Sure, travelers can find some great bargains in Thailand, especially in Chiang Mai. But a lot depends on what you want to buy, what you know about what you want to buy, where you are and when you want it. A bargain is finding and buying what you have been finding for at a price that makes you happy. There have been times and places when I thought that ten dollars for a cool drink of water would be a great trade but most of the time I can find a drink for a lot less. The same goes for shopping anywhere, along with Thailand.
The days are long gone when the straightforward native folk would part with their treasures for a handful of trinkets. I think they ended just about the time the wheel was invented. Now the steady stream of tourists in Thailand is met by some of the most skilled small traders and well managed large retailers anywhere. This isn't necessarily bad, the competition does keep prices within think but don't expect to find the buy of a lifetime when the sellers know that someone else tour bus is due in fifteen minutes.
Thailand Hotel
I live in Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand and see the tourists come and go, they are good for the economy and I feel good that the vast majority leave happy. Their money gets spread nearby to hotels, restaurants and traveler attractions and the things they take home with them are normally purchased at the large (high overhead) traveler shops or at the large (high overhead) Night Bazaar. There's nothing at all wrong with this. I go to those places myself for the entertainment value but I don't expect to find any real bargains. When my house visits I take them to those places to have a good time but we go somewhere else when it's time to buy souvenirs or "Made in Thailand."
Silk is often high on the list of thing to buy and it's possible to get some legitimately great buys. A small whole of time invested can pay good dividends. Ask the habitancy who know where to find good potential at a good price. The desk clerk at your hotel may can be a good source of facts and it never hurts to ask. A taxi driver may know but he may also offer to take you to the installation that will pay him the top commission. Maybe great yet is to buy a necktie in a small local tailor shop and ask where he buys his silk. You can expect him to dispose a commission also but you will find a good buy and at least you won't end up in one of the traveler traps.
Thailand Hotel
For other goods produced locally, whether in small factories, workshops or in village homes go where the locals shop. The large permanent marketplaces that aren't on the traveler trail, like Woororot market in Chiang Mai, are where the locals go to buy the daily necessities; food, flowers, clothes, cloth, shoes and just about all else. For handicrafts, decorating items, T-shirts, small antiques, food, music, a great foot massage and more than you can remember plus a relaxing evening of entertainment, the place to go is one of the one-day markets. These can be found in any areas of the city and in small towns one or two days a week. The best one that I've ever found is the Sunday Walking market on Ratchadaemon Road in Chiang Mai.
The market gets into full swing in the cool of the evening on the plaza in front of Thapae Gate, the main entry to the walled city, and continues across the city moat, face more streets than can be explored in one evening. If something is small enough to carry into the market area (and small enough to fit in your suitcase) there is a good opportunity that at least one small-trader has staked out a place on the cobblestone pavement and is doing a brisk business. whether you go to buy or to just soak up the sights, sounds and tastes, this is where you will find a bargain.
Shopping Thailand For Bargains
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