Useful Chinese Bargain Phrases

During you staying in China, shopping is probably inevitable. You will be encountered with different kinds of shops, markets as well as shop owners of different styles. Did you hear about the story of some local Chinese shop owners charge a higher price to tourists? If you did, this totally can be avoided if you read this article!

1. Bargain ‘True or False’:

- Ok to bargain in street vendors, family-owned stores and small businesses. (True)
- Ok to bargain in large malls, corporate chains. (False)
- Not ok to bargain on food. (at a restaurant or on the street). (True)
- Not ok to bargain in small stores with ‘final price’ or ‘No bargain’ signs. (False)

2. Before buying something, please follow these steps:

- Don’t buy anything at the first store:
It’ necessary to compare the price in different stores, especially when you are at street markets in China. Ask around by using the phrase 多少钱 Duōshao qián? (How much is it?), you’ll have an idea of the average price and won’t get tricked when you are negotiating.
- Show no mood:
If you show great excitement about the goods and observed by the shop owner, you will your negotiating power at the very beginning. Things like calling your friends, husband or children over to come look at something, or saying, ‘Wow, it’s so beautiful!’ , which are key indications to the shop owners that you will pay a high price for it no matter what. They will take advantage of this and take a much harder stance when negotiating prices.
- Point out flaws:
This is really important when you are shopping in the local market. Be careful, because nobody wants to pay a high price for something with flaws, right? So look closely. Point out the flaws right away — a frayed edge, a knick in the wood, bad color in the jade, an uneven design, a crack. Be sure to point it out with your finger and say, ‘Nǐ kàn! Nǐ kàn!’ which means ‘Look! Look!’

3. Here are some useful phrases:

- 我不要。 Wǒ bú yào。 (I don’t want it.)
- 多少钱？ Duōshao qián? (How much is it?)
- 太贵了！Tài guì le! (Too expensive!)
- 便宜点吧？Piányí diǎn ba? (A little bit lower, ok?)
- 打折吗? Dǎzhé ma? (Do you have discount?)
- 我会叫朋友来买。Wǒ huì dài péngyou lái mǎi。(I will bring friends here to buy more.)

4. Bargain strategy:

- Cut the price by 75%:
If they say 200 RMB, you could say 50 or 60 RMB. If the shop owner says ok, then you may still pay a higher price than it deserved to be...But, if the shop owner says no, then change the initial price to 60-50% off instead of 75%.
- Pay with exact change, or give them a bill that is close to what you are paying. In other words, do not hand a hundred for something that costs 5 RMB.
Now I think you already learned some Chinese phrases about bargaing in Chinese. If you want to learn more, welcome to book a free trial lesson and let our teachers help in your Chinese right now!