| Just got back from Shanghai on 21 June 2006. Xiang Yang was running full force; what a pity it will be closed soon. It's a fun place to browse through and overall is a vibrant corner of Shanghai. The quality of the goods at first inspection is really quite good. Will they last in the long run? Who knows? But at those prices one probably wouldn't care too much. Having said that, my friend bought a North Face coat there and it's served him well so far over 2 Canadian winters. While I can appreciate comments from those who frown upon the selling of these fake and perhaps not-so-fake goods, we should also remember that the pendulum swings an equal distance in the opposite direction. Companies are fully entitled to make profits, but one must look objectively at the level of profits. If these goods can be sold at these prices in Xiang Yang, is it really fair that they fetch the prices they do outside of the market? For example, selling a rip-off DVD for $1 is most certainly not fair. But selling that same DVD in a store for $30 is also arguably not fair (to the consumer). As for the actual closing of the market, it should be noted that pretty much everything available there is also available inside some people's houses. These people tend to live in the immediate vicinity of Xiang Yang. If you go into their houses, then on the second and sometimes third floors will be a nicely kept room filled with all kinds of goods. It's basically like you're in a private shopping area where you are the only customer. If you have a good guide in Shanghai, he or she will know where to take you. Like the market, the prices start out high but you settle much lower. The house shopping is certainly not as fun as being in a lively market, but it accomplishes the same thing - decent quality "name brand" goods at very cheap prices. |
Xiangyang Market - the Shopping Paradise