I just got back from a 10 day visit to Shanghai China on what I imagined would be the ultimate shopping experience. I just knew I was going to have sooo much to blog about when I got back!! Everyone always raves about their shopping experiences in China!

Twenty five years ago I did a whirlwind tour of China, the last stop was Shanghai. Enchanted with the city, three days were not nearly enough. I left with that nagging feeling that I'd only scratched the surface of a very exciting city. I’ve been following Shanghai’s explosive growth through the media, I read voraciously about the wonderful restored neighborhoods, new architecture, restaurants and museums. I was haunted with the desire to return.

Shanghai is still an exciting city, barely recognizable from the Shanghai I visited in 1984, but it was fun to explore just the same. As for shopping, it’s not a tax free haven like Hong Kong, which is a shoppers paradise. Even the Shanghianese make regular shopping trips across the border to Hong Kong. In Mainland China there is a 33% tax on imported goods. The big shopping streets in Shanghai, Nanjing Road and HauiHai Road are bustling with designer stores, but there are no deals there. For example, a pair of Nine West shoes was $150. Shopping in beautiful stores that are way more expensive than home is not fun for this bargain hunter!!

So I avoided the malls, and hit the markets. The huge black market for fake designer goods keeps these markets bustling, even with supposed police crackdowns. There are aggressive hawkers everywhere shoving purse pictures in your face as they yell the only three words they know in English “Watch bag lady.” I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have a real $20 Target purse than a fake Louis Vuitton for the same price.

Displays of fake Tiffany silver, and every imaginable brand of watch abound. I left my good watch at home, scared by the string of Rolex robberies in South Florida…I didn’t want to get mugged in a country where the police don’t speak my language. I was lost without my timepiece, so when I got there I bought a $15 'Georgio Armani' watch (I hope the cops don't read my blog) which quit working before I got back to my hotel. Kind of proves the old adage "you get what you pay for."

I don't give up easily, and I did manage to buy enough goodies that I had to buy an extra suitcase to get it all home. I have work to do right now, have to get the newspaper out, but I'll tell you in my next blog about my China purchases.

Maybe you have some China shopping tips, in case any of our readers are going!