Kunming is the natural place to buy two things: Yunnan tea and minority handicrafts. Pu'er tea — the dark, fermented teas of southern Yunnan — has its main wholesale market on Kangle Tea Road in the southern suburbs, with hundreds of shops side by side. Buying here requires a little patience, some tasting, and ideally a Chinese-speaking companion; expect to pay 100 to 500 RMB for a quality cake of recent vintage.
For minority handicrafts — Bai tie-dye, Yi embroidery, Naxi paper, Dai textiles — the shops along Wenlin Street and inside the Yunnan Nationalities Museum gift shop are the safer choices. The Yuantong Temple area also has several reliable craft outlets. Avoid the souvenir shops at the Stone Forest, where prices are several times higher than in the city.