Seoul Shopping Tips by Vita500

Name of Shop: Migliore

Migliore is a department store on 8 resp. 9 stories that can be found in either Myeongdong or Dongdaemun. From jewelry, women's and men's clothing to shoes and handbags... in Migliore you're gonna find it.
There are dozens of private vendors on each floor, just like on a market.
However, be careful when shopping as not everything you see is real.
The remaining stories include restaurants, a bank, bar and offices... as well as (in Dongdaemun) a bicycle race track.!

What To Buy: If you do not care much about great quality but still wanna have some almost-real designer fashion, Migliore is the place to go.
Some great deals are definitely possible and customer service is good. They even offer customizing services for pants, suits, etc.

What To Pay: As most of the items are imitations you can expect relatively low prices. Bargaining is usually possible. The more you buy, the more you can discount the vendor..

Leave a Comment

Theme: Department Store
Directions: 'Myeongdong' subway station (exit. 6) and 'Dongdaemun Stadium' subway station (exit 14).
Website: www.migliore.co.kr

Name of Shop: Insadong

Insadong is a tourist hotspot.
From simple postcards (still pretty hard to find in Korea), T-Shirts, jewelry caskets, personalized chops to Korean red ginseng and historical antiques... you're gonna find it in Insadong.
However, prices tend to be slightly higher than on markets such as Namdaemun or Dongdaemun. Really depends on what and how much you wanna buy though.


What To Pay: Don't buy at the first shop you see but rather take a stroll and get familiar with the various products and prices.
Afterwards, decide on one shop and negotiate as much as you can. The more you buy, the more discount can be achieved!

Leave a Comment

Theme: Other
Address: Northern Seoul
Directions: Get off at "Jonggak" station, line no. 1 or "Anguk" station, line no. 3 and follow the crowds. It's a 5-minute-walk from either station.

Name of Shop: Kyobo / YP Bookstore

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.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Books
Directions: Kyobo: Kyobo Life Building; Subway line 5, "Gwanghwamun" station, exit no. 3)
YP Bookstore: Subway line 1, "Jonggak" station, exit no. 5 or 6

Name of Shop: Techno Mart & Yongsan Electronics Market

If you are looking for electronics in Korea (Seoul), there are two places you should know:
1. Techno Mart
2. Yongsan Electronics Market

Techno Mart is in the eastern part of Seoul, just across of the Han river (subway line 2, 'Gangbyeon' station) and offers a wide selection of all kinds of electronic goods on several storeys in a clean and attractive environment.

Yongsan Electronics Market is in central Seoul (subway line 1, 'Yongsan' station) and is without doubt Korea's largest shopping centre for electronics: From digital cameras, MP3s, computers, LCDs, TVs, Hifi Stereos to VCDs and DVDs... everything is available.
They had a major renovation in 2005 due to the adjacent 'Yongsan' railway station, which is housing Korea's new high-speed train (KTX). Therefore, Yongsan Electronics Market now offers a very clean and attractive shopping experience as well as catering.

From experience, I recommend to go to Yongsan rather than Techno Mart:

Shopping tips
a) Prices usually don't vary much in between vendors. Most people know each other and agree upon a price for a product and sometimes even exchange products if they're out of stock.
b) Never accept the first "best" offer and always bargain for a better deal.
c) IMPORTANT: Make sure you know the product(s) that you want to buy and an approximate price range. Vendors work on commission and usually try to make you switch to brands that pay them the highest commission but are not necessarily the best on offer.
d) IMPORTANT: Make sure the product has an English menu (e.g. MP3, PDA, Digicam). More than once, I was offered a product for a good price (it really was good!) but, while having a closer look at the item, I found out that they only had a Japanese or Korean language setting.
e) If you have a Korean friend or acquaintance, ask him to search the internet for you. Very often, better offers can be found through the web. As the sites are in Korean only, you need some local help though...



Leave a Comment

Theme: Computers and Electronics