Forget Super Huge Shiny Happy Mall. If you want to keep your wallet heavy and your shopping bag full, visit one of the city’s flea or curio markets.

Qiujiang Lu Electronics Market

Located only a three minute walk away from the Line 3 Baoshan metro stop on Qiujiang Lu, the electronics market is a fascinating bazaar of all manner of electronic goods. The main market is housed indoors, with hundreds of stalls selling a mind-boggling array of goods, from remote controls to laptops, video game consoles to mp3 players.

Obscurity reigns here. For those who have lost the #9 button on their telephone, or looking for a vintage 1988 video camera, odds are it can be found here. Oh, they have a disturbingly large selection of machetes and various martial arts blades on offer as well.

• Mon-Sun, 9am-6pm.
• Qiujiang Lu, near Baoshan Lu. 虬江路,近宝山路

Dongtai Lu

Dongtai Lu is what most of you understandably think of as the tourist market. But if you’ve given up on Dongtai, perhaps because you can’t see past the Little Red Books or mahjong sets, have another go. Halfway up the south end of the street on the west side, find the indoor section, for kitschy glassware and even the odd old-fashioned erotic print. North of the junction with Zizhong Lu, past the small intersection with Liuhekou Lu, there are a series of small stalls on the west side. One of these sells fun retro deco style lights including desk lamps with red glass, leaf-shaped shades, or standing lamps with upturned flower shades. Another piece of advice. If you’ve never been, make sure you arrive at the junction of Dongtai and Zizhong, not further south on Dongtai and Fuxing, as from there the street is cut off and split in two, and you’ll have to walk around the block to reach the market.

• Mon-Sun, 9am-6pm.
• Dongtai Lu, near Zizhong Lu. 东台路,近自忠路

Laoximen Second Hand Market

Not everyone knows exactly what they’re looking for when they head to a flea market, which is exactly where Laoximen Ershou Shichang, located at the intersection of Renmin Lu and Zhonghua Lu, comes in. The market is tricky to find, as the entrance is a bit obscure, but as you walk south on Renmin Lu keep looking to your right and you should easily spot it. Entirely contained indoors, the market stalls here hock all manner of second hand and new goods. Used digital cameras and cell phones in good to excellent condition can be found, and prices appear reasonable, helped by the fact that sellers quickly drop the 20 percent price premium they use as a starting line for the bargaining dance.

• Mon-Sun 9am-6pm.
• Renmin Lu, near Zhonghua Lu. 人民路,近中华路

Yunzhou Curio City

This is Shanghai’s premier and most serious antiques market. Here you can find all kinds of antique furniture, glassware, silver, china, ceramics, precious stones, ink slabs, and collectable items spilling out from its four floors. Each Saturday and Sunday starting from 6am, the real carnival begins as hundreds of dealers from around the country set up open-air stalls along the walkway around the building, selling any kind of collectable item you can imagine. Prepare to battle with antique connoisseurs looking for those hidden gems.

• Mon-Fri 9.30am-8pm, Sat-Sun 6am-8pm.
• 88 Damuqiao Lu, near Zhaojiabang Lu. 大木桥路88号，近肇家浜路