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Posts: 430

Shifu

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Q: What things do you think are overpriced in China?

I think good-quality clothes are overpriced. Most malls charge over 1000 yuan for non-designer shirts, sweaters dresses. One can either only buy bad quality (overpriced) clothes from h&m, zara and the likes, buy really old-fashioned, bad quality clothes at markets, or buy extortionately expensive designer clothes.

11 years 4 weeks ago in  Shopping - China

 
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Posts: 660

Shifu

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coffee

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Emperor

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quality products

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Yes, clothes. Also, good quality (and western food style) food. The price of real milk is dizzying.

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Emperor

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Weird, the stuff I've bought from H&M (from both Chinese and American stores) has been decent quality for the money paid.

 

I agree with coffee.  Example, a bag of whole bean coffee from a Starbucks store here will run you 85rmb.  I can buy the same bag on sale at Kroger in the US for less than 40rmb.  Non-sale price will still be something like 62rmb.  Yikes!

 

Another thing I think is overpriced is jade jewelry.  I really can't fathom how someone can pay such high prices for this stuff.....is it really that rare or awesome?

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1989

Peasant

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I just started buying my espresso from IKEA. It's fairly inexpensive. About 30 RMB per bag. Much cheaper than anything else I've seen. Taste is pretty decent too.

 

H&M is about the same price here as in the US. But they have a terrible selection of sale items (for guys anyway). When I was in Hong Kong last, the H&M I hit up was cheaper (due to VAT) and was half on sale. It was pretty awesome. I bought yellow pants for like 90 RMB. Just for the hell of it.

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Governor

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Food. Really, I mean eating out here it's easy to clock up a similar bill you'd pay at a standard street restaurant back home, and for what MSG soup? Also if you want to eat healthy, the prices are way above the means of the average Chinese salary. Dammnnnnn

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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I was surprised at how expensive ice cream is here. Not to insult the quailty of Haagen-Dazs, but I remember buying a half gallon of decent ice cream in the states for like 4-6 dollars not so long ago.

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 169

Governor

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Baby products.

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Governor

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COFFEE

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
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20% import tax for the gubbmint to get some moolah. Goes a long way towards supporting it.

Scandinavian:

you mean "gubberment" right, otherwise what you write is gibberish to me

11 years 4 weeks ago
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Hulk:

I've heard people say ”GUBB'MINT” down south. Gotta watch what I say on this here board.

11 years 4 weeks ago
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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 16

Governor

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ditto to coffee

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 45

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I find black tea ridiculously overpriced. 

luggi:

buy on taobao or local markets and its dirt cheap

11 years 1 week ago
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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Governor

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Everything....and nothing.

 

There are always ripoffs and also good, inexpensive alternatives for everything. If you know where to look. People mentioned clothing and food, so...

 

I just bought a very nice light-weight jacket from JeansWest, a semi-legit brand name in China, for 99 RMB at their outlet store in ShangXiaJiu pedestrian street. So, $15 for a nice jacket is pretty cheap in my book. But as the other posters said, if you just walk into any shopping mall, you'd likely pay 3X or 4X that price, a total ripoff.

 

For food, avoiding any restaurant in the "CBD" business district is a good way to avoid eating bad and overpriced food. I went to a very good, not "fancy" but certainly upscale Hunan restaurant near the west gate of Baiyun mountain, and 3 of us ate very well, including alcohol, for about RMB 150. The only option for affordable Western food is really Subway, which makes a great sandwich for RMB 15. Groceries, there is no way around, really, and you'll have to overpay for decent cereal or pancake mix, and other western imports. No substitutes available there.

 

But overall, cost of living "can" be pretty cheap if you're careful. The potential for getting ripped off left and right is also quite high, though.

MissA:

JeansWest are a super cheap Australian brand. I was surprised to see them in China to be honest.

11 years 4 weeks ago
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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Emperor

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Clothes, I agree. I don't know where food has come from.  Obviously you're eating in fancy/foreign restaurants all the time. I'm in Shanghai and I would say eating out is actually one thing that's cheaper.

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 164

Governor

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Cereal (Great grains, cheerios, Blueberry Morning).  Any imported foods.

Cleaning products

Good quality TP

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
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coffee, real milk, wine and cereal product

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
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The apartments that are for sale are way over priced.....With that type of money you can buy a large house where I'm from!

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11 years 4 weeks ago

There are cookies, bookies and too many rookies for me to sit here trying to be a hooky! Looky Looky don't call me a wooky. Touchy Touchy Feely Feely Spicy Spicy Nicey Nicey & that's what the doctor Ordered!!

 
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Eating cereal with decent milk is outrageous 

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
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All of the above but if I could lower the price of just one thing...it would be coffee. Prices are absurd and the quality rarely hits the mark.

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Governor

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House and then coffee, brand clothes, shoes

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11 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Governor

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Good quality clothes, starbucks coffee, designer goods are way expensive.....

That's how the chinese business man gets to buy his lambo.....more wad in his pocket!

 

 

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11 years 2 weeks ago
 
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Wow 1000 kuai for a shirt have you been using your time traveling Big Red? I got some real nice clothes at Zara for about 70 to 80% off the original ticketed price. I paid around or less than 200 kuai for a really nice (not sure what you'd call it but it was between a sweater and a coat) for about 80% off. The original price was around 1000 maybe 800 but with the discount I got it was so cheap! They do that at times you just have to wait and stop being a compulsive buyer! 

 

And gap & American Eagle here in China always has some type of discount lined up whether it's women's day discounts or new years eve discounts. 

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11 years 2 weeks ago

There are cookies, bookies and too many rookies for me to sit here trying to be a hooky! Looky Looky don't call me a wooky. Touchy Touchy Feely Feely Spicy Spicy Nicey Nicey & that's what the doctor Ordered!!

 
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Governor

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There over 6000 pigs for sale for very cheap haha, houses, apartments and coffee.

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11 years 2 weeks ago
 
Posts: 259

Governor

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I agree with properties, at least in the big cities and citycenters.

 

Toiletry is another thing, including shower gel and shampoo.

 

Normal restaurants, not too fancy (of course not bad either) are same price as back home.

 

Foreign restaurants in general.

 

Coffee, not only limited to starbucks.

 

Travelling within China (flight tickets, fast train tickets), not cheap at all and no competition. last time i got cheaper tickets to manila, than to beijing...

 

Travelling within China (ENTRANCE tickets)... one of the most expensive in the world. especially considering their bad service (overcrowded; old and stinky toilets; low choice of food)

 

Brand clothes, considering that they are made in the region.

 

Wine. Its possible to buy a decent bottle of wine in Europe for a few euros. A few euros here gives u headache, not more. even the 300rmb import wines are not much better.

 

thats all i remember now, maybe i will add more later lol^^

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11 years 1 week ago
 
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