Petaling Street (Chinatown)
Petaling Street is situated in KL’s Chinatown and is one of the city’s most popluar shopping areas.  It is a very busy area visited by many tourists and locals alike.   It is noisy, hot and claustrophobic, but a visit is a “must” when visiting KL.
The whole street is set up as a night market with many traders offering a huge selection of goods.   Shops behind the market stalls are also a great spot to pick up a bargain so remember to check them out too.    The market traders generally start setting up their stalls from mid-day onwards and it’s recommended that you visit in the afternoon as it is packed with shoppers.   Sometimes you have a better bargaining tool as the vendors are looking for early sales.
Tip:  take a break at the Swiss Inn for a cold drink to refresh yourself.

One of Petaling Street’s main offerings is bootleg goods.  You’ll find the latest shirts from ‘Nike‘, handbags from ‘Prada‘, jeans from ‘Guess‘ and soccer jerseys from ‘Adidas‘.    These fashion items are obviously not be the real deal, but they certainly look the part and cost one tenth of the price.   The quality can be good so that they even feel and wear like the real thing!
Make sure you check the sizes – the stall holders sometimes run to their suppliers to get a larger/smaller size if you’ve asked for one, then when you open the packet at home, it turns out to be the same size as all the others!  I speak from experience!

Petaling Street is also famous for ‘branded’ watches! You can buy imitation watches from a variety of names such as Rolex, Swatch, Seiko, Casio, Tag Heuer, Gucci, Mont Blanc and Cartier.  “Genuine fakes” is a common cry heard from the stall-holders.   Watch prices start at RM 10.

Perfumes from ‘Christian Dior’, ‘Armani‘, ‘Polo‘ and others, which don’t smell quite as good but and they lose their scent very quickly but you can get them at less than a quarter the price of real scents. Imitation sunglasses are also very popular and can be bought for dirt cheap prices.

And finally, there’s the all-time favourite – the latest local and international movies on VCDs and DVDs.  From time to time, the authorities conduct raids but that hasn’t stopped the traders from offering pirated movies for sale.   It is comical to watch a raid in progress.   The authorities sweep in from one end of Petaling Street and runners from that section will quickly inform their fellow stall-holders at the other end by walkie-talkie.   They can quickly pack up their DVD stall in less than a minute then bolt!  It is as though the stall has disappeared by magic! 

Central Market
Located along Jalan Hang Kasturi, a few minutes away from Petaling Street, Central Market which was built in 1888 was originally a wet market (selling meat, fish, vegetables). It has since being classified as a Heritage Site by the Malaysian Heritage Society and it is now a landmark for Malaysian Culture and Heritage displaying a wide variety of Malaysian Arts and Handicrafts, Batik, Antiques and attractive souvenirs. Inside the building there are two levels. On both levels are shops selling t-shirts, souvenirs, antiques and handicrafts.
Malaysian artists display their works amid the stalls selling an array of souvenirs.

Petaling Jaya’s Pasar Malam
Various pasar malam (night markets) can be found on the main streets in the suburbs around Petaling Jaya. It’s the best way to get to know the ‘true’ Malaysian culture. There you can find fresh foods, quick snacks and it is also a popular with the local triads  selling their contraband merchandise of anything under the sun – clothing, electronics, mobile phone accessories, pirated DVDs and Audio CDs etc.
Open from late afternoon to late at night, Petaling Jaya’s night markets are always abuzz with activity. The best way to experience the local culture, the night markets are a delight to the visual and olfactory senses! A huge selection of goods can be found here, from food and groceries to clothing and gadgets – and best of all, you can even haggle on the already rock-bottom prices!
Among the more popular ones are as listed below:

Bangsar Pasar Malam
The Bangsar night market, or ‘Pasar Malam’, is an open-air bazaar that takes place among the streets of Telawi, right next to the main shop lot areas and across the Bangsar Village II mall. Like most night markets around Kuala Lumpur, Bangsar’s night market sells a mixture of wet and dry goods. On one corner, fishmongers hawking huge snappers and red prawns, filling the air with the smell of the sea, on the other, hawkers sell the latest bootleg fashion, T-shirts and jeans hung from hangars below make-shift roofs.
The night market takes place from early evening till late night, attracting a massive crown of local residents and expatriates. Because of the affluent nature of the crowd and area, goods here are more expensive than other night markets in Kuala Lumpur. However, the culture of bargaining should still be practised here, although the final price probably won’t be as much of a bargain as in other markets.
A walk through the night market is a fascinating experience. This is a popular activity for locals, as almost everything under the sun can be found here, from clothing to shoes and food stuff to electronic gadgets. The sheer number of stalls, people and din of traders bargaining with customers is a colourful sight and a must-visit for those in Bangsar on Sundays.

Essential tips for market bargaining
While shopping in markets you must remember to bargain.   No price is set and traders inflate their prices to enormous proportions for overseas visitors. You must haggle and bargain to get the best deal.  After the stall-holder gives you his first price, you should then offer at least 50% less, but try starting at 25% of the initial price.  He will reject your price and you will make another offer.   This will continue until you reach an agreed price.   The whole process can take some time and you will need to be good-natured and patient.  As a rule of thumb you should pay no more than 50% of the original price quoted.   You may have to walk away and the trader will often run after you agreeing to your offered price.
Remember this is all part of the fun of KL Shopping!