Singapore Tourist Charged HK$30,400 for Herbs in Hong Kong After Pricing Unit Switch

A family shopping trip ends with a HK$30,400 bill

A visitor from Singapore paid HK$30,400, about US$3,908, for herbs at a Hong Kong pharmacy after discovering that the price was calculated per mace rather than per tael. The smaller measurement unit made the price for the same weight of goods ten times higher than she had expected.

The woman had entered the shop with her family to buy facial cleansers. A salesperson redirected her attention to herbal supplements, including milk thistle, and promoted a buy 80 get 5 free offer. The weight display showed 0.85, while a price tag displayed a figure such as 380. The salesperson did not explain the pricing unit.

The tourist understood the figure to mean HK$380 per tael. After a quick calculation, she expected to spend a few hundred dollars and agreed to the purchase. The clerk then ground the herbs into powder. Only afterward was she told that the price applied to each mace, a unit one tenth the size of a tael.

Faced with the much larger bill and reluctant to argue in front of her children, the woman paid. The shop initially offered a partial refund. After mediation by Hong Kong's Consumer Council, it agreed to a full refund upon return of the products.

The case, described in coverage published on September 17, 2025, comes amid continuing complaints about pharmacy and medicine shop practices. The Consumer Council recorded 548 complaints involving these businesses from January to August 2025, compared with 556 during the same period in 2024. The decrease of eight complaints leaves the total close to the previous year's level.

How a smaller unit produces a much larger price

Traditional Chinese measurements remain common in Hong Kong's herbal and dried goods trade. One catty contains 16 taels, and one tael contains 10 mace. In metric terms, a tael is 37.8 grams and a mace is 3.78 grams.

A price quoted per mace therefore applies to one tenth of the weight covered by the same price quoted per tael. At HK$380 per tael, 37.8 grams would cost HK$380. At HK$380 per mace, that same quantity would cost HK$3,800. The number on the price tag stays the same, but the amount of product it buys changes sharply.

Visitors who see a number without a clearly stated unit may assume it refers to a tael or even a catty. Confusion becomes especially likely when a large, prominent price sits beside a unit printed in tiny or faint lettering. A customer can notice the price while missing the information needed to calculate the bill.

The Singapore visitor's complaint described both an unexplained unit and a promotion whose final cost she misunderstood. An offer such as buy 80 get 5 free can sound attractive, yet the customer still needs to know the measurement attached to the quantity and the price of the complete purchase.

Traditional units are a normal part of the trade. Clear labels and an explanation before the sale allow customers to understand them. The difficulty arises when the shop leaves the unit unclear and announces the full charge only after the buyer has agreed or the goods have been processed.

Why grinding the herbs changed the encounter

The clerk ground the tourist's herbs before explaining that the price was per mace. That order of events mattered: the customer learned the cost after the product had already been altered.

Medicine and dried goods shops may offer to grind herbs or slice products as a service. When the total has not yet been agreed, processing can leave shoppers feeling committed to the purchase and less able to walk away. A buyer who is already uneasy may pay because the goods have been prepared specifically for them.

The visitor also wanted to avoid a confrontation in front of her children. Her account shows how pressure at the counter can involve more than the price itself. A large unexpected bill, processed goods and the presence of family can make an immediate challenge difficult.

Receipts become important once a dispute begins. A shop may record its chosen pricing unit on the invoice after grinding or slicing, while the customer remembers a different understanding before the sale. Photos of the original label or written confirmation of the agreed unit can help explain that disagreement.

The Consumer Council urged traders to state measurement units and totals before checkout and to provide receipts that accurately record quantities and units. For customers, the practical safeguard is to settle the complete price before allowing any grinding, slicing or sealing.

What happened, and what the complaint figures show

The tourist's purchase date was not specified. The account describes a sequence from an ordinary shopping visit to payment, a complaint and a refund agreement, alongside complaint totals covering the first eight months of 2025.

• During the shopping visit, the family entered the pharmacy looking for facial cleansers, and a salesperson promoted herbal supplements.
• Before payment, the herbs were ground into powder. The tourist was then told that the quoted price applied per mace and paid HK$30,400.
• After the complaint, the shop first offered a partial refund, then agreed through Consumer Council mediation to a full refund upon return of the products.
• From January to August 2025, the Council recorded 548 complaints involving pharmacies and medicine shops, against 556 in the same months of 2024.
• By September 17, 2025, the case had prompted renewed reminders about clear prices and fair treatment at the counter.

Many complaints involve visitors and businesses in busy tourist districts. The Council has previously named traders that repeatedly appeared in complaints, describing purchases that cost far more than mainstream retail prices after unclear unit labels, changes to pricing at the last minute or distracting sales conversations.

After borders reopened, the Council reported a renewed surge in complaints about certain Chinese medicine shops in popular shopping areas. Most complaints about those traders came from visitors, with local shoppers accounting for a smaller share.

Some businesses have been exposed more than once. Consumer advocates have also warned that certain shops change their names or ownership while similar practices continue. Such changes can make it harder for customers to follow up after leaving Hong Kong.

The Council's warning to retailers

The Consumer Council identified several recurring problems in complaint files: small or unclear unit labels, imitation products, and packaging or signs that can mislead shoppers. These concerns extend beyond how herbs are weighed to whether buyers receive the product they intended to purchase.

The Council called on businesses to explain prices before processing goods or taking payment. It also urged retailers to put transparent dealings ahead of gains from an immediate sale, with accurate receipts and clear units helping both customers and honest businesses.

In its statement, the Consumer Council, Hong Kong's statutory consumer watchdog, urged the industry to stop misleading sales practices:

The Council calls on the industry to abandon misleading sales tactics and uphold integrity to protect Hong Kong's reputation as a shopping destination.

Hong Kong attracts visitors for its food, shopping and trusted service. Confusing prices and aggressive selling by a small number of shops can damage confidence in the wider retail sector. For a visitor, the consequences are concrete: an unexpectedly large payment, time spent seeking a remedy and a dispute that may continue after the trip ends.

The case ended with an agreement to refund the purchase price upon return of the goods. It also prompted fresh reminders from authorities and industry groups about clarity at the counter and respect for customers. Clear unit labels, totals agreed in advance and accurate receipts are straightforward measures that protect buyers while supporting fair competition among retailers.

Mediation and enforcement serve different purposes

The Consumer Council helps shoppers with complaints, mediates disputes and refers cases to the relevant authorities. As a statutory body, it has a formal consumer protection role, but it does not prosecute traders.

Hong Kong Customs enforces the Trade Descriptions Ordinance. The law outlaws false or misleading statements about matters including price, quantity and composition. A suspected misrepresentation during a sale may fall within that law, and convictions can lead to heavy fines and prison terms.

Mediation focuses on resolving the customer's dispute with the business, such as negotiating a refund. Enforcement involves investigating a possible breach of the law. The two processes are separate, and the enforcement route often takes longer.

Individual outcomes frequently depend on evidence. A photograph of the price label, a record of the unit discussed before payment and an itemized receipt showing weight, unit and price can help establish what the customer understood and what the shop charged.

Visitors who return home before a complaint is resolved may face slower follow up. A dispute can involve the retailer, a card issuer and authorities, while changes in a shop's name or ownership can add further difficulty. Keeping records from the start gives each party a clearer account of the transaction.

Warning signs before the bill arrives

Complaint accounts describe sales conversations that begin with a friendly greeting or discount and expand into several additional purchases. Staff may draw attention to an attractive price while giving little attention to the unit used to calculate it.

An offer to grind herbs or slice dried seafood can then be presented as a courtesy. If questions about the total receive vague answers until processing is complete, the shopper may face a large bill at the point when refusing the purchase feels most difficult.

Customers should pause and request a written breakdown when they encounter signs such as these:

• A large price number beside a unit printed in tiny or pale lettering.
• A price per mace or per candareen, rather than per tael or per catty, without a clear explanation.
• A clerk who avoids naming the unit when asked or responds with a rapid stream of figures.
• An offer to grind, slice or package goods before the total is agreed or printed.
• A promotion such as buy 80 get 5 free without a final price in writing.
• Free samples or gifts that draw attention away while weighing and calculations happen out of view.
• A receipt showing only a lump sum, without weights and units.
• Packaging or branding that resembles a familiar product but belongs to a different item.

An honest retailer can explain the units, write down the price and total before processing, and let the customer check the scale. A shop that resists those requests warrants extra care.

Checks that help before agreeing to a purchase

Shoppers can ask the clerk to write the item name, measurement unit and price per unit together, then confirm the exact total in front of them. Pointing to the unit and saying it aloud helps reduce the chance of a misunderstanding.

A customer unfamiliar with traditional measurements can request the equivalent weight in grams. The scale reading, the quantity being purchased and the pricing unit should all fit the written calculation. The safest moment to resolve any uncertainty is before the goods are ground, sliced or sealed.

Photographs of the price label and scale display can preserve information that may be difficult to recover later. Packaging, labels and receipts should also be kept. An itemized receipt is more useful than a single total because it records how the seller arrived at the charge.

Card payments provide a channel for disputing a transaction, so shoppers can choose a card rather than cash where possible. Evidence still matters. When the only record is the merchant's invoice produced after processing, a bank or card network may side with the merchant in a payment dispute.

The Council also advised customers to choose reputable businesses displaying the current No Fakes pledge sticker. The pledge concerns genuine goods and respect for intellectual property rights. Shoppers should check that the sticker is valid for the current year and that the store name matches the certificate, while separately confirming prices, units and service arrangements.

What to do when a charge is disputed

A customer facing an unexpected bill should stay calm, request a manager and ask for a written breakdown of the unit, price per unit, weight and total. If the seller uses a different unit from the one discussed, a label photograph or written confirmation can help explain the complaint.

Shoppers have the best chance of a prompt remedy when they raise the problem at the shop and retain a clear record. Asking for the calculation before payment, refusing processing until the price is confirmed and photographing labels and scales can make later discussions more straightforward.

Anyone who feels threatened or is prevented from leaving should call the police. A customer who can leave safely can contact the Consumer Council for mediation and consider reporting suspected breaches of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance to Hong Kong Customs.

For purchases paid by card, the customer should notify the card issuer promptly and submit receipts, photographs and other records. Keeping the product and its packaging also matters when a proposed refund requires the goods to be returned, as happened in the Singapore visitor's case.

The refund agreement demonstrates the practical role of mediation in this dispute. For future purchases, the central check comes earlier: the customer and retailer should agree on the unit, quantity and complete price before the product is changed or payment is taken.

Key Points

• A Singapore visitor paid HK$30,400, about US$3,908, for herbs after learning the price was per mace rather than per tael.
• The herbs had already been ground when the pricing unit was explained. The shop later agreed to a full refund upon return of the products after Consumer Council mediation.
• One tael equals 37.8 grams and 10 mace. Quoting the same price per mace instead of per tael makes the cost for the same weight ten times higher.
• The Council recorded 548 pharmacy and medicine shop complaints from January to August 2025, compared with 556 in the same period of 2024.
• The Consumer Council mediates complaints; Hong Kong Customs enforces the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.
• Shoppers should confirm the written total before processing, check units and weights, retain receipts and photographs, and verify current No Fakes pledge details when choosing a shop.