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If you’re in Taiwan shopping, you’ll know that Taipei can accommodate all types of budgets. Personally, I like cheap shopping in Taipei so I hunt for bargains. If bargain shopping appeals to you, then head over to the Wufenpu Shopping District! A true Taiwan shopping experience where you can find insane deals, counterfeit products, and creations by local designers all at a low cost.
Taipei Outlet Shopping At Wufenpu Market
When looking for where to shop in Taipei, your first stop should be at Wufenpu Market. They have the biggest variety of designer clothing at the lowest prices. There are aisles and aisles of shops in this outdoor maze that creates this Taipei shopping mall.
Prices at Wufenpu Wholesale Market
Wufenpu Shopping District is as close to a Taipei Outlet shopping experience as you can get. The prices are incredibly low with a variety and abundance of clothing. You can find swimwear, winter wear and all types of “fashion” at Wufenpu market.
A majority of the pricing is very transparent. Most of the items are priced between NT $50-$200 with some ranging for much more. If you feel the price is too high for an item, it’s not unusual to negotiate.
If you’re looking for a brand name Taipei outlet shopping facility, you can check out Mitsui Outlet Park. Everything I found there was more expensive than the same items I could find in the United States.
When compared to similar goods (non-brand name) you can find the price of clothes at Mitsui Outlet Park for 10x or more. Mitsui Outlet Park is a popular destination since you can access it quickly from Taipei International Airport.
How Long Should You Spend at Wufenpu Market?
Wandering around the narrow alleys of this Taipei shopping mall can take you hours. There’s so many shops, alleys, passages and so many items for sale. If you want to walk every alleyway and pass by every shop in Wufenpu Market, it would take you at least 2 hours.
That’s just walking around. The extra time is due to the small passages so you won’t be able to walk fast. You’ll find yourself dodging carts, bicycles, scooters and even cars! Stay alert!
Is There A Wufenpu Night Market?
Not exactly. There is no Wufenpu night market beacause it’s officially the Wufenpu Garment wholesale area. But if you’re looking for a Wufenpu night market, Wufenpu to Raohe Night Market is only a 10-minute walk.
Wufenpu to Raohe Night Market / Raohe Night Market to Wufenpu
If you’re trying to get from Wufenpu to Raohe night market, it’s a 10-minute walk along the main street. Raohe night market is right next to Songshan MRT station so if you’re taking the MRT, it’s easy to get to the Wufenpu garment wholesale area.
If you stop by Raohe night market, be sure to get the black pepper buns from Fuzhou. It’s right at the entrance!
What Are The Bags of Clothes On The Floor At Each Shop?
When at Wufenpu shopping, you’ll notice that there are bags of clothes on the floor of each shop. That’s all clothes for sale. They are new clothes (unused), you just have to jump in and browse.
In Taipei’s Wufenpu shopping district, each shop is typically very small and operated by one-person. That shop will still have a lot of clothes. Rather than spending the time to present the enormous amount of clothing each shop has, they just leave it in bags on the floors. It makes things easier to pack up and move around. Additionally, it keeps the operational costs of the business down. Bringing you MORE value!
Rainy Day Shopping In Taipei
Wufenpu Garment Wholesale area is an outdoor Taipei outlet mall but there is a rooftop to prevent you from getting wet! You won’t need to use your umbrella here!
But if it’s raining, you’ll still need to bring an umbrella. You’ll end up wet if you’re walking from Songshan Station to Wufenpu Garment Wholesale Area.
Wufenpu Market Opening Hours
Wufenpu Market opening hours is open from 2pm-11pm and you’ll find Raohe Night Market open from 4pm to 11pm. Most shops begin closing around 10pm. You won’t find many places open closer to midnight because they’ll be trying to catch the last train.
Late Night Shopping in Taipei
If you’re looking for things to do in Taipei at night, Wufenpu and Raohe market are the perfect combination. You can go to Raohe Night Market and eat a bunch of street food! Be sure to try the black pepper buns at Fuzhou. It’s the place with the long line right at the entrance to Raohe Night Market.
When you’re done eating, walk around through the late night shops and alleys of Wufenpu. You can keep walking until your hungry again so you can eat more at Raohe night market!
But if you’re feet give up on walking, the surround area has many foot massage facilities. I actually go to this area for a pretty good (and cheapest) Thai massage in Taipei. The Thai massage is 2-hours for NT $1000.
Traveler Tip: The Taipei MRT last train is at midnight.
Wufenpu Shopping District is open from 2pm-11pm and you’ll find Raohe Night Market open from 4pm to 11pm. Most shops being closing around 10pm. You won’t find many places open closer to midnight because they’ll be trying to catch the last train.
If you happen to miss the last train, you can take a taxi or Uber while in Taipei.
How To Get To Wufenpu Shopping District
How To Get To Wufenpu From Ximending
- Go To Ximen MRT Station (green line) and take that to Songshan Station (it’s the last stop).
- Exit Songshan MRT station via Exit 4 and head south for 8 minutes.
- On your left side you’ll see the entrance to Wufenpu Shopping District
To Get To Wufenpu From Anywhere in Taipei
If you’re by the green line, you can take that all the way to Songshan Station. For those of you not nearby, you can either transfer to the green line or take the blue line to Wufenpu Shopping District.
To get there from the blue line, exit Yongchun station and head north for 10 minutes. You’ll reach the Wufenpu wholesale market and it will be on your right side.
“Quality” Counterfeits: Cheap Shopping in Taipei
Technically, this legally doesn’t infringe on any copyright law. But if you don’t look closely, you might think you’re buying Balenciaga. Personally, I’d rather buy the cheap knock off and save my money.
Strange Context: Cheap Shopping in Taipei
There is a lot of clothing with strange wording. If you’re looking for some clothes to confuse your friend, you can do all your cheap shopping in Taipei here. Personally, I’m a fan of club sandwiches.
The Best Store Names: Cheap Shopping In Taipei
I’m not sure if it’s intentional, but the names of some shops will definitely stop you and get your attention!
Each store has A LOT of clothes. Buying clothing racks is expensive and time consuming to maintain. So you’ll typically find a bag of clothes in each store that you can go through.
Stores are maintained by just 1 person. That’s why they have to be extra efficient with laying out the clothes. They don’t have time to make it look nice or easily accessible. That’s where you get the savings!
Best Day To Go To Wufenpu Taiwan: Avoiding The Crowds
Weeknights are the best day to go to Wufenpu Taiwan. My visit to Wufenpu was at 9pm on a Wednesday night. That’s pretty late for a week night in Taipei so the streets were pretty empty. If you try visiting around 6pm on a weekend, you’ll find yourself struggling to move around.
Even if it’s crowded, you’ll still find people riding their bicycle, motorbike or even driving a car through these super narrow alleys. It’s pretty impressive that people don’t even flinch when a vehicle passes by here.
The streets are very narrow since they cram over a hundred different shops on to this giant city block. Wufenpu Shopping district is open until 11pm, so if you don’t like crowds, show up late at night.
The best day to go to Wufenpu Taiwan is on a weeknight. Avoid the weekends and Friday!
Why is Wufenpu Taiwan better than shopping at Taipei 101?
Realistic fashion. The cost at the expensive stores can be 100x more than at Wufenpu. High fashion is also super weird. SUPER WEIRD. It’s all overpriced things that aren’t designed to be worn more than once. You’re supposed to be rich and rich people are very wasteful…apparently.
Personally, I don’t mind buying bootlegs if it’s significantly cheaper. I have some shirts that I still wear some clothes that are over 8 years old. That also gives you a hint to how often I shop.
Cranes Games by Wufenpu Taiwan Market
At the southwest entrance to the Wufenpu Taiwan shopping district, there is a building full of crane games with WEIRD prizes.
In one machine, you can win toy figures and a shower head. If you happened to need a shower head, why buy one when you can win it! You might accidentally win a kids toy though.
And on the upper floor, you could win adult toys and figures. How adult? Very adult. I was wondering if it’s legal to have these in crane games, it is not.
Conclusion
Shopping in Taipei is one of the biggest activities other than eating. If you’re looking to get some exercise and shop, I recommend visiting Taipei City Mall. That’s the best place for souvenir shopping in Taiwan.
In Taipei Main Station, you can also treat yourself to a new pair of prescription glasses in less than an hour.
If you’re planning a trip soon, be sure to check out my guide on how to get 13% off any hotel.