Should you bargin for 5 minutes? How long? How persistant do you really be? I am going to Phuket and want to do things like parasail, jetski, elephant trek and shopping, how much should i expect to pay? I have heard you can get ripped off if you are not good.
2006-09-23 16:52:46 · 8 answers · asked by queenchrystee 1 in Travel ➔ Asia Pacific ➔ Thailand
A general rule of thumb, start at 50% off their price and pay 40% off the original price they gave you.
ALways be prepared to walk away. IF they want to finalize a sale, you will see them get out a plastic bag to put the item in.
If they want to make a sale they wil lcome after you, but keep in mind that your item is proably sold everywhere and it pays to shop around.
Don't let emotions get in the way.
Always be polite and courteous. Smile and remember that the Thais are wonderful people.
End the conversation with Ka pun cup (if you are male) and Ka pun ca (if you are female) It means "Thank you".
2006-09-23 17:50:25 · answer #1 · answered by rickbrowntravels.com 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
you can be ripped off the first few times you try - phuket is not as cheap to get a bargain as bankok markets. They often know your exchange rate and will tell you ' this is not much in your country'.
The best thing we did was to look for the same item at a few stalls that are located near each other and get a price from each... tell them what the last stall holder's price was, then go back. They will be more likely to drop the price if they see you will happily spend at a rival stall if the price is better.
Also make sure you barter (in the same manner as above) for local sight seeing and diving trips... we paid almost half the price of the people on the same boat.
Lastly don't be rude or arrogant - the people in phuket are wonderful.
have a good time!
PS - this sounds odd but try their 7-11's for some low cost gifts - there is no bartering involved and they are well priced.
2006-09-23 17:00:55 · answer #2 · answered by prcoley 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ask the price - when they reply, act offended and walk away. As yu are walking they will desperately call out a lower price try to get a sale- listen carefully and take note - this is usually close to the lowest price they'll accept. If it's a price you want to pay come back 15 minutes later and buy at that price or look around for the same thing from another merchant and offer that price.
2006-09-24 01:43:15 · answer #3 · answered by wesleyelvis 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Never buy at the FIRST shop! This is where you checked out the price ;-) Now that you know the price, go hunting and bargain downwards. It all depends on the value of the item. Price can be slashed off as much as 50% off the initial asking price. Only buy when you think it is a reasonable offer. Walked away when you have offered your FINAL price (and not accepted by the vendor). He'll call you back if he really wants to sell it to you. AND NEVER CHECK THE PRICE (OF THE SAME ITEM, AT ANOTHER SHOP) once you have made a purchase - you might be heart broken (that you could actually get a BETTER price) :-)
2006-09-24 23:19:22 · answer #4 · answered by TK 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
the golden rule was once to halve their price then come up from there, but the thai's a excellent business people, so know full well what us farang are up to.
best to have an idea what you want to pay, if it's close to what they are asking then great, if not haggle a little, but if not luck then go to another place. there's sooo many tourists now that they can almost be assured of getting a sale sooner or later (thus the millions of stores that replicate each other), but your part is to enjoy, be honest (ie don't bargain and win, then not buy, that's just bad etiquette and will you gain the wrath of many thai people that way), and do everything with a SMILE.
i'd say enjoy, but phuket, hmm, there's many better places to spend your time in thailand, but you'll learn, so enjoy anyways...
2006-09-23 17:27:27 · answer #5 · answered by pugsbaby 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Where is Thiland? What are stratergies? What is Check Spelling?
2006-09-23 23:43:31 · answer #6 · answered by stan l 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Best advice I've read so far is from 'rickbrown' just follow it and you should be okay. Khop khun krab,Rick
2006-09-23 23:54:20 · answer #7 · answered by Rob Roy 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
More and more difficult to bargain
2006-09-25 09:39:34 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋