Buying guide for
Africa
What will you bring home for gifts and mementos of your trip? Good
question and there is a lot to choose from. From the open markets in
Cape Town and Swaziland to the Zulu markets to the strip malls, there
will be much to choose from. Bring money and be cautious.
Learn to bargain
You will have ample opportunity to bargain in the open markets. Most
items will be offerd to you at 100+% markup. Make an offer at about
50-60% of their asking price. Then negotiate. What is the right price?
The right price is what you feel comfortable paying. Be prepared for
the "life-horror" stories on why you should but from them. Don't
believe the stories. They are there to make you feel sympathetic. Be
ready to walk out of a stall if you are not comfortable with the price.
If they want the business they may offer you a good deal. If they do
not chase you, you probably were too low in your offer.
Is it real.
You will find plenty of sculpture to choose from. Often they will tell
that something is made of stone when it is really made of plastic. How
do you tell? Easy. Stone feels cold to the touch (because it draws heat
from your hand) and plastic does not. Plastic feels warm.
Is it ebony or a different wood covered with shoe polish? Ebony is a
black heartwood. First check the weight of the item. Ebony is dense and
will feel heavy. Second, flip the sculpture over and look at the
bottom. Is is still black or is it not black? If it is not black, then
it is probably not ebony. Even if it is black, ask if you can lighly
scratch the bottom. If light wood appears then you know that you are
not told the truth.
Some people will not buy ebony as this
tree is being over harvested as are many other types of trees and this
leads to deforestation. Be your own judge on this issue.
Is it really an elephant hair bracelet? First, an elephant hair
bracelet is legitimate item that you can bring home. But is it really
elephant hair or is it plastic? This one is hard. Two things to look
for: 1) does it taper to a fine point. If not, it is probably not
elephant hair; 2) look for a cut end. If there is a crimp at the end of
the cut (like it was cut with a wire cutters), then is is probably not
elephant hair. If it is covered with oil, it may be to mask the
plastic. It is easy to be fooled. So be careful.
Warning
If you buy it you need to carry it. There will be an impulse to buy
something early in the trip. Often many of these items will be
available later in the trip. Things like stone sculpture or ostrich
eggs may break before the trip is over. Buy and pack fragile items
carefully. It is your choice.