If slow fashion, flea markets, shopping, and traveling to a foreign country is your thing, then brace yourself, because I’m about to show you my favorite place to thrift in Perú.
As a little bonus, I put together some shopping tips in the last section to help improve your experience when you thrift in Perú. I hope you find it helpful!
Now let’s get into all the deets!
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Where To Thrift In Perú
There is a flea market in Tacna, Perú that is a goldmine for thrifting.
To clear up any possible, future confusion, I’d like to start by saying that these flea markets have many names – because there are many markets all over the city. Each one has its own day of the week and its own location. Thrifting is available year-round!
- Our favorite is La Bombonera which runs on Mondays and Thursdays – but the best day is Thursday because it’s at its biggest with the most thrifting options.
- On Tuesdays and Fridays, you can go to Cono Sur Cenepa.
- Saturdays and Sundays, it’s at Salida Tarata.
I recommend checking with a local taxi driver on the current location for the day’s flea market, or you can take a bus. Consider shopping here during two different seasons, because seasonal finds definitely vary.
Want a full tour of the flea market? Check out this video I put together on my Instagram.
What You Can Expect To Find
At this flea market, you can get just about anything. Pet clothes, toys, something for the kitchen, kid’s and adult’s clothing, and shoes of all conditions and sizes. While thrifting, experience fresh snacks like whipped cream, rolled ice cream, and fresh fruit – including coconuts and ceviche – or buy fresh veggies for tomorrow’s meal.
There are also restrooms all throughout the flea market. So don’t worry, you can literally shop till you drop…or until you run out of space to carry any more things.
When you thrift in Perú you can find just about anything. The lady in the picture on the left was selling fresh avocados and bananas for smoothies.
The picture on the right is a booth of pet clothes. These are actually often made here in Perú and sold in Gamarra in Lima. There are so many adorable options to choose from! My favorite is the Stitch one in the top left of the photo. Which one’s your favorite?
Bargain “Bins”
For a good deal, dig through the tables with the signs that have a set price. But be forewarned, you will have to “swim” for the good stuff.
As an American shopping in a foreign country that likes to change the prices based on the way you look, I find comfort in digging through these tables. It’s a lot easier for me to argue that the sign said three soles, so there’s no way they can charge me six.
You can find a lot of good things in these piles, although sometimes they are more worn out. Try to look for stains or holes before purchasing!
In these piles I’ve gotten an Eddie Bauer shirt for S/3 ($0.80), Levi’s jeans for S/15 ($4.00), and scarves at three for S/5 ($1.30).
A Note On Shoes
When shoe shopping, I recommend digging through the piles – and look out for fakes! Because boy oh boy are there a lot of them. The better shoe options are usually in messy piles, kind of like the clothes with the signs mentioned in the previous section, though they won’t have signs.
The left picture shows a more neat display with shoes hung on the sides, those sections are usually more expensive.
The Vans shoe I found in the picture on the right was in a pile of shoes that I had to dig through to find. It still had its tags on, and I paid S/70 (about $18.60) for it!
Also, a little pro tip, the best time to go shoe shopping is first thing in the morning, between 5:30 and 8:00 AM. The clothing sections will not be open until closer to 8:00. So we recommend getting a headstart on your shoe shopping.
Fabric Shopping
If you’re like me and you like to sew, thrifting for some fabric is a must. If you’re planning to thrift in Perú you have to check out the sheets sections.
I will say that there are not a lot of good sewing supplies, like thread, needles, or sewing pins here. I would recommend you check out Gamarra in Lima for those types of things if you’re able to swing by. Granted, Tacna and Lima are on complete opposite ends of Perú.
But, if you’re just shopping for some secondhand fabric, La Bombonera is the best!
That being said, there are some differences in price and quality. Here are two pieces I thrifted, so let’s talk a little about them.
Left Picture:
- Brand new, complete set – flat sheet, fitted sheet, and two pillows.
- I paid S/35 (about $9.50) for it. Which was a really great deal!
- There’s no damage to it, and it’s a nice cotton/mix material.
- I don’t know what size it is, maybe a queen or king. Either way, there is a lot of material here.
- I have some exciting sewing plans for this sheet set!
- Other sheet sets like this are usually quite pricey – like S/85 ($22.50) and up.
Right Picture:
- Vintage bed sheet – flat sheet only.
- I paid S/25 (about $6.50) for it.
- The quality is a lot more faded and has a couple of stains. A well-used piece, but still very pretty!
- The size is very large, either a queen or king sheet. Even though I only bought one piece of a sheet set, there’s still a lot of material that I can sew with.
- Options like this are usually a little more pricey for one piece.
Additional Options:
Additionally, there are some bargain “bins” sheet options, where you can buy one piece or the other because they don’t have the matching set to sell. Some you can purchase for as cheap as S/10 ($2.66) in various sizes. At others, you can buy a flat and fitted sheet for S/15 ($3.99). It’s a great bargain for some used sheets. However the quality is not always great, you really want to check for stains and holes before purchasing.
Let me know in the comments if you’d like to hear more about the projects I’m planning for these sheets!
Where It All Comes From
We’re often told about America’s overconsumption and how clothes end up in landfills in third-world countries. But I thought I’d show you that not all third-world countries are the same.
In Perú, the USA sells bags full of items that never sold in stores, to be sold here for discounted prices. A lot of the things that show up here are fast fashion. Some are real, but you really have to dig for them. There are also many brands I’ve never even heard of. I don’t know if they’re native to Perú, or where specifically, though many are Korean brands.
A side of fast fashion that I don’t think is talked about enough, is event wear, and I’m not talking about wedding attire. I mean game day tees, school apparel, charity and church shirts, hats, and hoodies. The pieces that are often made cheap for a one-time event.
The idea of having a t-shirt custom-made for race day, a competition, or a two-day blood drive is fun, everyone has matching tees. But to be honest, they’re usually made of cheap material and aren’t things we’d normally purchase at a store, so they lose their appeal once the event is over.
Don’t get me wrong, I have dozens of shirts from church events growing up. But having moved to a third-world country where the USA sells bags full of Goodwill (some stuff still has thrift store tags on them!) and thrift finds that wouldn’t sell in stores, I’ve learned that perhaps these cool shirts that we had to have for the event, aren’t as necessary as we may have thought.
It’s not just churches and charities and running clubs, the number of high school and college apparel/hats (and state-specific shirts/hats) we’ve found here is insane. Perhaps the most fruitful category. If I wanted to get a hat or t-shirt from every state and pretend I attended that college or vacationed in that state, I very well could have a good alibi for it. Miami, the Carolinas, Florida, Texas, California – they’re all there. I’ve even found some government/police hats here.
Shopping Tips
- Come prepared:
- To do a lot of walking in the sun. Wear a hat and sunscreen – this one is my personal fav brand. The packaging is light/small so it’s great for tossing into a backpack and we can easily reapply it throughout the day.
- Wear something comfortable to walk in, but is also easy to quickly take off if you plan to try shoes or pants on.
- Bring a big backpack – or buy one!
- Remember to buy water and snacks while you shop
- Be wary of pickpocketers. I like to wear a light jacket with a secure pocket to keep my phone and wallet in.
- Carry small bills and coins. S/100 bills are difficult to break.
- Try not to act/look like an American. They may increase the prices on you if they think you’re American.
- When we thrift in Perú, I make a point not to talk loudly in English, and I wear my hat low to cover my face.
- I also like to hang back and look at another table if my husband is scouting for a good deal. He is often given a different price for something if I am with him or if I ask myself.
- Look for the bargain “bins” like I mentioned above, the ones with the signs with set prices.
- There are LOTS of fakes, pay close attention to details/quality
- e.g. does that New Balance shoe really say New Balance, or does it actually read gibberish?
- Do the brand new Levi’s with tags on them have a price tag that says $33,000? Yeah, those are fake too.
- Don’t get too excited if it looks real/you want it. Actually, better yet, show no interest. It’s better to celebrate after the purchase has been completed to avoid price increases.
So what do you think, would you visit Tacna and thrift in Perú? I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments. Also, let me know what other Perú or sewing posts you’re interested in!
Explore other recent posts:
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- How To Successfully Make $0.00 Online While Working A 9-5
- How To Make A Satin Lined Beanie From Fabric Scraps
- The Most Important Travel Items For Your Next Trip
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