Shopping/Bargaining, Beijing

One of the things you MUST do when shopping in China is to bargain. Start by offering a 60 or 70% off, depending on the product. Don't you thing it's too much, the prices they give to tourists are as much as 15 times higher. Believe me, they will reduce it until it's fair for you both. Always bargain pleasantly and with a smile and don't be afraid, bargain is a normal practice.

There is a lot of air in the prices quoted to tourist. You should start bargaining by giving an offer max 10 % of the offered rate. And you do not need to increase it. Usually the seller comes down to your level if he really wants to sell. And believe me, he does want to sell!

Even those with patience may go crazy with the absolute persistence in trying to sell you stuff especially when near a tourist area....to point of nauseam.

The Silk Market is a great shopping experience - I quite enjoy conversing with the vendors who try to befriend...it's part of the atmosphere, just enjoy it instead of being annoyed by it.

Remember a few dollars here and there won't mean much to you, but it will to them.

After experiencing the thrill of getting a good bargain in the markets, and with road-side stalls, I went shopping in clothing and jewellery shops along the main road (that Jishuitan stn is on). I tried my bargaining tactics with them. It didn't work well. I think they were annoyed. They might maybe discount you 10-20 RMB, that's all. Or you can get a special price if you buy 2 or more. But generally the quoted price is near to the price they are going to sell to you. One Jewellery shop had a sign, 'No bargaining please'. So, just try it tenatively in nicer shops around Beijing. You may get a discount, but don't hope for any amazing price cut like in the markets!

They can see it, they can touch it, they can smell it. Brightly lit underground corridors and banks of escalators take the new urban Beijing comrades into a luxurious warren of Western luxuries. They can walk from their homes and see what luxury means: to get rich is glorious. And you get a Rolex.
Seeing, touching, smelling wealth is not enough fro Beijing: they want to have it, have it all, and have it now. This is the realm of Gollum - wanting 'my precious' without ever knowing what they have now that maybe means so much more. Haughty, chirpy and ridiculously inept shop-girls stand idly awaiting their next customer - and at these prices, the next customer will pay the way for the entire shop for another day. Just one in fifty thousand in Beijing have the money to keep China World and other luxury plazas in business.
Most Beijingers have absolutely no idea that most of the luxuries found in the bright basements of the China World Centre are equally unattainable for the vast majority of those in Europe, the States or Japan.
The new Forbidden City is definitely China World, and as further down the road, the contents are largely an illusion.

This came very useful when I was at the foot of the trail up to the Great Wall.

Chinses peope are very entrepreneurial and will try to sell you everything and anything if you walk by a stall - "No" to them means you want to bargain.

Chinese will ALWAYS try and charge foreigners at least three times and upwards of the price of the item if it is not clearly marked already. To counter balance this, start your bidding at at most one tenth of their asking price - you will quickly find that their asjing and your offer price will converge at around what you can expect for that item if you were chinese.

A good way to tell them you are not interested is to say "I think this is beautiful - someone else might like it" then they will gracefully retreat and say no more.

Of course the other way is to quickly walk on by or walk away if you have no interest in buying anything.

One of the most frequent questions I have encountered when I dine out with my European colleagues is : "shall I leave tip" ?
Thanks to Chairman Mao's motto " serve people first "!
One thing you don't need to worry about while trvelling in China is the "tip" , most of the place where you get service are not necessiarily to leave tip (except some tourist site or luxury hotel ) .
No need to be guilty as some of the local people are not used to be given small money, if you leave little money , sometimes may confuse the things, those who served you may consider that you look down upon them.

Enjoy " tip free " service in China everywhere!

the markets expect you to bargain...they usually call a higher price if they know you are a foreigner...thus...call for about 75% less than the asking price...if you can't make a deal...then walk away...they'll call you back and try to make it work...