This was published 7 years ago
Travel tips: The secret to haggling overseas without feeling guilty
By Siobhan Downes
The bustling Ladies Market in Hong Kong's Mong Kok district.
Halloween is massive in Hong Kong. Shopping malls and theme parks embrace the holiday with decorations and events, and street markets stock an array of spooky masks, colourful wigs, and every costume you can imagine.
The best place to spend Halloween is Lan Kwai Fong (also known as LKF), a popular haunt for expats. Every year, revellers from all over the world dress up and descend upon the party district for a night of debauchery.
I wanted to check out the festivities at LKF, and set out to find a costume at the Ladies' Market, a one-kilometre shopping street.
Amid the piles of G-strings and fishnet tights, I spotted a Sailor Moon costume - my favourite cartoon character. Perfect.
All of a sudden a saleswoman materialised from nowhere.
"Two hundred eighty dollar," she said. "Gloves included. Good price."
(Note: $HK280 equals about $48).
I considered everything I had read about markets in Hong Kong and how they always overcharge tourists so you must firmly haggle them down to at least half the price.
"Erm… that's a bit much… how about $180?"
The saleswoman sighed and took the costume out of its bag, modelling the gloves so I could appreciate the full effect.
"Too cheap. Very beautiful costume."
I hesitated. The saleswoman, still donning the gloves, put her hands on her hips.
"Two hundred forty dollar. That is final."
A wave of triumph washed over me. My first successful haggling experience!
It only occurred to me later that I'd managed to save a grand total of $5.
Haggling is not something that comes naturally to gweilo (the Cantonese term for foreigners).
Most of us would rather avoid the awkwardness of attempting to bargain with a feisty shopkeeper, and simply stump up the cash. Let's be honest - first world guilt also comes into play.
While there's a fine line between being savvy and being stingy, in many countries, haggling is a huge part of the culture. You're expected to play the game. And it's actually kind of fun.
I witnessed the holy grail of haggling in China, at Beijing's notorious Silk Market. The sea of counterfeit goods made Hong Kong's markets seem like kiddie pools.
See also: The 25 most common travel mistakes and how to avoid them
Luckily, I had a Mandarin-speaking friend to navigate me through the tsunami of fake designer handbags, copy watches and knock-off electronics.
Watching a transaction take place was a spectacular piece of theatre. One minute my friend and the shopkeeper would be face to face, hissing at each other, the next they would be laughing like old friends. There was swearing and pleading and crocodile tears. There was even a marriage proposal.
"I only give you this price because you so handsome," one saleswoman told my friend, seductively dangling a pair of fake Converse by the laces.
I asked if he could share some of his haggling secrets (aside from good looks), and this is what he said:
KNOW THE LINGO
"From my experience, the initial price any vendor offers is two or three times the actual price they are willing to sell it for. Knowing some of the language will definitely help you out a lot, especially if you can negotiate a price in Chinese. This will take you from the laowai price (the foreigner price) to somewhere closer to the local price."
BE OTT
"Exaggeration can take you a long way, especially if you can make out that you aren't getting a good deal. Saying hen gui (really expensive) can help in doing this. Your ability to charm and sweet talk the vendor is key to getting a low price."
WALKING AWAY IS YOUR BEST WEAPON
"More often than not, they will chase after you and take your offer."
How do you feel about haggling? What are your top tips? Let us know in the comments.
See also: How I fell for the most obvious travel scam
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