Other Shopping Info, Seoul

Now I got the inspiration to include this tip over here after Teacher_at_Loss asked me where to buy cheese in Seoul. Here's the weblink for a place where expats can buy all kinds of Western stuff and what do you know, they open everyday since they stated rather bluntly that they "don't have a holiday" in their website! Do they have cheese? Yes, they do, mascoporne from italy and even fresh mozarella for you to drizzle on your pizza.

The East Gate Market is a traditional market that caters to a wide variety of shopping needs from food to clothing, household items to beads. We had the honor of spending a day shopping with fellow VTer JCKim who traveled two hours into Seoul to meet us. He guided us to the East Gate Market and took us to some of the cities famous sites.

What to buy: The major objective of this shopping trip was to purcahse a Hanbok for my wife. We wanted a traditional outfit that was not a tourist trap, off the shelve item. Mr. Kim helped us find a booth among the hundreds at the market. My wife picked the material for her outfit, was measured and was treated with the respect of royalty. We picked up the finished product a week later and it is a beautiful reminder of our trip to Korea.

What to pay: We paid $370.00 (USA) for a hand-made silk Hanbok. I'm not sure if it was the best price but I do believe it was a fair price.

There are many areas where you can get knock-offs in Seoul. Most notable for fashion articles are Dongdaemun Dongdaemun Stadium Station, Line 2,4,5) and Namdaemun (Heohyeong Station, Line 4) as well as Myoungdong (Myoungdong Station, Line 4).

Tech items can be found at Technomart (in Guui-Dong at Gangbyeon Station, Line 2) and Yongsan Electronics Mart (Yongsan Station, Line 1).

Of course, there are also travelling sellers who operate out of trucks, cars or road-side 'shops'. This is where some real bargains are...but buyer beware, there is little chance of finding them again, let alone a refund.

What to buy: One of the most blatent examples I saw was right in Yongsan Electronics Mart. The movie Troy had just come out in North America and had not even come to Korea. I enquired about it and the seller said, "it'll be here next week...same price, 7,000 won" (USD 6) for the DVD.

What to pay: Prices vary, a lot. I looked at the new LV ladies wallets in Myoung-Dong and got 3 prices from 3 vendors within 3 blocks of each other: 45,000 won (USD 40), 50,000 and 65,000. It pays to shop around, buy multiples to get a discount, note any real or imagined flaws and, above all else, wait, wait, wait for the seller to lower their price. Use the pregnant pause to your advantage, it's usually good for a 2% - 10% extra discount.

From my shopping experience in Seoul, the duty free shops (DFS) in Seoul city are selling at a much much cheaper price than the shops in Myeongdong. They are not only cheaper by the 10% tax but the cost price are often much cheaper than the same shops selling in the city. Let me quote you an example. I bought a BB cream from the famous BB cream shop (Hansxxx) at $38,000 won at Myeongdong. Next day when I went to the Lotte Duty Free shop, that exact tube of BB cream was selling at $28,000 won. Sigh! :D

Now I know why I saw hugh number of tourist flocking into the DFS the moment it opened at 9.30am. We even have to queue at the lifts to go up to the DFS level.

There are various DFS in different parts of Seoul. Hence, you do not need to wait till going to the airport on your last day to shop at a DFS.

My conclusion is: If you're interested in say, korean skincare products, when you next visit Seoul, make visiting one of those DFS as your very first shopping stop! Buy whatever you want at DFS. As these DFS do not carry as much variety range as those shops in the city, buy in the city shops only those not found in DFS.

What to buy: Skincare products, luxury goods etc

What to pay: At Lotte DFS, there is further discount if you use VISA card when paying. Products are usually priced in USD but you can also pay in WON.

1 more image

So when I was visiting my girlfriend in Seoul, she loved traveling the Seoul Metro and on occasion she would get lost. I decided to search for a store where I could buy apparel that had the Metro map of Seoul on a t-shirt, hoodie, mug or other item and I found this online site where you can go and make and purchase your Seoul Metro on any apparel or gift item you want. I gave my girlfriend a few of these gifts and she loved them. This is a cool online shop that allows you to have a keepsake of the Seoul Metro station. The shop is an online shop and you can only by the Seoul Metro Map apparel on www.zazzle.com/stepasideapparel.

What to buy: This memory of Seoul Metro station on apparel is quite cool and it is one massive subway system.

What to pay: You can spend anywere between a $2.00 for postcards up to $25 for a t-shirt with the Seoul Metro Map on the t-shirt.

3 more images

A collection of greenhouses near the AT Center, south of Yangjae.

Individual sellers are located in booth areas inside the greenhouses, each specializing in one or many different species of flower.

Prices are good, and there is room to bargain.

Located beside (south of) AT Center, in Yangjae, near the Hyundae/Kia headquarters.

It is now a short taxi ride south of Yangjae station on orange line subway, but there will be a subway stop located at AT Center when the new Bundang/Gangnam subway line opens shortly.

4 more images

Im A Sucker for Airport Duty Free Souvenirs!

Hours: 7:00am¡­9:30pm

Lotte Duty Free Shop carries over 200 brands of perfumes, cosmetics, watches, accessories, clothing, bags, chocolate, coffee, royal jelly such as BVLGARI, CARTIER, CHOPARD, FERRAGAMO, BURBERRY, SWAROVSKI.

Required Documents: Passport, Airplane Ticket.

What to buy: Korean Souvenirs like Colombin Strawberry Chocolates, Amethyst, Hallyu (Korean Drama) Souvenirs and all the Luxury Brands above!

What to pay: Payment: Korean Won, US Dollar, Japanese Yen, Credit Card((JCB ,VISA, MASTER, AMEX, DINERS, LOTTE Card) and definitely no haggling here!

In case you ever get a need for a new book during your stay in Seoul, check out one of the following stores:

1. Kyobo
2. YP Bookstore

The main branches for both of them are located in Central Seoul and offer a huge variety of Korean as well as English and Japanese books. Kyobo also offers a limited selection of French and German books.

What to pay: -

Tip 1: You can't always count on it but from my experience YP turned out to be slightly cheaper than Kyobo for English books.

Tip 2: Look through the stack of books and check out the prices on the back cover. Depending on the import date and respective exchange rate, books do NOT always carry the same price tag. It's well possible that you find a cheaper tag on the very same book just down below.

4 more images

The Hoehyeon Underground Shopping Centre is conveniently located at the sub-way station area between Myeongdong and Namdaemun areas. You can drop by at this shopping area to have a look when you are at Myeongdong or Namdaemun, but personally I find this shopping area to be quite small and inadequate as compared to Namdaemun and Myeongdong (which are much more exciting, with lots more shops).

1 more image

If you are looking for cheap stuff in Seoul, you can check out the 1000 Won shops whereby all items in the shop are only at 1000 Korean won each (but don't expect luxurous items here). There is one 1000 Won shop located at the Myeongdong area along Choongmuro-2-ga street near to the famous Sejong Hotel.