the zippers on these suckers though – you'll find that many of them catch even before you take them home. Department store wallets usually start out at around 70 RMB and increase from there.

10) Artwork
You can often find replicas of your favourite paintings for anywhere between 20 RMB and 200 RMB, depending on the size and popularity. Other artwork stores will have the exact same replica paintings, but at distinctly expat prices (anywhere from 1,000 RMB and beyond). Considering they're all copies anyway, the market is the first place I would check if you're looking to decorate those bare apartment walls.
 

Related links
Bargaining in China: What’s Fair Game
The Pains of Moving: Tips on How to Find a Hassle-free Apartment
Counterfeit China: Common Fakes and How to Spot Them

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