Nathan Road, Hong Kong

Along Nathan Road, there are many many shops, especially of the electronic type (cameras etc) where you go in and have to ask the price. They make one up as there is never a mark on the box. You never see the locals in these shops.

One trick they use is to try and sell you the bear item very cheaply, nut ONLY if you buy a whole bunch of extras which they rip you off on (e.g. memory card, case, battery, charger etc etc). Certainly in the UK, many of the extras will already come in the box. See my tip for buying cameras in HK. The shop comes highly recommended on the internet, it has prices marked on items (no haggling at all), they are cheap, and full of locals too.

Unique Suggestions: Shop around in many places, and add up the cost of the total package. Also check the goods you are about to walk out of the shop with are the exact items you expect them to be. Sneaky swaps when you aren't looking are not unheard of!

Fun Alternatives: Wing Shing Photo Supplies Co. (see seperate shopping tip)

Please don't visit these brightly lit electronic shops that have many digital cameras, mp3 players and so forth in the windows. They are situated on the Tsim Sha Tsui end of Nathan Road and are known as mostly rip off merchants. Many say "tax free" but adjust their prices anyway. The salesmen are very pushy and will try and strike a good deal "just for you". Don't be fooled as what you see is not always what you get.

Unique Suggestions: Make sure if you do buy any electrical goods you don't let it out of your site once you have paid for it, many places in this area will use the bait and switch technique where after you've paid for the goods the salesman will take your camera/mp3 player/camcorder into the back of the shop to get the accessories. They will then swap your goods for an inferior or reconditioned one worth a lot less than the one you thought you were getting.

Fun Alternatives: Try and go to the "Fortress" chain of shops which are all over Hong Kong, the salesmen are not pushy and are very knowledgable and you "WILL NOT" get cheated at this shop. The prices are a little higher than in the places I mentioned above but you "WILL" get what you pay for and can take it back and get a refund/exchange if you have any problems. You will also get a gaurantee which is not always the case in the shops I mentioned above. There are also some other reputable eltronic store chains throughout Hong Kong but I'm not sure about names.

One trick of some of the Photography shops in Nathan Road are to sell you a camera/camcorder etc at half the usual price, they take your money and then tell you they haven't got one in stock. You then have to wait for one to be delivered - and it just so happens that it's the day after you've left. BEWARE !!

Also, they tell you that the goods are better than they actually are. - The moral of the story is, Know what you want to buy before you go, Know what price you want to pay and stick to it !!

Be prepared when walking along Nathan Road for the touts trying to sell watches, tailors etc. They are quite pushy and in your face. If you have children with you it's best to forewarn them.

Unique Suggestions: Just a shake of the head and brisk walking eventually gets you by, until the next one.

This area is a black hole for all tourists. Still, many are drawn to this place like moths to light. They particularly love to flock around shops with neon lights, get suckered into a bad deal and later whined about being fleeced.

Unique Suggestions: Be familiar with the scam tactics used by these weasels in Nathan Road. Read my local warning tip here.

Fun Alternatives: For pete's sake, just avoid the shops with bright neon lights when it comes to buying a video/camera. Approach the nice staff at any HKTB counter and ask them to recommend a reliable electronic store. If not, use their online search guide.

Nathan Road is one of the busiest streets in Kowloon, with a high number of Indian salemen lingering seeking out the naive Western tourist, they can be very direct and hands on. Some of the goods can be of poor quality, although there are many good Indian taylors here so don't assume they're all crooked.

There are so many posts here about the dangers of Nathan Road so I'm not going to repeat anything that's already been said several times before.

Even if you know what product you want inside and out, that's just simply not enough. There's a whole bait-and-switch scheme, cross-selling and upselling tricks that they've perfected and you can easily fall victim if you succumb to their charms or their pressure.

Unique Suggestions: Don't be bullied into buying anything and if they don't want to show you the item straight out of the box, then just leave. If they do actually show you the item in the box, examine, examine, examine, test, test, test until you are absolutely comfortable with the product. And then... DON"T TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE BOX WHEN THEY REPACK!

Fun Alternatives: Professional photographers in the know will steer clear of Nathan Road entirely and head for just a couple of trusted stores. For an exhaustive discussion, see http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000GnZ

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Be very carefull when shoppinng for those in Nathan road and vicinity. Not all shops use bad tricks, but quite a lot. You should know exactly wat you want before, and prices in your country (for europe you could try for instance: http://geizhals.at/eu/)

Fun Alternatives: I usualy prefer to shop in Mongok

Those annoying little Indian gentlemen that try and drag you off places or try and pester you into accepting their help.

Unique Suggestions: Just don't. If you need directions, ask someone in a shop. Hong Kong is easy to get around despite what it appears like at first.

Fun Alternatives: Get a map and pre-plan your trip!

We were ripped off horribly at New Year 2013 by salespersons in this store. They are deceitful and cheaters. Never give them your credit card and make sure that you check the product model numbers and that everything is included. OPEN THE PRODUCT and do not let them go out the back to repack it. DO NOT EVER GO THERE. They will steal your money. The products we bought were not what they said, twice the price they are in OZ and did not have all information.