Flea Market (Jalan Surabaya), Jakarta Overview

The flea market of Jalan Surabaya is famous for its antiquities. The market has as many as a hundred shops stretching along the long sides of Jalan Surabaya. It is a must visit for those who have a knack of collecting vintage artefacts like lamps, arts and crafts that are suitable for souvenirs at cheap prices.

Jalan Surabaya Flea Market is located in one of Jakarta’s most upscale residential locations. Here one is sure to get spoiled for choice when it comes to shopping for vintage antiques, textiles, jewellery, furniture, rare vinyl and ancient cameras.

Things to Do

The market has over 100 different stores and shops where one will find an amazing variety of wonderfully curated antique items and artefacts at quite reasonable prices. One will find many shops and kiosks selling porcelain for home essentials, items made of brass and silver, along with wooden sculptures and mask for those who have a keen eye for the same.

Accompanying this, there are also other types of antiquities ranging from lamps, metal souvenirs, old woven cloth and textiles, old bags and suitcases, and even some ancient books. For the travel enthusiasts there are also some shops selling some really unique items like ship rudder, telescope and old diving stuff. There are also a few shops which are dedicated for one product items like cameras and vinyl.

Thus sifting and going through all these items require time and patience so we advise you to visit early in the morning or later in the afternoon to avoid the scorching heat of the sun. Ideally, shopping for the items takes a minimum of two to three hours.

Tips

To get the most out of your shopping experience it is best to haggle down the prices and to never agree to the first price which is quoted on any item. Many times, one can get an item at a 50% less price than what was initially quoted by the seller.
It is essential to be able to distinguish between the antiques and the fakes since there are many stores which are selling fake items. However, telling a fake from real is not very easy and it is necessary to believe that if an item seems too cheap to believe it is probably not authentic.
Also, there is a huge variety of items which are not very systematically arranged, so it will take some time to explore and find the best pieces that one desires. So it is advisable to visit the market early in the morning or post afternoon. (Ideally spending 2 to 3 hours should be sufficient).