Tips for Negotiating a Price in China

1) They will never say a price out loud. Tell them to give you their best price. They will type out a number for you on a large calculator. This number will be heavily inflated, and you should never pay that much.

2) Look at the number, and exclaim that it is too expensive. They will ask you how much you want the item for. Say a number between 10 to 25% of the number they give you (also note: establish that they are dealing in RMB).

3) They will frown and probably say no deal. Ask them how much they are willing to sell it for. It will be probably 70 to 80% of their original offer. This is still too much.

4) Tell them one last time that your offer of 30% (of their original price) is your final offer.

5) If they say no, then promptly make a motion to leave. If they do not stop you at the door, then you really did go too low. If they stop you at the door, then congratulations! You just prevented yourself from being ripped off.

6) Be wary if they say "oh, we didn't earn a single cent from you." They are lying. In their language, it means "oh, you paid more than we expected."

Here are some other tips to help get you through:

1) Realize these people are not your friends. They will say or do anything to make a buck off of you.

2) Do not listen to their excuses, and do not give in to their pushing. If they surround you and start to make you feel uncomfortable, then just leave.

3) If you do know Chinese, then barter with them in Chinese. Typically they will charge more if they think you are a tourist rather than a resident. Even if you are not fluent, using a few Chinese words here and there will probably make them give you a slightly better offer.

4) If you have any Chinese friends, bring them with you. They can help you barter since they are used to the environment.

5) Some people do not enjoy bartering for the best price. If you are not comfortable arguing back and forth with the salesperson, then that is fine as well. Just make sure that you at least come to a price in which you think is a good trade.

6) Leather goods, such as leather belts, are often poorly made. Unless the belt is from a legitimate shop in China, it will mostly be made from cardboard (with a thin layer of leather on top). Such a belt will not last you very long.

7) Pay close attention to the stitching on good such as wallets or purses. Sometimes the stitching is messily done. Ask them to give you another one.

8) Most places you go to will offer specialized services that help adjust various items to your physical size, such as belt trimming. Feel free to ask them for the service. It should typically be of no charge.