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 Typical Saturday in Myoungdong by jburron
Like Namdaemun it stretches for quite a few blocks, turn around if you start to get into areas with fewer than 100 people on the street (you're outside of the Myoungdong).
Pretty much anything that a young person would want. Real and fake clothes (2 Adidas stores with 20-foot Beckham posters within a block of each other), accessories, tourist stuff. There are bazzar-department stores (like in Dongdaemun), chain fashion and other stores (like in the West) and street sellers (see What to Pay)
Bargain everywhere. Never pay full price, always 10%-20% should come off. Never take your wallet out until you have the price firm. Never get too excited about an item. Always show flaws or make up some option or color you would prefer (one that they cannot give, thus should give you a discount for not having it). Always buy 2 or more items...should get a 20% discount at least for that. If you get 30%-35% off consider yourself a local.
Not likely to get a discount in the Western/Chain stores, but worth a try. Leave a Comment Theme: Discount StoreAddress: Myoungdong Subway (Line 4) or any taxiDirections: Once off the subway go above ground (try to get out by one of the north exits, near Galleria). Then stroll into Myoungdong.
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 The gate is a bit of an
attratction, too. by jburron, 1 more photos
If you get a hankering for a real LV bag just go across the street to Shinsege Department Store (near the Bank of Korea building) but better bring a high-limit credit card.
Not as organized as Dongdaemun, this market is mostly outdoor with many, many sellers of bags/attaches/purses/luggage and about anything else one could need. Some good knock-offs here as well, but not in the shops...got to go to the more mobile sellers in the street for the best goods. For instance, LV belt (vinyl, but nice looking) 15,000 - 1,000 discount if buying 2 (see: What to Pay).
Also: TONS of clothing, some of which is fake, others are just low-priced.
Bargain everywhere. Never pay full price, always 10%-20% should come off. Never take your wallet out until you have the price firm. Never get too excited about an item. Always show flaws or make up some option or color you would prefer (one that they cannot give, thus should give you a discount for not having it). Always buy 2 or more items...should get a 20% discount at least for that. If you get 30%-35% off consider yourself a local. Leave a Comment
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 My Bud Minaz and His Tailor. by jburron
Here's the deal. A suit will probably run you 200 USD (they always price in USD, no matter where you're from).You pick the fabric, style and such and it'll be ready for a fitting in 2-3 days (or maybe a week, dependiing...), then a final fitting a day or so later and you're done. All you need to do after that is call the dude from anywhere in the world and you can have a suit made and sent to you (but some get a fitting on a lay-over through Seoul, I imagine).
It's a pretty good service, but you should also know that when I buy off the rack (not in a department store, mine you, but the same stuff about a season behind) I get a good fit and it costs me about 300USD for 2 sets of a suit and extra suitpants. So, there are even better deals outside of Itaewon (where I find foreigners get fleeced a bit). But if you want convenience (English, USD) it's a good spot to shop. Leave a Comment Theme: Men's Clothes
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 If you want to give him a
call, here's his #. by jburron
Here's a tip in negotiating: if you need alterations (basically all dress pants and suits) then ask them to discount the price of the item you're buying. It works A LOT. This guy (begrudgingly) gave me 1,000 won off the pants (a whopping 14,000 won total price) so even when they don't want to they usually do.
2,000 won for a normal hem, 4,000 for a cuff on your pants. Leave a Comment
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 The Itaewon Shopping and Club
District by kdoc13
The entire strip of Itaewan runs along one road, from the area of the Yongsan military base to where the road curves just past the "Thai Orchid". It is easily accessed by subway through the Itaewon station, and is on Line 6 which runs all over town! The area is a great place to duck into a restaurant (both western and Korean), buy Cd's (I highly reccomend SES or BoA), buy shoes, or visit the infamous Hwenson Lee!
Ok, I have teased enough about Hwenson Lee, time to let you off the hook. Mr. Lee is a tailor in Itaewon, who actually makes very nice suits at a good price. He has one and only one major customer though, Lucciano Pavoratti, yes, the Italian Opera Tenor. Mr. Lee is always happy to take a stranger off the street to show them his works, and his pictures of his most famous client. On all three of my trips to Seoul, I have been welcomed back into the shop to see pictures of Mr. Pavoratti. Again though, very nice suits.
Many of the vendors also reside on the street, where good deals can be had on everythign from Nike Shoes, to coats, to umbrellas (handy in the rainy season.) There is also a police station very close, and very public in case anything should go wrong while you are there. Plus, you can stick around for the western friendly nightlife. But be warned about interaction with the local women, this is an area where the women who may share a drink with you are on the job and looking for your money for their companionship.
The Korea Leather Center had some really great looking coats, and of course there are suits made by the tailor to Pavoratti!
It is hard to say. Many vendors are used to westerners with a set price, but I found I was able to haggle my own price on a lot of items, just by showing interest and then pretending it was too much. This probably won't work everywhere, but is worth a try. Your results may vary. Leave a Comment Theme: OtherDirections: Line 6 to the Itaewon station, any exit.
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 Doosan Tower by olddude
Built in 1905, the market consists of 30 shopping centers and about 30,000 stores, and more than 50,000 manufacturing companies joined together to trade textiles, clothes, shoes, sports goods, stationery, toys, household goods, and accessories.
What makes this place really special is it is where most of the other shopping areas in Korea get their products. So you can come here and cut out the various middlemen and get the best deal on just about anything.
As an example, I purchased a Timberland-type Gortex parka here for $40 that would have cost me $250.00 easily in a retail outlet in the US. I got snow suits for my girls for only $20 (and they had to use them in the Korean and Nebraska winters).
Also, this market is literally open 24 hours. The retail portion is open from 10am to 6pm and the wholesalers portion is open from 8pm to 9am (so the early bird really does get the worm here)
As I said, just about everything. There is even a pretty cool pet section that sells everything from chipmunks to chimpanzees (I even saw some resus monkeys for sale there once).
It depends on how well you haggle and how much you buy if buying in bulk. Leave a Comment
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 Dongdaemun Market w/
Dongdaemun Studio by machomikemd, 4 more photos
The market was traditionally a night market and wholesalers once operated from 1:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Now, the area is open for 18 ½ hours a day from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., with some stores open 24 hours a day, although most stores close on Sundays and holidays.
clothing materials, bedding, dishes and silverware' clothing, shoes, bags, colored wigs, CDs, inexpensive jewelry, and other fashion accessories and a whole lot more!
(like in Namdaemun Market, you can find "Super Copy" Luxury Leather Goods like LV, Prada, Bulgari, etc here too!).
for latest fashion trends, you can go to Doosan Tower (Doota) and Migliore, which are today's hottest shopping areas for college students and teens in Korea (and way cheaper stuff than in Myeongdong!)
again it depends on your haggling skills and the need of a korean interpreter. Theme: Women's ClothesAddress: Jongno 5 (o)-ga, SeoulPhone: (822) 2261-2192 to 94Directions: Subway lines 1 & 4, Dongdaemun Station; or Subway lines 2 & 4, Dongdaemun Stadium StationWebsite: www.dongdaemun.com/
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Not a shop, but basically a bazaar consisting of men's and women's dress and casual wear, shoes (usually Nike or Asics is a title brand) and kitchen/misc items that makes its way around Seoul throughout the year. Usually it opens at a particular location on a Thursday and packs up on the following Monday (after 10-11 days).
Finding one can be tough. There are usually signs in the area a week or so before the sale noting the time, location and main brands. If you don't understand Korean/Hangul just tear a sign down and show a friend.
The deals are great, in most cases, but you have to know your quality and prices. I got a 675,000 won (USD 580) cashmere/wool overcoat for 150,000...that was nice. You can get shirts for 20,000-30,000; ties for 5,000 (poly) to 10,000 (silk) and suits that retail for 300,000 for cheap (I paid 350,000 for 2 suits with 2 extra pants each). Remember to haggle here. There is a 10-30% discount off their first price...and 60-80% off the retail price. (Best to bring a local or speak $$Korean to get the best deals.) Leave a Comment Theme: OtherDirections: Usually in Jung-no area, Yeouido area...others.
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 Inside One of the 7000 stores by olddude
Anything that your heart desires is here. Shop around though, because prices vary greatly from shop to shop. They sell everything electronic from full blown computerized home entertainment systems all the way down to the transistor and diode level. There are shops that only sell one minor component of a motherboard. If you want to build a motherboard from scratch or design one and have it built for you, they can do it here. I had a 128MB video card built for me (before they were even available in the states) in less than 2 hours and cost me only $90US. The card lasted a year so I felt like I got a great deal.
Prices are highly variable so take notes and no money the first time you visit or you will go through your life savings at the sheer magnitude and volume of available items here. Leave a Comment
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Namdaemun is a large, open-air market, named for nearby Namdaemun (Great South Gate), has existed in the same place for more than 600 years and is Korea's largest traditional market. It is filled with over 1,000 shops, stalls, retailers, street vendors, and has several department stores nearby. Here you can find clothes, shoes, fabrics, tableware, flowers, vegetables, ginseng products, toys, and watches. Under Namdaemun-no (the main street to the north of the market) is an extensive underground arcade.
Wholesalers operate from midnight to 6:00 a.m., and retailers are open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the Market is closed on Sundays. Though it specializes in clothing, with hundreds of vendors selling shirts, pants and jackets, it sells just about everything (including low quality and high quality "super copy" luxury brands like LV, Gucci, Prada, Bulgari, etc-just enter the stalls and ask for the super copy since the low quality good are just displayed outside!)
assorted Korean Souvenirs, shirts, food, soju, fashion dresses, low quality and high quality fakes of Luxury Leather goods like LV, Prada, Gucci or Bulgari and a lot more!
depends on your haggling skills, they don't know much english so I would siggest having an interpreter or tour guide with you. Theme: OtherAddress: Namchang-dong (Jung-gu, downtown,Hoehyon Station)Phone: (82) 2128-7800Directions: Subway line 4, Hoehyeon Station, Namchang-dong (Jung-gu, downtown), SeoulWebsite: www.indm.net/
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