When planning your dream vacation to visit beautiful countries and experience amazing culture, you might find that visiting an Indian market is one your bucket list.
Indian markets are known to provide a sense of connection with the locals and see a world that has tasty food, high-quality incense, clothes, jewelry, unique spices, antiques, handcrafted items, fresh fruits and vegetables, and more.
Even though everything sold at bazaars are dirt cheap, it is known to be a place where tourists will be ripped off and get taken advantage of. That’s why it is important to learn the right way to bargain with sellers at any type of Indian markets.
Here are the best shopping tips for beginners:
Visit the fixed rate shops
The easiest way to avoid buying something that is overpriced because you are a tourist or if you are just tired of bargaining all day is only visiting shops that are fixed rate stores.
Fixed rate stores means that it is a store that only sells items with a price tag on it. You won’t have to worry about the hassle of bargaining with the seller. You will also find high quality items and will be giving your money to honest sellers.
Look for maximum retail price
Maximum retail price, or MRP, is a way for international brands that makes snacks such as Coca-Cola to have their products sold for a fair price.
Don’t get fooled into believing that the maximum retail price was increased for fees such as importing it from another country. When you’re using Journey Tickets, you’ll find yourself at the best markets. Store owners will find a way to boost the prices for tourists when you are not paying attention to it, including snacks and drinks.
Shop around before making a purchase
It might seem exhausting and not as easy as comparing prices when you shop online, especially when everything is a click away on the internet but shopping around will ensure that you are paying the lowest price.
If you are looking to purchase jewelry, you may notice that you can find similar items in multiple stores that are different. Some items will be unique and only one store sells it, but most aren’t.
Many stores will sell these exact items for different prices, that’s why shopping around is great. Spending time doing so will save you a lot of money and if you get tired or don’t want to go back to the store who has it for the lowest price, you can tell the seller that you found this piece of jewelry at a different store for cheaper to see if you can convince the seller to price match.
Find the old markets
You will notice that there are old markets and new markets in India. When deciding to shop it’s best to avoid the new markets, as they are considered trendy and will have items that are more pricey than the old markets.
You will also find that the items sold in the new and old markets are quite similar or the same.