Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shopping
Many bargains await you in Thailand but don't go shopping in the company of touts, tour guides or friendly strangers as
they will inevitably take a commission on anything you buy, thus driving prices up beyond an acceptable value and cre-
ating a nuisance for future visitors.
BARGAINING
If there isn't a sign stating the price for an item then the price is negotiable. Bargaining is common in street mar-
kets and some small shops. Prices in department stores, minimarts, 7-Elevens and so forth are fixed.
Thais respect a good haggler. Always let the vendor make the first offer, then ask 'Can you lower the price?'.
This usually results in a discount. Now it's your turn to make a counteroffer; always start low but don't bargain at
all unless you're serious about buying.
It helps immeasurably to keep the negotiations relaxed and friendly, and always remember to smile. Don't lose
your temper or raise your voice as drama is not a good leverage tool.
Antiques
Real Thai antiques are increasingly rare. Today, most dealers sell antique reproductions or items from Myanmar.
Bangkok and Chiang Mai are the two centres for the antique and reproduction trade.
Real antiques cannot be taken out of Thailand without a permit. No Buddha image, new or old, may be exported
without the permission of the Department of Fine Arts.
Ceramics
Many kinds of hand-thrown pottery, old and new, are available throughout the kingdom. Bangkok is full of modern
ceramic designs while Chiang Mai sticks to traditional styles. Ko Kret and Dan Kwian are two traditional pottery vil-
lages.
Clothing
Clothes tend to be inexpensive in Thailand but ready-made items are not usually cut to fit Westerners' body types. In-
creasingly, larger-sized clothes are available in metropolitan malls or tourist centres. Markets sell cheap everyday items
and are handy for picking up something when everything else is dirty. For chic clothes, Bangkok and Ko Samui lead the
country with design-minded fashions. Finding shoes that fit larger feet is also a problem. The custom of returns is not
widely accepted in Thailand, so be sure everything fits before you leave the store.
Thailand has a long sartorial tradition, practised mainly by Thai-Indian Sikh families. But this industry is filled with
cut-rate operators and commission-paying scams. Be wary of the quickie 24-hour tailor shops; they often use inferior
fabric and have poor workmanship. It's best to ask longtime foreign residents for a recommendation and then go for two
or three fittings.
Fake Goods
In Bangkok, Chiang Mai and other tourist centres there's a thriving black-market street trade in fake designer goods. No
one pretends they're the real thing, at least not the vendors. Technically it is illegal for these items to be produced and
