Huxley1234 said:
maybe this needs a new thread but... where is this black market? how does it work? is it safe?
Thanks!
The easiest black market access for someone who doesn't have any specific contacts or knowledge of a cueva would probably be Florida street. I may be a bit prejudiced on this simply because I live a few blocks from the start of it. There may be some other pedestrian streets (Lavalle crosses Florida, is pedestrian, and probably has some black market places) or other places where you can walk along and probably get in touch with a black market buyer.
You walk down the street, looking at the shops, and look for people standing near entrances to little galerias or even some apartment or building entrances. They may be alone, or sometimes even talking to one or two people. Walk towards them and try to make eye contact. As you get closer they may say "cambio" and you can approach them and see what they'll pay. If they walk up to you and start showing you a card or something, they are salesmen most likely trying to sell you some leather product - not black marketeers.
I'd walk down the street and talk to a number of them and get the best price you can. The more you change, the better the rate they give. Don't change a lot the first time - bring a small amount of money and test it out with the place to make sure you want to come back. However, I've experienced that most places usually give you the same rate up and down the street, sometimes within a few centavos. The biggest variance is when discussing the quantity to change and relative prices.
When you strike a deal with someone, they will take you to a place nearby. I've been taken into t-shirt shops, empty offices, travel agencies that have one desk, a phone and a chair crammed into a fairly small space, etc. Keep aware and you should be fine. I'd get into a random cab afterward, don't let it be one that someone hailed for you, for example, and go to wherever you're headed so no one will follow you. Count the money inside, keep it hidden, etc. Don't be obvious.
The change houses don't have a reason to rob you - they need to be honest to do business. As much as AFIP is causing them problems anyway, right now only serious people are doing it, I'd imagine. There's usually only the guy getting customers and one guy at the location actually changing money that are involved, so there's not usually a big risk of someone from the office calling someone else to rob you after you leave, but that's always there. Never heard of it from one of these small places though. I have from a big, reputable place.
Those places on Florida give lower rates than real cuevas (caves, or black market exchange places). Maybe about .20 centavos or lower. But they do in a pinch, and if you're a tourist, it may not be worth seeking out bigger, more established places to get the higher rate. You're still doing significantly better than taking money out fo the ATM.
Otherwise, if you're here for awhile, get to know some people, expats and Argentinos, and you'll get connections to real places where you can get better rates.
Yesterday I exchanged euros for 6.5 (and he was buying dollars at 5.6), while a bank would have offered 5.8 for euros or 4.53 for dollars. And like camberiu says, stay far, far away from places like Global Exchange and Metropolis (the exchange place in all of the shopping malls.)
