{"id":239,"date":"2011-06-20T15:30:43","date_gmt":"2011-06-20T19:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=239"},"modified":"2011-06-21T15:51:11","modified_gmt":"2011-06-21T19:51:11","slug":"the-art-of-bargaining-%e8%b0%88%e5%88%a4%e6%8a%80%e8%83%bd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/the-art-of-bargaining-%e8%b0%88%e5%88%a4%e6%8a%80%e8%83%bd\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Bargaining (\u8c08\u5224\u6280\u80fd)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Bargaining or \u8c08\u5224\u00a0(t\u00e1n<\/a> p\u00e0n<\/a>), while not very common-place in western society, is a staple of Chinese shopping. While super markets, malls and mega-shopping stores are becoming more common-place in China, street markets, bazaars, expos and old fashion mom and pop stores are still the places to shop when looking for a discounted price or just a way to pass the time. The reason for this is simple: you spend hours walking around, searching a smorgasbord of miss spelled clothing, and slightly used knick knacks for that thing you just have to have–only to spend 5-10 minutes bargaining over a mere 5 kuai (about 65 cents) before it can be yours. Sure, time is money (\u65f6\u95f4\u5c31\u662f\u91d1\u94b1), and that’s why you need to hone your bargain skills.<\/p>\n

Most foreigner’s I’ve met in China take a while to come around to bargaining, but usually fall in love with it after their Chinese begins to improve. Some, on the other hand, still absolutely hate it and see it as a waste of time…go figure. To be honest, it’s really dependent upon your personality (\u4e2a\u6027) and your willingness to endure and stay patient\uff08\u8010\u5fc3\uff09\u3002You probably will be yelled at (but fear not that\u2019s the way sales works there), likely you\u2019ll have you arm grabbed or your walkway blocked by a excited sales person\uff0cand possibly be insulted or threatened\u2026don\u2019t worry all this means you\u2019re doing well.<\/p>\n

When I first started street bargaining, I was exhausted within 20 minutes and completely terrified by the hordes of people fervently trying to get my attention. However, I soon realized that with the right skills, vocabulary and patience, I could get anything I wanted for dirt cheap.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s some tricks I found very helpful in the process:<\/p>\n

First, never ever show money or have your wallet out until you\u2019re about to pay. This isn\u2019t just to avoid being pick-pocketed, but also shows that you aren\u2019t that interested and maybe are less wealthy than your foreign looks would entail (Often I would tell them \u201c\u6211\u662f\u5927\u5b66\u751f\uff0c\u6211\u771f\u7684\u6ca1\u6709\u90a3\u4e48\u591a\u94b1 [I don\u2019t have much money because I\u2019m a college student] or the simpler\u6211\u662f\u7a77\u4eba \uff3bI\u2019m poor]. However, be careful with the last one, making sure your tones and pronunciation are correct, as \u7a77\u4eba \uff08poor person) sounds similar to \u51f6\u4eba (monster) when a learning foreigner utters it (This I know from experience and led to many jokes and smiles on my first few trips out on the street markets).<\/p>\n

Second, always have a fixed price in your head of what you are willing to spend. This helps for the later bargaining process, because odds are you\u2019re willing to spend more than you can get it for. I\u2019ve heard this as ‘the rule of three’ from other foreigners, meaning, a vendor will often sell you the good three (and sometimes up to six) times what a everyday citizen (\u4eba\u6c11) would pay for it. Usually I ask for a price, laugh upon hearing it and then either pretend to walk away or say \u201c\u592a\u8d35\u4e86\uff0c\u4e0d\u5bb0\u6211\uff0c\u7ed9\u6211\u4fbf\u5b9c\u4e00\u4e0b\u201d or \u201cThat is too expensive, don\u2019t rip me off, give me a cheaper price\u201d. This will usually lead to a bargaining war which may or may not involve the use of calculators. Stick with the rule of three price, pretend to walk away, or tell them \u201c\u6211\u4f1a\u770b\u4e00\u770b\u522b\u7684\u4e1c\u897f\uff0c\u53ef\u80fd\u56de\u6765\u201d or \u201cI will take a look at other goods and maybe I\u2019ll return\u201d. This is a devastatingly effective trick \uff08\u5389\u5bb3\uff09because a) it will instantly show whether or not the vendor was cheating you out of a price and b) it will tell you if other vendors on the street have the same goods for sale.<\/p>\n

Third, if possible bring a \u201cbargain buddy\u201d \u201c\u8c08\u5224\u670b\u53cb\u201d to help you tag team the vendors. The trick is to use vendors against each other, often yelling back and forth to one another in Chinese about who\u2019s offering a better price. If a vendor is refusing to give you a fair price, signal your buddy to come over and in Chinese have them tell you the quality seems bad \uff08\u8d28\u91cf\u5f88\u5e95\uff09or that someone else down the street gave him a better deal. It\u2019s not fool proof, but it often works and really helps you practice your Chinese. You can also get group discounts when bargaining, so having one or more buddies around gives you more leverage (\u5f71\u54cd y\u01d0ngxi\u01ceng) if you’re willing to buy in quantity.<\/p>\n

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\n(My \u8c08\u5224\u670b\u53cb being assaulted by a \u670d\u52a1\u5458 at Yashow Market. She was much more flexible on price cuts after he agreed to let her touch his foreign hair.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Bargaining or \u8c08\u5224\u00a0(t\u00e1n p\u00e0n), while not very common-place in western society, is a staple of Chinese shopping. While super markets, malls and mega-shopping stores are becoming more common-place in China, street markets, bazaars, expos and old fashion mom and pop stores are still the places to shop when looking for a discounted price or just…<\/p>\n

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