Bargaining

Having a conversation with someone preparing to come out to China recently, I was asked about bargaining. ‘Is it true that there is one price for Chinese people and one for foreigners?’ I was asked. In a nutshell – no (with some exceptions – I’ll get to them later). In fact more pointedly I was asked if the cost of food was a variable price that would vary depending on your haggling ability. Again – no.

When buying things like noodles or dumplings from small vendors you will be charged the same price as everyone else – it is written on the wall. In fact that goes for almost all food; in restaurants, street stalls and fast food joints all items will have a set price so you won’t need to worry about getting ripped off. In fact even things such as vegetable markets do not really involve haggling, the price is written on signs (if you can understand it that is), and like anywhere else you will be charged on weight. Larger expenses like hotel bookings, train tickets and flights are also things that have clear prices that are not subject to change. Taxis (licensed ones at least) all use a meter, so again the cost is non-negotiable and directly related to the length of your journey. In fact in general daily life you will probably not come across many situations where the price is variable and dependent on how much you are willing to bargain.

Having said that, there are times when bargaining is a necessary part of getting a reasonable price and these are usually fairly obvious. Small independently-run shops and market stalls are probably the most common arenas where the price told to you is probably not the price you should be paying. As a foreigner it is likely that you will be quoted an initial price higher than a Chinese person may, however if you are a willing haggler then this is no barrier to getting a fair price. My general rule with bargaining is that if I consider it a fair price then I’ll pay, though this does mean that I probably pay a higher price than I should be at times. As someone who is both uncomfortable with and poor at bargaining I am certainly in no position to be giving advice about tactics and tricks, though I thought I would give a few examples of times I have attempted to haggle down a price.

Buying a suit in Shanghai – Myself and a friend decided to go to Shanghai during the National Holiday, buy suits and do a tour of the swankiest bars we could find (we were broke after the first one). I settled on a grey suit from a less than reputable seller. She said it would cost 2500RMB. I said I’d pay no more than 2000RMB. She quickly agreed with a smile on her face. I think I lost that round.

Buying headphones – Needing a new pair of headphones I headed to Guangbutun where there is a mall full of vendors selling all manner of electrical goods. After looking at the items on show at one store and pretending like I had some idea of the quality of the goods I settled on a suitably shiny pair of headphones. The owner wanted 50RMB. I offered 20RMB. The owner maintained that it was 50RMB. I quickly assented and paid the money. Definitely lost that round.

Buying shoes – This one was actually a friend of mine who was searching for shoes to buy from a number of stalls. Finding the only pair that fit him he asked the owner and was told that the price was 400RMB. We made it clear that we only actually had 240RMB on us at that point. With a grumble the owner agreed. We may have won that round.