Hey guys,
I'll be travelling to India for around a month this Friday, landing in Delhi. Plan is to go with almost an empty backpack and buy most of the things i need when i arrive (light t shirts, sandals, outdoor gear, charging cables [my current ones are on their last legs] etc). My questions are - what have been your best bargains in India? Any suggestions for best markets to check out? Are there any things that are best bought in Australia?
Bargains in India
LMunners1989 on 09/07/2023 - 14:12
Comments
Plus one to go for independent stores..
Heavy cotton gsm tshirts are good and also jockey undies are much more cotton heavy gsm as compared to ones we get here, thin ones.
No point in electronics as it will be expensive.
If you know someone local then you can go for local shops for dress material men and buy shirt and pant cloth and get custom stitched. Much better quality and fit… Can even try suits material and get stitched.(if you are into formals)
But stitching and material is only good if you know someone local else will be taken for ride…
Even readymade cotton shirts are much thicker than we get here..P. S.: No idea about shops in Delhi..
Thanks. Sounds like a higher gsm cotton shirt would be better for aus but not sure in the high humidity of Delhi. It would be less breathable/hotter right? Might grab a few at the end of the trip. Thanks for the great tips.
Cotton should be breathable, but it will be humid there and it's each individual tolerance.. Also if you are into mens jewellery like bracelets then you can get 92.5 sterling silver bracelet much cheaper as compared to here..
Pure leather items can be had for a bargain as well…Not sure I'd recommend buying clothes. Bought a couple of shirts in India, and they're only passable. Per capita, Australia is a bigger producer of cotton than India, and I wouldn't necessarily say their stitching is superior. Cheaper, yes, but cotton isn't a particularly expensive textile to begin with.
There are some cities which are known for leather working and I thought I'd get a handmade satchel while I was there, but the local styles weren't exactly to my liking. Off-the-rack jackets were also rather odd style and sizing (you'll see locals wearing them), although it is admittedly cheaper than buying a genuine Schott. If you're in one place for a few days, you can explore getting something custom made. Did get a few cheap leather wallets, though. Enjoy the sights and food, but I'd say India is a better 'experiential' destination than a shopping one, like the USA or Japan. I bought little else but souvenirs back.
Have you been there upended? Sounds like i would be best to buy any clothes i need there. Are you saying the cotton quality is much better than that found at Uniqlo?
I definitely believe that cotton and linen is higher quality in India than what you find here. You will notice that a lot of Uniqlo garments are also made in India and Bangladesh. I have not compared these with other Uniqlo clothes manufactured in other countries. In any case, the clothes in India will be cheaper than Uniqlo. You will (hopefully) notice the difference when you feel the cloth. Don’t go by what I or others say. Only buy if you notice the difference. I will again stress buying clothes at independent shops. The ones you find in shopping centres are the same stores you will find here (and they will also sell at a premium price). The independent stores generally source their clothes direct from manufacturer. Also, a higher gsm cotton will be okay everywhere, including India. In my opinion, cotton (and linen) always breathes a lot better than any other fabric.
Lastly, if using your credit card to pay, always ask to be charged in INR. If you pay in AUD at point of sale, you will always end up paying a lot more in AUD.
woah… clothes are not better quality lol. You have to look at the stitching and if it is coming apart. Especially if you want bargains. Stuff I got ripped after two months here + about four months total usage. They looked nicer but are weaker overall. Two were middle of the range "carlos slims" cargo pants for $27 odd. Only thing up from that at the store was adidas trackpants for close to $50. Even cargo shorts from kmart etc will do better than most "street" brands for strength. Would get cables here as they can be hit or miss there.
Things like stalls are sitting on mountains of stock. Every shop in the area sells from one supplier. Knock off anything is a waste of time imo as quality is bad. better off saving that money and buying here or in singapore (if transiting). Stores also will sell bad stock wrapped in plastic after you have looked at what they have on hand. Sandals can be okay and tees are good.
Have also checked the weather, looks like rain is expected. So you need at least one pair of "tough" but light shoes with grip imo.
Forecast of 72mm of rain on Saturday… Wowee. Any suggestions for a tough, light shoe with grip?
some kind of light sneakers, you don't care about. Felt silly talking newish brand name sneakers as the streets/pavements are broken and have litter (glass, sticks etc). Plus needs to dry easy as you'd be going into "the streets" then buildings.
All the quality clothes would be exported.
Saffron straight from the source 🤌🤌🤌🤌
I'll make sure to bring 23kg of saffron back into aus in my checked luggage.
You'll be asked to declare why you have more than $10 million in that little bottle of saffron strings.
Tea is fantastic!!
There are no bargains in India, soon as they smell you as a tourist, the prices goes up significantly ;)
Things like accommodation, food and beer is cheap. You can get a western style hotel for $36a night/ 2000 INR. A lot of things in stores have msrrp. So you can check before paying. One of the main things is "tourist" price for autos etc, they also have petrol costs so if they don't charge extra, they are working for $5-6 an hour. If there are any issues take a picture of their licence (printed on the cab/auto).
haha I was referring to anything that tourists like to buy :)
Having online marketplaces like Aliexpress definitely makes it easier to not get ripped off these days from physical shops and stalls as you can look the product up online to see what it retails for.
It's the land of cheap stuff lol. Just have to learn to check quality more. Also not get touted etc, eg if you're referred to somewhere, they have a side deal to pay the person who referred you. They are getting better stuff from China now as well. Simple "old school" stuff is better than fake brand name in general.
My questions are - what have been your best bargains in India?
Butter chicken
Do they even have butter chicken in India? I hope so but i thought it's a creation for the western palet?
Do they even have butter chicken in India?
Ghee chicken then ?
Hope that clarifies things for you…
The actual butter chicken you get in India is quite different to and much better than the one we get here.
They do and it's not like what you taste here
Medications, cotton clothes, cosmetics (eg Himalaya)
Medications, anything you use regularly or like to keep on hand. Things like antiemetics, benzodiazepines, antihistamines. A lot cheaper and more readily available! If you do get any benzos or opiates make sure you get a prescription too and don't bring too many back.
I didn't neg you but yeah don't get opiates. However OTC meds like antihistamines are super cheap. The generics you buy in Australia are likely made in India anyway.
I keep tramadol in as prescribed by a doctor for a specific condition I have that flares up. I used it for about a month at one point and then had a nerve block and didn't need it anymore. Since then I've used for a couple of days here and there every 1-2 years, when I have an issue i.e. my issue is recurrent but not chronic (not continuous). I also had oxycodone post caesarean, with good effect when Panadol wasn't cutting it. Have never had any issue with habit forming, craving it, impacting my work or mood (if anything tramadol makes me a little happy, but not overly and means I attend work and can concentrate better as I'm not in pain). Not everyone develops a problem with opiates. Terrible for those that do, but in my experience these people very often having some other life stressors, psychological trauma or other substance abuse that contribute - and yes I'm aware that some people develop opiate induced hyperanalgesia, tolerance or abuse. I just think for short periods when indicated they can be extremely good for acute pain management and useful to have on hand. The big media blow up around opiates, especially in the Australian context was probably not warranted and I share this opinion with a number of pain specialists I've discussed it with. Similarly Valium is handy (sleep, anxiety), and some people can keep it in for when it's needed/useful with no issues with overusing it.
Sorry if I came across as being against prescribed opiates. I'm sure it's helpful for your situation if your doctor prescribed it.
What I wanted to say was: don't buy opiate medications overseas and get it into Australia. Don't know what the legal risks are.
@soan papdi: Yeah, I'm not sure about the legality of it, but I reckon if you have a script even from an Indian doctor you'd be okay. I've certainly travelled internationally with both tramadol and valium prescribed and bought in Australia and had no issues (always pharmacist labelled), but I'm only ever travelling with one packet. I think there'd be an issue if you were carrying large quantities obviously. If I was going to India I'd probably buy some. Similar to if I'm in the US I get melatonin, as you need a script here for the real stuff and it's expensive, not too bad if ordering online from the states, but cheaper in the country.
As someone who has been to India on countless occasions, lived there for six months (as an adult, I was also born there but moved here when I was a very young child) here's some of my experiences on what you'd asked for:
- Electronics: Buy electronics here, cheap stuff there is garbage. Fine in an emergency but don't expect much from them
- Clothes: you get nice clothes there but they're not cheap (the branded stores are cheaper than here but the bargains aren't as good)
- Clothes: dark coloured clothes use cheap dyes and run (especially cheap stuff you get from the side of the road)
- Tailoring: (for men) the fabrics you get are nice, finding a tailor to put it together properly is a challenge, I've been to a number of them (in Bombay), given them a shirt to go off and then had to go back number of times till they got the cut right (essentially my shirts were cut as a square body).
- Outdoor clothing: the range sucks and it's not cheap
- Medications: these are probably the best bargain that's worth stocking up onOther travel tips as a guide:
- Ease yourself into local food. If you like Indian food it will be amazing but your body won't be used to the spice. For years every time I got sick there, it was because I overate and my body didn't like overdoing the spice set (it wasn't because I ate something dodgy)
- If one food is going to get you sick it will probably be the chicken (that being said tandoori everything there is excellent and I'm yet to come across a place in Australia that is as good)
- Indian road side snacks are probably my favourite food (you don't get them here and I'm yet to find a place that is any good)
- Related to the above point if a place you're looking at is busy you'll probably be fine
- Chai (get the stuff from the side of the road, the posher the chai the worse it will be
- Relative to the country Delhi (and up north is dry) the middle and southern states have humidity
- Take clothes you're not attached to they will get trashed and you need stuff that's easy to wash and wear
- White shoes don't bank on them staying whiteiam going for 4 days in early sepember and decided to be vegetarian whilst i am there. i don't like hot spices too much. ha ha
Thanks Gunnar. Very much appreciate the advice. I'm looking to get a few clothing items made but am keeping my expectations in check as you have alluded to. I'll be heading to Kyrgyzstan on the same trip for 2 weeks of camping and will try and get a fleece sleeping bag liner made in Delhi. They sell for $40 at bcf so i'm hoping a 2 x 2m piece of fleece fabric from the textile market will be significantly cheaper.
That sounds like an amazing holiday!!
To be honest I don't know how easy it would be to find fleece as a fabric in India for what you want. Personally I'd just get it here. Cottons and silks to turn into a liner are easy to get but stuff fleece I'm not sure about (I use a silk liner for hiking in weather there I go from hot to very, very cold).
Also, do you really want to spend that time of your holiday to save what will be $20? At roughly 50 rupees to the dollar, it's approx. 2000 rupees for the BCF one and if you do get in in India my guess is it will cost you about 800-1000 rupees (assuming you find the fabric and know how to bargain). It won't be made on the spot, same day possibly but not done on the spot which means you'll have to go back there. Also, from my experiences, the time you are promised will never be the time you get it because you'll get the "just wait, only few minutes" when you show up.
The other thing to remember is everything opens late (like 11-12ish but it also stays open late) so if you want to grab something of the morning before you head out that can be a challenge
Also one thing about India - everything is run like a bureaucracy so what needs to take 5 minutes will take 20. It's something that you need to factor in when trying to get stuff made.
How long are you in Delhi for? And where all are you going in India?
Drink Chai!
Enjoy! Show how fast a rickshaw driver runs when you show them the Ola fare!
Argue to test who tries to outdo the other with braincells!
Eat! But use your eyes and common sense!
Stay healthy!
upon return:
See your gaments run in colour!
Dump the dogy cables!
Go to Ali or ebay to buy it all again!I am going to Delhi in Early September for 4 days, so i am thankful of you post. It would be great if you can advise me what you found.
My daughter did one of her nursing placements in India - before the students left they did a lot of fundraising and were each given an extra 10 kg luggage allowance so took over a lot of supplies like gloves - much appreciated by the hospitals they worked in. If you aren't taking much in your backpack, could be a nice thing to do. I can get more details of other stuff they took if you would like.
That sounds like a very nice thing to do, but wouldn't it be significantly cheaper and more practical to buy the gloves in India and donate them? or just donate the amount raised directly to the hospitals so they can buy what they need at local market prices. I would have thought gloves would be readily available to buy and cheaper in India.
Some money was given directly to the hospitals for that purpose.
If you could find out, that would be great. I would hate to bring over 10kg of gloves or some other medical product only to find out that they are manafctured in India and readily available.
I will confirm with her and let you know.
Daughter said gloves are just not readily available over there. The students were a bit shocked when they saw the local nurses performing tasks without them where they'd been trained to use them. Other times, the local nurses were shocked when they saw the students put them on - 'Why are you putting on gloves?' … 'Um, bodily fluids, no idea on AIDS, hepatitis etc'.
She also suggested that while COVID is still active masks and RATs. They have heard that some hospitals couldn't afford the RATs.
Thanks for considering taking some stuff over there.
Cheap genuine leather stuff at Shree leather in central Delhi. https://maps.app.goo.gl/rzWXVtHpEiMXTSQL9
Branded clothes on discount at Select City walk mall, Saket in South Delhi, branded clothes far cheaper than AU, branded shoes are expensive except Puma, Skechers. https://maps.app.goo.gl/EHVGsf3K9xNwM48V9
Delhi style butter chicken and non vegetarian food at Kaake da Hotel in central Delhi(very village style, only for those tourists who want the real feel of the City.)https://maps.app.goo.gl/uit1ez5aD3DUPbKk9
Sarojini nagar fast fashion market, its mostly for females and at throwaway prices, quality is average. https://maps.app.goo.gl/XRn5HCyAJMYKC3d88
Yashwant place shopping complex for Europe weather clothes, high quality stuff at lower prices. https://maps.app.goo.gl/tR2bSAVVJdxiHFf79
Genuine millitary clothes at Delhi Cantt market, nearby this location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/MnZDyULc7ZhhKPGS9
Try and find eastern Indian rockstar non vegetarian dish: Champaran Mutton, may cost around $25 per serve.
Authentic chole bhature (Virat Kohli's favourite) https://maps.app.goo.gl/3zQMkoFWfi3jBSwK7
all that I listed are cheaper n better than AU.
Thanks! A rain jacket will be on my list of stuff to pick up if i don't get one from aldi beforehand. I suspect that the rain jackets in India wouldn't breath that well and would be pretty plastically? Unless you think that Yashwant might have superior stuff to Aldi?
Yashwant place has warm clothings, not sure if raincoats/rain jackets will be there. better buy from here, if that fails then Amazon.in and Flipkart.com are good with frequent discounts on many things including Duckback raincoats(can preorder from AU using AU cards and collect at your place of stay). e.g. https://www.amazon.in/Rainwear-Duckback-Men/s?rh=n%3A1968098…
Everything, in all types of quality (crap to luxury) is available in Delhi to cater to all the budgets and needs
9 Nehru place computer market for IT things. AU is usually cheaper but worth try checking the prices using their online price list, small items are usually very cheap: https://maps.app.goo.gl/vgFjbrrFCibdFoJDA
tailor made suit
Not sure about electronics, but clothing is definitely better quality, especially cottons. Make sure to pirchase these from independent stores, not ones in a shopping mall as they sell with a higher markup.