Comments on: Baby, If You Look Good, You Play Good

By: Ashley Tyra

Ashley Tyra — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 07:33:12 +0000

This post reiterates the fact that it is important to be comfortable with negotiating prices in China. Although I am disappointed that it will be harder to take advantage of buying a suit as one of the ladies, it sounds promising for the gentlemen. After reading this email, I don’t believe saying “this just shows the Chinese are ruthless, cunning, dishonest and you can’t trust ‘em” is warranted. As Americans we need to understand that if we aren’t willing to barter, sellers will do what they can to make more money, just as most sellers try to do here (although this may not occur through bartering on a suit). If we don’t take the time to familiarize ourselves with the skills necessary to participate in the purchasing process of another country, we only have ourselves to blame.

By: Fred S.

Fred S. — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 21:37:53 +0000

Wow that is some good service by the Chinese tailors – showing up in the middle of the night to do a final fitting and working on the suits through the night to be ready by 7am. I agree that if you look good, you get some added confidence to help you play good. However, that is not much of the concern here in lovely San Luis Obispo. Jobs that you can show up to here in shorts and sandals, you wouldn’t get by without a shirt and tie on the east coast. It is perspective too, I guess. One can make sandals and shorts look good! That being said, I still am still interested in getting some good-looking clothing/suits in China. What is the best way to dress in China? Is it suggested to look good/wealthy or do you want blend in more (as much as you can as a white American)?

By: Keith Cody

Keith Cody — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 07:42:19 +0000

I took advanced sewing in junior college. We made our own dress shirts. If I were to make a custom suit for myself, even if I bought the wool direct from the garment district in Los Angeles, it would still cost me $1000 for just the fabric. That’s why a custom suit in LA is $2000 to $3000. It’s another 100%-200% for the labor. If a suit is $100 in China, using LA markup, the fabric costs $33 for the 7 yards plus another 3 yards of lining. Or $3.33 a yard. I can’t imagine gettingsuper 120 wool fabric for $3.33 a yard, the same price I pay for cheap muslin here. It’s $81.24 on Amazon. The absolute best I can do is $25 a yard for brown, over-run 110 wool gaberdine that is several seasons old. IT is Ralph Lauren, though. At these prices, I’m going to end up buy so much at the Pearl Street market.

If you are going suit shopping, I would suggest bringing me along. I’ll be better at Chinese by then, and I know how to make clothes. I can tell the quality and hopefully you won’t get burned.

By: Jeffrey Brown

Jeffrey Brown — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:35:48 +0000

My business take is that you are in a much stronger bargaining position when you make it seem like you aren’t interested in making a deal. I also recognize that there is a fine line between unethically lying and lying for the sake of a negotiation. While many westerners might think that it is not okay to falsify information when making a business deal, we must recognize that the Chinese use similar (but different) tactics when negotiating. We will not succeed if we try to change them or talk poorly of what we see as unethical negotiating practices; rather, we should instead adapt and try to play the game they know best.

By: Charles Dornbush

Charles Dornbush — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:39:28 +0000

I have found that I am more confident in a good suit and if I can get one for a tenth of the price in China, I will do so. If we have the opportunity I would love to get at least one. As we start our new careers I think buying suits in China is a great way to save some money. From this article and other blogs I’ve read, if you play hardball and do your homework you can get good quality items for pennies on the dollar.

By: Georgia

Georgia — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:36:10 +0000

This sounds like a successful interaction to me. I don’t know how legitimate the store looked, but I would be hesitant to give 500 RMB’s as a down payment and walk away with nothing. It is a good example of haggling, and hopefully I can learn from it. It is important to remember to act disinterested. In Coget’s class we practiced negotiations in a flea market situation. When the “buyer” started asking about the product the vaguer he was the harder it was to gage his desire for the product. This means I will have to keep my cool when I see something that I want and stick to my guns to get a lower price.

By: Grant

Grant — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:11:49 +0000

It is a reality that I don’t like, but am learning to accept. I guess its my idealism that we aught to be seen for who we are on the inside rather than the outside, but the reality is quite different. Wearing the right clothing definitely makes a difference in one’s confidence. People do treat you differently, unfortunately.
If good suits can be made for around $100, I’m in. Not sure we’ll have time, but if we do, that would be great.

By: Daniel Fleek

Daniel Fleek — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:13:07 +0000

I agree that looking good makes you feel better and makes others respect you more. However, I have never owned a suit so I would need to do a lot of research before I went out and bought a suit at the Chinese market. I like Vladamir’s idea to bring samples of fabric so I know that the suit I am buying is actually good quality. I also think that trying on suits here to know my measurements would help me decide the right style and size. The mafia style suit that the guy in the video bought I thought looked good on him and that’s the kind of the style I think favors me. Also, the price he paid in total was incredibly cheap which is obviously because he knew where to go. I would bet that the suit he bought in China would cost about five times more in America. Also, the suits that are sold here were probably made in China anyways so why not cut out the middle man and buy it at China myself? I hope to find my perfect suit in China at the market and I want it done in about a day so hopefully I only have to pay $100 or just over this.

By: Vladimir

Vladimir — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:04:05 +0000

I think looking good can have an effect on playing good in two ways. First, the person feels like a champ. Second, people who interact with the well-dressed person tend to treat him with more respect, thus reinforcing his feeling of higher status. But you should play good even if you don’t look good.

I’m not sure if I’ll buy a tailored suit in China. My weight’s been going up and down so the perfect fit today won’t necessarily be tomorrow. Also, I don’t like to be in a rush when buying a suit. I’ve only owned several suits in my life and I’m not good at judging quality. I’ll need to do some research, maybe even carry several samples of fabric in my pocket. That way I’ll be able to compare the Chinese fabric in front of me against the fabric of a suit that I know retails for $1000. I do plan on buying some ties.

It’s important to buy what you want, not because the seller convinces you to buy on the spot because the price is good or they tell you how good you’d look. I knew the opening price offers are inflated, but didn’t think they would be by that much. I wonder if the sales people have any idea of the price similar suits would sell for in the United States. Since sellers know people are looking for what they think are good deals, a 50 percent price drop is probably accepted often. To get a better deal, we need to focus on their costs when negotiating, not on US prices.

By: Kevin K.

Kevin K. — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:25:46 +0000

As someone who already has to get custom clothing — being 6-foot-6 and thin means good luck when looking for off the rack clothing. I have found a few good websites based in Thailand that I have bought some shirts from that fit great, but altering suits stateside is really expensive for the amount I need done. This post is great in giving me some tips when I go to China, because I am looking to get a suit, or two, if I find the right place and deal. I’ll be sure to re-read these posts before getting on the plane, that’s for sure. I can just imagine the look on some American store owner’s face when you try to haggle with them on a suit or anything really, pure confusion.