Chiang Mai is famous for gems and jewelry just make sure you buy from a reputable shop We have all heard about the gem scams Thailand is famous for. Make purchases of jewelry and gems from a reputable dealer or shop such as Princess Jewelry or Gems Gallery. The prices are a lot cheaper than western countries and the quality excellent. Remember, if the price seems too cheap to believe, then don’t believe the gems or jewelry are real.
Silk is another great bargain here in Chiangmai and much cheaper than, say, Jim Thompson’s in Bangkok. Here again be careful, if you don’t know much about silk then make purchases from a reputable shop such as Jollie Femme. Most of the silk at the night bazaar is partially polyester or made by machine in Chinese factories. Real Thai silk is handmade so the weave is very tight and will stay together after many years of wear and hand washing – much longer than Chinese machine-made silk.
Tailor made suits and clothes are also perfectly made here if you go to the right tailor. Be careful of these one coat, two pants, tie and shirt deals for $99 USD. The material is very low quality and one sleeve may be longer than the other. The biggest complaint is the pockets are way too shallow. Niramit Tailors in Chiangmai is probably one of the best in Thailand.
I hope this will help you avoid problems when it comes to shopping in Thailand, enjoy.
What To Pay:
Prices are very cheap even for high quality products. There are also many fake and name brand copies of very poor quality so be careful. Please remember, you get what you pay for so very cheap goods also means very cheap quality.
