Ready, Set, Shop: It’s Time to Catch the Deals in Asia’s Bargain Bazaars

On Mulberry Street, near where I used to live in downtown New York, there is a shop called Handloom Batik, filled with exquisite fabrics, woodcarvings, jewelry and other treasures from India and Southeast Asia. One year I did all my Christmas shopping there, and I often wandered in to feed my fantasy about becoming a professional importer--which would mean that I’d have to make lots of buying trips to Asia.

If I had a little capital, now would be the time to make that fantasy real because of the economic crisis that started in Thailand a little over a year ago and spread across Asia like a brush fire. Not only has air fare to the Orient dropped drastically, but every dollar you take along goes further than it has in ages, due to currency devaluations in shopping meccas such as Indonesia, Korea and Thailand.

In Bangkok, for instance, the money you’d save by having a tailor make you a new wardrobe would easily cover the price of a plane ticket. In New Delhi last year I had a tailor make me a beautiful wool dress suit for $70, including the fabric. And once you reach hubs such as Hong Kong and Singapore, where shopping is irresistible even if prices have remained somewhat stable, you can readily fly on to India, mainland China or Nepal for more bargains.

But shopping in Asia isn’t like going to the mall here. It’s more fun--in fact, an adventure if you stay away from hotel boutiques, fixed-price shops and tourist traps. It’s also a great way to learn about the culture by interacting with locals. In Bali, where I spent a week last month, I wandered into an art gallery filled with beautiful miniatures done by the owner. Even though I didn’t buy anything, he invited me into the family compound, where we sat together watching the Oscar de la Hoya fight on TV.

Handcrafts, jewelry and clothing were arrestingly cheap. In fact, I’m told that last fall, when the crisis hit, Paris fashion houses went shopping in Bali, snapping up so much ikat and batik fabric that a shortage of shipping containers ensued. That’s why I carried home a whole bag full of items (for a total of $60), including the bag itself and two glorious carved stools. The shop owner first asked for $5 each, but I talked him down to $2.50.

All over Asia, bargaining is the rule. “Locals will think you’re stupid if you don’t,” says Judy Slattum, the director of Danu Enterprises, which specializes in cultural tours of Bali.

But Westerners tend to feel embarrassed about haggling and fear that they’ll end up getting a raw deal. “So think of it as a very theatrical game both sides know and enjoy,” Slattum says. She gives her clients detailed instructions about bargaining: Ask locals what they paid for items you’re interested in so you get a sense of what they’re worth; act disinterested when you see something you like in a shop; gasp when the proprietor names a price; and intersperse your counteroffers with pleasantries, which gradually turns combatants into friends.

Annette Zientek, president of Christine Columbus, an Internet catalog company featuring travel accessories for women, notes that converting local currencies to U.S. dollars on the spot while bargaining can be confounding. So she carries a compact money converter wherever she shops. And then there’s the exceptionally useful “10-step” bargaining rule I learned in China two years ago when hunting for a pair of silk pajamas. It involves making a few offers for an item, finally saying the price is too high, and then walking away. If you step away slowly enough (10 steps), you’ll get called back by the merchant with a price you like.

‘In Bangkok, the money you’d save by having a tailor make you a new wardrobe would easily cover the price of a plane ticket.’

Though goods are seldom tagged in local markets, it’s bad form to ask for prices unless you’re serious about buying; the inquiry automatically engages the bargaining process. And I make a habit of deciding how much I’m willing to pay for a particular item before I go shopping, sometimes carrying only that amount to avoid weakening. This means I have to do some research in fixed-price shops first, especially when making a big purchase. Even when I snag what I consider to be a good buy, I invariably meet someone down the road who got the same thing at a lower price. Still, I’m content, because I know I made my deal for the price that was right for me.

One of the world’s great shoppers, John Peterman, founder and president of the J. Peterman catalog, advises that you never buy anything on your first day in a new place because you always find something better and cheaper later. On overseas buying trips, he engages knowledgeable local guides and wanders on foot through working-class neighborhoods, tracking down items used by locals, which seem unique and authentic when you get them home.

A colleague of mine takes precisely the same approach, bringing back ayurvedic preparations from pharmacies in India for a fraction of the price similar products would cost here. And Toni Neubauer, president of a tour company called Myths and Mountains, does all her best shopping way off the beaten track, in villages in the hill country of Thailand and the west Indian state of Gujarat.

This isn’t to say you can’t shop fruitfully in great Asian entrepo^ts such as Hong Kong and Singapore. Just take along “Born to Shop: Hong Kong,” by Suzy Gershman (Frommer’s, $14.95), which is how I learned that it’s cheaper to buy electronics in the U.S. and that even I could afford a Mandarin-style jacket at chic, pricey Shanghai Tang, on Pedder Street near the Star Ferry terminal, during the Chinese New Year sale (in late January or early February). A shopping maven who lives in Singapore told me recently that there are still bargains on high-end items such as diamonds and watches. Or you could take a tour. Mach II Travel & Tours in Woodland Hills has a five-night shopping trip that leaves for Hong Kong on Nov. 30 for $939 (per person, double occupancy, including air, accommodations and escorted market excursions). The Korean National Tourism Organization has teamed up with Asiana Airlines and the Hotel Lotte in Seoul to offer two- and five-night shopping sprees for $699 to $949 (per person, double occupancy, including air, accommodations and transfers).

Other tour companies, such as Myths and Mountains, Specialty World Travel, Danu Enterprises and Asian Pacific Adventures, offer trips focused on regional arts and crafts. Having just returned from Asia, all I can say is get going. You can take it with you.

Tour information is available from: Mach II Travel & Tours, telephone (818) 703-8833; Asian Holidays (for Korea), tel. (800) 871-9700; Myths and Mountains, tel. (800) 670-6984; Specialty World Travel, tel. (617) 476-1142; Danu Enterprises, tel. (888) 476-0543; Asian Pacific Adventures, tel. (213) 935-3156 or (800) 825-1680.

To get a J. Peterman catalog, call (800) 231-7341. To find the Christine Columbus catalog, log onto the Internet at https://www.christine columbus.com. To find Handloom Batik, tel. (212) 925-9542, go to the intersection of Mulberry and Spring streets in Manhattan at 214 Mulberry), open Wednesday to Saturday noon-7 p.m., Sunday 1-6 p.m.