Kusadasi Shopping

I was looking for some unique souvenirs for my young daughters on our first trip to Kusadasi (Turkey) so I decided to buy some genie caps with veils. Various vendors sold them however I found the best ones at this ladies' clothing store. They were well-made, in many different colours and located in a large clean store called Butic Summer. The owner, a seamstress named Sidika Kozu, was very pleasant (no hard sell like most of the other vendors in town). Address is Dag Mah, Simsek Sok No. 15/A, Kusadasi, Turkey. p.s. My girls loved them!

Ephesus Jewellery and Watches
Located in duty free zone for cruise ships. Scala Nouva Shopping Centre Blok B/no. 25.
Telephone 90 256 614 52 63
On November 13, 2012 I bought a 2.5 ctwt blue saphire ring for $1700 US. One month later the stone fell out and was lost. It appeared to have been GLUED in!
I have contacted them by phone. Mehmet said they woud send a stone, but "it would take a while because it is winter." Now www.ephesusjewellery.com is not on the internet as it was December 2012.
After reading others' experiences I am not overly optomistic, but am waiting before notifying Oceania and the travel agency, Go Next.
DO NOT BUY FROM THESE PEOPLE OR ANY OTHER OF THEIR "FAMILY STORES" in Ephesus.

What to buy: A nice meal at a locals' restaurant. $30 dollars for two including Turkish beer.

BUYER BEWARE! MY HUSBAND AND I STOPPED IN TURKEY WHILE ON A MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE TO CELEBRATE OUR 50th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. WE DECIDED TO BUY SOME JEWELLERY AND, WITHOUT GOING INTO DETAIL, WE GOT TAKEN. WITHIN A COUPLE OF MONTHS OF GETTING HOME, MY RING STARTED TO DISCOLOR AND, FROM OTHER COMPLAINTS I HAVE READ ABOUT, THERE IS NO POINT IN EVEN TRYING TO RETURN IT SINCE THE STORE WILL NOT COOPERATE. MY ADVICE IS TO NOT BUY JEWELLERY WHILE TRAVELING UNLESS YOU'RE A GEMOLOGIST.

What to buy: DO NOT BUY JEWLLERY!

Jewellery Store

What to buy: I bought a 18ct ring in Kusadasi Ephesus Jewellery shop in October 2011 when our cruise ship visited the port for 700euros. Not long after the stones discoloured and I referred to the Certificate of Guarantee that was issued offering a 2 year warranty. The email address and website that were printed are not valid addresses and I have been unable to contact them. The guarantee is not worth the paper that it is written on.

September , 2011 when our cruise ship stopped in the port of Kusadasi, Turkey I wanted to purchase a men’s 14ct gold bracelet. My wife and I decided to go from jewelry store to store in order to see what men’s bracelets were available and to compare prices.

As we went from store, one bracelet followed me because they knew I liked it so much. I asked how can you sell me a bracelet from another store? Mehmet Ozipek & Taskin told me that all the stores were like family. It was as if we were buying his Uncle’s bracelet from him. I purchased the bracelet in the Kuyumcu-Yasemi Uner store from Mehmet Ozipek & Taskin
The Merchant then brought out a 2.1ct diamond ring, which I purchased. Taskin also gave me Diamond Rain International Guarantee Certificate and if you had any problems with the Merchant you could go to the Kusadasi Chamber of Commerce (KUTO). The guaranty didn’t mean a thing and was useless. The Kusadasi Chamber of Commerce was no help.

When I returned home to the United States, I brought the ring to a jeweler to have it sized to fit my wife’s finger. The jeweler tested the ring on a diamond tester and told me it was not a diamond; but a Moissanite stone.

When I complained to the Merchant about the diamond not being genuine, he finally told me he would come to Chicago and exchange the stone. But, he never came. Mehmet Ozipek asked for GIA certification, which he should have had and given to me when I purchased the ring. The certification would cost me $500 because I would have to pay to ship and insure it because it is 900 miles away. Why did he insist that I provide him with a GIA certification when he didn’t provide one to me when I asked for it? Double standards!
I mailed Mehmet Ozipek and the Kusadasi Chamber of Commerce Burhan SEZER a letter from a local jeweler stating that the stones were Moissanite because he tested the stones with diamond and Moissanite approved testers. I also brought the ring to other jewelers who tested the stones with their diamond and Moissanite testers and found the stones to be Moissanite and not genuine diamonds. It would cost me $200 to ship and insure the ring to return it to the merchant, Kuyumcu-Yasemi Uner, in Kusadasi Turkey. And, Mehmet Ozipek told me he would not pay the $2,000 for duty and taxes when he received the ring, which is the requirement of the company delivering the ring.

Also, in an e-mail the merchant told me if I returned the ring to him it would be stolen. So, I would be out $500 to get the GIA certification, $200 to ship and return the ring to Kusadasi, Turkey, and $2,000 for duty and taxes = $2,700, plus the $6,100 I paid for the ring.

Asking for all these requirements was Mehmet Ozipek’s and the Kusadasi Chamber of Commerce’s way of making it a very costly risk to return the ring – and not worth it.

Also, do not trust MasterCard or VISA because they are no help with purchases which are done out of your country. They are concerned more about the merchant than the consumer.

DIAMOND KUYUMCU-YASEMIN UNER
DAG MAH. SIMSEK SOK. NO: 5
09400 KUSADASI/TURKEY
AYDIN
TEL: +90 256 614 70 80
MERCHANT NO: 0907439 Mehmet Ozipek ;
TERMINAL NO: 00966328 DÝAMOND RAÝN

What to buy: all one big family

Not only men's clothes, but everything can be had in Kusadasi. I bought brand name shirst that were probably fakes given the low price - but the quality was fine!
You find a throng of shops and shoppers inside the maze of downtown Kusadasi, a block or two from the main harbour promenade and highway.

What to buy: anything, I bought men's clothing.

What to pay: Haggle, hagle, get the cost down to a third of the original offer.

We asked our Ekol tour operator what currency we should have while shopping during our day in Kusadasi. They replied, "All souvenir shops will take cash USD, Euro, visa, mastercard." The currency is the Lira, but it looks like we won't need to exchange money becuase we're paying for our tour on the credit card, and the tour guide pays for all admissions. Now that our finances for shopping are taken care of, we're set to go!

:-)

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The Bazaar in Kusadasi was fill with shops, but everybody pretty much sells the same thing. The stores have people standing in the middle of the pedestrian street and try to engage a conversation with you then bring you into their store, this happened in every single store, on both side of the street, and it made me feel very uncomfortable and I think it has an opposite effect because I refused to go inside these stores. If you do decide to buy anything, bargain is a must!

What to buy: This is one of thousands of gifts you can buy at Kusadasi, and it represents the famous Turkish eyes. These are glass beads which are ment to keep you safe at all times. You will find these sort of gifts all over Turkey in different shapes and forms and make great gifts to take home with you

If you are after anything leather then this shop has it all. The owner is a bit of a dummy though hahahaha.

What to buy: I bought a leather jacket and the price started at £150 and i walked out with the jacket costing £60 so i think that was a bargain.

What to pay: Depends on what you buy, but a leather jacket will start from around £30 pounds.