I literally walked 10,000km to find out which thrift stores in Seoul are actually worth thrifting at.
There are three types of thrift shop shoppers. Firstly, the ones who are looking for dirt-cheap clothing for cheap thrills. Next, those who want to up their fashion game without spending too much (secondhand clothing is cheaper after all). Lastly, fashionistas who would sell their soul for an out-of-manufacture vintage apparel.
The good thing about Seoul is — their thrift shops can satisfy all three, and I’m certain of it because I’ve shopped at over 30 stores all around the city. The more popular ones include Dongmyo Flea Market, a popular tourist attraction in Seoul. Not only will we be sharing tips and tricks on how to thrift there, we’ll also be unveiling underrated thrift stores in Seoul, including what we’ve bought, to help you decide on whether you should shop there.
Where are the best thrift stores in Seoul?
Dongmyo Flea Market thrift stores
1. Flea market area
2. Seoul Vintage
3. Ppogeuri Vintage
Hongdae affordable thrift stores
4. Wow! Vintage
5. Hi! Vintage
6. Hongdae Vintage
Gangnam vintage shopping
7. Soobak Vintage
Myeongdong
8. Myeongdong Vintage
Gwangjang Market thrift stores
9. Kuki Shoes — second-hand shoe store
Thrift stores in Dongymo
Dongmyo is known for its secondhand goods, so you’ll definitely find tons of thrift stores — curated and trending, or just secondhand apparels — along the streets and alleys. Vintori and DM Vintage are the biggest names there, but prices are a little steep there.
Hence, we recommend checking out the following thrift stores in Dongmyo first.
1. Dongmyo Flea Market
It’s really a flea market. Clothes go from as low as ₩1,000 (S$1), including actual branded wear. The caveat is, you do have to go knees-deep in a floor pile to thrift. It really is thrifting at its essence. But, if you can get past the slight dirt and dust, you’ll be able to find hidden gems in the pile.
For instance, I snagged a North Face puffer jacket, a pair of Calvin Klein Jeans, and a Ralph Lauren pullover at just ¥3,000 each. The more you buy, the cheaper it’ll get — the lowest possible amount is ₩1,000.
To access Dongmyo Flea Market, simply exit Dongmyo MRT Station from Exit 5 and turn left into the open area, where all the floor mats are. There are no fixed opening hours as well, but I do recommend visiting from 12-6pm, as that’s when the place is the most crowded.
2. Ppogeuri Vintage
If thrifting on the floor is a little too ghetto for you, I recommen Ppogeuri Vintage, located right outside Exit 6 of Dongmyo station.
It’s curated — clothes are on the shelves — but most importantly, the vintage apparels are mad cheap. My best finds are Carhatt t-shirts at ₩5,000, which is only S$5, and NBA hoodies and a Nike ₩10,000 each.
During my first visit, I actually walked away with 20 vintage items (14 of them were branded) at ₩100,000 in total during a huge sale. This was no doubt the most affordable vintage thrift store in Seoul that I’ve been to.
Location: 12 Jibong-ro, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea
서울 종로구 지봉로 12
Opening hours: 10am-7pm
3. Seoul Vintage
Real ones will know that thrifting isn’t just about cheap and vintage clothes. If you’re into reworked apparels, head straight down to Seoul Vintage.
Majority of their products are reworked, and done very well if I might add.
Personally, we bought an oversized Embroidered Burberry Pullover (₩35,000), a Cropped North Face Puffer Jacket (₩90,000), and a Patchwork Carhatt Cropped Jacket (₩70,000).
We also saw other cool reworked items like Levi’s patchwork jeans and denim jackets, Michael Kors windbreaker, Versace pullovers, and more.
Location: 358 Jong-ro, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea
서울 종로구 종로 358
Opening hours: 10:30am-7pm
Best thrift stores in Hongdae
The vintage thrift stores in Hongdae have the perfect balance of curated and affordability. Here’s where we recommend.
4. Wow! Vintage
Aptly named, because you’d go “wow” when you’re at this Hongdae thrift store.
You can find secondhand vintage graphic tees, Ralph Lauren button-downs, varsity pullovers, caps and jewelleries, and even reworked apparels.
My best buys here have to a Green Patchwork Pants (₩40,000), Burberry Polo T-shirt With Nova-Checked Collar (₩30,000), Carhartt Re-worked Tote Bag (₩50,000) and Arizona University Pullover (₩15,000).
If anything above ₩20,000 is out of your budget, head straight for their discount racks for ₩5,000 goods. I bought a few heavy-weight t-shirts from here before.
Wow! Vintage is a bit hard to find, but it’s at the basement of a corner store. The entrance is by the road, with a rack of discounted clothes at the door.
Location: Mapo-gu, Hongik-ro, B1, South Korea, Seoul
서울 마포구 홍익로 1 지하1층
Opening hours: 12-9pm
5. Hi! Vintage
Vintage windbreakers, baseball jerseys, and sports jackets — for anything sporty, head down to Hi! Vintage.
Located one street from Hongdae Station Exit 8, they have one of the biggest collection of jerseys ranging from ₩10,000 to ₩30,000. I didn’t get anything but that’s just because jerseys don’t fit my style. They do also have the typical apparels like button-downs and graphic tees, but when you’re at Hi! Vintage, go for the jerseys!
Location: Basement 1, 131-1 Eulmadang-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
서울 마포구 어울마당로 131-1 지하1층
Opening hours: 12-11pm
6. Hongdae Vintage
Burberry as low as ₩20,000? I’ve contemplated gatekeeping this place because of how crazy affordable the branded secondhand goods are.
Most of the items are between ₩10,000 to ₩20,000. But here are the cool things I bought from Hongdae Vintage in December 2023: 2x Polo Ralph Lauren pullovers for ₩9,000 each, Burberry Scarf for ₩15,000, and an unbranded Olive-colour Cargo Pants for ₩5,000.
Location: B1F, 36-3, Wausan-ro 21-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
서울 마포구 와우산로21길 36-3 B1층
Opening hours: 11am-11pm
Alternatively, you can check out Yuko Vintage for dainty corsets and laced blouses. They mainly sell women secondhand clothing with a 70s-80s vibe.
Today’s Vintage is also a popular spot for more curated vintage goods.
Gangnam thrift stores
Gangnam is famous for luxury items. Naturally, if you’re looking for thrift stores here, be prepared to pay a higher price.
Not only will your find secondhand apparels from luxury brands like Massimo Duty, Yves Saint Lauren, Gucci, Comme de Garcon, Louis Vuiton, you might also chance upon out of manufacture items which are highly prized.
If you’ve done your research prior to our guide, you’ve probably heard of Second Street, one of the biggest thrift stores in Seoul. While that’s nice, if you’re in Gangnam, we recommend checking out Soobaak Vintage first.
7. Soobak Vintage
Soobaak Vintage, also known as Watermelon Vintage, is where you can find the best limited edition items.
The folks there aren’t just procuring second-hand clothing. Instead, you’ll find actual vintage clothes that are out-of-production, with a price range between ₩50,000 and ₩200,000. I bought a Red and Green Striped Polo from Ralph Lauren, which was made in Korea in the 90s, for ₩60,000 (S$60).
Location: Basement 1, 36 Dosan-daero 17-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
서울 강남구 도산대로17길 36 지하 1층
Opening hours: 11am-8pm
Myeongdong thrift stores
8. Myeongdong Vintage
You can literally thrift your hearts out when you’re here.
One of the newer thrift stores we’ve been to in Seoul, Myeongdong Vintage allows you to buy by the weight — ₩2,500 for 100g of clothes. Of course, this is just a small part of the store. Most of the other items are branded goods that go up to ₩100,000.
I didn’t manage to find anything branded in the ₩2,500 pile. But I did manage to bring home some basic hoodies and beach t-shirts.
This isn’t on Google Maps, so if you’re planning to come here, save the Naver Map link below.
Location: 1st floor, Jisung Building, 56 Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
서울 중구 명동길 56 지성빌딩 1층
Opening hours: 9am-11:30pm
Thrift stores in Gwangjang Market
9. Kuky Shoes
Gwangjang Market only has one thrift store, but it’s the best place to go to if you’re looking for affordable secondhand shoes.
You can expect leather sandals, running shoes, sneakers and boots. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, the shop owner is more than happy to recommend a similar alternative (she’s fluent in English!)
These are what I bought: Doc Marten 1461 Round Toe Lace-up Shoes (₩50,000) and a High-cut Converse Chuck 70 (₩45,000). Both were as good as new.
Location: 228 Gwangjang Market
Follow us for more content!
More things to do in Seoul:
