Thailand - Understand & Survival (Chapter)

DIRECTORY A-Z

SHOPPING

Antiques
Real Thai antiques are in-
creasingly rare. Today most
dealers sell antique repro-
ductions or items from My-
anmar. Bangkok and Chiang
Mai are the two centres for
the antique and reproduction
trade.
Real antiques cannot be
taken out of Thailand without
a permit. No Buddha image,
new or old, may be exported
without the permission of the
Department of Fine Arts. See
p 756 for information.

Ceramics
Many kinds of hand-thrown
pottery, old and new, are
available throughout the
kingdom. Bangkok is full of
modern ceramic designs
while Chiang Mai sticks to
traditional styles. Ko Kret and
Dan Kwian are two traditional
pottery villages.

Clothing
Clothes tend to be inexpen-
sive in Thailand but ready-
made items are not usually
cut to fi t Westerners’ body
types. Increasingly, larger-
sized clothes are available in
metropolitan malls or tourist
centres. Markets sell cheap
everyday items and are
handy for picking up some-
thing when everything else is
dirty. For chic clothes, Bang-
kok and Ko Samui lead the
country with design-minded
fashions. Finding shoes that
fi t larger feet is also a prob-
lem. The custom of returns
is not widely accepted in
Thailand, so be sure every-
thing fi ts before you leave
the store.
Thailand has a long sarto-
rial tradition, practised main-
ly by Thai-Indian Sikh fami-
lies. But this industry is fi lled
with cut-rate operators and
commission-paying scams.
Be wary of the quickie 24-
hour tailor shops; they often
use inferior fabric and have
poor workmanship. It’s best
to ask longtime foreign resi-
dents for a recommendation
and then go for two or three
fi ttings.

Fake Goods

In Bangkok, Chiang Mai and

other tourist centres there’s

a thriving black-market

street trade in fake designer

goods. No one pretends

they’re the real thing, at

least not the vendors. Tech-

nically it is illegal for these

items to be produced and

sold and Thailand has often

been pressured by intellec-

tual-property enforcement

agencies to close down the

trade. Rarely does a crack-

down by the police last and

often the vendors develop

more surreptitious means

of distribution, further

highlighting the contraband

character of the goods. In

the Patpong market, for ex-

ample, a vendor might show

you a picture of a knock-off

watch, you pay for it and

they go around the corner to

fetch it. They usually come

back but you’ll wait long

enough to wonder.

Furniture

Rattan and hardwood fur-

niture items are often good

purchases and can be made

to order. Chiang Mai is the

country’s primary furniture

producer with many retail

outlets in Bangkok. Due to

the ban on teak harvesting

and the subsequent exhaus-

tion of recycled teak, 70% of

export furniture produced

in Thailand is made from

parawood, a processed wood

from rubber trees that can

no longer be used for latex

production.

Gems & Jewellery

Thailand is a leading exporter

of gems and ornaments,

rivalled only by India and Sri

Lanka. Although rough-stone

sources in Thailand have de-

creased dramatically, stones

are now imported from My-

anmar, Sri Lanka and other

countries to be cut, polished

and traded.

Although there are a lot

of gem and jewellery stores

in Thailand, it has become

so diffi cult to dodge the

scammers that the country

no longer represents a safe

and enjoyable place to buy

these goods. It is better just

to window shop.

Lacquerware

Chiang Mai is known for

gold-on-black lacquerware.

Lacquerware furniture and

decorative items were tradi-

tionally made from bamboo

and teak but these days

mango wood might be used

as the base. If the item is

top quality, only the frame

is bamboo and horse or

donkey hairs will be wound

round it. With lower-quality

lacquerware, the whole ob-

ject is made from bamboo.

The lacquer is then coated

over the framework and

allowed to dry. After several

days it is sanded down with

BARGAINING

If there isn’t a sign stating the price for an item then

the price is negotiable. Bargaining for nonfood items

is common in street markets and some mum-and-dad

shops. Prices in department stores, minimarts, 7-Elev-

ens and so forth are fi xed.

Thais respect a good haggler. Always let the vendor

make the fi rst off er, then ask ‘Can you lower the price?’.

This usually results in a discount. Now it’s your turn to

make a counteroff er; always start low but don’t bargain

at all unless you’re serious about buying.

It helps immeasurably to keep the negotiations re-

laxed and friendly, and always remember to smile. Don’t

lose your temper or raise your voice as drama is not a

good leverage tool.