Shopping, Hong Kong

For many years Hong Kong has been known as shoppers paradise and there seems to be more shops per thousand people than anywhere else in the world - as a result its VERY competitive and perhaps intimidating for some.

Most shops - and particularly the smaller ones - will engage in age-old bargaining and there are no rules, so buyer beware. If you do not bargain the shop keeper/salesperson will take you for almost every cent they can.

If you haven't bargained for goods before, then here are a few ideas:
1. Offer one third and see what happens - a third to half off should be correct price.
2. If salesperson refuses to go any further down then you have reached rock bottom price - either buy at last price, or as a last resort walk out of the shop. If salesperson does not follow you out the door then all you've lost is time spent on negotiations.
3. Have an idea of cost of items at home or even duty free, item may be cheaper at home.
4. Watch out for fakes. Most known brands are copied and sold to the unsuspecting.
5. International guarantees may not be worth the paper they're printed on.
6. Avoid paying for items by credit card - the account will come back and haunt you.

Have fun, but don't spend too much.

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I went to the Arch Angel store with my brother with the intention of purchasing a Han Dynasty dagger I had seen earlier. I ended up leaving with a Sung Dynasty jar given to a man, most likely for his birthday with a text wishing for "100 Sons and 100 Grandsons". My brother left with a Han Dynasty jar.
The store is three floors full of ceramics, furniture, Ming dynasty figurines, terra-cotta animals, boxes, and collectible antiques that could easily be in a museum. The store owner, Bonnie Gruut is very helpful and knowledgeable about everything in her store.
Every item in the store comes with a detailed list of authenticity of the item you buy.
Open from 9:30am-6pm

Shopping is everywhere in Hong Kong. From the shops along the streets to the big labels in shopping centers and the various markets.

Watches are cheaper in Hong Kong as I discovered. Do check out reliable watch shops with the tourist board approved stickers.

I dont know why but i feel i have this duty to inform fellow factory outlet shopping lovers about this exciting new find. Just beside the Tung Chung Mtr station, there is this quite big shopping centre consisting of the outlet stores of brands like Nike, Addidas, Esprit, Timberland, and many many more. It looked like a normal neighbourhood shopping centre but i was exhilirated when i went in! We actually only went in to use their toilets on our way to take the cable car to Po Lin Monastry and ended up spending almost 3 hours there.

Tai Yuen Street is a paradise for kids who love toys. It houses many toy shops and stalls that offer appealing and often inexpensive children’s toys. Parents maybe bankrupt after this visit!

The street is usually open from 10am to 8pm

Many people recommended Dickson, but we did not find anything at Dickson. We prefer the factory outlets and the smaller individual shops, with the exception of Causeway Bay area. We went Causeway Bay, very expensive but more fashionable. The small shops sell clothes at about HKD1000 per pc ! Even the Sogo at Causeway Bay is not very cheap.

The factory outlets are at Citygate shopping mall, a big mall just at Tung Chung MTR Station. Another good shopping area is at Jordan MTR, Prudential Center. My friends bought a lot of Veeko and Wanko clothes there. Another shopping area is Granville Road in Tsim Tsa Tsui. a lot of small shops.

Temple Street is in bazaar style, which needs to bargain, so we weren't very keen. But if you would like to immerse in the culture of old Hong Kong, do visit the Temple Street, Ladies Market etc.

How can you go to HK and NOT shop? For any budget and almost any product, you can pick up something you'll love.

Most popular buys include;

*Chinese products, snacks, tea, antiques...
*Clothes
*Electronics, cameras, DVDS, CDS, video games etc
*Watches and jewlery (real and fake)
*Handbags
*Shoes
*Sanrio items
*Beauty products
*Accessories
*Gifts etc.

Best places to shop (see my shopping tips); Mong Kok, Prince Edward, Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon Tong, Sha Tin, Admiralty, Wan Chai...

Hollywood Road ambles from the edge of Central through to Western District. There are plenty of Chinese antique shops and furniture shops. Really very good whether you are a serious collector or just a browser. Cat Alley is a small lane full of all kinds of brick-a-brack as well as furniture shops – good place to bargain. All kinds of things can be found along this area and on street stalls.