I always knew that Starmall EDSA-Shaw is a good place to hunt for bargain items. But it's only…read morerecently that I discovered Japan Selection on the second floor. At first glance, the store looked like just any ordinary thrift shop selling Japan-made goods. Look closer, or better yet get inside, and you will see that they are more than just the usual stocks of cookware, kitchen gadgets, chopsticks, Lucky (or Pocky) biscuit sticks, and whatnots from the land of the rising sun. They sell second-hand appliances on an 'as is, where is' basis. This means they will test the appliance you want to buy in the store. But if it doesn't work later when you bring it home, you can't claim a refund. They also have pre-owned baby strollers and other baby furniture. Heck, they even have used surfboards. What really lured me to the place was the stacks of original Japanese manga comics, many of them are Naruto. I was giddy because my cousin who's learning how to read and write Japanese can now spice up his studies by reading one of his favorite manga/anime series in its original language. Without hesitation, I grabbed three books to buy. Right across the manga section was the used toy shelves. Here, I found countless Ultraman figures, diecast cars, robots, and baby toys. Clumsy me grazed one of the items on a shelf and it fell with a beautiful percussive sound. When I picked it up, I realized that it was a bamboo baby rattle. I bought it for twenty bucks to use as decoration at home. The only downside to Japan Selections is their dusty, topsy-turvy store. If you suffer from asthma, better stay out.

This ukay ukay has very good prices. I like the style of the clothes that they sell here. Whenever…read moreI am here, I end up going home with a few clothes. I have gone here on regular days and sale days. They have 50% off days at the end of the month. You need patience, but it is worth it. Good luck and happy shopping!

When you've had your taste of ukay, every so often you'll be itching to venture out and ukay new…read moreold stuff, very much like the itching you get after you've tried on several articles of dusty clothes. It's all worth it though, when you find those few things you've worked hard to find among the sea of secondhand somethings you'd had to wade through. This particular building in Anonas houses a good bunch of ukay-ukay stores and has always been one of my go-to places to thrift, after the spots in Cubao had to close and be replaced by the condominium sites. It's really accessible to the Anonas LRT Station and a lot of the stores have air-conditioning, which is great to have when you plan to be covered in grime at the end of the day. Most of them are fashion stores, carrying clothes, bags, and shoes, but a good few would have beddings, toys, and a couple of appliances or books here and there. One of the stores only specialize in toys and collectibles, while its neighbor only housed shoes and bags. It's my personal strategy to go for the least accessible places as they'd probably have cheaper stuff, but most of the stores in the higher floors had a more limited selection, more expensive clothes, and limited air conditioning. One of the stores had tops and dresses that went for almost four hundred bucks, which is hella expensive, but I guess it was because they were pre-chosen designer and branded articles. I guess they were worth a look regardless--no doubt they'd go on sale at some point in time. Still it'd be better to just sift through the bigger stores with more varied, cheaper stuff. Arm yourself with a bottle of water, some wipes, and alcohol, and make your way to Anonas. You're sure to find something here. If not, ask when their next batch of arrivals come in (some might have a text "mailing list" or they'd just give you a mobile number), or ask if they're online. Some of them have legit, updated Facebook pages!

I think one of the things I love about one of my best friends is that despite us having grown up in…read moreprivileged circumstances, she's always been judicious about her spending habits. Now that I'm pushing 30 and making my own money, I understand its value and how hard it is to make it! It's true -- the stuff really does run through your fingers! Having said that, Celina was the one who introduced me to the world of ukay-ukays. If you're a foreigner or you can't understand Tagalog, an ukay-ukay is essentially a thrift store or a flea market for clothing items. Once in awhile, bags or shoes are on sale as well but it's mostly clothing-centered. Anyhoo, the first time that she introduced me to this specific ukay-ukay was in our college days -- so somewhere in the realm of 2006-2008. It can be overwhelming to dig through the thousands of tops, bottoms and dresses available here but if you're patient and persistent, I guarantee that you'll find something to your liking that costs less than P500. 100 percent guaranteed. There are at least 10 ukay-ukay stores in the area so knock yourself out. I think one of the things I love about one of my best friends is that despite us having grown up in privileged circumstances, she's always been judicious about her spending habits. Now that I'm pushing 30 and making my own money, I understand its value and how hard it is to make it! It's true -- the stuff really does run through your fingers! Having said that, Celina was the one who introduced me to the world of ukay-ukays. If you're a foreigner or you can't understand Tagalog, an ukay-ukay is essentially a thrift store or a flea market for clothing items. Once in awhile, bags or shoes are on sale as well but it's mostly clothing-centered. Anyhoo, the first time that she introduced me to this specific ukay-ukay was in our college days -- so somewhere in the realm of 2006-2008. It can be overwhelming to dig through the thousands of tops, bottoms and dresses available here but if you're patient and persistent, I guarantee that you'll find something to your liking that costs less than P500. 100 percent guaranteed. There are at least 10 ukay-ukay stores in the area so knock yourself out.

I don't know about you, but there's something magical about living near an ukay. A beloved…read morerestaurant or an outlet store might be really nice, but a chance to thrift at any given moment? Seems like a sweet deal to me. It's probably the crazy talking, but it might also be the high of having visited this new ukay along Aurora just near Robinsons Magnolia, called--and this is a beautiful mouthful--"Bargain for Millionaires Fashion Style." The name's funky fly and fresh, although it does makes little sense as a bargain for millionaires would unlikely be a bargain for most everyone else. But it certainly pulls you in, right? The place is new and pretty amazing, stark white and spacious despite being full of clothing. The AC was at full blast when I came into the store, which already kind of won me over. They also had a good arrangement of clothes, and even seemed to be organized by color almost on each rack. Though I did take a look at the prices in general, and they're a bit of an expense compared to most other ukays. P200 for a top is not cheap by ukay standards, as is P300 for denim, though they had slightly better deals upstairs. Yes, this place has two floors of ukay, both of them air-conditioned, though the second floor slightly less so. I wish them all the success and will probably be coming back numerous times in the future. If you're bored by the stores in Magnolia, come here instead!

I was taking a break from recording voice over clips for my work at a nearby recording studio when…read moreI chanced upon this surplus shop along Filmore. Now, I should really stop going to thrift shops because I am very close to developing a habit of picking up cute knick knacks that will eventually make me qualify for an episode of Hoarders: Tea Set Edition. I like styling props for food shoots, and there are no better props than porcelain, ceramic and glass dining and tea sets because they give so much character to the food spreads that I love designing. I am also a sucker for textures and patters, and bamboo mats, woven baskets lacquered serving trays and bento boxes are staples when shooting Japanese or Asian food.Their selection of used glassware, plates, ceramics and kitchen implements are rife of cute pieces that are around P40 apiece. I was able to get a cute wabi sabi Japanese bowl that I have used many times in shoots. If you have the patience to trawl and sort through shelves and shelves of stuff, you may find really unique pieces that you can use when entertaining. The only drawback is that most of the pieces are one-ofs, meaning you can't buy them in a set because some pieces are missing. Here, they also have furniture and used office supplies like shelving units, file cabinets and desks. The goods here are relatively cheap and are in considerably good quality.

Most of the reviews here are on the pet center or the other divisions of the market, i.e. the one…read morewith shoes, the one with clothing overruns, the one with secondhand appliances, the one with bicycles, the one with gardening stuff, etc. Those are all well and good, but what I love about the Cartimar Market is their food. Seriously, where else can you get authentic Thai food for less than a hundred pesos? Sen Lek Thai in the foodcourt is one of the best Thai places I've tried. If you're more into Korean food, Arisoo is a restaurant towards the back that I was also able. My favorite though is the cold taho at one of the Japanese groceries here, I forget the name. It's basically cold taho with toppings of your choice, for around fifty pesos for a big bowl. It's my secret pick me up. Don't tell anyone, okay?

I consider Cartimar Market to be one of the more underrated places in the metro. A lot of people…read moreknow about the pet center here, which is also what drew me to the place in the first place, but once you go past that, you'll see that it has a whole lot more to offer. It's not a market in the usual sense. I haven't seen any wet produce like meat or fish, though I'm sure there's an area in there somewhere. What I have seen are stores selling clothing - mostly overruns or surpluses of major brands, stores selling shoes, stores selling appliances, and stores selling miscellaneous items like mason jars and the like. You also have, of course, the pet center, and the SM supermarket. The best part, I think, are the foreign groceries where you can get Japanese or Korean ingredients dirt-cheap.

Okkaaaayyyyy, Thjs place was overwhelming, crazy and fun! Located in the lower level of…read moreGreenhills, this was the place to bargain. BUT, buyer beware. You can get approached, followed, semi-harassed for "designer bags" LOL Bring cash. Bring your game face. When I walked in, I showed interest automatically on merchandise and it was over. We had a group of sellers who stalked us and when we finished with one stand, they hounded us and got into arguments who saw us first. The best thing is to NOT acknowledge or say anything UNLESS you're ready to make a deal with a specific stand. I'm sure everyone has different experiences but we definitely were profiled as foreigners. Bargain regardless. We landed seats inside a designer bag stand with an entertaining seller, Barbie. She was charismatic and sooooooo funny. We definitely wanted to give her some business and we walked out with 6 bags. So if you're ever visiting, look and ask for "Barbie" I was able to get a fair price on mini barrel men and women. We gave them as favors on our wedding anniversary (LOL) but we didn't get to keep a pair for ourselves! The place can get really hot and stuffy, and in some areas, the stands are close together. Bring a hand held fan, it will help.

This place is, nicely put, a riot of color and noise. Small booths number in the hundreds, offering…read moresmall selection of goods to tickle your fancy. The tiangge is bargaining central, so do your best to get those prices down even by a little bit. Clothes dominate the central area, with most shops specializing in a few types of ladies' wear. Stuff for guys and kids are to be found here and there, but are comparatively few and far between. One wing that runs between Theatre Mall and Shoppesville does bags and rubber shoes of questionable authenticity. The large second floor is home to small stalls that will buy your gadget, sell you a second-hand or brand-new one, or fix any hardware or software problem it might be encountering. Items and service here are very much on a caveat emptor basis, so you have been warned. Stories abound of dubious practices, including the swapping out of parts and the selling of second-hand items as brand-new. When shopping in the tiangge, expect to be bumped into frequently, as the crowd is always dense and the lanes between stalls can cause encounters too close for comfort. Watch your stuff, especially phones and wallets, and check to make sure that your bag is closed (or keep it in front of you while you walk).