Flea Markets – Friendly to Both the Environment and the Wallet

In the United States, garage sales are often held in front of people’s houses. Buyers dig for treasure amidst all the things being discarded and no longer useful to the owner. In Taipei numerous flea markets have been set up with clear eco-protection goals in mind that are great destinations for budget travelers to go treasure hunting. A good example is Holiday ya Flea Market (Holiday ya 二手市集), created by residents in the surrounding neighborhood, which has about 40 stalls displaying quality used items no longer wanted or needed by households. You will find clothing, bags and leather goods, small electrical appliances and dishes, and much more, all in good condition.

At the well-known, very boisterous Tianmu Market (天母生活市集) you can buy designer clothes, vinyl records from private collections, antique teapots, toys, paintings and works of calligraphy, and so on. At the Gongguan Creative Flea Market (公館創意跳蚤市集) you will see many stylishly dressed young folk manning stands and selling such things as dolls from personal collections, trendy clothing and personal adornments that look good as new and have barely been used. CINEMArket (西鬧二手市場) is a theme market coordinated with festivals and special events, making the experience of browsing through a flea market seem like attending a theme party. Since all of the markets mentioned so far are open to all members of the public, who can register to set up a stand, there are different sellers each time, so on repeat visits you will be presented with new surprises and new treasure to patiently dig out.

Another option, the Simple Market, in addition to the used clothing young shoppers so covet, also has stalls displaying special agricultural products from the sellers’ own farms. Produced using natural farming methods, they are free of chemical additives, healthy, eco-friendly, and very popular with the local populace.

Well-Stocked, Reasonably Priced Shops – Meeting All Life’s Necessities

When traveling abroad it’s periodically necessary to stock up on life’s little necessities. If looking to save money, a good place to go is DAISO Department Store (台灣大創百貨), which follows the low-price “hundred yen” concept of the parent company in Japan. In Taiwan, selling products from as low as NT$39, the store’s impressively expansive range of goods, all imported from Japan, include food and beverage products, cosmetics, and toys. Another retailer founded in Japan is Natural Kitchen, which sells daily-use items combining rustic Japanese and Nordic elements. The shop has a wide range of attractive and practical home-living decorative products, such as cups, bowls, and chopsticks, available for just NT$50. For NT$100 or so you can take home a nifty cache of daily-use items of appealing design.

JSF Mall (金興發生活百貨) is a homegrown Taiwanese retail chain offering low prices. The enterprise started life as a sundry-items shop selling pots, bowls, ladles, basins, and similar items. Today it has over 100 outlets and stocks over 100,000 different types of merchandise, all made in Taiwan. The cornucopia of goods includes such things as “Majestic Carbolic Soap” (美琪藥皂), “Queen Bee Brown Sugar Soap” (蜂王黑砂糖香皂), and “Ming Sing Floral Water” (明星花露水), long-time favorites with the older Taiwanese, along with materials for do-it-yourself items such as cards, gift boxes, and decorations, as well as cute 3D stickers, other daily-use supplies, and so on. Another business, Buloso (不囉唆賣場), is an online auction operator that sources the hottest merchandise from Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and elsewhere, including all sorts of daily necessities, consumer electronics accessories, funny toys, and eco-friendly handbags, all priced from just NT$15 to NT$100. In Taiwan everything Korean is now all the rage, and here you can get the newest and most novel Korean daily-use and other items same time as in Korea.

A Variety of Cheap Wholesale Stores – Take Your Pick

When bargain hunting, don’t forget about the city’s inexpensive wholesale stores. For example, there’s the Wufenpu Commercial District (五分埔商圈) which specializes in fashionable attire from Japan and Korea, Huayin Street (華陰街), where sellers specialize in leather goods and luggage, and Taiyuan Road (太原路) for everyday household goods. Elsewhere, in addition to their delicious snack foods the city’s night markets are also home to many sellers of inexpensive clothing and other merchandise. You will be able to find almost anything you might desire, without fear of busting your budget.

You’ll also be happy to know that many stores have promotions specifically targeting travelers from overseas! Each year the city government cooperates with local businesses to stage the Taipei Shopping Festival (臺北購物節), which runs from August 1st to September 15th this year. Get your Taipei shopping guide at the dedicated event welcome desks in the immigration areas of Terminals 1 and 2 of Taoyuan International Airport (桃園國際機場). The guide provides arriving travelers with detailed information on the many preferential offers available at Taipei stores. Happy shopping at the most welcoming prices is guaranteed.

Information

Holiday ya Flea Market 二手市集

Location: B1, 10, Shaoxing N. St. (紹興北街10號B1)

Time: 7/26 (Sat), 8/16 (Sat), 9/13 (Sat), 10/19 (Sun), 11/30 (Sun), 12/27 (Sat) 12:00 ~21:00

CINEMArket 西鬧二手市場

Location: 19, Kangding Rd. (Taipei Cinema Park)

(康定路19號; 臺北市電影主題公園)

Time: Sat 14:00 ~19:00

Simple Market

Location: 50, Songqin St. (松勤街50號)

Time: Simple Life – Sun 13:00 ~19:00

Flea Market – 2nd and 4th Sat each month 13:00 ~19:00

Gongguan Creative Flea Market 公館創意跳蚤市集

Location: Historical Water Metering Room Plaza, Taipei Water Park (自來水園區──量水室古蹟廣場)

Time: Weekends and National holidays 16:00 ~ 22:00 (Sun 16:00 ~ 21:00)

Tianmu Market 天母生活市集

Location: Park area at intersection of Tianmu W. Rd., and Sec. 7, Zhongshan N. Rd.

Time: Fri 16:00 ~ 22:00, Sat 09:00 ~ 22:00, Sun 15:00 ~ 21:00

DAISO Department Store 台灣大創百貨

Add: 1, Nanjing W. Rd. (南京西路1號)

Tel: (02)2561- 8733

Natural Kitchen

Add: 12, Aly. 5, Ln.107, Sec. 1, Fuxing S. Rd.

(復興南路1段107巷5弄12號)

Tel: (02)8773 - 8498

JSF Mall 金興發生活百貨

Add: 5-1, Nanjing W. Rd. (南京西路5-1號)

Tel: (02)2100-2966

Buloso 不囉唆賣場

Add: B1, 30, Sec. 1, Chongqing N. Rd. (重慶北路1段30號B1)

Tel: (02)7736-0266

2014 Taipei Shopping Festival 2014臺北購物節

Time: 8/1~9/15

Website: www.shoppingintaipei.com