High Vs. Low Quality Items and How to Tell

In China, every type of product has a very extensive range in terms of quality. For instance, a pack of cigarettes can cost anything from RMB1 to RMB100. As a foreigner, you should be very careful when you buy things because it is quite a known fact that the Chinese have a habit of selling their products to foreigners at unusually high prices. And many foreigners are fooled into paying very steep prices for low quality items. If you are able to distinguish high quality products from low quality ones, you will know for sure if the price of an item is reasonable.

When you are shopping, always bear in mind the conversion rate. If an item is priced RMB50, make a mental calculation of how much it will cost in your own currency. Then compare the price and quality of that particular item to the one sold in your country. Then also factor in the fact that items are usually less expensive in China than in your home country, though by what amount depends on where you are from. You should probably be able to tell if you are being offered the right price. For most shoppers, price is the first indication of quality, and there is a certain reason behind the pricing of an item. Unless the seller has absolutely no business sense, you can be quite sure that a more expensive item is generally of a higher quality.

However, one of the things that make shopping in China exciting is that you may once in a while stumble upon the rare find of a good quality product with an unbelievably low price. Some places even sell authentic branded items which are possibly leftovers or rejects from factories. In order to find the real good bargains, you have to take your shopping to the street vendors and the smaller stores where the selection is more extensive and the prices are more reasonable. These places sell a lot of good quality items, but you have to be thoroughly investigative of the product to be able to tell if the prices are justifiable.

Most foreigners will end up buying a piece of clothing or two during their trip to China because of the great variety of apparel available there, while some may even end up buying their entire travelling wardrobe upon arriving in China. When you are shopping for clothes, always look for a few things to determine their true value. The material, printing and workmanship all contribute significantly to the quality and price. You can tell if the material is durable just by touching it and stretching it a bit. There are a lot of T-shirts in China that are made of very lightweight materials and you can probably see your fingers if you put your hand underneath their fabrics. After a few washes, the T-shirt will lose its original shape and shrink drastically. However, depending on the garment-type, there are certain materials such as silk or chiffon that are used for more delicate wearing, and you have to look for sheerness when it comes to these kinds of materials. For that, you have to rely on your instinct and experience. Always ask about color-fastness and shrinkage rate when you buy clothes.

There are few methods of printing for garments. Logos are usually printed using silkscreen printing or heat transfer printing, and these usually give you quite good and lasting prints. There is a kind of printing with this rubbery texture and if you rub it after washing, it will come off rather easily. Try not to buy clothes with this kind of printing. When you want to test if the print is good, rub the printed area a bit and see if there are color marks on your fingers. The best prints are those that feel like the material itself, with no bumps or edges when you run your fingers across the printed area.

Basic clothing such as T-shirts requires limited workmanship. For more elaborate garments such as jackets, nice dress shirts, or dresses, a great deal of skill is involved. The sewing on a piece of clothing is a good indication of the quality of the workmanship, and if you are concerned about the durability, try to part the garment at the sewn areas and see if they are tightly sewn together. For a garment with good quality sewing, the thread will not show too easily. With exposed stitches, make sure there are not too many loose ends and frayed threads as usually this is an indication of a low standard of quality.

If every aspect of the clothing meets the standards of good quality and the price is reasonable enough, you can be sure that you are getting your money’s worth.

It is very important for foreigners in China to develop a good sense of judgment for product quality and some bargaining skills. Though the local sellers are known to mark up their prices when they sell to foreigners, they are also very willing to bring the price down should you bargain for it. If you know your ropes to the trade, shopping in China can be a delightful challenge.

Alternatively, if you are tired of bargaining and just want to buy something for a fair price, you can head to many supermarkets or department stores, which have the prices clearly marked for all items, and where bargaining is not typically allowed (though be sure to watch other people purchasing items first to see if they are haggling-- it may just be that the owners have marked up the price on the display higher than they are expecting to get from the average customer).