Be confident! Chinese will expect you to negotiate.. (it's a cultural thing...). Our culture frowns upon it, but its normal life in China.
Don't look too enthusiastic about your potential buy. Complain about its quality, the fact that it is a fake-brand or the color. Start to walk off, then look back, then ask how much it is..
A good rule-of-thumb is to quote the price of what you would pay in USD, but in their currency of RMB. For example, in a Market, the asking price for a leather belt could be RMB300. You need to think "would I pay USD300 for this?". No.. you would probably pay USD30 (remembering, the brand is fake). Offer them RMB30 - and you are in the right ball park.
Expect them to complain, look upset, cry etc.
If they say No, start to walk away. The best buys are done when you walk away, and they come running after you. You can always go back later if they don't come after you (then you know your price was too cheap!)
Remember that in markets, almost all the stores will sell the same goods.. so you can start cheap and know confidently that you can buy it somewhere else if negotiations aren't successful.
Remember that Chinese do not take negotiating personally (however they look that way). After you agree on a price, they are more willing to congratulate you on your negation skills than anything else.
Expect people to hold your arm and touch you physically. Its normal in China.. don't be intimidated!
Learn some simple Chinese - like "Ni Hao" (hello), "Xie Xie" (thankyou), "Tai Gui le" (too expensive), "Zai Jian" (bye), "Duo Shao Qian" (how much), etc. Chinese very much respect Westerners that have learnt some Chinese. These words will only take you an hour to learn, and will make your shopping experience MUCH more fun!
Don't buy underwear... very, very uncool. (bad experiences!)
If the product is a brand name - Assume what you are buying is FAKE. It will be. If it has a cut label (such as the label at the back of a sweater), then it is probably REAL. Look for these, although they are rare.
