You’ll come across a unique phenomenon in Yogyakarta that I haven’t encountered in any other tourist hotspot in Java: the batik scams. If you’re spending a few days in the city, I can almost guarantee you’ll be approached in a specific way, which might not initially feel like a scam. Many tourists fall for this and end up spending a lot of money for no reason.
While you won’t be able to avoid these situations entirely, you can be prepared and know what you’re dealing with when you do encounter Yogyakarta’s notorious batik scams.
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Why everyone falls for the batik scams in Yogyakarta
Scams of all shapes and sizes exist across South East Asia. Whether you’re a first-time traveller or an experienced backpacker, chances are you’ll fall for one at least once.
Sometimes scams are not as obvious as you might expect them to be. While it’s easy to avoid taking an unmetered taxi or buying a sim card at the airport, other times you might only realise in hindsight that someone tricked you into overpaying. And that is the goal of most of these cons; to get you to pay more than you should and, in the worst-case scenario, to outright steal.
Fortunately, this is not the case for the batik scams in Yogyakarta. Worst comes to worst, you’ll end up vastly overpaying for batik that is almost certainly not legit. Will that completely ruin your trip? Probably not. But can you avoid it by using some common sense and preparing before you go?
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My personal batik scam experience in Yogyakarta
I’ve spent quite a lot of time in Yogyakarta over the years and almost every single time I go there I encounter the batik scam artists at least once. I wrote this article based on my personal experience, as well as that of friends and acquaintances. Luckily, I managed to identify the scam very early on, so I never actually bought any overpriced batik, but I know quite a few people who have.
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Where the batik scams in Yogyakarta commonly take place
You’ll encounter batik scams in Yogyakarta, mostly on and around Malioboro Street, the most popular tourist area with a lot of things to do. This is not only the best place to stay as a traveller if you’re exploring the city, but it is also a hotspot for street food and, more importantly batik shopping.
What is batik, and why do people buy it?
Batik is an ancient technique of dyeing fabric using wax and specific paints to create unique patterns. Java is famous for its batik, and many tourists purchase batik items to take home as presents or souvenirs.
Since 2009, batik has been part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.
Batik comes in many forms, including clothing items but also framed artwork. This is the type of batik that is the subject of the scams in Yogyakarta.
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How to tell if batik is authentic
Real, genuine batik is always handmade and is very time-consuming to produce. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for the average person to determine the difference between handmade or tulis batik and printed (plangkan batik) or stamped batik (cap batik). This batik is far easier and cheaper to make and technology has advanced so far that it can be near to impossible to distinguish the two.
It is up to you to decide whether you really need authentic handmade batik or if you’re simply looking for a pretty souvenir. Keep in mind that, tulis batik can be very expensive and rightfully so. However, if you’re spending upwards of 100€ on a small canvas, you’ll probably be pissed if you find out that what you just bought was a rip-off.
While it is very difficult to be 100% sure you’re buying tulis batik, you can look out for a few hints to try and see if the batik is stamped or printed.
First off, handmade batik is reversible, meaning it looks the same from both the back and the front since the ink bleeds through. However, some stamped or printed batik is painted from both sides, which gives a similar effect.
Imperfections in the painting also point towards handmade art.
How to buy batik if you don’t know what you’re doing
In general, just because batik is printed or stamped does not necessarily mean it is low quality. If you are not a batik expert, chances are you will not be able to tell much of a difference.
Just make sure you only pay as much money as you’d be comfortable paying for a non-authentic batik. That way if you do discover that what you bought was not tulis (and it probably won’t be), you avoid being disappointed.
Don’t buy batik at the little art galleries where the scammers lead you. You will not be able to negotiate a good price here since there are plenty of tourists who are willing to pay inflated prices.
Instead, try to look around and compare the prices of different, more official-looking shops. Try Pasar Beringharjo on Malioboro Street or shops in the area around Taman Sari, especially Pasar Ngasem.
How the batik scams in Yogyakarta work
So finally, let’s get to the batik scams you’ll encounter in Yogyakarta. Usually, it will go a little something like this:
The scammers target people that are obviously tourists, preferably couples. They stand out in Yogyakarta since the number of foreign visitors is still quite low compared to other hotspots in Indonesia.
The person approaching you will almost always be a middle-aged man who will strike up a conversation that seems friendly and helpful. It often begins with a topic completely unrelated to batik until you’ve found things in common with each other and gained some sort of feeling that you owe this person since they’re being so nice to you.
“Oh, you’re from Germany, no way, my son studies there. I visited him last year, and your country is so beautiful. I would love to go back there. Munich was my favourite, your food is so delicious.”
“I own a hotel, and German travellers are always the friendliest, I can tell you are good people.”
Sometimes the person will even warn you about other scams, such as not buying Borobudur sunrise tickets in advance or being careful with taxis. At this point, you’ll start to feel comfortable. This scam is so effective because it seems to go nowhere. It can be difficult to tell that you’re not just having a friendly conversation.
Casually mentioning the batik art gallery show
After a while, they’ll start recommending places for you to see in Yogyakarta, mostly common tourist attractions such as Taman Sari, Borobudur or Prambanan.
Then the batik show is mentioned for the first time.
“You’ve probably already been to the famous art show that is in Yogyakarta this week”
“You haven’t? You are so lucky, today is the last day they are in town. Do you know where it is?”
From your conversation before, the scammer has probably found out how long you are staying in Yogyakarta. They will always say that the art show is only open on this day or moving to another city tomorrow. This way, they’ll ensure you’ll come with them right now in order not to miss it.
While you’re speaking, the scammer will text their partner that you’re coming so they can prepare. At this point, it’s very difficult to get out of the situation. You’ve just had a lovely conversation with a friendly local who gave you tips and who has coincidentally some connection to your home country. They’ll tell you that the art gallery is just around the corner and closing very soon, so you have to go see it now.
On the way, they will tell you that the batik in the exhibition is made by students (or disabled people or elderly people or someone else in need that you probably want to support). That way, you’ll feel like you’re buying special batik and supporting a good cause at the same time.
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The batik art galleries in Yogyakarta
To clarify: this is not just a single scamming business that leads tourists to a specific art gallery. There must be dozens of these tiny galleries around Malioboro Street.
They are all unmarked, usually only a single room stuffed full of paintings.
Another middle-aged man will greet you and take over from here. Your first friend will probably disappear, never to be seen again on his way to find more tourists.
You’ll be shown a brief introduction to how batik is made. They’ll serve you tea which is the final step in making you feel as though you owe them something.
Usually, now is the time for over-exaggerated compliments. They often like to address spirituality, guessing star signs and telling you personal anecdotes about your home country.
Now that everyone has been so nice to you and so excited that you are here in their gallery, you’ll probably be feeling a mixture of sympathy and guilt. At this point, it feels extremely rude not to buy anything.
Our tip: Headed to Jakarta next? We highly recommend that you take the train for an unusual experience.
Pressuring you into buying batik
Now they let you look around at the paintings and admire them. Almost as an afterthought, the scammer will mention that, of course, they are for sale and that the money will really help the students.
As soon as you spend more time looking at one painting or ask a question, they’ll encourage you to buy this artwork.
Good luck coming up with an excuse now. The paintings are detachable from their frames, so they’ll easily fit into your luggage. So the “we don’t have space” explanation will not work. You’ve already said a million times how beautiful they are, plus the proceeds will support poor students/the disabled/the elderly. So why not buy one?
It’s very easy to cave in and just buy one to get out of this awkward situation. But soon enough, you’ll realise that the specific painting you pick out is, of course, not done by a student/disabled person/elderly person but by a batik master or famous artist. Of course, these are far more expensive.
They’ll show you cheaper options, but those will be small and ugly.
It’ll be suggested that you should buy a second or third one for a friend to get a better price. Just like that, you’ve suddenly agreed to take five batiks that you never even wanted.
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The actual batik scam
After what was probably almost an hour-long ordeal, the scam finally takes place. You’ll be able to negotiate the price of the batiks slightly. That way you’ll feel as though you got a good deal. In some cases, they may tell you the prices are fixed by the government, so they cannot give you a discount. Plus, it’s for a good cause, so it’s rude to negotiate too much.
I personally have not bought a batik from these “art gallery scams”, so I cannot say the exact price. From what I have read online and heard from other tourists who were a victim of this, you can end up paying between 50€ and 100€ per batik, depending on the size.
If you do not have enough cash on you, the scammers will escort you to an ATM machine, which is unsafe to do in and of itself.
In the end, you will sign an agreement stating that no one forced you to buy anything and that there are no returns. This is often disguised as the receipt, so you may not even notice.
Even if you want to come back to the shop, they will tell you that the gallery was only open on the day you happen to visit or, more commonly, that the exhibition will be moving on to another city tomorrow.
In any case, you’ll have a really hard time getting your money back.
What is the dark side of tourism in Malioboro, Jogjakarta, Indonesia?
Yogyakarta is generally a safe and welcoming city for tourists to visit. These batik scams shouldn’t put you off coming here, and spending at least a few days or more in Yogyakarta is highly recommended. It’s a city full of art, and with a lot of university students, so there’s always something going on.
However, as a tourist, you’ll probably not encounter the darker side of life here. This goes beyond simple scams and unveils the city’s issues with prostitution and poverty. Unfortunately, this is the case in many regions of Indonesia, so Yogyakarta is no exception.
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Conclusion: Why the batik scams in Yogyakarta are so effective
Scams related to low-quality products for ridiculously high prices are not a new phenomenon. However, the batik scams in Yogyakarta are so effective that it’s hard to see where they are going when you first start talking to a scammer.
You are not openly pressured to buy anything, however, by using sympathy and a sense of guilt, they are very difficult to get out of.
In addition to that, the scammers are not always the people who openly approach you on the street. One time, we struck up a conversation with our next-door neighbour in Yogyakarta. We walked by his little guesthouse in a tiny alley every day, so it seemed natural and friendly when he asked us where we were from.
It feels sad and disappointing when after a 15-minute conversation, he suddenly mentions a batik show around the corner.
This is a reminder that as a tourist, it’s always advisable to be wary of anyone that is too friendly or approaches you for no reason. You do not have to be rude, but you also don’t have to waste your time (and money) on something you don’t want to do.
It’s usually enough to say that you have already seen a batik show and you are not interested. Be in control of the situation, and do not tell anyone too much of your personal information.
If you really want to buy batik, you should always go to an official store to avoid scams.
Batik scams Yogyakarta FAQ
Batik is a beautiful art form that is unique and very time-consuming and difficult to make. It can be worn as clothing or hung up as artwork on the walls.
Yogyakarta is a safe place for tourists, but just like anywhere in the world, scams exist. The batik scam is the most common, where you will be convinced to buy fake and very expensive batik.
It’s very difficult to tell if batik is authentic or fake, but small imperfections and reversible prints are usually signs that a fabric is real.
If you are taken to a small art gallery that is only open for a short time and asked to buy very expensive batik to support a good cause, it is usually a scam.
Before you go…
You won’t have any issues with the batik scams in Yogyakarta, so let’s get started with planning your trip. Arriving at Yogyakarta International Airport? Here is how you can get to Malioboro Street for only 0,20€.
Struggling to build an Itinerary? Read about 17 Things to do in Yogyakarta or check out our ultimate 3-day itinerary. Don’t forget to visit Indonesia’s weirdest tourist attraction – this church shaped like a giant chicken.
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Did I miss anything?
If you have any questions or feel like something is missing from this post, please leave a comment below or contact me.
4 thoughts on “How To Avoid The Batik Art Gallery Scams In Yogyakarta”
Great information, however including the names of legitimate art studios would be helpful so tourists can avoid the scams.
I was in Yogya in 2014 and bought a brilliant art piece from a dealer on the main tourist st, 200x100cm for 300 USD. Taking a Master a month to produce so essentially paying $3 an hour I was happy with the cost. Being 10 years ago I am unaware of the prices now.
Later that day a local struck up a conversation very similar to what was outlined here. He gave me directions (didn’t walk me there) to a studio where you could see the artists producing their masterpieces.
The art I paid $300 for was worth $250, so I didn’t feel I was scammed. And there were other great works for $20 to $50. So he was not trying to scam me. He was just being helpful like most of the Javanese people.
Unfortunately time has eroded my recollection of the name and location of the studio, but it wasn’t far from the main area down a bit of any alley.
Thank you for sharing your experience! It’s very difficult to tell legitimate art studios from scam locations. Circumstances can change over the years and I myself am not a batik expert, which is why I chose not to recommend batik studios in yogyakarta in this blog post since I didn’t want any readers to go to a location only to be disappointed. If you do remember the studio you went to please leave a comment and other travellers can then check it out:)
I was actually about to recommend a little art gallery that was recommended to us in the same way you described. We were chatting with a man in front of Terang Bulan batik on Malioboro and he mentioned a batik painting class a block away. He didn’t attempt to walk us there or say anything more than that – just that if we liked batik, it might be an interesting thing to see.
We did wander over and had a nice chat with the gallery supervisor. There was no pressure to do anything, but he did give us a 5-min run through on basic batik-making. I eventually bought a small piece of batik featuring Borobudur as a souvenir as I’d been wanting one anyway. During our visit, there was no sales pitch or sympathy-building stories. I initiated the sale before he even showed us the price list and my little painting only cost me IDR300K. Hung around and chatted some more, then we left.
It was a very pleasant connection and while I’m sure there are scammers, it’s good to see that there are also genuine folks out there who aren’t looking to slice you to pieces. If anybody suggests leading you there, that’s the cue to bail 😉 By the way, we visited just day before yesterday – 12 Nov 23.
Very interesting to hear your story, thank you for sharing! Sounds like a very nice experience and not as dodgy as some of the others.