🛍️ Shopping 💬 Everyday Priority 27 / 35
Can You Give Me a Better Price?
Counter-offer on a price in a market or small shop without making it awkward.
🛍️ PHRASE CARD
TravelHubChina 中文 / Chinese
能不能便宜一点?太贵了。
Néng bùnéng piányi yìdiǎn? Tài guì le.
English
Could you give me a better price? It is too expensive.
Show this to a local Read the English for context
How to use this card
- Save it before you travel. Download the whole pack from /rescue-cards/ and it works offline — no app, no data plan.
- Show the big Chinese line to whoever you are talking to. They read characters; the English at the bottom is for you.
- Say it out loud too if they hesitate. A spoken request gets a faster answer than a silent card, and repeating it removes all doubt.
- Read the English to understand the reply.
What they will likely say
- “最低二百五,不能再少了。” — Two-fifty is the lowest, I cannot go lower.
- “诚心买的话两百。” — If you really want it, two hundred.
- “这个是明码标价的。” — This one is a fixed price.
- “你要买几件?” — How many are you buying?
Pro tips
- The size of your counter-offer matters more than the words. Offering 40% off is an insult; 60–70% of the asking price is a normal first move.
- Buying several items, or accepting 包装 (bāozhuāng, gift wrapping), is the standard lever that moves the price.
- Walk away slowly once or twice. It works far more often than it should, and it is how the final price is usually reached.
Related guides
- Full guide — background reading for this situation
This card is one of the TravelHubChina phrase cards — bilingual, offline, and verified against how people actually talk in China rather than textbook grammar. The full set is free at travelhubchina.com/rescue-cards/.
Need the full guide?
This card gives you the exact phrase. The full article walks you through the situation step-by-step.
Read the full guide →