10 rules to stress-free shopping in Asia
High quality, low prices, great variety -- Asia is a shopaholic's playground.
But there are times when a pushy souvenir seller or extortionist bar owner will send you into spasms of exasperation.
That's because you've been doing it wrong.
If you try to fight Asia's wily vendors, you will lose. They're cleverer than you and they care less about making the sale than you think. There are another 10 tourists waiting just around the corner.
So don't fight. Go with the flow. Join in and enjoy.
Easily done if you follow these 10 rules to trauma-free shopping in Asia.
1. Be attentive
Money-back guarantees are a Western phenomenon. The chances of getting a refund if your "100-year-old hand-carved chess set" from Thailand has transformed into a plastic replica between the shop and the hotel are Kate Moss in 1990 -- thinner than slim.
Your threats to go to the Office of Fair Trading will be met with either wide-eyed innocence, a scoffed remark in words you don't understand, or the worst of all: a friendly smile.
Check your hotel room is to your liking before handing over any cash, and make sure the item you see and want is the one you get.
2. Negotiate
Haggling in Asia is like diarrhea and hangovers -- it is possible to avoid it, but if you do you're just not getting stuck in.
And you can do it anywhere.
Some stores especially in India will have "Set Price" signs dotted around the place. Don't believe them.
The Laos border official may demand US$30 for a visa when the sign above his head says US$20. Suggest a compromise on US$25.
Even if it doesn't work, it's good practice for next time. Just remember "negotiating" doesn't mean "arguing" (see point 10).
Also on CNNGo: Ultra marathon through Laos
3. Have fun with fakes
Go with it. If you really do want that luxury Hermes purse, go to a bona fide Hermes store.
Otherwise revel in your "QuickSliver" T-shirt.
4. Protect your passport
Many guesthouses will ask for your passport when you check in. Businesses who rent out motorbikes will often ask for your passport as a deposit.
Most of the time this is perfectly safe. But some Vietnamese hotel owners with extortionist tendencies have been known to keep passports unless the owner pays a huge sum of money for "damages."
Prevention is better than cure, so offer a deposit in lieu of a passport, telling them your passport is at the Laos/Cambodian/Vietnamese embassy with your visa application.
Also on CNNGo: Vietnam's strangest foods
5. Get over yourself
Shops in Western countries realized long ago that vanity sizing sells clothes. Shop assistants flatter you into a smaller size knowing it will up their conversion rate.
Shop owners in Asia are more likely to greet you with a toothy smile and a boisterous: “I have big big size just for you!”
Don't be offended. This may be good reason to file for divorce back home, but here it's all business.
Smile, and say, "Big big sizes need small small prices, yes?" (see point 4)
