Posted by
Susie1
16 yrs ago
There are lots of material stalls, and accesory things like buttons in Sham Shui Po, I have only been there once with someone so I don't know the exact street area , but if you put a post asking where the material stalls are in SSP, in the general Hong Kong section, then somebody will tell you where these places are, by the time you have paid for visa's and fares to Shenzhen you probably wouldn't make a great saving there. Good luck.
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WWcC
16 yrs ago
Hi Oze-Kid
Shenzhen is getting very hard to buy anything, even material there as the prices have gone up considerably. One reason is the RMB against the HKD and the other is these people are used to tourists giving them what they ask for so they're not inclined to move on price. Tell them you're not a tourist and you live in HK, it often shows that you're a regular and they can't rip you off.
Even tho you feel good about getting 20 - 30% off goods, remember the markup on these are at lest 80% before you start bargaining as they know if they gave it to you for 200 rmb, you'd want it for 100 rmb, hence they start at 600 rmb and then they sell to the tourists at 500 rmb, the tourist is happy and they've done a hot deal. 100 / 200 rmb is a lot of money in china so paying 600 - 800 rmb is total rip off!
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ceeh
16 yrs ago
I have been going to LoWu in Shenzhen for around 7 years and tend to buy from the same people whether it be fabric, handbags, belts, kids clothes etc etc and have built up a good relationship with them. Hence, I always get a good price and in time there is no need to bargain -the price they state is the price you pay.
Yes, as WWcC above states, for newcomers they will think you are a tourist and you need to bargain down by about 70% or 80%. Learn a few phrases in Putonghua like - hello, too expensive, thank you and they will warm to you.
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Just curious what everyone is paying for fabric/labour these days? And why does it cost more to copy a simple dress than a pair of trousers? It seems to me that trousers should be more complicated.... yet I usually pay about $50 for the labour for trousers, and over $100 for a dress...
I can buy a dress in Wanchai for that!
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Price for basic fabric should be RMB25 a metre. More for special wool and wider fabrics.
You can also shop in the fabric stores in Dongmen which are cheaper , without the hassle of Lowu. You take the shenzhen metro to Lao Jie, then walk to the fabric store. It is shown on the map of Shenzhen which you can buy in Dymocks stores. There are actually also quite a few fabric stores in the same street and the staff are very happy for you to browse and don't rip you off like in Lowu. No tourists go there so while it will take you time to find it the first time, it is a great bargain area. There are also tailors in the fabric market buildings. (To start for example go to the fabric market on the opposite side of the street from Maoye Department store.)
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The trouble with buying fabric at Lowu is that you don't know what you are getting and you need to examine the fabric really carefully. As mentioned above, they price most of the fabric the same (RMB 25 a metre, you can get RMB20 if you try) but special fabric -eg cashmere or silk -is more expensive. This means some fabric is bad quality and some is fine. eg the "Thai silk" disappears if you iron it.
For something special I prefer Spotlight at Megabox as the fabric is labelled and price reflects quality.
At Lowu you need to prewash the fabrics before they make it up as the tailors only run a heated steam iron over it , so most cotton shirts etc will shrink. Taking the fabric home to wash it is a bit of an effort. If you go to the same tailor regularly, specially ask them to wash the fabric. (If they think you are off on a plane in a day or two, they don't care about shrinkage.)
The Dongmen fabric malls have the same stuff as Lowu but you can browse at your leisure , the staff are really happy to get an order and you don't have to bargain eg basic fabric price is RMB20 compared with Lowu RMB25 for "you are my friend"... So for price and ease of shopping Dongmen wins hands down. If you get the Shenzhen map from Dymocks you can easily see how to get there.
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In Lo Wu I usually tell them I'm not paying more than $20/meter & walk off. It works... never had a problem with shrinkage either- only do linen or cotton though. I just got a jacket copied for a friend in the UK -she's thrilled, so I feel better about it all! Except she wants me to go back and get it in more colours... that's what I get for telling her I have a multi-entry visa!
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Good point about shrinkage from ready made stuff- I have several items from Zara in particular that have shrunk a LOT. One friend brings her fabric back to HK & washes it a few times before taking it back to the tailor - seems like a chore though...
have also been told that if you decide what you want to pay for fabric & have the right change & show them it, they're not likely to resist cold hard cash, unless you're really taking the p***.
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Before Chinese New Year (now!!!) is a good time for bargaining as everyone needs cash.
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so forget Shenzhen purchasing for materials already..Can somebody point out where in HK I can find good quality low priced fabrics??? Anybody know??
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