Bangkok Shopping: Learning the Art of Bargaining
With its numerous up-scale department stores and bustling night markets, Bangkok might just mean total drowning and overdose for shopping junkies. It beckons merchants from all around the world to come and buy its cheap, quality products. But before you immerse yourself in endless shopping, it would help if you learn some bargaining tips and tricks to get the best deal on your purchases and save yourself from getting ripped off.
With its numerous up-scale department stores and bustling night markets, Bangkok might just mean total drowning and overdose for shopping junkies. It beckons merchants from all around the world to come and buy its cheap, quality products. But before you immerse yourself in endless shopping, it would help if you learn some bargaining tips and tricks to get the best deal on your purchases and save yourself from getting ripped off.
- Hold Your Horses
First things first, it would pay if you do your research by scouting around for a particular item that you want to buy and compare its price from one store to another. This task may involve extra effort, since your main objective here is to be able to save money and shop more. When you think you're ready to bargain, try to make it seem as if you are not interested in the item but would like to buy it if given a good deal. If you appear to be too eager to buy the product, sellers would tend to give you a higher price.
- Be Smart
While prices are more likely higher when you're a foreigner, it is still possible to pay local prices for your goods. This is where your persuasive skills and charm come in handy. Negotiate and convince the seller to give you the product on the price that you have suggested. If you think you can't reach a middle ground, then just simply walk away.
Also, it would help if you scrutinize the item for hardly noticeable defects. Show them to the vendor and tell him you're willing to ignore them. That way, the vendor would feel conscious and pressured to just sell off the product to you.
- Know the Estimated Cost
It would give you a significant advantage if you know the estimated cost of the product. When you do, you can try to bring it down somewhere between 10 to 40 percent off the proposed price. In Bangkok, prices are rarely several hundred percent more than the actual cost, except in areas mostly frequented by tourists like night markets in the Patpong area. Usually, you can haggle a lot more for higher priced merchandise.
- Be Polite
Your chances of getting a good bargain are better when you are patient, friendly and polite. Just think of it as a game; avoid getting aggressive or irate. If you reach a consensus with the seller, you are already obliged to buy the item. Walking away without the product means you just wasted your time and effort haggling for it. This will also appear as an impolite gesture to the vendor.
Go ahead and try these simple tips when you're shopping in Bangkok, and you'll find yourself getting the best bargain on your goods. Getting ripped off is the last thing you would want to happen to you; it would help if you make yourself appear like a tourist who's stuck in the city due to financial crunch. Pretend as if you're not so interested in buying the item because you can hardly afford it. With this magic trick, you'll end up saving lots of your vacation money and shopping for more!