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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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 Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 6:03 am Post subject: The three prices for everything |
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There's the Japanese tourist price. The Western tourist price. And the local Korean price. The prices go from highest to lowest. If you're going to buy anything in Korea and can't pass as a local, get the most hard bitten ajumma to buy it for you. Just make sure you hide behind a pillar or something.
I remember once I had a Korean woman friend get a price on an inkjet printer. They quoted her one price and wrote it on a business card. When I went back the next day to buy it, the printer was suddenly $30 more expensive. For me.
Last weekend I bought a computer microphone for $5. My GF bought the same microphone for $3.
I went to a used appliance dealer to price a fridge. The fridge was $200 for me. I told my school's whitey wrangler the fridge. When she went to buy it, it was $170 for her.
Got any similar stories? |
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Julius
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 6:05 am Post subject: |
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| First words to remember: "Thats too expensive", before making a show of walking over to the next stall in view and checking out the same item. Get their competitive edge going. |
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captain kirk
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 6:09 am Post subject: |
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| Yup, I do, unfortunately. On 'motorbike sales street' and at a certain shop I asked about the price of synthetic oil and lithium chain grease and the price was thirty percent more than the same thing in a back street in Seoul. The beaver faced grinning proprieter kept seeming politely aghast that such prices beyond the flat edge of the earth could be possible. But I said yes, sucking limes, I'd managed to get there and that was the price, without risk of scurvy. Wish I was Korean. Ben Stiller movie. Wakes up Korean... |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 6:13 am Post subject: |
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| Julius wrote: |
| First words to remember: "Thats too expensive", before making a show of walking over to the next stall in view and checking out the same item. Get their competitive edge going. |
bi sah yo was one of the first words I learned in Korean. |
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HapKi
Joined: 10 Dec 2004
Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL
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| Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 6:52 am Post subject: |
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| bba ga ji was another. |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 9:04 am Post subject: |
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Ah, once, several years ago, I negotiated a girl from 60,000 down to 30,000 won
What a nice hour that was.....
Sorry, but it is true. |
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Riposte
Joined: 07 Feb 2006
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 11:19 am Post subject: |
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| Riposte wrote: |
Musta been Songtan Sally
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Nope. Never been to Songtan. Is she cool? |
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own_king
Joined: 17 Apr 2004
Location: here
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| Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 11:31 am Post subject: |
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| HapKi wrote: |
| bba ga ji was another. |
You might want to be careful using this unless you are walking away and intent on not buying it. As far as I know bba ga ji means rip-off or cheat, right? I've used this on taxi drivers a few times - wrong context? At any rate, I think they might be reluctant to bargain after this. But the OP's point is well taken. I very rarely pay full price for anything in Korea, especially clothes. |
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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| Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 12:56 pm Post subject: |
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I got one of these pocket Korean/English translators from 150.000 to 90.000, in less then half an hour.....
Just don't ever take the first price they give to you. |
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cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Juregen wrote: |
| Just don't ever take the first price they give to you. |
Does this rule apply in stores, though? I thought it didn't, and that if there is a price tag on it, that's the final price... right? |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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| own_king wrote: |
| HapKi wrote: |
| bba ga ji was another. |
You might want to be careful using this unless you are walking away and intent on not buying it. As far as I know bba ga ji means rip-off or cheat, right? I've used this on taxi drivers a few times - wrong context? At any rate, I think they might be reluctant to bargain after this. But the OP's point is well taken. I very rarely pay full price for anything in Korea, especially clothes. |
My one friend had this bargaining method at Dongdaemoon. After the booth bunny would quote her the price, she'd stamp her feet and jump up 'n' down and whinny like a little girl told by her daddy she can't have an ice cream. She would usually get her ideal price with that act. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 3:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Koreans traditionally love to bargain over prices |
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Swiss James
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 1:36 am Post subject: |
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| "Whitey wrangler"- that's quality! |
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I_Am_Wrong
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: whatever
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| Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 2:08 am Post subject: |
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yongsan camera shopping yesterday.
Best price online was 370,000. Some booths quoted as much as 500,000 and most were hovering around 390-400. People in business are capitalists and the golden rule is increase your profit. They're just seeing if they can get more out of you cuz...in a lot of cases they can get more out of a foreigner.
I got my camera for 370. |
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