A Pair of Brand Rings Price Difference Nearly Ten Thousand Yuan Exchange Rate Change Makes Shopping in Hong Kong 8.3% Cheaper Currently Also Low Airfare for Traveling to Hong Kong
The RMB has broken through the 6.5 mark against the USD twice, and with the continuous appreciation of the RMB, shopping overseas is becoming more cost-effective.
Reporters have recently discovered that shopping in Hong Kong has quietly become an "8.3% discount", on top of which, after Labor Day, the price of air tickets and hotels has dropped, making the round-trip cost to Hong Kong "worth it as long as you buy something."
Buying Wedding Supplies, Weekend Trip to Hong Kong
"I've already done my research online; rings and gold items are much cheaper in Hong Kong than in Beijing." Miss Jiang received her marriage certificate on May 10th, and she chose Hong Kong as the place to buy her wedding supplies last weekend, completing everything during a quick trip.
Is it too extravagant to fly to Hong Kong just to buy a ring? Miss Jiang calculated for the reporter: She had her eyes on a pair of Tiffany wedding rings, which would cost 30,000 yuan in Beijing. However, in Hong Kong, they only cost HKD 25,600. With the current exchange rate factored in, the total comes to just over 21,000 yuan, equivalent to an 8.3% discount.
"We booked a flight leaving at 7:30 AM Saturday morning and returning to Beijing at 8 PM Sunday night. The round-trip tickets for two people cost more than 5,000 yuan, plus a few hundred for accommodation, totaling less than 6,000 yuan. We saved enough to cover the cost of one ring, and we even got to travel," said Miss Jiang.
Miss Jiang also picked up some gold jewelry on this trip, and she couldn't stop smiling when talking about it. "At the time, Chow Tai Fook's pure gold was HKD 405 per gram, so I picked out a pendant and a bracelet. When I checked back home, Chow Tai Fook in Beijing was selling at RMB 395 per gram, while what I bought only cost RMB 336 per gram. For a 30-gram bracelet, there's a difference of over 1,500 yuan." Miss Jiang regretted not buying more.
Air Tickets and Hotels in Off-season, Round-trip Costs Less Than 3,000 Yuan
It was learned that since November 2010, the RMB exchange rate has been rising sharply without any sign of retreat.
Currently, the exchange rate between the Hong Kong dollar and the RMB has dropped from 1:0.87 at the end of 2010 to 1:0.83.
After the holiday off-season and Hong Kong's off-season, the price to travel to Hong Kong has hit rock bottom. Although travel agencies haven't launched weekend group tours or independent travel products, even if you book according to the individual traveler's price, it's still very cheap.
According to WhereToGo.com.cn, the lowest one-way ticket from Beijing to Hong Kong currently costs 1,020 yuan, and the round-trip ticket costs a minimum of 2,040 yuan. In contrast, during the peak season at the end of last year, a round-trip ticket from Beijing to Hong Kong cost around 3,500 yuan per person.
Currently, the price of standard rooms at four-star hotels in Hong Kong on weekends starts at 660 yuan. For two people to visit Hong Kong on a weekend, the cost is less than 6,000 yuan.
RMB Appreciation Makes Hong Kong a Cost-saving "High Ground"
Due to continuously rising prices, the price inversion phenomenon between mainland China and Hong Kong has gradually emerged. Last year, there were even media reports of Shenzhen housewives rushing to Hong Kong to buy daily necessities.
Now, with the continuous rise of the RMB exchange rate, the "8.3%" price advantage is enough to support urban residents traveling to Hong Kong to "save money."
Li Yan, who has traveled to Hong Kong six times in the past year to "shop," gave reporters an account: cosmetics are consumed relatively quickly. Taking Clarins Multi-Active Cream as an example, it takes about four months to use one bottle. In Hong Kong, it costs HKD 600, which is equivalent to RMB 498, while the domestic counter price is RMB 680. Just one cream can save nearly 200 yuan. Add in matching toner, essence, eye cream, hand cream, etc., and you can save about 1,000 yuan every four months.
Currently popular Apple products can save five or six hundred yuan on just one i-pad host. "Almost every month, there are family and friends celebrating birthdays. Chow Tai Fook jewelry is 60 yuan cheaper per gram, so a 20-gram bracelet can save 1,200 yuan. Even if it's a small item like perfume, each piece can save eighty to a hundred yuan," Li Yan said. Since some expenses are inevitable, regularly 'group-buying' in Hong Kong is still cost-effective.