Berlin Shopping: Tips for saving big on shopping

A shop display in Berlin. Photo: Oh-Berlin

When visiting Berlin, you’ll no doubt want to get your shop on in one of Europe’s trendiest cities. Whether it’s a mainstream mall, posh shopping boulevard, a little mom and pop shop, trendy boutique, or a gigantic flea market, Berlin offers plenty of opportunities to shop ’til you drop.

But how can you pick out that perfect souvenir and gifts for loved ones back home without digging too deep into your wallet? To help you out, we’ve made the following list of tips for how to stretch your shopping budget to the max.

Related: See all articles on shopping in Berlin

Think beyond the famous shopping boulevards and malls

Although most guidebooks you read will likely to sing their praises, major shopping streets like Kufürstendamm and Friedrichstrasse are designed with upscale shoppers in mind. Although both streets are interesting and worth a stroll, if you’d like to do some actual shopping, you’re likely to find better bargains on lesser known shopping streets.

Instead of Ku’damm, why not check out nearby Wilmersdorfer Strasse?

Skip Friedrichstrasse in favor of Karl-Marx-Strasse in Neukölln. Karl-Marx-Strasse is also home to Neukolln Arcaden, a small shopping center located directly at the U-Bahn station Rathaus Neukölln, where you’re more likely to find bargains than the more tourist-oriented malls around Potsdamer Platz. If you go there, be sure to check out Klunkerkranich, a hip, outdoor bar café on the top level of the mall’s parking garage which offers great views over the city.

Browsing a flea market in Berlin at Boxhanger Platz. Photo: la citta vita

Seek out flea markets

Whether you’re looking for East German memorabilia (“ostalgia”), old letters and photographs, or a lamp and a pair of boots, Berlin hosts dozens of weekend flea markets that you can scour for treasures. Here are a few that we’d recommend:

Boxhagener Platz: A large flea market in the popular student quarter Friedrichshain. The market is a great mix of professional and private sellers.

Nowkoelln Flea Market: Browse through the cool selection at this arty flea market in Berlin’s hippest neighborhood, Neukölln. You’ll find lots of private sellers hocking their wares.

Rathaus Schöneberg: A flea market located on the very spot John F. Kennedy once uttered the famous line, “Ich bin ein Berliner.”

Herman-Ehlers-Platz: This flea market takes place on Sundays from 8 am to 4 pm and is located near the U-Bahn station Rathaus Steglitz. This one is way off the tourist path and less likely to be overpriced and picked over.

For more Berlin flea market ideas, click here.

3 tips for bargaining at flea markets

· Don’t seem too excited

· Don’t ask how much something costs, offer a price yourself, lower than what you’re actually willing to pay so the seller has room to bargain (but not so low you actually annoy them!).

· Be patient. Sometimes it pays to walk away the first time, then come back later and see if they’re willing to sell the item for the price you want.

The Turkish Market in Berlin has everything from handmade crafts to traditional food. Photo: Neil H

Explore international markets

Two great ethnic markets to seek out are the Turkish Market on Maybach Ufer and, far out in the former East, the Vietnamese Dong Xuan Center. These markets are a great place to buy textiles, meat, and produce at a nice price as well as selected handicrafts. Both are also great to enjoy a cheap and tasty lunch, as well.

Buy vintage clothing by the kilo

As with many trendy cities these days, “vintage” can also be code for “overpriced old stuff” in Berlin. However, the shops Colours and Garage are both exceptions. These shops offer vintage clothing, shoes, and accessories at a reasonable price. The back of each store is packed with hundreds upon hundreds of vintage dresses, skirts, pants, jackets… you name it.

And here’s the kicker: Everything is sold at €25 per kilo. Both shops also have one day a week when they offer 30% off both kilo and individually priced items. The shops are packed full and it can be quite a feat to wade through the piles. A lot of the clothing also looks very “vintage”, so it helps if you’re a fan of the 1970’s or 1980’s style, or have a thing for dirndls. But with a little patience and a bit of luck, you can really find great bargains here.

Treasures at the Trödeler (junk shops)

A Trödelladen is Berlin’s version of a junk shop. They are often packed floor-to-ceiling with furniture and décor as well as some clothing, jewelry, and knickknacks — and undoubtedly run by a grumpy man with a love of cigars.

Although their numbers are dwindling, and some of them have been “discovered”, making it much harder to find true bargains anymore, but they are still a unique Berlin experience worth checking out. Two streets where you can still find several Trödelläden are Flughafen Strasse in Neukölln (near the U-Bahn station Rathhaus Neukölln) and Nehringstraße in Charlottenburg (near the U-Bahn station Sophie-Charlotte-Platz).

Seasonal sales, twice a year

Until recently, shops in Germany were only allowed to have sales two times a year. These were called the Sommerschlussverkauf (SSV, “end of summer season sale”) and Winterschlussverkauf (WSV, “end of winter season sale”). Although shopping regulations are no longer as strict, both of these traditional sale periods are still observed at the same time by all shops in Germany as well as many other places in Europe.

The exact dates of the sale vary from year to year, but WSV is usually sometime in February and SSV towards the end of July.

Tip: The best time to shop is a week or two after the sale when items have been marked down even further. If you’re in Berlin during the time, it may be worth it to pop into the mother of all upscale department store, KaDeWe, and get that gorgeous jacket you’ve been lusting over at 70% off the original asking price.

Happy (bargain) shopping everyone!

Your Berlin shopping tips

Have some shopping tips to add to our list? Share with us in the comments section below!