These are some of the best places for shopping in Shenzhen
City of Future
Shenzhen is located near Hong Kong in southern region of Guangdong province of China. It is also called Silicon Valley of hardware. Latest trends in electronics be it a mobile or human like robot can be seen here. Though it has lot of high rise buildings, it has environmentally friendly architecture with lot of greenery. There are many hybrid cars (electric and petrol) are on the roads. The charging points are powered by solar panels and there are multilevel car parks with robots for valet parking!
There is a saying in China – If you want to see past of China – visit Beijing, if you want to see present then visit Shanghai and if you want to see future than visit Shenzhen. If you wish to buy latest gizmos or current fashionable clothes then Shenzhen is the right choice.
Recently China has announced 144 hours (6 days) of visa free stay in few of its cities/provinces and Guangdong is one of them. This is quiet enticing for shoppers from visa exempt countries.
Why shop in Shenzhen?
Shenzhen is a paradise for shopaholics. It can prove to be a very intense shopping experience as the markets and malls are overflowing with goods, the variety is endless and the range and quality of products is also very wide. Shoppers can indulge in retail therapy as per their budgets. Shenzhen is also cheaper than Hong Kong. Not to mention that the markets are crowded too.
Shenzhen is world’s one of the best electronics market. It is the largest wholesale smartphone and biggest refurbished second hand smartphone market too. Imitation/faux clothing and shoes are abundant. Souvenirs, handmade items, paintings and authentic Chinese products can also be a good buy. There are a lot of wholesale malls where there are good discounts based on the quantity of products purchased. Local food products like Chinese soup, tea ingredients can also be a good bet.
What shoppers / buyers should know?
Shoppers should be aware that while purchasing imitation and faux products, there is no guarantee of quality of product. There is often no refund and warranty on electronics products. Technical knowledge would help to get right quality product.
Here lot of bargaining is essential. The pricing is inflated and haggling price repeatedly would help get a good deal. There are discounts on wholesale buying or buying multiple quantities. It’s better to carry cash as many shops accept debit/credit cards with UnionPay. But beware of pickpockets in crowded places. Other Apps??
Where to buy in Shenzhen?
There are innumerable malls and markets in Shenzhen. The main markets in Shenzhen are as follows:
Huaqiangbei Commercial Street
Huaqiangbei Commercial Street has over 20 malls. The main highlight are the electronics malls, which cater to businessmen, makers and hobbyists alike. There are many factories that produce electronic products in Shenzhen and this market has factory outlets/representatives that sell their products.
SEG electronics market is a huge multi storied market. It is a great place to buy computers/laptops, computer peripherals, accessories, camera equipment, apple products like ipads, headphones etc.
Huáqiáng Electronics World has robots, Quadra topers, drones and many such kids and adult toys. It has led light strips to motherboards, power supplies etc
SED Electronic Communication Market and Longsheng Mobile Phone Market have mobile phones, ipads, accessories, used refurbished phones etc.
Luohu Commercial City
Luohu Commercial City is near Luohu immigration office and situated near Shenzhen River. It is well connected by intercity shuttles, mini buses and taxis. It has almost everything from men/women fashion clothes, watches, handbags shoes, curtains, souvenirs, suitcases, wigs, jewellery, sunglasses, Chinese tones etc.
One of the best buys would be getting a tailored dress/suit within 24 hours and that too at reasonable price. It has beauty parlours where one can get massages. One can also get cheap dental work done too! Dafen Oil Painting Village, 30 mins from Luohu has many artists that reproduce old art works.
Dongmen Shopping Street
Dongmen shopping street is one of the oldest shopping centres around 300 years old. It’s a best place to get a hang of how locals shop. The pedestrian street is quiet crowded. It has many wholesale malls that have discounts during weekends. The specialty of this street are the multistore shops that have only shoes for example East Gate Shoes City, or just utensils or just comic books for example Langhaofang Animation & Comic city and arts and crafts material at Hongkai Craft City.
Hair care products shop is Sai Ho where one can get curlers, hair straitening iron etc. Musical instruments like guitars, violins, drums, pianos, paintings can be found at Boya Art Mall. For clothing, Foreign Trade Clothing City, Baima White Horse Clothing Wholesale Mall or the Junma Fashion Wholesale Market are some of the shops.