Bali Shopping Tips
Discover the best Bali shopping tips to make the most of your shopping experience on the beautiful island of Bali.
Are you planning a trip to Bali and looking forward to indulging in some shopping therapy while exploring the vibrant markets and boutiques? Bali is a shopper’s paradise, offering a diverse range of unique products, from traditional handicrafts to trendy fashion items.
To help you navigate shopping in Bali like a pro, here are some essential Bali shopping tips that will ensure you have a rewarding shopping experience.
Always Buy Stock off the Floor
Always buy stock off the floor so that you can be confident of its condition. Also make sure you do your homework before you travel. For example, measure the space for that piece of furniture, floor space for those tiles or standard sizes for those tap fittings.
Inspect Items Carefully
Inspect all items for structural and visual defects as quality can vary significantly between stores.
Double Check Your Invoice
Ensure that your invoice is correct before you leave the store. If the invoice is written in Indonesian, ask the shop owner to write it again in English.
Shopping Tour Guides
Use a professional shopping tour guide such as ours who knows how to do business with the Balinese. A tour guide also knows where the best places are to find exactly what you’re looking for. Our guide has been working with IndoStyle for 10 years and has extensive experience in Australian quarantine and customs regulations.
Permits and Paperwork
Remember that permits may be required to bring your purchases back into Australia. IndoStyle has immediate access to all permits required.
Interpreter Services
While most Balinese people speak a reasonable standard of English if you have any communication issues while shopping, you are strongly recommended to use the services of an interpreter such as our shopping tour guide.
Buy Quality Products
When tempted to buy a cheap Balinese product, consider the fact that the shipping costs can be as much as the original purchase price. It therefore pays to purchase the highest quality items you can afford.
Only Buy Recycled Timbers
Only buy recyclable timbers otherwise they may shrink when you bring them from a wet to a dry climate.
When Buying Stone
When buying stone, remember that natural products may contain flaws so go over each item in detail and make sure it is cut flat on the base. Packaging is critical for stone, particularly for brittle stone such as limestone so don’t allow the store to simply wrap your items in cardboard.
For highly fragile items, we strongly recommend IndoStyle’s unique packaging and transportation system which has been designed to suspend items on strong elastic within a case so they can move in transportation without coming into contact with any surface. Every item is individually packaged in the ideal way to ensure it reaches your doorstep in the same condition as it left the shores of Bali.
Containers & Freight
Don’t organise your own container or let a Balinese shop owner organise your freight. Very often a shop owner will offer transportation at a low fee. Sounds good at the time but extra charges are later incurred. These will be for clearance costs, port charges, storage costs, quarantine, inspection costs, GST and import duty. IndoStyle will charge an all inclusive, fixed fee that covers everything required to deliver your items to you in Australia.
