Shopping and markets

Bangkok shopping splits cleanly in two. Markets are for bargaining, cash and early starts; malls are for fixed prices, cards and air-conditioning when the afternoon heat peaks.

At markets, ask the price, offer a little less and settle with a smile. Haggling is normal for clothes, souvenirs and fakes, not for food, and a vendor who won't move is telling you the price is already fair. Chatuchak, the biggest, is a weekend market; go in the morning before the crowds and the heat. Carry small notes, because change is scarce at stalls.

Malls price everything on the tag. Visitors can claim a VAT refund in shops showing "VAT Refund for Tourists": spend at least 2,000 baht in one shop on one day, keep the form, and take the goods out of Thailand within 60 days. Customs checks the goods at the airport before you check in, and high-value items get a second check after immigration.

Gold shops price by weight at the day's posted rate, which is set nationally and shown in every window.

Tailors and gem shops that drivers bring you to pay those drivers commission, and you pay for it. Find your own, and take a taxi there with the address in Thai.