Updated 2026-07-31
Two things surprise visitors about shopping in China. The first is that the cheap-manufacturing stereotype is out of date — the interesting purchases now are design objects, tea, silk and electronics accessories, not knock-off handbags. The second is that China runs a departure tax refund scheme for foreign visitors that most tourists never claim, because nobody told them to ask for the right paperwork at the till.
The good buys in China are things where either the supply chain or the craft tradition is local. That means tea, silk, ceramics, well-designed household objects, phone and camera accessories, and increasingly Chinese domestic fashion and cosmetics brands that are genuinely good and barely exported. What is no longer a bargain: international luxury brands, which carry an import duty and often cost more than in Europe.
| What | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tea | Specialist tea shops, not tourist streets | Ask to taste before buying. Longjing in Hangzhou, Pu'er in Yunnan. |
| Silk | Suzhou, Hangzhou | Real silk burns to ash and smells of hair; polyester melts into a bead. |
| Ceramics | Jingdezhen; good shops in any big city | Ask for bubble wrap and carry it in hand luggage. |
| Electronics accessories | Official brand stores or JD.com | Cables, power banks, small gadgets are cheap and good. Avoid grey-market phones. |
| Domestic fashion & cosmetics | Big-city malls, Taobao | The genuine value discovery for most visitors — quality is high, prices are not. |
| International luxury | Skip | Import duty means it usually costs more than at home. |
China's departure tax refund gives foreign visitors 11% of the purchase price back on goods bought at designated tax-refund stores, minus a 2% handling fee — so you net roughly 9%. It is not automatic and it cannot be arranged afterwards: the paperwork has to be issued in the shop, at the moment of purchase, on presentation of your passport.
| You spend | Nominal 11% | Actually received (~9%) |
|---|---|---|
| ¥500 | ¥55 | ≈ ¥45 |
| ¥2,000 | ¥220 | ≈ ¥180 |
| ¥10,000 | ¥1,100 | ≈ ¥900 |
Bargaining in China is narrower than the guidebooks suggest. Malls, chain stores, supermarkets, restaurants and anything with a printed price tag are fixed-price, and haggling there just makes the interaction awkward. Bargaining applies at tourist markets, souvenir stalls, and the "wholesale" buildings that exist largely to sell to visitors.
In those places the opening price is often 8–10 times what a local would pay, so a polite counter at 20% is not insulting — it is the expected first move. The most effective technique is not aggressive negotiation but genuine willingness to leave: walking away and being called back is how the real price surfaces.
Counterfeit branded goods are still sold in a handful of well-known tourist markets, and buying them carries a risk that has nothing to do with China: many countries, including the US, UK and EU members, allow customs to seize counterfeit goods at your home border, and some can fine you. A fake handbag is not a bargain if it is confiscated on arrival.
There are also outbound restrictions worth knowing. Genuine antiques over a certain age cannot legally leave China without a certificate and a red wax seal, and some wildlife-derived products — ivory, certain shells, traditional medicines containing protected species — are prohibited both by Chinese export rules and by CITES at your destination.
Overseas app stores are full of copycat clones with the same name. Every link below has been checked against the official developer.
⚠️ Developer must read “Alipay (Hangzhou) Technology”. Foreign cards work via the built-in Tour Pass / TourCard.
⚠️ Developer: Zhejiang Taobao Network. Needs a Chinese delivery address, so it's mainly useful for longer stays.
⚠️ Install and download the offline Chinese pack BEFORE you fly — it needs a VPN inside China, but offline mode works without one.
⚠️ Developer: Tencent Technology (Shenzhen). Bind your card under Me → Services → Wallet.
Spend at least ¥500 in a single designated tax-refund store on one day, show your passport at the till, and ask for the Tax Refund Application Form plus the official fapiao. At the airport, visit the customs tax-refund desk before checking your bags so officers can inspect the goods if they wish, get the form stamped, then collect the money at the refund counter after security. The nominal rate is 11% and a 2% handling fee is deducted, so you receive around 9%. You must leave China within 90 days of purchase.
Roughly 9% of the purchase price. The scheme quotes 11%, but a 2% handling fee is deducted at payout. On a ¥2,000 purchase that is about ¥180; on ¥10,000 it is about ¥900. Refunds under ¥10,000 are usually paid in RMB cash on the spot, while larger amounts are credited back to a bank card, which can take a few weeks to appear.
Only in tourist markets, souvenir stalls and "wholesale" buildings aimed at visitors. Malls, chain stores, supermarkets and restaurants are strictly fixed-price and haggling there is simply awkward. Where bargaining does apply, opening prices are often 8–10× the local price, so countering at around 20% is normal and expected. Check the item on Taobao first — knowing the real price is far more effective than negotiating hard.
They are sold openly in some tourist markets, but the real risk is at your own border rather than in China. Customs in the US, UK, EU and many other countries can seize counterfeit goods on arrival and in some cases issue a fine, so a fake is not a bargain if it never makes it home. Buying from official brand stores or a brand's Tmall or JD flagship store removes the question entirely.
Genuine antiques above a certain age require an official certificate and a red wax seal to be exported legally — if a seller cannot produce one, do not buy. Products derived from protected wildlife (ivory, some corals and shells, traditional medicines containing protected species) are restricted by Chinese export rules and by CITES at your destination. Large quantities of undeclared cash are also restricted; the usual threshold is the equivalent of US$5,000.
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Our team of China travel researchers combines on-the-ground contributor insights, official government sources, and traveler community feedback to create the most detailed English-language China guides available. Every guide is fact-checked against primary sources (NIA, 12367, official attraction websites, Railway 12306) before publication.