Question for Shopping in China

TheBilly on 02/05/2025 - 21:07
Last edited 03/05/2025 - 09:46 by 1 other user

Hello, travelling to China at the end of the year mainly Shanghai.

Just wondering where I can go shopping for cheap goods. I don’t want genuine items that are sold in the west such as big brands, but mainly cheap knock offs of decent quality. Think AliExpress items rated 4/5 but in a shopping mall and a bit cheaper than Australian prices. I effectively have a couple suitcases I can take that will be pretty empty, so I just want to do a few years of impulsive shopping in person and blow some money. But I’m not after branded items.

Things I’m keen to find:

  • Outdoor camping and hiking gear (tents, sleeping bags, tools, knives, torches, chairs, clothing, jackets)
  • Kids toys (lego, figurines, fisher and paykel stuff, experiments, arts)
  • Gaming equipment (add ons, knock offs to Razer, speakers, headphones, sim racing gear)
  • Sporting goods (balls, cycling, boxing gloves)
  • Hunting equipment (scopes, picatinny)
  • Electronics (torches, headphones, mics, action cams, xioami, household goods)

I understand my needs are quite broad and I won’t find it in one spot, but a few shopping centres or districts would be great.

Thanks in advance

Travel Asia China

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  • acrilorn on 02/05/2025 - 21:28
    +4

    Are you specifically looking for physical stores? I've had great success finding cheap stuff on TaoBao (their local AliExpress?), but I had to use a second phone to run translation software as the app is in Chinese only.

    • TheBilly on 02/05/2025 - 21:37

      So by this do you mean I log in to the TaoBao App when I get to China and then order it while I am there and get it delivered to an address? I’m not there for too long unfortunately

      I was hoping for a physical store and maybe a shopping centre where I can tick a few boxes off in one day and buy it in the spot

      I will also be travelling to other cities but I’m not in Shanghai for long

      • acrilorn on 02/05/2025 - 22:08
        +2

        I asked around, and I think there's a place called Qipu Lu where you might find some cheap stuff?

        • TheBilly on 02/05/2025 - 22:36

          Thanks for the suggestions I’ll google it and see

          • BoltThrower on 03/05/2025 - 01:06
            +2

            @TheBilly: Go with a Chinese friend who will haggle for you, otherwise you'll pay the foreigner tax; don't even be seen together by them. When I was there I had to even pay double on the bus.

            • tenpercent on 03/05/2025 - 10:32
              +2

              @BoltThrower:

              you'll pay the foreigner tax…When I was there I had to even pay double on the bus.

              Sounds racist asf.

              • JIMB0 on 03/05/2025 - 10:44
                +1

                @tenpercent: It's done through coupons and deals that you get online. Foreigners don't know about it and even if they did it's all in Mandarin.

      • acrilorn on 02/05/2025 - 21:58
        +1

        I was visiting relatives so I got the items dropped off at their place, shipping takes 2-3 day, but some items took like a week as it came from Xinjiang. I've heard that some people were able to successfully have it delivered to their hotel, but if you are not there for long it might be risky.

        For physical stores, I didn't have much luck finding cheap knockoffs as the stores were pretty high-end. I think you might need to travel outside of the city centre, or maybe I just didn't look hard enough.

        • TheBilly on 02/05/2025 - 22:37

          Yes it is hard, unless you know where to go. I had the same issue in Malaysia. High end and high prices.

    • wetsandwich on 19/02/2026 - 16:44

      Hold down the middle button on Android to translate anything on the screen.

  • jv on 02/05/2025 - 23:44
    +3

    Just wondering where I can go shopping for cheap goods.

    Online.

    • Nugs on 03/05/2025 - 07:56

      most sane jv comment I've read today
      .

  • Protractor on 02/05/2025 - 22:00
    +2

    Add home hifi stuff to the mix

    • TheBilly on 02/05/2025 - 22:07

      I would love too… I have a much bigger list but the research online is very vague and hard to know where to go

      • Protractor on 02/05/2025 - 22:13

        Maybe suss out some SE Asian forums in and around the whole shopping vibe? Surely lots on folk cross the border to what you are planning??

        • TheBilly on 02/05/2025 - 22:36

          Do you have a recommendation for a forum? Sorry I’m very untravelled lol

          • Protractor on 02/05/2025 - 22:37
            +1

            @TheBilly: Not really, sorry But there will be one (or more) . Google a few terms.You can do it. I have faith in you.

  • JIMB0 on 03/05/2025 - 09:35

    We just brought back alcohol and food. All the branded stuff is much the same price over there. With AliExpress you're only really saving on shipping. Perhaps find some sort of physical market or stores for the other stuff.

  • tenpercent on 03/05/2025 - 10:31

    Kids toys (lego, figurines, fisher and paykel stuff

    Fisher and paykel kids toys? The whitegoods brand?

    • Hybroid on 03/05/2025 - 15:12

      Probably meant fisher price.

      Regardless, this seems futile with the likes of Shein and Temu delivering junk to your door for cheap.

  • Kittokid on 03/05/2025 - 10:32

    I just came back from the underground market in Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, straight out of the metro station, very easy to spot once you are out of the metro. There are plenty of stalls there selling anything from toys, clothing, electronics, bags, shoes, sporting goods, etc. There are also some local food stalls in the end of the market near the museum entrance (museum currently renovated otherwise good to visit too).

  • tenpercent on 03/05/2025 - 14:55

    Question for Shopping in China

    多少钱" (duōshao qián)

  • Clear on 03/05/2025 - 20:10

    Make the trip down to Shenzhen and you'll find all the gadgets you'll ever need. Bring heaps of cash and go around Huaqiangbei.

  • TheBilly on 03/05/2025 - 20:11

    I just started making a spreadsheet of specific stores I’d go to based on the AliExpress brands. A lot of the main high rated products there have store fronts in major cities. If the store is cheaper than the Ali express price then I’ll buy, otherwise just scrap the idea of shopping.

    • HunterDes on 18/02/2026 - 21:39

      How'd your trip go? Any tips? Im going soon for work, Shanghai only, short time. Im planning on ordering online from Taobao and sending to my horel a week in advance. Any good physical stores?

      • Traveller in motion on 23/02/2026 - 21:21
        +1

        In Shanghai.. science and technology museum Metro station underground markets.. Start at half the price they say.. Also posted above.

        I went March 2025 but Shenzhen was cheaper

      • TheBilly on 31/03/2026 - 15:04

        Fantastic place.

        I want to go back many many times.

        But the shopping was very basic - typical market type products - glasses, shirts, bags, shoes - nothing really niche.

        Western brands / goods are expensive and better priced in Australia. Chinese goods can be found at markets, but not much better in price than your typical Ali Express and Temu pricing.

        The big thing I found with China was, alot of their product categories are export markets and not local retail markets.

        For example: I'm really into camping and hiking and in Australia you can go to an Anaconda and they have camping gear coming out the wazoo at a retail level, but because culturally camping is not a big thing in China, they don't have the equivalents over there, so if you want these types of products you have to find very isolated and niche factories or markets that are located in odd cities and cater largely to a mass exports rather than local retailing. So they have production and great products, they don't have the retail capacity there. If you do manage to find camping retail stores they were largely more expensive than Australia and were western brands.

        Food is fantastic

        General tourism is fantastic and so cheap

        Can't recommend the place highly enough

        Alot of culture to see

        You cannot go wrong with visiting

        People are so nice and friendly albeit curious

        • HunterDes on 31/03/2026 - 15:13

          Thanks for the info, appreciate it. Yeah i kind of think the same, might be easier online. Especially taobao since the local shipping is cheap and quick. But will still visit stores to find toys for my son

          • TheBilly on 31/03/2026 - 15:29
            +1

            @HunterDes: Toys will be plentiful and cheap… generic items you will not have any trouble finding - toys, glasses, watches, clothes, souvenirs, they are effectively everywhere… Niche hobby items are hard to find. For example: bicycling, hiking, video games etc. when you do eventually find them, they are at western prices and you are better off just buying here. For example: I was looking for GPU's, cycling gear, hiking gear. They were more expensive than found in Australia.

            I can't specifically remember where we went in Shanghai but if you do some pre googling you will be fine. Big ticket stores have prices listed, markets, you have to negotiate and boy are they good negotiators. I bought toys for the kids as a token, and when I came back and did my currency conversions, I effectively paid ali express prices delivered to Australia. I don't really care that much as they were $10 items but still.

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