OTOP and buying crafts well

OTOP (โอทอป, One Tambon One Product) is a government scheme that gives every sub-district a signature product: silk from Surin, indigo cotton from Sakon Nakhon, rooster bowls from Lampang, silver from Chiang Mai, basketry from almost everywhere. Look for the OTOP star rating on the label and the big OTOP fairs at Bangkok's convention centres, where makers sell direct. Prices for หัตถกรรม reflect weeks of work, so haggle gently or not at all; it is better to ask questions: ทำมือหรือเปล่า, ใช้ผ้าอะไร, ย้อมสีธรรมชาติไหม. Makers light up when you notice the work, and งานละเอียดมาก often earns you a story, a discount or a bag thrown in. Machine-printed "Thai silk" exists: real silk feels warm and the weave is slightly irregular.