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Shopping & Beauty

Shopping and beauty in Seoul: Daiso, convenience stores, Dongdaemun, underground arcades, glasses, salons and skin clinics — prices, districts, how to buy.

Paper Is What Finally Overloads the Suitcase! Seoul Stationery Shopping—Calibrate Prices at the Big Bookstores, Hunt One-of-a-Kind Stock in Hongdae and Seongsu (Open at Eleven, Closed Mondays), Buy in Bulk at the Chains, and Check the Ink

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ソウルの文具・雑貨店を紹介するブランドカード

The thing that finally overloads a suitcase is almost always paper: notebooks, masking tape, postcards. Seoul is unusually strong here, and visitors from Japan and Taiwan work through the shops like buyers. Here’s the thing: the shops split sharply by district. Volume at low prices means the variety chains; fair prices are read off the bookstore floors; one-of-a-kind stock lives in Hongdae, Yeonnam-dong and Seongsu. September to October is peak diary season.

Never Skip Checking the Day It Opens! Seoul’s Vintage Shops and Flea Markets—Weekend-Only Markets, Best Choice Early and Best Prices Late, Four Condition Checks, and the Voltage Problem Going Home

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Seoul vintage and flea market guide card image

Visit only new shops and cities start to blur together. Second-hand shops are where things you can only find in that place still exist. Seoul has districts where vintage shops cluster and flea markets that set up at weekends. Here’s the thing: turn up on the wrong day and you waste an afternoon. Underarms and collars, seams, zips, smell; small notes for cash-only stalls; voltage on old electricals—six things to weigh, in order.

“One Size” Doesn’t Mean It Fits Everyone! Five Numbers to Measure Before You Shop in Korea—Shoulder, Chest, Length, Waist and Foot Length in Millimetres

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Korea clothing and shoe sizing guide card image

The most common shopping mistake is sizing. Here’s the thing: one brand’s M is not another’s, shoes are labelled 250 or 260 in millimetres, and markets and wholesale shops often have no fitting rooms. The fix is simple—measure five numbers from clothes you already own and keep them in a phone note. Seoulog adds the care-label, tax-refund and luggage points too.

Foreign Card Payments Up 70 Percent at Myeongdong’s 12-Floor Daiso, and 68 Percent of CU’s Ramen Library Sales Are Foreign! Buying What Koreans Use Every Day for 500–5,000 Won—the Daiso and Convenience Store Run, Tax Refunds and Cards [Things Worth Doing in Korea #15]

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Foreign travel in Korea is moving toward buying what Koreans use every day. Here’s the thing: the 12-floor Daiso 50 meters from exit 1 of Myeongdong Station saw foreign card payments rise about 70 percent in early 2026, and convenience-store payments rose 65.7 percent at CU and 78 percent at GS25. Seoulog covers what to buy at Daiso, what to eat at the convenience store, cards and tax refunds, and the Myeongdong-to-Hongdae route.

Station to Station With No Ticket! Seoul’s Underground Shopping Arcades Are the Rainy-Day Answer—Bargain on Socks by the Bundle, Plus Repairs, Lockers and Exchange, Once You’ve Picked Your Exit

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Seoul underground shopping arcade guide card image

Some of Seoul’s metro stations are joined underground, and those passages are lined with shops. Here’s the thing: this isn’t a sight, it’s where locals shop, which is why prices are realistic and there’s something to find—and on a wet day there’s no better way to move around. Seoulog covers where they are, how to buy, and the repairs, lockers and exchange counters down there.

One Instagram Post Is Enough! Korean Salons Price by Designer Rank—Cuts From 25,000 Won, Hippie Perms 100,000–300,000, and a Scalp Clinic Where 80 Percent of Clients Are Foreign [Things Worth Doing in Korea #13]

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In 2025, hair salons made up 43 percent of foreign transactions in Myeongdong. Here’s the thing: Korean salons price by rank—designer, director, owner—so a cut starts at 25,000 won and a perm runs 100,000–300,000. Seoulog covers the styles foreigners ask for, Hannam vs. Cheongdam vs. Hongdae vs. Myeongdong, booking, the day itself, and how to show a photo.

Asking for One Piece May Get a Polite No! Dongdaemun Night Shopping—Where Wholesale Ends and Retail Begins, Which Hours to Pick, and Buying With No Fitting Rooms

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Dongdaemun night shopping guide card image

Dongdaemun has two faces: an ordinary shopping district by day, and after midnight a working wholesale market for buyers from across the country. Here’s the thing: whether you can buy a single item depends on the shop. Seoulog maps which buildings do what and when, how to buy with no fitting rooms or returns, and the fabric and trim markets.

Factory Bowls in the Low Thousands, Studio Work in the Hundreds of Thousands! Insadong and Samcheong Crafts—Reading the Price, Paper as the Easy Answer, and Getting Breakables Home

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Insadong and Samcheong craft shopping guide card image

Two districts anchor craft shopping in Seoul, but pieces that look alike can differ several times over between factory production and studio work. Here’s the thing: a maker’s mark and how many are stacked tell you which. Seoulog covers the clues, why paper is the practical souvenir, wrapping and carry-on, and the passport you need for a tax refund.

A $32–51 Cut and Nobody Tips! Seoul Salon Prices Straight From the Myeongdong List—Where the Saving Is Real and the One Service to Leave for Home

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Shopping street in Myeongdong, Seoul

For a haircut, Seoul is the better deal and it isn’t close: ₩45,000–70,000 ($32–51) against $35–90 in the US, with no 15–20% tip on top, evening slots until 21:30 and English at the counter. Colour is the one exception, at $108–216 versus $60–120. Seoulog prints the Myeongdong price list unedited, explains why the chairs stay full, and gives three ways to pay less.

The Same Seaweed Costs Double at the Airport! Korean Souvenirs Are 90% About Where You Buy—the Four-Venue Map, by Budget

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Streets of Seoul - Flickr - Sergiy Galyonkin

Bulk gifts at supermarkets, beauty at Olive Young, keepsakes in Insadong, the airport as insurance. Hold those four and ninety percent of the anguish disappears. Here’s the thing: the staples by budget, the passport-at-the-register tax refund, and the Chuseok shopping deadline (23 Sep) are all here—the complete shopping edition.

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