There are two things that you must plan for when visiting Sukhothai - bargaining in local markets and enough room in your baggage for all the purchases that you will inevitably make.

Sukhothai offers an impressive array of shopping for tourists, and our Sukhothai Shopping Guide below will tell you all you need to know to pick up a bargain. The lively markets offers travellers interesting souvenirs and the opportunity to dine at nearby Sukhothai restaurants. For more information on Thai shopping in general, see our Thailand shopping guide.

Sukhothai Shopping Guide

The shopping experience, filled with a variety of goods at reasonable prices (bargained of course), is one of the main attractions that brings visitors to Thailand. However, you need to ensure that you go really prepared, armed with information about the products that greet you in Thailand shops, to make the best of your Thai shopping experience. So read on! 

Thai Handicrafts

Myriad interesting items will greet you in shops all over Thailand, including Sukhothai. You will find it difficult to choose between artistic items like artificial flowers, pearls, brassware, dolls and bronze ware. Typical Thai style gifts like aroma incense box sets, mulberry paper products and candles are much sought after.

Ceramics & Pottery

Sangkhalok stoneware with its bluish green colouring is very popular. The other well known Thai ceramic style is Bencharong porcelain which is five-coloured porcelain. Both local collectors and foreigners are avid buyers of both styles of Thai ceramic ware.

Traditional styles are replicated in all modern pottery works. The standard items that are made are dinner sets, vases, tea sets, lamp bases and other small souvenirs.

Antiques

Antique enthusiasts revel in the wide variety of antique items available in Thailand. The most frequent buys are pottery items, wood carvings, silverware and other handicraft items. Antiques from other neighbouring countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, China and Laos are also sold here. As in any other market the world over, both fakes and authentic items jostle for space in the shops. So be on your guard and if you are being assured of authenticity ask for proof of purchase and an assurance that you can return an item if not satisfied.

it is always better to buy expensive items from a proper shop than from a street vendor. If you do want to return it later, you will know where to find the dealer who sold it to you.  

Garments

Thailand has been exporting a lot of garments in recent times. Several factors like cheap raw materials coupled with fine workmanship and lovely designs make Thai garments a highly saleable commodity.

Lacquer Ware

Lacquer ware items are made using woven bamboo or wood. Several layers of lacquer are used on the final product to give it a smooth and shiny finish. The lacquer coating also makes the item durable. Laquerware items are decorated and embellished with designs and pictures made in gold and silver foil, mother of pearl, paints of various hues or even eggshells. Laquerware items are generally picture frames and utensils like trays, bowls, cups and other utensil shapes. Chiang Mai has the most number of lacquer ware factories in Thailand.

Leather Ware

Thailand has optimised its inherent resources of cheap labour and plentiful raw material. Skilfully made leather goods are available at reasonable prices at several shops in Sukhothai. Leather goods are an important part of Thailand's exports. Some countries import from Thailand and export them out again after branding the goods.

Pewter Ware

Thailand is known for good quality handmade lead free pewter ware. The popularity of Thailand's pewter ware is because of its composition consisting of 3% antimony and copper and the balance 97% being pure tin.

Wickerwork

Ingenious Thai craftsmen use a few indigenous plants to turn out exquisite pieces of furniture and various interesting wickerwork items. Some small souvenirs are also made using the same material.

Bulrush, sedge, rattan and bamboo are the most commonly used plants for this kind of work. Yan lipao, a southern fern vine, is used to make baskets. These wickerwork baskets are very popular with the tourist crowd.

Refined yan lipao is also used to weave handbags. These bags though not popular earlier are now regarded as a prized souvenir from Thailand. Yan lipao is also used to make other products like coasters, trays, picture frames, cigarette cases and even hats.

Wood Carving

Wood carving was practised in ancient Thailand around seven centuries ago in the Sukhothai period. The craft of woodcarving has been handed down through the years and is still practised. Traditional intricate patterns are still painstakingly and lovingly crafted by skilled craftspeople. Several wood carving workshops can be found in Thailand's northern provinces like Chiang Mai, Lampang, Nan and Phrae. Besides souvenirs and other ornamental items, several objects of everyday use like household utensils and furniture are also made by the craftspeople.

Si Satchanalai Traditional Gold

The craftsmen who craft traditional gold jewellery find inspiration from designs in the ruins in the Si Satchanalai Historical Park. A lot of skilled, intricate craftsmanship goes into the making of this kind of jewellery. These pieces are sold at gold shops in town.

Hadsial Cloth Materials

Hadsial Cloth in different hues and designs are made by the villagers from Hadsiao. This cloth lasts long and is thus very popular with tourists. Several shops inside the village itself sell Hadsial cloth.

Traditional Silverware 

Traditional silverware from Si Satchanalai is crafted in the same way golden ornaments are crafted. Extensive hand weaving and crafting result in exquisite pieces of silverware in popular traditional designs.

Pottery

In earlier days pottery was one of Sukhothai's main exports. The industry now thrives on purchases made by interested tourists. Taking photographs near the pottery kilns in the Sukhothai Historical Park is a favourite tourist activity.

Hat Siao Fabric

Hat Siao fabric, a hand woven cloth with embossed ends, can be bought in shops in Si Satchanalai. This cloth takes its name from the village where it is made. The weavers who weave Hat Siao fabric are descendants of Thai Phuan who migrated to this region from Laos.

Sangkhalok Ceramics

Traditional designs and colour schemes are followed very closely while making new Sangkhalok ceramic items. This attention to detail makes the new products as beautiful as the antique ones.

Thung Luang Terra Cotta, Gold and Silver Ornaments

Skilled jewellery workers reproduce traditional designs of the Si Satchanalai district in both silver and gold.