Although in the far west, the capital of Qinghai province has a number of shopping specialties and the best of these can generally be classified into three categories: handicrafts, traditional medicinal remedies and animal hides. These can be found throughout the city, from streetside stalls to upmarket shops.

There are many handicraft products that are sold here that would make good trophies to take home, including Huangzhong Coloured Stones (Huangzhong caishi), Carpets, Stone Carvings, Yak Butter Sculptures, and a variety of Pottery. As one of the few stops en route to remote Tibet, the city also is host to many sellers of Tibetan boots, knives and silverware, and these sellers can be found on street corners (look for sellers wearing thick, fur-lined coats and darkly sunburned skin).

Although of a rough climate, Xining is a good place to buy some of the more exotic of the ingredients that have been constituents of the traditional Chinese medicine for many millennia. If you believe in the efficacy of such remedies, then here you will be able to purchase such interesting titles as: Pilose Antler (Lurong), Grassland Caladium (Caodi beimu), Huangyuan Rhubarb (Huangyuan dahuang), Musk (Shexiang) and the Caterpillar Fungus (Dongchong xiacao, that is most famous in its wine form).

The province is also rich in its wide variety of wildlife, and this, beyond the obvious enjoyment of a conservation expedition, is most easily seen through the wide variety of sad looking hides that can be bought on the streets of Xining. Many of these animal are either of protected species in China or are endangered animals, so these as a purchase will mostly not be allowed through customs. Sheep, otter, fox, mink, wolf, snow leopard and even mice skins can be bought.