Shopping in Singapore Voyage Tips and guide

Shopping is second only to eating as a national pastime, which means that Singapore has an abundance of shopping malls, and low taxes and tariffs on imports coupled with huge volume mean that prices are usually very competitive.

While you won't find any bazaars with dirt-cheap local handicrafts (in fact, virtually everything sold in Singapore is made elsewhere), goods are generally of reasonably good quality and shopkeepers are generally quite honest due to strong consumer protection laws.

Most residential neighbourhoods in Singapore have at least one shopping mall, often next to a bus interchange or MRT station, but these are primarily designed to cater to the basic needs of local residents, and are primarily home to F&B outlets, supermarkets, banks and some mid-range clothing stores.

The malls at Orchard Road tend to have a wider array of options, including luxury brands that you will not find at the neighbourhood shopping malls. Orchard Road is Singaporean consumerism at its most manic, a two-kilometre stretch of interconnected shopping malls, hotels, and hotels with shopping malls catering to all budgets and tastes.

Most stores are open daily 10AM-10PM, although smaller operations (particularly those outside shopping malls) close earlier — 7PM is common — and perhaps on Sundays as well. Mustafa in Little India is open until 2 AM every day, 365 days a year.

For purchases of over $100 per day per participating shop, you may be able to get a GST refund if you depart by air within two months of making the purchase, but the process is a bit of a bureaucratic hassle. At the shop you need to ask for a tax refund cheque. Before checking in at the airport, present this cheque together with the items purchased and your passport at the GST customs counter. Get the receipt stamped there. Then proceed with check-in and go through security. After clearing departure immigration, bring the stamped cheque to the refund counter to cash it in or get the GST back on your credit card. You must be visiting Singapore as a tourist, so foreigners working or studying in Singapore, as well as people departing Singapore as airline crew, are ineligible. See Singapore Customs for the full scoop. No GST refund is available if you depart by land or sea.

The second floor of the Tanglin Shopping Centre on Orchard and the shops on South Bridge Rd in Chinatown are good options if looking for the real thing (or high-quality reproductions).

Kinokuniya's main branch at Ngee Ann City in Orchard is Singapore's largest bookstore, with a smaller branch at Bugis Junction (Bugis MRT station). Many second-hand book stores are in Far East Plaza and Bras Basah Complex, where you may attempt to bargain if you are buying a lot. For university textbooks, the bookshops at the National University of Singapore have the best prices on the island, up to 80% off compared to prices in the West.

Peninsula Plaza near City Hall has Singapore's widest selection of camera shops. However, there are no great bargains to be had, and many camera stores in Singapore (particularly those in Lucky Plaza and Sim Lim Square) have a reputation for fleecing even the most careful tourists. The best way is to know exactly what you are looking for and then when you arrive, drop by the shops at the airport's transit area and take a look at the price and check with them whether they have any promotions. Then go to the downtown shops and compare prices/packages to see which shop will give you value for money. To be safe, always check prices and packages for everything you're interested in at large retailers like Courts, Harvey Norman and Best Denki first. Be very careful when shop staff attempt to promote brands or models other than the one you have in mind; a few stores at Sim Lim Square, Lucky Plaza, and elsewhere are known to use this tactic and sell products at two to four times their actual list prices. Also watch for the bait-and-switches. Inspect the model number and condition of the item, then do not let it out of your sight when you pay. (In Lucky Plaza, the most common scam is doubling the charge without your agreement.)

High-street clothing: The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands as well as Ion Orchard, Ngee Ann City (Takashimaya) and Paragon on Orchard have the heaviest concentration of branded boutiques.

Tailored clothing: Virtually all hotels have a tailor shop attached, and touting tailors are a bit of a nuisance in Chinatown. As elsewhere, you'll get what you pay for and will get poor quality if you don't have the time for multiple fittings or the skill to check what you're getting. Prices vary widely: a local shop using cheap fabrics can do a shirt for $40, while Lee Kuan Yew's favourite tailors CYC the Custom Shop will charge at least $120.

Youth clothing: Most of Bugis is dedicated to the young, hip and cost-conscious. Bugis St (opposite Bugis MRT) is the most popular in the Bugis area, consisting of 3 levels of shops. Some spots of Orchard, notably Far East Plaza (not to be confused with Far East Shopping Centre) and the top floor of the Heeren, also target the same market but prices are generally higher.

Sim Lim Square (near Little India) is great for the hardcore geek who really knows what he's after - parts price lists are available on HardwareZone.com and are given out in Sim Lim itself, making price comparison easy. Lesser mortals (namely, those who have failed to do their price-checking homework) stand a risk of getting ripped off when purchasing, but this is generally not a problem with the price lists offered by most shops. Some Singaporeans purchase their electronic gadgets during the quarterly "IT shows" usually held at Suntec City Convention Centre or at the Expo, at which prices on gadgets are sometimes slashed (but often only to Sim Lim levels). Do not be attracted by side gifts/sweeteners of thumbdrives, mice and so on; these only tend to hide inflated prices. If you just need a cable or new mouse in a hurry, Challenger stores can be found in most shopping malls.

Singapore used to be known for good prices, but nowadays electronics here are generally more expensive than from US and international online vendors. Funan (Riverside) and Mustafa (Little India) are good choices. Avoid the tourist-oriented shops on Orchard Road, particularly the notorious Lucky Plaza, or risk getting ripped off. Also take great care to be wary of shops on the 1st and 2nd levels of Sim Lim Square, some of which tend to rip off tourists and locals alike by overcharging by 100% or more, adding on ludicrous charges beyond what was agreed on, swapping items for used ones, leaving out cases and batteries, and a host of other practices that should be (or are) criminal.

Do your research before buying electronics from any store in Singapore; online research and multi-shop price comparison (and bargaining, occasionally) are essential. Mustafa has fixed, fair prices and is a good option, and so are Challenger and other large fixed-price retailers. For any purchases, remember that Singapore uses 230 V voltage at 50 Hz with a British-style, three-pin plug.

• Hi-fi stereos: The Adelphi (Riverside) has Singapore's best selection of audiophile shops.
• Mobile phones: Very competitively priced in Singapore due to high consumer volume, available throughout the country both used and new. Phones are never SIM locked, so they can be used anywhere, and many shops will allow you to "trade in" an older phone to offset the cost of a new one. Do not purchase phones at Lucky Plaza, because there's a significant risk you'll be almost literally robbed, if tourist reports are anything to go by.

For do-it-yourself people and engineers, a wide variety of electronic components and associated tools can be found at Sim Lim Tower (opposite Sim Lim Square), near Little India. You can find most common electronic components (such as breadboards, transistors, various ICs, etc.) and bargain prices for larger quantities as well.

Chinatown has Singapore's heaviest concentration of glow-in-the-dark Merlion soap dispensers and ethnic souvenirs, mostly but not entirely Chinese and nearly all imported from somewhere else. For Malay and Indian stuff, the best places to shop are Geylang Serai and Little India respectively.

Arab Street and Little India have a good selection of imported and local fabrics like batik. Chinatown does sell rather reasonable and cheap fabrics, bargaining is allowed so do know your stuff on what fabric to buy. Fabrics in Singapore may not be as cheap as overseas, for most fabrics are imported to Singapore.

Unlike most Southeast Asian countries, pirated goods are not openly on sale and importing them to the city-state carries heavy fines due to its strong stance on intellectual property (IP) protection. Fake goods are nevertheless not difficult to find in Little India or Bugis.

Local supermarkets Cold Storage, Prime Mart, Shop 'n' Save and NTUC Fairprice are ubiquitous, but for specialities, Jason's Marketplace in the basement of Raffles City and Tanglin Market Place at Tanglin Mall (both on Orchard) are some of Singapore's best-stocked gourmet supermarkets, with a vast array of imported products. Takashimaya's basement (Orchard) has lots of small quirky shops and makes for a more interesting browse, while the Little Farms chain is all-organic and priced to match. For a more Singaporean (and much cheaper) shopping experience, seek out any neighbourhood wet market, like Little India's Tekka Market.

Video and PC games are widely available in Singapore, but prices may not be cheaper than in the West. Games sold for the local market are generally in English, though some games imported from Hong Kong or Taiwan will be in Chinese. Singapore's region code is NTSC-J (together with Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc.), which means that games sold may not be compatible with consoles in mainland China, North America, Europe or Australia. During the four times in a year IT Shows, PC, Xbox, Wii, PlayStation games prices may drop at such IT shows, if not the games will be bundled with others (example: buy 2 at $49.90). Search for reputable shops online and avoid Sim Lim Square's first two floors, as always.

Many of the shophouses opposite The Concourse on Beach Rd in Bugis sell fishing and scuba diving gear.

The Peranakan, or Malay-Chinese, may be fading but their colourful clothing and artwork, especially the distinctive pastel-coloured ceramics, are still widely available. Antiques are expensive, but modern replicas are quite affordable. The largest selection and best prices can be found in Katong on the East Coast.

Fashion label Charles & Keith (started out as Shoe Heaven), has got you covered if you're looking for a pair of perfect shoes & has evolved into handbags & accessories. Grab the mini Singapore sling cocktail set at Raffles Hotel or Changi Airport for the true heritage flavour. With their luxurious gold plating technology, RISIS provides beautiful gifts like gold-plated Orchids and brooches.

One of the popular snack souvenirs - Bak Kwa from Bee Cheng Hiang (Smoked Barbecue Pork) is a well-loved snack by Chinese tourists, though most locals prefer the version from Lim Chee Guan, which has extremely long queues lasting several hours over the Chinese New Year period. Kaya is a savoury coconut milk, eggs, and sugar, usually spread on toast where locals consume for their breakfast. Depending on the brand, it can taste rich & sweet to having a light pandan flavour. Ya Kun Kaya is readily available in their nationwide outlets and Changi Airport. A must-get, Chilli crab & Laksa sauce kits from Prima Taste are also saliva-inducing souvenirs available to purchase at supermarkets. These are Halal.

Bak Kut Teh (literally translated as Meat Bone Tea) Spices are also a fine choice to bring back a taste of Singapore, such as A1 Bak Kut Teh.

Local Designers like Supermama have also came up with Singaporean omiyage (contemporary giftware) ranging from porcelain tableware to quirky socks. Most of these souvenirs can be found in their own store outlets, or Changi Airport. Cat Socrates is a quirky bookstore that sells Singaporean literature as well as postcards, stationery and trinkets with Singaporean motifs made by local artists.

Queensway Shopping Centre, off Alexandra Rd and rather off the beaten track (take a taxi), seems to consist of nothing but sporting goods shops. You can also find foreigner-sized sporty clothing and shoes here. Do bargain! Expect to get 40-50% off the price from the shops in Orchard for the same items, as the items here are parallel-imported. Velocity in Novena is also devoted to sports goods, but is rather more upmarket. Martial arts equipment is surprisingly hard to find, although most of the clothing shops around Pagoda Street in Chinatown sell basic silk taiji/wushu uniforms. If you plan to buy weapons such as swords, you have to apply for a permit from the police (around $10) to get your weaponry out of the country.

Chinatown's Yue Hwa (2nd floor) is unbeatable for both price and variety, but Time for Tea in Lucky Plaza (Orchard) is also a good option. Local brand TWG has glittery gold-bedecked branches throughout the island aimed squarely at the luxury gift and souvenir market.

High-end watches are very competitively priced. Ngee Ann City (Orchard) has dedicated stores from the likes of Piaget and Cartier, while Millenia Walk (Marina Bay) features the Cortina Watch Espace retailing 30 brands from Audemars Piguet to Patek Philippe, as well as several other standalone shops.