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Shopping in India If you want to get a good idea of what the local area offers, you can go to the government emporiums. Their price may be a little higher than other shops, but they have a good selection of quality products at fixed prices. Their prices are usually fixed at the high end, so it is advised not to pay more for a product than the price at a government emporium. On the streets, you have to bargain hard to get anything at a fair price. Never accept the first price given. Many times it can be four to five times the normal price. Often it is a matter of pride to bargain for a lower price. Jaipur and Agra are known for marble work, Mysore and Bangalore for incense and sandalwood, Varanasi for brasswork and silk, Jaipur for gems, Hyderabad for silverwork, and Udaipur for miniature paintings. To check if cloth is silk, you burn a thread. Silk smells like burnt hair. Synthetics do not burn, but melt, and other materials smell differently. Silk burns and disappears, while synthetics become a round plastic ball. Marble cannot be scratched with your fingernails, unlike the cheaper soapstone. In your travels you will see what appears to be old jewelry, boxes, or other items. Very seldom are these items actually antiques. They may put some chemicals on them, bury them, beat the items, or treat them in some way to make them look old. In many cases the items look great, but don’t be tricked into paying a higher price for the items because they are antiques. I am not saying don’t buy the items, but I am saying bargain the shop owner down at least 50% for the items. You should make sure you get a receipt for any expensive item. You may have to produce a receipt for customs when you return home. Many countries encourage imports from developing countries, so there may be special customs treatment for Indian goods. It
is a good idea to bring a bag when you go shopping for fruits, etc.,
as you may either not get a bag or get one made of newspaper. It is
also good to carry a shopping bag so as not to increase the number of
plastic bags littering the terrain. The best carpets are produced in Kashmir, where they use carpet-making techniques from Persia. Carpets come in a variety of sizes and quality. They are made of pure wool, wool with a small percentage of silk to give it a sheen, or pure silk. Pure silk carpets are more for looking at and not for heavy use. A high quality 1.2m (4 ft) by 2m (6 ft) carpet costs around Rs 7500, and the price can be much more. In Rajasthan they make woolen carpets, which are not as high a quality as Kashmiri carpets, and do not have the same detailed work, therefore, they are much cheaper. Tibetans make very colorful rugs. A 1.2m (4 ft) by 2m (6 ft) Tibetan rugs will be less than Rs 2,000. A good place to purchase them is in Gangtok or Darjeeling. Dhuries, woven cotton rugs, are made in Uttar Pradesh and the Himalayas. Textiles Kashmir has its own style of embroidered material, which is made into dresses and shirts. Tie-dye clothes are made in Rajasthan and Kerala. The
best place to get high-quality pashmina goat wool shawls and scarves
is in the Kullu valley and Manali. Vrindavan, near Delhi, is a good
place to place to get saris and other India clothing. Khadi is homespun
cloth, which is made in villages. Khadi Gramodyog Bhavans are governments
shops who sell khadi products. Clothing made of khadi is comfortable
clothing to wear in India. Paintings Jaipur is famous for semiprecious gems and is a good place to get them at good prices. Hyderabad is known for pearls. It is best to only deal with reputable dealers. Unless you know what you are doing, it is not a good idea to buy gems for resale. I know this from personal experience. Papier
Mâché Other
Things to Purchase In South Indian they make bronze statues. Nataraja, who is Siva dancing, is a popular bronze statue. You can get appliqué work in Orissa. Brass
and copper trays, bowls and candleholders are popular. In Rajasthan
you can get brass items with beautiful blue, red, and green enamel designs. To shop properly in India you have to give yourself at least 50% more time than in the West, so you can bargain properly. If the merchant sees that you are in a big hurry, they will almost certainly try to charge you a high price. So even if you are in a hurry, you should still act like you have all the time in the world. If you are a foreigner, you should expect to pay more than the locals do. One person came up to me and asked me to come to his uncle’s shop. I said let me bring my friend, who happened to be Indian. He said to me “Oh, your friend is Indian.” He then walked away, because he realized he could not rip me off, because I was with an Indian who knew the prices of everything. For a large purchase, I would suggest that you never buy anything the first time you go to a shop. Go around and check out the prices in other shops and find the best deal. You can be reasonably assured you are getting ripped off, if a shopkeeper is trying to force you to buy an expensive item immediately, without shopping around. Unless you are highly experienced, it is best to never purchase any item over US$100 the first time you come to a shop. Never allow your taxi driver or guide to bring you to a shop, as they always get a large commission on anything you buy. I have never found a decent deal in this way, and I have tried it a number of times just to see what would happen. This way of buying is a total dead-end. If
you really like something, it is usually a good idea to purchase the
item right there on the spot, as it may be impossible to find the same
product again. Especially, if it is a regional product. If
you are going to Nepal, you can get most Tibetan items there at a lower
price than in India. Most Tibetans will not bargain. They would rather
lose the sale than give a lower price. I do know people that are doing this business out of India and making good money, but they have years of experience. In the section on Jaipur, I suggest a few gem people that you can purchase from for personal use. Even from these people, I would be careful. If you purchase goods from a shop, be careful about having them ship the goods back to your own country. If you are buying with a credit card, they may tell you, they will not forward your credit slip for payment until you receive the goods at home. Do not believe this. If you do not know the shop owner you are buying from, how do you know they will ever ship the goods? Even if you have to pay a good amount for overweight on your flight back, it is usually better than shipping them. Often, when you brings goods back to your home country you can avoid having to pay duty. If you ship the goods, however, there is a good chance you will have to pay duty. You may also have to pay clearing charges, VAT or sales tax, storage, and airport charges. Many times it can cost you more than double the shipping cost to get what you purchased home. It
is not unusual for merchants to incorrectly add up bills, and the mistake
is almost always in favor of the merchant. Seldom will the bill ever
be added correctly, unless you are going to the same person year after
year. In this case the bill will usually be correct every time. I check
every bill thoroughly, unless I have been dealing with someone for years.
In that case I already checked them, and even then I still randomly
check them. Ivory
and Restricted items Gold jewelry up to Rs 2,000 and other jewelry (set with precious stones) up to Rs 10,000 can be exported out of India. Items purchased above these amounts are supposed to be declared when departing the country. If you know of a informationthat is not correct or if you would like to help update our listings, please e-mail us at:
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