So I thought I would do a post on some of the things I bought whilst in Bali and how much I paid for them – you know, as a guide for newbies going soon.
To start with, the golden rule: don’t forget the polite bartering etiquette. If you start to barter and the seller eventually agrees to your price, you must buy the item. It is considered very rude to engage in the bartering process and then not purchase the item if the seller agrees to your price. Believe me, things can get rude and a tad hairy if you do this. If you cannot agree on a price, then its fine. They will let you walk away from a sale if they believe your price is truly too low and chase you down the street if you walk away and they then decide to accept your bottom price.
Be nice; bartering is supposed to be fun and they expect you to do it. They will probably start at 100,000 rupiah for a pair of sunglasses which you can get for 20,000 if they think you are green.  You get a better price if you buy in lots of five, so five for 100,000. It helps to buy a pair and wear them when you are shopping. That way the seller will ask what you paid for them and then match the price! Very helpful to know for sunnies, dresses, T’s etc.  Don’t fib, its rude; they know exactly what other sellers bottom price is.
Try to not buy anything for a few days, have a barter and see what they will let you walk away from – its a good indication of the actual item is worth to them.
Also, watch what colour bag they put your purchases in. We were told that the colours indicate to the next seller exactly how gullible you are as a shopper!
Two tips:
 1. Know what you bottom price is before you enter into bartering and be willing to walk away from the sale if they won’t match your price. If you know that you don’t want to pay more than say $5 for a dress (and you know that you can get them for that) then don’t let them take you higher. Believe me, the same dress will be in the shop five stores down.
2. Remember that 10,000 rupiah as basically $1. If you REALLY want that dress/pair of sunnies etc then seriously, just buy them. A dollar might not mean much to you, but to the Balinese seller it may put help put dinner on the table for their family. Its very easy to get caught up in the Balinese currency and forget what it is actually costing you back home. Don’t kick yourself when you get home for that dollar you were too tight to spend 🙂
So, what did I buy and how much did I pay?
1. Sungalsses, lots!
The mens Oakleys and Raybans are an easy 20,000 each, you wont pay less I don’t believe.
The ladies sunnies are differently priced according to the bling factor and the newness of the style. When I was there in 2009, you could get all the ladies sunnies for 20,000. Now they are 25,000-35,000 depending on style and diamantés. But seriously, if you really like the style and you want just one pair, I wouldn’t bother trying to get the seller under 30,000 – its basically $3. Win-win once you’re home. You can get them cheaper if you buy 5-10 at once so 5 for 125,000 or 10 for 200,000. Wear a pair you have previously bought – they should match the price. Once purchased, ask the seller if they have what you have bought new, in a bag out the back. Sometimes they do and are happy to oblige.
2. Fake Designer Bags, one for a friend.
It wasn’t for lack of choice that I didn’t end up buying a bag! I just couldn’t find the design I liked with a quality lining inside. You can pay anywhere from 50,000 – 200,000 for a handbag sized bag like the ones pictured. The difference I found to be was inside the bag. Make sure you check the lining as it varies greatly from a plain plastic bag feel to the really nice lining with the designer brand embossed on it.
I found the perfect bag which the seller was willing to sell at 75,000 but nowhere could I see it with nice lining – I didn’t buy it, so sad!
The bag I bought for my friend was a Louis Vuitton one with stunning red/gold flecked lining. The seller let me walk away at 250,000 with matching wallet so I figured that was her bottom price. I walked back and got it for that.
3. Dresses from the Markets, six for me.
Mostly the same price wherever we went; 40,000 for the knee length and 50-60,000 for the floor length ones. The sellers will start at 250,000 so watch out! It definitely helps to wear a dress you have bought when shopping and get them to match your price; saves on all the bartering.
4. Clothes for hubby, a few!
Tank tops are 20,000 each, brand name T’s are around 40,000. The nicer brand name shorts with the button and zip are around 60,000 but other ones are about 40,000. His loud floral shirts (why???) were 50,000 each and he haggled hard to get that!
5. Shoes, three pairs for me.
The first pair I bought at a supermarket/deli, no haggling. They were 45,000, so $4.50, pretty happy with that. The other pairs I also bought at a shopping centre so no haggling either. The purple ones were 70,000 and the sandals with the carved wood heel were 150,000. I believe the ones in the market stalls were around 40-60,000 but I didn’t see any I liked.
6. DVD’s for the kids, butt-tonnes!
The DVD stores have all their prices on display inside. They are 10,000 ($1) each and you get ones for free if you buy in bulk. So buy 5, get one free; buy 10, get 3 free etc. No haggling in the DVD stores but the prices are good. Quality of the picture has improved HEAPS since we were there in 2009.
That’s about it for us – Im sure trip advisor has some forums with the prices of other things, but this is what we bought and what we paid.
Here are a few snaps of other things we did and ate 🙂

You can NEVER have enough Sashimi! Nom nom. xxx

Me and my Mister were well spoilt with our first few nights kid-free in over three years, thanks to the lovely hotel nannies who come to your room in the evenings.

Hope you found this helpful and have a fabulous time when you go.