Learning the Art of Haggling in Thailand

While it is usually convenient to be buying things with fixed price tags, it is more exciting to be able to get discounts for coveted travel souvenirs. Now, if you wish to stretch your budget when you go around shopping in this Southeast Asian country, here are helpful tips:

1. Your smile is your weapon. When you are in the Land of Smiles, expect people to appreciate a friendly grin from buyers like you. Now, show your pearly whites and a good sense of humour, and you can probably bring an item's price lower.

2. A little Thai language will help. Use the little phrases you have learned so far in the local dialect and some vendors will definitely appreciate your effort – possibly rewarding you with discounts. As a start, remember these two useful shopping expressions:

• “Tao-rai krap/ka?” translates as “How much?”
• “Pang pai noi krap/ka?” means “It's a little too expensive.”

3. Target the low-priced items first. Before you go fishing for bargains among expensive purchases, try haggling for cheaper ones in a shop. This would be a good start to practice your bargaining skills.

4. Appear like you are ready to walk away any time. Making it appear that you are walking away from a retailer in search of other cheaper offers on the same item can often push some of them to lower down an item's price tag tremendously. For some, they would rather get a decent income than go without any earnings at all.

5. Always compare prices for the same item. To know a few of the tricks we presented is okay but, to be knowledgeable on the rate of a certain travel souvenir can cover it better. Indeed, before you go bargaining with any store, it is best if you visit several others to get a ballpark figure of how much you can haggle for it.

After mastering the following strategies as you go on a shopping spree around Phuket, cap the day in a welcoming vacation rental property like the ones that you can book through our website.