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Q: Haggling in China
Hello all
I might not have been in China as long as most of you guys so i'd like to ask for some opinions.
I've seen haggling be done in China in quite a number of things, some of them shocking me quite a bit ( haggling for tuition fees for example), nowadays i finally got a good place, started saving money and i paid all my debts and loans ( no i didn' sell my pictures to loan sharks) as such i want to start going to the gym again.
However whenever i go to any gyms there's some kind of sales person who shows me around and then tries to have me get a membership for year for a price i think is a bit high. Some of my friends told me i should negotiate that price.
So this is a two part question:
1) do people actually negotiate gym memberships here ? Have any of you guys done it and how much ( in percentage for example) should you haggle ? What are the tips and tricks etc ... Because me i'm just used ( and admittedly more comfortable) with the simple you tell me a fair price and i choose.
2) what are some of the weirdest/worst haggling experience you ever had or saw while in China ? ( mine is the tuition fee hands down)
Thanks for you (future) help.
PS: i don't really know if this should go in lifestyle, money, shopping or sports so i'll put it in general.
Best thing to do is get a local to do the haggleing and you stay out of site.
In a way you get to see what it is like to be an second Class citizen . Now you have taken a few steps in somebody eles shoes
Stiggs:
Yep, good advice. Get a friend to help you, Chinese are good at haggling.
If you happen to be buying clothes or something, you been there will just drive up the price.
Knowing the true value of the item helps. Never seem interested. Flash your money and then walk away. It will get cheaper with every step you take.
In China you can haggle about anything. The exception is gyms. Since gyms is a place people go to build face, not muscle, it is so important to hteir egos that they will pretty much pay anything to join the sweatsoaked changing rooms.
Haha but i go there for the muscle Scandinavian, i want to feel Swedish again and grow some muscles
.( french nationality, swedish origin plus lived in Sweden for those that'll get confused).
And thanks NZ and phil i do that for objects or when i want to get some water while hiking, basically anything that doesn't have a price tag and even then i still try sometimes haha.
But for the gym don't they need your name, a photo, passport photocopy and all those ? I mean i don't know i didn't try so far but i would expect i would need those like i did in the gyms in europe. Or are the cards non denominational ?
Funny update: I went in a good looking gym in sanlitun ( too far for me just wanted to look at it) and while I had the usual tour I was told 12K/year ( so obviously I was even less interested) but then they kept putting the price down, I got 8000, 7000 and then even 6500 without me saying anything.
I don't know what I did but i need to do it again 
. ( I'm thinking either it was because i looked not interested or because i didn't see many foreigners there and they wanted some.)
nzteacher80:
That's what I said. Don't seem interested, flash the money, walk away. Price will drop fast. I had a pair of sunglasses that I was looking at in Shanghai that went from 300 RMB to 20 RMB in 30 seconds.
Rule number 1 - Do not feel shy to haggle. If you think the price is not right, the price is NOT right.
Rule number 2 - street shops, small vendors. Target price is 65-70 % of their asking price.
Rule number 3 - Malls, standard brands - haggling is called discount, which you will get only if you ask. Usually 5-10 %.
Rule number 4 - There are no rules in haggling. Just say whatever you think SHOULD be the right price and see.
But, Show some interest.
If you can fake interest, you achieve almost anything - and this rule applies everywhere in life.
Final Rule - Money saved is money earned. Earn while you spend !!
