Shopping in China

If you’re a shopaholic, you’ll find that shopping in China offers plenty of options as long as you know where to look. You may need to ask the right questions to find the type of place or experience you’re seeking. Be prepared to bargain. Learn some Chinese or bring someone who speaks the language with you.

Tip: Wherever you go, always ask for a business card. That way, the next time you want to visit that place, you can simply show the card to a taxi driver. It makes life much easier and gives you a great deal of personal independence. In China, you can easily buy a wallet-sized card holder. I keep all the cards in this holder, which I carry in my purse, so I can go anywhere I want without needing someone to translate for me.

Shopping in China – Downtown Areas

In China, there are downtown areas everywhere. Unlike in the West, where residential homes are separated from commercial and shopping areas, in China, you’ll find rows of private shops on the ground floor. Each block has its own market.

In most Chinese cities, as well as in Hong Kong, products are typically sold in concentrated areas. So, if you need furniture, you go to the furniture district. If you need office supplies, you go to the office supplies district. If you need fabric, you go to the fabric district.

Shopping in Department Stores in China

Usually, in a specific downtown area, there is at least one large department store and a market. In department stores, you pay the price listed on the ticket. There is no bargaining. Department stores are very common, offering everything from shoes to appliances. They will have many products—but often only in one style or color. When you purchase something—usually, it’s non-refundable. There are few guarantees. There are no fitting rooms to try on clothes. Women bring tape measures when shopping and usually know their size just by seeing the measurements.

Bargaining in Markets and Small Shops

In general, you can bargain for a price that is 30% lower than the quoted price—but if you’re a foreigner—they may double the quoted price, trying to make some extra money off you. So, in the early days of shopping in China, it’s best to bring someone who speaks Chinese with you or get an idea of the going rate before deciding to bargain. It’s considered bad taste to walk away without buying anything after bargaining. However, some of the best bargains happen when you think the price is too high, and you don’t want the item as much, so you turn to leave, and then the shop owner chases after you, agreeing to the price you originally wanted. It’s good to learn some Chinese—especially numbers, currency, and how to say “too expensive.”

Buying Counterfeit and Imitation Goods in China

China is full of counterfeit goods, so the Chinese have more trust in department stores than in local retailers when purchasing expensive items like mobile phones, branded watches, TVs, or computers. However, even department stores may sell counterfeits. I thought it was safe to buy a branded watch for CAD 100 at a large Chinese department store. However, about a year later, the watch’s casing lost all its shine. I was luckier when I bought a $5 watch, which you can find on any street corner. My husband bought a very expensive mobile phone from a large retailer, only to find out it was fake, and the battery would only last a day. When shopping in China, you’ll be delighted when you find a bargain, but frustrated when you realize you’ve been cheated.

Shanghai’s downtown outlet markets are filled with amazingly priced knockoffs. You can buy high-end knockoffs and low-end knockoffs. High-end knockoffs are much more expensive—but the quality is so good that it’s hard to tell they’re fake. I bought a Channel leather wallet and a Tommy Bahama shirt at ridiculous prices, and their quality is excellent.

Shopping in Malls and Pedestrian Streets in China

In coastal cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou, you’ll find high-end malls and branded retail stores. Hong Kong is full of these high-end, luxurious malls. Most large cities also have pedestrian streets, where people always love to spend hours hunting for bargains.

Shopping in China’s Export Markets

In Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, there are several export markets where you can find goods produced for export that are usually not found in Chinese stores. Here, you can buy items at wholesale prices. Fabric markets are huge—some are several acres in size—catering to the clothing industry. They are usually not open to the public, and the fabrics sold there are usually bought in rolls. However, if you go there and act like a foreign buyer, you can tell them you’re making samples and only need a few yards. They will usually let you purchase. My husband owns a clothing factory—so I had his factory print me a business card. When I show my card, they are always helpful. In China, you can design your own business card for just a few dollars—voila—you suddenly become a fashion designer, shopping the world’s largest selection of fabrics! Then you take the fabric to a tailor and have it made into anything you want. The tailor only needs a picture—they don’t need any patterns to work with. They just take your measurements and provide you with what you want.

Shopping in China – Food Markets

For most of inland China, groceries are bought at local markets rather than supermarkets. Local markets are dirty and wet, with stalls selling everything from fresh local vegetables, homemade tofu, and eggs to live poultry and dogs ready for slaughter. There’s also a wide selection of dried medicinal foods.

You won’t find pre-cut pork chops or roasts here. You can buy a whole chicken, which the vendor will chop into a hundred pieces with a cleaver, ready to be tossed into the pot—head and feet placed in a separate bag. Beef comes as small roasts, sliced thinly to add to noodles or stir-fries.

Chinese people love fresh food, so they buy daily to meet their daily needs.