A Thrifty Shopper's Guide to Shanghai Markets

Don’t automatically skip this section just because you’re not a hotelier. In fact, anyone who owns a kitchen should give this wholesale market a look. Spread over three well organized, well labeled floors is a host of bamboo dumpling steamers, pots and pans, potato peelers, cupcake tins, and more. If it belongs anywhere near a kitchen, the hotel supplies market has it.

Want a name brand look without the price tag? Head to the South Bund Fabric Market with a picture of your design and be amazed at the three floors of tailors and seamstresses ready to make you look runway ready. Most stalls specialize in suits, coats, or traditional dresses, but there is always someone able to help you create a unique look. As a general rule, avoid the aggressive touts on the first floor. Their work is not as high quality as that of the second and third floor tailors. Depending on demand, a completed outfit should take less than a week to complete, from initial contact to final fitting.

Sure, you can go for the pens and the paper if you want, but the real reason to hit up the office supplies market is the wholesale art supplies. Find Mitsubishi pencils for RMB15 ($2.18) per box of 12, 30 x 40cm canvases for RMB13 ($1.89), and easels from RMB40 ($5.81). Everything here can be found other places, namely Fuzhou Rd, but the goods at the market are at least 30 percent cheaper across the board. Be prepared to spend more than just a few minutes here, as there is seemingly no strategy to the organization of stalls.

The first floor of the Caojiadu Flower and Bird Market is what you would expect from the name of it. Here you’ll find a wide range of indoor and outdoor plants, like perfectly potted succulents and fragrant herbs, as well as birds, turtles, fish, and other small animals. The second floor specializes in wholesale interior design and expensive interior design ware. So, while captivating to behold, the second floor is not meant for budget shoppers. Nor is the third floor, which is full of Chinese wedding supplies.

Most people don’t know the Shanghai Xingwang International Clothing Market by that name. Instead, everyone calls it by the street that it’s on, Qipu Lu. That “Qipu” sounds like the Mandarinized version of “cheap” is no accident. Welcome to all the misspelled English shirts and knock off cartoon character jackets you could ever need. This is the place where productive afternoons go to die.

International Glasses City is easily one of the most underrated markets in Shanghai. It’s not the most thrilling place to browse, but if you need a pair of prescription glasses, fast, you can’t get much better than here. Vendors sell everything from knock off Ray Bans to wooden framed hipster glasses. Once you have found a style you like (an overwhelming process if you don’t come in with a solid idea), the owners of the stall will give you a complimentary eye exam on the spot. (don’t expect a full check up like you would get at a licensed optometrist’s). After the exam, wait no more than 15 minutes for the finished product.

The camera market is divided into three zones, all in separate buildings. Zone A is where you’ll find all the new camera gear, including the cameras themselves, lights, backdrops, and lenses. Zone B is filled with printing shops and framing stalls. Zone C is all second hand items. Here you can even find a quality vintage camera if you know what to look for. This is where the travel photographers congregate.