Moving to HongKong in a few months...what to do with all the 110V gear? - Page 2

'cuse me, I spazzed out for a few days there. 

That's the thing, everyone in retail (or educated) should know some English but their work attitudes differ, some people love associating with English speakers and others don't want to bother, ethnic interactions are one of the most interesting things about Hong Kong. English speakers are associated with wealth, yes, but as are Mandarin speakers (unless they obviously look like farm folk), it is possible but not likely you'll get high balled, you'll get the store's very fair 'list' price but it'll be harder to talk them into special discounts unless the guy is really friendly. As with any kind of bargaining, the more knowledgeable you are the product the less inclined they'll be to try and cheat you, so don't worry about being a show off. You can do this without learning any Chinese, just talk to them in English. Observe local custom - I always ask for a 'cash' price, it'll probably put another bowl of wonton noodles  in your wallet. And of course, being friendly and spouting a few phrases of Chinese will always earn brownie points.

A reasonable cost for dim sum would be I think US$20 per head, maybe US$10 after 2pm but it really scales, some of the pricier dim sum places out there are pretty unique and well worth trying, but there'll be a lot of very interesting budget food as well. Lin Heung Kui and Lin Heung are really interesting places actually, their style of dim sum is from the 30/40's, a real blast from the past... 

A notice on packing electronics: use crazy strong boxes, feel free to go paranoid, that's the advice I always get from shippers. 

Ypoknons makes a good point about using cash. Mostly in smaller electronic and computer shops in Hong Kong, you get the best price when paying cash, worse if using credit card, and many don't accept American Express at all. Also must haggle. Even at the large franchise stores, haggling works and you can pressure them into giving you freebies like accessories, protective stickers etc.

Dim sum costs vary according to deco, location, times of the day (most expensive around 12:30-1:30 pm i.e. lunch time). Cheaper ones often more authentic (which also means fattier cuts of meat, as Chinese actually prefer fat on their meat) ... healthier options often more pricey. Some of the Chinese restaurants in the big malls around high end offices (Pacific Place, IFC) are down right expensive.