{"id":11211,"date":"2017-10-19T10:00:05","date_gmt":"2017-10-19T14:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/?p=11211"},"modified":"2024-06-18T07:36:38","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T11:36:38","slug":"ubud-market-art-negotiation-vlog-ep-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/ubud-market-art-negotiation-vlog-ep-25\/","title":{"rendered":"Ubud Market: How to Negotiate (Vlog Ep. 25)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I look up from Ubud market’s maze of handmade soaps, silk dresses, and wooden keychains to see a man with a wild-eyed expression. I’ve just finished negotiating with a woman to buy a silver anklet, and we are laughing and joking with one another as she wraps it up for me. His overwhelmed expression betrays his situation; he is brand new to the Ubud market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don’t know how you do it,\u201d he says, referring to my recent negotiation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou gotta have fun with it. It’s a game!\u201d I reply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lucky for me, I learned the art of negotiation early on in my travels, and although I was a bit rusty when I set foot in Ubud market in Bali, I pulled it together pretty quickly and embraced the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pin it for later!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n


Where is Ubud Market? (and Market Negotiation Tip #1)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ubud Central Market – also known as Ubud Bali Art Market – is opposite the Royal Palace, basically at the corner of Jalan Raya Ubud and Jalan Monkey Forest (though it’s important to note it isn’t actually near the Ubud monkey forest<\/a> itself).  Here’s a map<\/a> to confuse you some more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But rest assured, accessing the Ubud market place isn’t terribly difficult; it’s on every local map, and anybody in the area can point you in the right direction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ubud market opening hours are from 8am-5pm, though Balinese holidays<\/a> (which are frequent) can wreak a bit of havoc with that. Again, ask around for the best day to go, and you’ll get all the info you need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with many markets in Asia, the best time to go is in the morning. Not only do you stand a chance of beating some of the rush, but one of the key tricks to bargaining in Bali comes into play at the start of the day<\/strong>; the first sale of the day is considered an omen of coming good luck for the vendor, and thus they may be willing to discount prices a bit deeper than they will at other times of the day.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ubud<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n


Shopping in Ubud Art Market – Tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like many street markets (and perhaps even more so with this one), the Bali Ubud Market is chaotic, crowded, and it sprawls. I regularly turned a corner, thinking surely I’d come to a perimeter, only to discover yet another avenue packed with vendors.  I wandered aimlessly for a few hours, and I suspect I only covered a fraction of this crazy market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though it might not seem apparent at first glance, it’s loosely organized into a few different markets in Ubud; one for art and handicrafts, an Ubud silver market with silver and other jewelry, and a food market with spices and various forms of produce. To keep things interesting (and disorienting!), there’s some spillover betwixt these sections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you barter in Bali? My advice in a market like this, is to go more than once.<\/strong> The first time, just wander. Get a lay of the land. Figure out what’s for sale, and where, and how much of it there is (there’s a lot of the same stuff for sale at different stalls). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s also good to get a basic idea of how much things cost. Ubud market prices are moving targets – at best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is, when you ask for a price, that’s a cue to the vendor to launch into a full negotiation. So the trick is to ask for the price – as non-committally as possible, acting very<\/em> disinterested in the item!<\/strong> Then, walk away. Don’t engage. They’ll likely drop their price right away and\/or ask you to give your price. Say you don’t have any money right now and keep walking. Your first trip into this Balinese market is for reconnaissance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect example:<\/em> when I was shopping at Ubud market, there were so many sarongs<\/em>. And they were all beautiful! Towards the beginning of my market excursion, I bought one at what I thought was a great price after employing my best tips for how to barter in Bali…..only to turn a corner with my new sarong in hand and have another vendor open<\/em> with a price lower than what I had just paid. (Here’s another bargaining tip: once you’ve bought your thing, stop looking at similar items and asking for prices; it only leads to heartache)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Had I just wandered through the market to learn Ubud market prices first, I would have been able to establish a reasonable cost for a sarong and gotten a better deal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"vendor<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n


How to Bargain in Bali<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the things I appreciate the most about the Ubud market (and shopping\/negotiating in Bali in general), is the humour and fun with which business is conducted. Negotiating is truly a game. It goes kind of like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n