General information

Nepal is a shopper's paradise and like many societies, buying involves some haggling. If you choose not to negotiate on price, you may pay three times as much as the going rate. Much better to take advice from someone you know and trust - who may be prepared to haggle on your behalf. If you happen to be the shopkeeper's first customer of the day, you may often find you get a better price or something extra thrown in free, because the first sale is regarded as good luck for the trader. Deals are frequently struck over a cup of tea or a cold drink and a shopping expedition can take considerably longer than is usual in the West.

The widest selection is obviously to be found in Kathmandu and the main shopping centre is located in the Thamel district of the capital. Equally, outlets elsewhere, for example in Pokhara, are closer to the original producers of some products and so are worth exploring. Wherever tourists congregate, you can be sure to find the usual collection of street hawkers only too ready to take a gullible new arrival for a ride.

If you're considering a more substantial purchase, you may well find it pays you to go straight to the small industrial estates further out from the centre where the prices of rugs, thankas, paintings and textiles tend to be more competitively priced (and somewhat less negotiable).