When shopping in India, an important piece of advice, which will save you a good amount of money, is to haggle for it! Bargaining is the way of shopping across India.
Nowadays many supermarkets, showrooms of branded goods and other shops have been established that are essentially fixed-price shops. However, at local shops or road-side stores you must bargain. Local advice is to show disinterest in the product, saying that it is just too costly, no matter what price is quoted initially. The prices are always inflated for tourists, especially foreigners. The hike could be anywhere from 20% to 100% of the original price!
You may find some dubious vendors who try to entice you into buying goods in bulk or larger quantities to resell in your home country. It is not a good idea to buy these things (known examples include crafts, gems, exotic clothes, etc.), as you are likely to be duped of your hard-earned money. Be wary of schemes for making a profit, asking for your initial investment. Remember that you will find products and goods of your choice elsewhere too (in other cities, at other shops, with other dealers and so on), as there is no dearth of them in India. Some sellers will relate sob stories, such as difficulty with custom clearances, family hardships, personal debts, lost paperwork, etc., to gain the sympathy of tourists. These should even be considered by you, and do not fall into the trap of trying to 'help' with them.
Be vigilant while taking out cash out of banks or ATMs; better still, have someone accompany you for this event. It is not unusual for someone to 'inform' you that you have dropped a currency note and, when you bend down to look for it (or pick up a note deliberately dropped by the crook), the person might steal your cash or valuables in a second.
With everything said above, though, you can still have a great shopping experience in India and return home with many lovely souvenirs for yourself or gifts for others.
