Thursday 3rd September 2009 | Posted by Emile

If you buy rugs in Tehran, suits in Hong Kong and diamonds in Antwerp... then you buy everything else in Shenzhen. It is hard to believe that this retail mecca still exists after peddling all manner of fake designer goods for so long. True, the quality has gone down slightly in the last couple of years. But this is not a street market with shady dealers hissing at you with their imitation sunglasses laid out on a plastic sheet. No, this is the slick factory outlet of fakes, direct from the master craftsmen.

If you are in Hong Kong for even a day, you must make it to Luohu Commercial Center. You will never have experienced shopping like this before - so do your homework and keep your guard up at all times to succeed at this high-adrenaline sport!

Preparation:
- Before you go, check the major brands' websites to find the items you are interested in and to make sure you know what the real thing looks like. Write your shopping list of item names and a general description (which will help you cross-reference in the vendors' catalogues).

- The cheapest and easiest way is to take the MTR (East Rail Line) to Lo Wu. It will take ~50 mins from Central.

- Lo Wu is the self contained border-post complex with China, and the whole process should take around 20 mins at quiet times. We hear that the horrendous queues that used to be the norm have become much rarer these days.

- Everyone except US citizens can buy a Shenzhen-only visa on the border (150 RMB). Payment in RMB only. It is significantly more expensive for British passport holders (450 RMB) so dig out your dual citizenship!

- The Luohu Commercial Center is a five-story building right outside the station in China. The main items you should be interested in are: wallets, bags, watches, branded jewellery and of course DVDs.

Tips:
- There are only two phrases in English that you will need: "you joking right???" and "no... bring me real AAA-grade". The first product that you are shown is never the "real" fake that you are after. The factories in Shenzhen manufacture the real designer bags, so you want to see these same bags (the ones which never made it onto the ship to New York). They keep this type of stock ("AAA-grade") off-site so you will need to have patience as you demand better and better merchandise to be fetched by their runners.

- Inspect stitching on wallets and the crystals on watches. Metal trim should be solid and not chipped. Zippers are notoriously bad quality and the leather must feel right. The most "real" products will come in real boxes with numbered certificates of authenticity.

- The price you are initially quoted is 7-10x higher than the real price you should pay. You will have to play the laborious charade of bargaining down, walking away until they run after you, ad infinitum until they get genuinely aggressive about the price, tell you a sob-story about their family not eating because of this deal. or let you walk away for good. If you are not even close to 30% then you are not doing it right!

- If you speak Mandarin this will ensure you pay a cheaper price. Buy more than one thing from the same vendor. Do not dress smartly. Take a local if you can - they will know if you are being scammed.

- Finally, watch for those pickpockets!

Reply

Your Name:

Email: (will not be displayed)

Comment: