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A Complete Low Down On Thrift Shopping – Sarojini Nagar Market and Photos

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A Complete Low Down On Thrift Shopping – Sarojini Nagar Market
Once I read “thrifted” on a particular peacock dress a fashion blogger was blogging about. And yours truly went nuts searching for the brand “thrifted”. Shhhh…don’t tell this to anyone please! That was many many centuries ago and I was not into thrift shopping so I thought it was some new fashion clothing brand! Okay forget that you ever read this. BUT now your truly has done Ph.D sorts in thrift shoppping and all ready to share her wealth of knowledge with you.What exactly is Sarojini Nagar market?
Its a lively open air market with loads of street side shops selling garments, clothes, fabrics in all colours, designs and sizes at unbeatable prices. It has a large number of showrooms from various big brands but the heart of the market lies in the street side local shops.Where is Sarojini Market located?
South West Delhi

How to get there by Public transport?
I say your best bet is to go via Delhi Metro! Go to the underground DU line and get a ticket for “INA”. From there get an auto and he will take you straight to the market, charges Rs.30 approx.

Okay before we go to another set of questions, have a look at these amazing photographs I clicked.

winter long coats jackets british
Loved the British style navy blue coat. I wish it was available in my size.

bangles jewelry design photos
boy friend blazers coats shopping
The market is brimming with winter coats, blazers, jumpers right now.
thrift shopping delhi sarojini market
So much of variety.. The pink blazer on the left looks nice to me.
floral dresses prints short
Loads of summer dresses. Ideally worn with cardigans in this weather.
beaded stones neck pieces jewelry bracelet
Beaded jewelry. I don’t wear such peices but they are BEAUTIFUL.
owl fish necklace accessories design photos
Did I tell you all those animal inspired necklaces were avaialable for as cheap as R.50 ($1)! And there were some really gorgous peices.
wooden lamps handicrafts home decor
This is making me decorate my home all over again with such classis peices.
lace dresses short
LACE everywhere
scarf stole animal leopard print green red blue
 Scarf and stoles in every colour, hue, print possible.
sequined blingy dress clutches bags shoes
The best time to visit the market?
Its closed on Mondays and open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 AM to 09:00 PM. But the best time to visit is on Wednesday or Thursday when the fresh stock is out. And try to go as early as possible, early bird catches all the best peices! Plus the vendors are superstitious about bonnie(read below for what it means), so they won’t refuse a deal in the morning.

Why is the market so cheap?

We all know that big international giants like Zara, H&M, GAP, UCB, M&S, etc outsource their products to third world countries like India because of the cheap labour available in these countries. So that way these clothing giants get a HUGE margin on these clothes. So if there is a slight variation from the actual style or design demanded on any of the pieces or a very minor defect, then the whole lot is rejected and they make their way to export surplus markets like Sarojini. So next time don’t be surprised when you come across a replica of your expensive Zara dress at a quarter of the original price!
Some tips to be kept in mind:
  • Take only cash with you. They don’t accept credit/debit cards of course! And keep a lot of change with you.
  • This market is a maze, seriously! You can easily get lost and loose track of shops you have visited/not visited. So when you start, take note of a nearby land mark.
  • As stated earlier, go on Wednesday when the new stock is out on display.
  • And try to reach their by 12am. The sellers are superstitious about bonnie, i.e. the first deal of the day. They believe if the first deal goes bad, the whole day would turn out to be bad. So chances are they will accept the prices you quote, all in the name of bonnie!
  • Bargain, bargain, bargain! Quote half the price the seller asks for. Like if he says a particular item is for Rs.500($10), quote Rs.250($5) in exchange. Chances are the deal will be fixed around Rs.300!

How to know who won the deal? If the seller smiles when you leave, he won. If you smile while leaving and the seller does not, you won!

  • Don’t buy everything you like. There will be a lot of pieces you will instant fall in love with but when you come home, you will realize you have no such place to wear them to!
  • Check the sizes properly because later you probably cant tell where exactly you bought that peice from..and hence no exchange! Don’t go by the labels, most of the times they are flawed.
  • Check for tears and stains. If there is something you can’t fix, LEAVE even if it breaks your heart. Some of the items could be slightly dirty because of the huge distance they had to travel but if its easily washable, then DON’T LEAVE. But ALWAYS wash before wearing.
  • In summers when its frigging hot, take a water bottle with you and wear some scarf or hat.
  • ALWAYS take some one with you. I always take my guy with me who is reasonable and smart and keeps me from buying everything out there.
So you see its important to take someone smart with you! Or else you will end up with a huge pile of clothes you can’t wear anywhere.
You can get all the latest styles like neon, sequined, etc. Its not wrong to call Sarojini a poor man’s fashion mecca. I got hold of a couple of pretty dresses this time and a bright pink cardi. Will share the haul later. To see more pics I clicked, go HERE (if you can’t click the link, they are on my facebook page).
For my Summer haul from Sarojini click on the link.