How to Navigate the Market
By Nicole M., Loyola Marymount University, TBC Summer 2019 Intern Abroad Student
1) Make a list of items you want to purchase beforehand
Don’t make the mistake of leaving with items you don’t need. The salesmen are excellent at enticing you to buy their products if not for you, as gifts.
2) Decide on a budget for each item and don’t let it change
Set a price range of what you’re willing to spend on each item. Don’t exceed your budget, it’s likely that a vendor in the market is willing to give you your price just to make a sale.
3) Low ball the vendor below your budgeted price, about 20% of the original price offered
Ask how much a product is before purchasing it and counter it with a price that’s less than 20% of their original price. Continue to bargain, staying below your maximum budget, until a price is agreed upon.
4) Act disinterested
Pretend that you are only browsing and don’t need or want an item. If you act interested, the vendor will assume you’re willing to pay more because you can’t leave without it.
5) Go during the week
Believe it or not, bargaining markets have become a popular tourist stop. Tour buses roll up on the weekends with foreigners willing to pay higher prices, therefore demand is high. However, if you go during the week vendors are looking to make any sale at all and offer lower prices.
6) Walk away from the store if they don’t agree to your price
If a vendor won’t sell you a product within your budget, walk away. They’ll often run after you and agree to your price, so not to lose a sale.
7) Don’t comment on the quality
Vendors take pride in the quality of their counterfeit goods, don’t negatively comment on the quality or they’ll become angry.
8) Go local
If you’re of Chinese decent and am able to speak Chinese with some fluency, tell vendors you’re local to the area and they’ll sell you products for a lower price. Otherwise, bring a local along with you to assist with the bargaining process.
The past few weekends have been some of the most exciting of the entire semester, full of trips to the zoo, mountain hikes, ancient parks, and more! Our first trip out of many was a visit to the Beijing Zoo. I had mentioned earlier in the semester that I wanted to see some pandas, since I was in China after all, and our TBC friend Andy made it happen.
Spending a whole semester in Beijing, I knew I had to make the trip down south and check out Shanghai, and the city certainly lived up to the expectations. Everyone describes Shanghai as this super futuristic metropolis, and after spending a weekend there I understand why it has this reputation.