It’s taken over a year but I finally found a location in Shanghai where you can buy goods – – clothing, shoes, sun or prescription glasses, electronics, handbags, luggage…you name it – – on the cheap. And when I say cheap, I mean “Maui Jim’s” sunglasses for $25, sports jerseys for $20, and the off-brand version of Apple’s ear buds for $15…but you need to bargain good for that last deal.
There’s likely a number of similar locations around Shanghai to this one I went to, but I’m not sure if any would be more convenient. This market is located at the Shanghai Science and Technology museum which happens to be a subway stop for Line 2. If you remember from a previous post, Line 2 is the one that you can take between the two airports, Pudong (PVG) and Hongqiao (SHA). This stop is much closer to the Pudong airport, though you’ll have to cross the “platform of death” and transfer to the other line 2 or take the maglev and transfer to line 2. In any event, once you exit this subway station you’ll be right in the middle of the market!
I didn’t buy too much on this visit but did get a number of ideas for future purchases and gifts, so I’m most likely going to be visiting again soon when I have more time to spend there, especially since the idea of a custom fit, tailored suit with my choice of cloth sounds just like something I need! Just need to arm myself to battle all the shopkeepers who will do their best to lure you into their stores! Trust me, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
This maze of a market is tough to navigate as all these shops look the same and sell many of the same items. Difficult to find your way around and remember which stores you liked or need to return to and pick up some customized goods does add some air of mystery and makes this place that much more fun! Fortunately there is a little relief in sight: each store is labeled with an area marker and a stall number. All the shops are more than willing to give you their 名片 – – business/name card – – to help you find your way back. Personally I don’t like holding onto businesses cards and would rather just snap photos of them and/or the store front, that way I always have them with me as they will be on my cell phone. And in fact, a few of the places I visited on this trip can be found at the bottom of this post!
A lot of the staff members in these shops spoke really good English. In fact, some of the best English I’ve heard since moving to China has been here. All the places I went to accept USD instead of just RMB for currency and the going exchange rate was spot on and didn’t include any additional markup. Just be sure that you know the exchange rate just in case you do find someone less than scrupulous. (The shops also take AliPay or WeChat if you can pay using your phone.)
Whether the goods sold here are authentic and same quality you’d find at normal retail stores is something I’m not sure of, so if that is important to you (it’s not that important to me…) be sure to know your stuff and examine everything carefully. The Jimmy Choo leather wallet I was eying looked like the real thing until I opened it up and saw it had a “Made In Italy” label affixed to its inside. Why a designer leather wallet supposedly made in Europe was being sold at a steep discount in a Chinese market… Doesn’t add up! It was a nice looking wallet, however!
WEI Optical had great prices on eyeglasses and sunglasses for men and women. If you’re in the market and have your prescription ready, they can make your single vision glasses in 20 minutes – – or so their sign says. Lots of choices for frames of all styles, both men’s and women’s. The staff was really friendly and willing to help. If you’re in the need for prescription glasses, bring that prescription with you to China and get your new pair for less than $30! Heck, get seven pairs and wear a different one each day of the week!
Jim Store has an interesting selection of electronics, cell phone covers/cases, and Yetti cups – – or at least I think that’s what they are called. I bought something here that’s similar to an Apple TV or Roku that’ll supposedly let me watch TV from all around the world without a subscription. If it works as advertised I’ll be sure to write up a blog post about that! Something else rather interesting this place sold was mini wifi-enabled projectors. Think of this as a way to watch movies or other content streamed from your TV to any wall, indoors or out!
Above and below are examples of 名片 (business/name card) that shops often give out.
That’s about all I have to say on this topic for now. Do look for a follow-up post at sometime in the future with hopefully a lot more pictures and store write-ups!
