Without a doubt, Phuket has its fair share of shopping spots. Tourists invariably find themselves at the typical stops like the Outlet Mall, Central Festival, and the Naka Weekend Market. There is nothing wrong with these spots and plenty of locals and expats frequent them for one reason or another. That being said, there are all sorts of places where you can find various types of local or unique things that may not be found elsewhere. 

Rawai Sea Gypsy Market

Open every evening just north of the Rawai Pier, this single-street market is a hive of activity during the Phuket high season. The main attraction here is the seafood market. There are a handful of vendors selling fresh – mostly still alive – seafood like giant prawns, crab, lobster, fish, shellfish, and more. You can select your preferred sea creatures and then have it cooked how you would like at one of the neighboring restaurants. The sea gypsies, or chao ley, were once nomadic seafaring people who roamed the Andaman Sea from modern-day Singapore to Myanmar. 

Besides edible sea life, vendors also sell a variety of jewelry and accessories made from sea shells. You can find ornate decorative shells sold individually as well as jewelry from shells and pearls.

OTOP Fairs

While there is no permanent location for these occasional fairs, they are worth keeping an eye out for. OTOP stands for “one tambon (subdistrict), one product) and represents products that are either unique to a certain region or of notable quality. These days many of these products can potentially be ordered online, however, the fairs are not only fun and interesting to explore, but there are many freshly prepared foods that must be experienced in person. 

What might one find at these fairs? There is usually an area for hard goods like wooden utensils and furniture, jewelry, arts and crafts, clothing, cosmetics, and toiletries. Basically, everything else consists of some type of food product whether it’s Thai wine (yes, there is some wine produced in Thailand), folk tinctures and medicines, sweets, various dried and semi-processed foods from fish, pork, fruits, and vegetables. 

OTOP fairs occur fairly often and organizers have been more thorough with advertising, especially with signs along the roads. The fairs are usually held at Saphin Hin Park or Phuket Rajabhat University in Ratsada. 

Fun Friday Market

As the name suggests, every Friday from 16:00-22:00 the street leading out of the Villa Market parking lot in Cherng Talay closes to vehicular travel. Once the transformation is complete, dozens of vendors are selling everything from secondhand goods to clothing and jewelry and of course plenty of food items. There are activities for kids, live music and entertainment, and all sorts of cool little knick-knacks and souvenirs. A wide variety of food options are available such as Thai favorites like papaya salad, phad thai, and spring rolls, plus BBQ meats, Japanese food, and plenty of sweet options.