Even though the best part of bargaining is figuring out how low the sellers in China are going to go. Sometimes it’s helpful to have some pointers before you start shopping and bargaining. How much should everything cost, really? A large part depends on which market you are shopping at and who is your seller. Some of the sellers only want to sell to those who don’t know how to bargain and therefore are willing to pay more. While shopping, you may see two identical items; one seller may refuse to go below 100RMb, giving you one million and two reasons why it is a good quality item. But you go next door, and you will manage to bargain the item down to 50RMB. The difference is only the seller. Shopping at markets like the Pearl Market, Yashou, the Silk Market, the Russian Market (in Beijing, China) are frequented by tourists, therefore bargaining can be difficult. They are used to people who are shopping with lots of money in their wallets. Shoppers who don’t always bother with much bargaining. As a rule the sellers at the Silk Market are tough. Really tough. You’ll have to shop and bargain for a long time before you’ll find a seller ready to give you a bargain. The Pearl Market has it’s good days, if you’re a tough shopper and you can persist in bargaining, you’ll get what you want for how much you want. Especially if you’re on the hunt for pearls. Try shopping on the top floor of The Pearl Market, there are sellers that will go down really low. But what is the bargaining range? What range should one be expecting to pay? Here is a general bargaining range guide. The lowest price is what you can get it for with bold (but friendly) and persistent bargaining with the right seller. The highest price is what should be gotten with a little bargaining. Don’t pay more than the highest price!!!!
Pants (trousers) = 50-100RMB
Jackets = 60-180RMB
Blouses = 30-60RMB
Shirts/tops = 30-80RMB
Shoes = 30-120RMB
DVDs/VCDs = 6-10RMB
Shawls = 20-50RMB
Bags = 30-70RMB
Ties = 8-20RMB
If you get get something lower than this range, good for you!!! Just remember not to buy above this range. Shopping in the markets in Beijing are fun really. It’s China trial and error shopping! You can test these prices out. But remember while shopping: once you say a price, if they match your price you must be ready to buy! If you want to test the prices then try the walking away method before you state your price. Don’t let yourself be cheated while shopping in China! Have fun!
