Reverse Auction. Possibly the most effective sales method I have ever seen, not to mention my favorite. How's it work? A pair of men setup a shop in an alleyway (Hu Tong) and equip themselves with a loudspeaker and two wooden mallets. Big ones. Whatever merchandise is being sold is presented to the crowd and placed on a table. The following conversation ensues:

• "Everyone! This stone lion is beautiful! Give it to a friend! Put it in your house! Should be 800 kuai!

WHAM!

• My friend he's crazy! 500 kuai!

WHAM!

• No way! I say 300!

And down the price goes until someone someone decides that yes, 80 kuai does satisfy his need for a decorative pig. (It's the year of the Pig.) Unfortunately, there is a limit on the price and if nobody wants it, the item is simply returned to the shelf and replaced with a new, probably jade, object.