Davao Shopping

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this is the largest shopping area for buying or shopping local crafts and cultural products in the whole davao region and they also sell other mindanao region Products plus items imported from Indonesia and Malaysia via the Barter areas of Zamboanga City. The ALDEVINCO Shopping Center is located between two of Davao City’s busiest thoroughfares, conveniently nestled at the junction of Claro M. Recto and Manuel Roxas Avenues. There are about 100 stores and stalls around the 8,370 square meter one level shopping area and is a souvenir shoppers paradise but again a caution: be ready to haggle since the prices again have high mark ups hence haggling is a must to be able to buy the items for less.

What to buy: depends on what you like but they sell mostly Davao native products like the durian candies, various Batik products (bags, dusters, slippers, table cloths, etc.), textiles imported from Indonesia and Malaysia, antique and brass items, and even indigenous musical instruments and lots of Pomelos at the front area and the areas beside the shopping arcade.

What to pay: not much, t-shirts will cost 200 pesos, Davao Small Bags at 200 pesos, wallets will cost 150 pesos, refrigerator magnets will cost 80 pesos, batiks costs 300 pesos and a lot more.

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This is the main Durian Selling Area of Davao City. they sell lots of varieties of fruits especially durian and pomelo and mangosteen and other sweets. The Magsaysay Avenue fruits stalls faces the Magsaysay Park in Magsaysay Avenue in Downtown Davao City and it faces the entrance to the local chinatown. You will see rows and rows of Durian (they sell the different varieties) and the hard to find marang fruit (similar to durian but taste better and more expensive) and the assorted pomelos (even the smaller and sweeter nenita variety) and some local mangosteen plus the usual Durian Related Products like the Durian candies, Yema, Durian Jam, Durian Pastillas, Durian Hopia, Mangosteen Candies at a lot more. A Word of caution, be ready to haggle here since the prices have a high mark up and they will tell you that a kilo of durian will cost 130 pesos but be ready to haggle since the actual cost will just be around the 60 to 70 pesos range.
They also sell the famous Tuna Panga (Jaws) and Bariles (Tuna Belly) in styrofoam boxes and costs 200 pesosn and 240 pesos respectively.
hours: 6:00 am to 9:00 pm daily

What to buy: The assorted durian varieties will cost 60 to 70 pesos (after haggling) and you can eat it at the stalls since they provide tables and chairs. The Hard to find Marang Fruit will cost 150 pesos a kilo, a large pomelo will cost 50 pesos a kilo and the smaller nenita pomelo (golden pomelo) will cost 70 pesos a kilo and they will provide boxes for you so that you can easily check in the products at the airplane. They provide styrofoam boxes and microwaveable boxes for the peeled durian fruit since you cannot check in the whole fruit at the airplane, it is not allowed.

What to pay: depends on what you buy, the prices are Mentioned above my tips.

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The Souvenir Shop of the Davao Crocodile Park is located at the exit area of the Park and is a large stall tha sells a variety of local stuffs like different kinds of crocodile leather products (leather wallets, bags, key chains, belts, et) snacks, refreshments, ice cream, assorted local handicrafts and again durian products but my favorite here is they sell the Altura Mountain Arabica Coffee from the hinterlands of Mount Apo and the local Civet Cat Coffee.

What to buy: leather crocodile stuffs like the leather wallet will cost 500 pesos, the crocodile leather belts will cost 700 pesos, the Altura Arabica Coffee will cost 250 pesos for a 250 gram bag and the Civet Cat Coffee sells 700 pesos for a 200 gram bag.

What to pay: not much much the crocodile leather products are cheap here and the coffee is cheaper than buying it at the airport or at the malls.

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providing a last minute chance for intrepid buyers and shoppers on buying stuffs made in Davo city in particular and Mindanao Island in General. There are lots if big and small shops and stores and restaurants in the ground level and second level of both the domestic and International Departure Areas of Davao City International Airport and like other shops in the City, they sell the same stuffs like the assorted durian products, local handicrafts, local food stuffs, local souvenirs and more but prices here are slightly more expensive than in the City Proper.

What to buy: a lot since they have all the davao knick knacks that you will want to buy like the local foodstuffs, durian and durian products, pomelos, mangosteens, davao local foods, the tuna panga (jaw) and other tons of assorted stuff.

What to pay: depends on what you buy but again the prices here are slightly more expensive than in the city proper but if you want to buy last minute stuffs then this is not a problem.

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They have several small souvenir shops around the 12 hectare Malagos Garden Resort and the biggest one is at the entrance. The shops sell assorted local crafts and the Malagos Resort Souvenirs like T-Shirts, Refrigerator Magnets, Malagos wood carvings, Key Chains and other assorted local delicacies like the many durian related products and goat cheese, local condiments like the Pinakurat and more.

What to buy: assorted souvenir items like the Malagos T-Shirts at 250 pesos per piece, The goat cheese made from a nearby dairy farm at 200 pesos per 200 grams. Assorted Durian Products like the durian products like the durian jam at 80 pesos or the durian pastillas at 40 pesos. Malagos Key Chains at 40 pesos per piece and a lot more.

What to pay: depends on what you buy but the prices here are slightly more expensive than in davao city since this is a tourist area.

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This is the main souvenir shop of Eden Nature Park and is located just beside the Admission area. The shop is small and it mainly sells assorted local crafts and food stuffs plus t-shirts and post cards. They also sell some convenience items like napkins, feminine pads, deodorants, soft drinks and more.

What to buy: depends on what you buy but generally the prices here are very cheap if you are a foreigner but is more slightly expensive if a local. Local t-shirts will cost 250 pesos, assorted local handicrafts at 200 to 1000 pesos, assorted local snacks for 40 to 100 pesos and a lot more.

What to pay: not much since the products are not that expensive at all. Coco Sugar at 145 pesos, the durian candies at 40 pesos, the Malong at 400 pesos.

Davao Shop is a one of a kind online shopping mall which features local and top commercial products from Davao and other vendors where you can shop with free shipping. Gifts and items will be delivered locally and to the address of the recipient.

What to buy: You can send flowers, gift baskets, appliances, cell phones etc. to your friends, relatives and love ones in Davao without bothering to pay for shipping.

What to pay: You can expect to pay from $10 to $2000 per item or bulk of items.

What to buy: Generally speaking, electronics and cosmetics are much more expensive than the USA, clothing is the same or much cheaper depending on where you look, furniture is often low quality and cheap, food is decent quality and cheap or much cheaper than the USA (with the huge exception being imported foods). Medicine, even simple things like cut/burn ointment, aspirin, allergy pills, etc. are extremely expensive and available in limited quantities or not at all. One example: medicine used for cold sores cost $6 and the same medicine in USA is less than $1!

Don't assume anything is cheap, because that is exactly how foreigners get ripped off. Not just foreigners, but locals often have no idea how badly they are being ripped off for things that would be far cheaper with a cheap trip to Singapore or Thailand.

DO buy: clothing, handbags, food

DON'T buy: electronics, medicine, cosmetics/perfumes

Davao and the surrounding area is a great place to travel for a low priced tropical travel experience, but there isn't a whole lot to buy and take back home with you.

What to pay: Examples: Computers and electronics you will only find the mid to low range of what you'd find in the USA, and usually at the same price or 25% higher. Cosmetics like perfume and make-up will be the same as the USA and often I found things only at double or triple the price of the USA, no deals. Clothing and handbags can be had at half or a fifth of the price of similar items in the USA. Furniture and home items you need to live here as I do will often be 25-50% lower than the USA, but the quality is fairly low, with higher quality items costing as much as the USA or much, much more. Toys are cheap for low quality toys and decent quality costs the same to double the cost in the USA -- no real deals there since made-in-China toys are common in the USA and less expensive. The most common things I bring with me to Davao are over-the-counter medicines and perfumes/cosmetics.