MEGA GUIDE to The International 2019 in Shanghai, China!
Comprehensive Guide for Shanghai TI9 Visitors
Heya /dota2, your resident bilingual Dota fan here, who brought you Chinese memes and interview translations over the past few TI's. With the advent of The International 9, many fans who are looking to attend the event live but have never visited Shanghai would understandably have many questions and concerns regarding the city. This guide was painstakingly written by yours truly to give ya'll an idea of what to expect during your visit and answer some common questions and concerns. Be warned that this is a REALLY long guide (9k words, no biggie) aimed towards first timers in Shanghai, if you’re a ticket holder and this is your first time visiting, make sure to read the whole thing as a fair few parts are interconnected.
If you have any specific questions that this guide doesn’t cover, feel free to ask any questions in the comments section or via the Shanghai TI9 Discord.
Introduction
Shanghai is one of the largest cities in the world, with a population of more than 24 million. Situated along China’s eastern coastline, Shanghai has a warm temperate climate, with July and August being our hottest months averaging 25-35 degrees Celsius. Rainy season usually ends by late June so we would expect typical hot summer weather during the event period, so dress accordingly.
Air pollution in Shanghai has seen a drastic reduction since 2010 in an effort to improve the city's image. Despite this improvement, it is still considered fairly polluted by global standards, and sensitive people might experience respiratory irritation, though if you’re from a developed city you probably won’t notice much difference. Also, indoor smoking has been recently banned in Shanghai, so smoking is only allowed in open-air environments or designated smoking areas.
In terms of commodity costs, China isn't as cheap as it used to be, and Shanghai’s definitely on the pricey end of the scale. That being said, you can always find a good deal on accommodation and food if you’re resourceful enough, though you might need a local friend to help you with that.
Compared to other parts of China, Shanghai has one of the highest overall prevalence of English speakers. Younger generations have at least a rudimentary grasp of English, and there’s a fairly large number of proficient users. Communication for basic things like directions and purchases shouldn’t be an issue.
One thing to note is that Shanghai isn’t just a tourist location for you, it’s a tourist hotspot for the rest of China as well. There’s easily a couple million domestic tourists in Shanghai on any given day, and to them, YOU are a tourist attraction, so try not to be bothered by the looks and attention. People in China are generally very welcoming and friendly towards foreigners, so if you’re in a pinch, just ask for help from passer-bys (particularly younger folk).
Preparations
1. Visa Before one books a flight to Shanghai, first thing you will need to do is look up the Visa application process to obtain a tourist visa to China. China’s visa application process is pretty straightforward without any particular hurdles, just fill up the relevant forms and attach the required documents. The main items you will need to prepare for the application would be your flight itinerary and hotel booking. Please note that in some countries, you may have to submit the application form in person or via mail to specific visa application centers, so make sure you do your research on the due process beforehand.
[Cost] Visa cost may vary between countries, usually ranging between USD$90 – 110, though I’ve seen some places pricing it at 150. Agency fees will apply if you apply through a travel agent, but that may be preferred to simplify the process if you find it hard to navigate through the embassy resources.
[Duration] Officially, visa processing time is slated to be 10-14 days, but it can often be processed as quickly as 2-3 days, depending on how busy the embassy is. Again, check with your country’s authorities, you may have to return to the visa application center to pick-up your passport/visa.
[Misc] Singapore, Brunei and Japan passport holders can enter China without a visa for a stay no more than 15 days. For those of you from countries with powerful passports, you may be unused to the paperwork to fill out, but it’s pretty simple to handle and shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes of your time.
2.Flight For flight booking, simply use your preferred website, skyscanner, booking, etc, to find the lowest fare available. Shanghai is a cosmopolitan city so there wouldn’t be any problems booking flights there, Pudong Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. Note however that there are two airports in Shanghai, Pudong International Airport (PVG) and HongQiao International Airport (SHA). Nowadays, HongQiao Airport is mostly for domestic flights, but if you’re flying from Eurasia, your flight may transit via another major inland city in China, which will possibly land you in HongQiao. If you’re travelling with friends via different flightpaths, make sure everyone’s booking to the right airport, because the two airports are pretty far apart on opposite ends of the city.
Should the air tickets to Shanghai be in short supply, alternative flight routes include flying to Hangzhou or Nanjing and taking a high speed rail to Shanghai. The high speed rail service in China is world-class and easy to navigate (do inquire if you’re going for this option, I’ll add another section if it’s in high demand), and it’s less than 2 hours travel time via the rail to Shanghai. If you wish to take this chance to tour around China a bit, this would be a good choice as you can visit multiple cities and see their unique history, culture and attractions (such as West Lake in Hangzhou).
3.Venue: Before we get to the hotel and accommodations, the venue needs to be looked at since I’m sure a lot of you will be looking to stay somewhere nearby. First off, here’s a google map of the venue and its surroundings. The stadium is conveniently located right beside a Metro station, China Art Museum Station. You will see the iconic Mercedez Benz Arena (MBA) building immediately when you step out of the station via exit 4 (I've personally verified it), and it is a mere 30 second walk to the stadium.
Located along the bank of the Huangpu River, the MBA is part of the expo grounds developed during the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. It boasts spectacular views of the city and the river, has a gorgeous park right next to it where you can go for a leisurely stroll, stunning architecture in every direction and rows upon rows of restaurants available in the adjacent River Mall Area 5. The entire area was developed for event purposes and its facilities are specifically constructed to cater to those needs.
HOWEVER, this also means that there are no hotels or residences within the immediate vicinity, since the district was entirely purposed as exhibition grounds. The nearest available accommodation would be budget hotels approximately 1km away, with decent hotels (4-stars) at least 1.5km away. Given how efficient the Shanghai Metro is, it is strongly recommended that you widen your hotel search radius and take advantage of the Metro system.
Please also note that food and drinks are not allowed to be brought into the Arena. While there is some leeway for small finger foods and mineral water, it is up to the discretion of the organizers/guards (i.e. if the venue ends up being a mess on day 1, they might enforce a stricter ban day 2 onwards. Keep the venue clean everyone!). Things like a Mcdonalds takeout bag are definitely not allowed. Food and drinks are available for sale inside the Arena, but at a hefty premium compared to standard local retail prices. For reference, a bottle of water sold inside would be about 15-18 rmb (2.50 USD), a grilled sausage is 10rmb (1.50 USD) etc.
4. Hotels/Accommodation In a city of 24 million, hotels are aplenty around Shanghai, with options available across all prices. As a reminder, your passport is mandatory for checking into any public accommodation in Shanghai, be it hotels or AirBnB. Also, while AirBnB is rising in Shanghai, unless you have a local friend helping you out, you may encounter communication issues with due processes during your stay, hence I would recommend sticking to hotels where formality is assured. [Edit] I've been informed that due to the new recycling laws enacted in July, budget and mid-range hotels no longer provide bathroom amenities by default, but are available on request. Please remember to ask for them before flaming them!
[Location Selection] The main priority you would have when choosing a hotel for the TI event would be the ease of commute to the venue. It is highly recommended that you search for a hotel that is close to a Metro line. To recap for those who skipped straight to this section, it is due to these main reasons:
The Arena is located in a special use district, with no hotels in the immediate vicinity
The closest hotels are approximately 1km away, and higher grade hotels even further.
With almost 18,000 spectators leaving the venue at the close of each day, you’ll face massive wait times for Uber. Public Transportation is your best bet. Check the transportation section for guidelines on how to access and navigate the metro.
The Arena’s station lies on Line 8 (blue line), which runs vertically through the city. You can reduce the hassle of changing lines by selecting accommodation solely along this metro line, but it would limit your options. I recommend that you use the map view when booking your hotels on your booking site of choice and try to find hotels within walking distance of a metro station (which honestly isn't hard because of the extensive metro coverage - see transportation section). The main locations where hotel prices are higher would be in the strip stretching from People’s Square to LuJiaZui (highlighted in yellow in the above link), due to their premium location in the heart of Shanghai’s iconic tourist hotspots. Beyond these areas, hotel prices are generally fairly uniform across the city.
[Hotel Grades & Chains] i.Budget hotels (USD 35-70) While there are even cheaper options, I would not recommend them as they run the risk of being sketchy motels or hostels with nothing but a bed. Most of them likely won’t have English-speaking staff either, and honestly you likely won’t find them on international booking sites, so don’t worry. There are a few budget hotel chains in Shanghai, such as HANTING and JINJIANG. These are typical budget hotels offering a simple room with standard utilities and daily room service, but likely do not include breakfast nor any sort of catering service (they might on the upper price end). Note that even within the same hotel chain, the quality of the hotel may vary significantly, so keep an eye on the photos when booking. In some low-budget cases, the room might not have an exterior window, but gaming addicts don’t need sunlight anyway.
ii.Midrange Hotels (USD 70-120) This is where you’ll find some international brands like Holiday Inn. These hotels are generally 3-4 star caliber, and would match international standards in terms of room quality. Typical hotels, not much to comment about them.
iii.Luxury Hotels (USD 120+) As a cosmopolitan city, Shanghai sports luxury hotels from all international hotel chains, such as Mariott, Ascott, Intercontinental etc. Beyond the luxuries these hotels offer, they are usually situated in shopping hubs or tourist hotspots, and you can be assured that they would have staff proficient in English. A personal recommendation I would make is the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel, which is absolutely stunning and located right next to Metro line 7, taking a mere 25 minutes to arrive at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
If you have any queries or questions about the hotel you’re booking, feel free to ask on Discord where Shanghai locals (myself included) will be able to answer you.
5.VPN and Data Plans Due to censorship laws and the Great Firewall of China, many commonly used social media platforms and search engines are blocked and/or throttled in China. Facebook, Google, Snapchat, Twitter, Youtube are all completely blocked. Google translate and maps are usable (via its Chinese platform translate.google.cn and maps.google.cn), Whatsapp is kinda-sorta banned but messages do go through occasionally (pictures and media definitely can’t). Reddit’s in the same boat, it’s banned but… sometimes it’s not? Anyway, bottomline is, if you want to access the internet as you do back home, there are two options:
Your home country’s local carrier has global roaming, and you’re fine with coughing up the dough for usage abroad. Check with your service provider to see if this is available. If you’re visiting for a short duration (i.e. main event only), this would be a good choice and price would vary based on your mobile plan. Because you’re using the network provided by your own country’s carrier, the global roaming is NOT subject to the firewall and you’d retain full access to the internet, which saves a lot of hassle.
If you use a network in China, such as connecting to local wifi/using a local sim card you purchased, you will have to utilize a VPN to access the blocked content. Contrary to popular belief, VPNs are NOT illegal to use in China. (What is illegal is if you sell a VPN service as a corporate entity without approval granted by the authorities). There are tons of VPNs available on the market, however the GFW is no slouch and do periodic banwaves that kills of a bunch every now and then. Make sure you do careful research on which ones are reliably usable before purchasing; the free ones tend to be either shady (data selling) or unreliable (unusable/poor connection). If you use a VPN service, make sure to install and ensure that it is working first before arriving in Shanghai, as those service providers’ websites might be blocked.
Protip: If you’re a University student, look up your university’s tech resources to see if they have a uni-access VPN for students abroad, particularly if your university has a strong Asian demographic. Given the large number of Chinese students abroad and the endemic problem of being unable to access University resources whilst on holidays back home, many Unis have set up official VPNs for use by their Chinese students, which you can make use of in this instance. Most US/CA/UK/AU institutions have this function and you can look it up.
6. Apps to prepare
Google Translate: Your best buddy if mandarin is basically moonrunes for you. Helps with basic communication which should cover most things you’ll encounter on your trip.
Pleco: Your second best buddy to help with communication, comes with voice functions, optical character recognition functions (when you see a signboard and have no clue what it means and you can’t type it out either), handwriting input (you can draw moonrunes into it) and many other functions that helps you overcome the language barrier
Didi: Basically Chinese Uber. Allows foreign credit card payment so one of the rare few apps that foreigners can work with. Visa/Mastercard/UnionPay only, not sure about AMEX.
Wechat: Chinese Whatsapp and Facebook rolled into one, you should set it up beforehand. This is THE most used app in China, just about everyone uses it and it is an essential means of communication. If you meet anyone you want to stay in touch with, add them through Wechat and you’re good to go. Perhaps someday you might even discover the fabled meme trove of China that is Wechat Stickers…
7.Money This warrants a special section because Shanghai has a unique case of being an essentially “Cashless” city. E-commerce is the predominant form of transaction in Shanghai, with virtually everyone making payments and transfers via wallet apps such as Alipay and Wechat. This has resulted in much lower amounts of circulated cash, and oftentimes small retails and cabbies may not hold enough spare change since barely anyone uses cash these days. While highly convenient, this becomes a challenge for foreign visitors as the process for linking the wallet app to a credit card requires verification from a local bank. There are a few ways one can make payments in China:
Domestic payment platforms such as Wechat/Alipay, if you are able to complete the verification process. This may be possible for some SEA nations with banks that are partnered with Unionpay.
Some international payment platforms such as ApplePay, SamsungPay are also accepted at larger chains (Starbucks, Mcdonalds etc)
Credit Cards are accepted at most large retail outlets, stores and restaurants, but some cards may not be accepted (Visa/Mastercard/Unionpay are fine)
Cash – ATM’s around the city do cater to foreign cards but there are transaction costs and withdrawal limits, I believe it’s around 2000 RMB per transaction (300USD) for foreign cards.
See also the section on transportation below for further information regarding travel payments.
Arrival in Shanghai
Once you have made the necessary preparations for your trip to Shanghai, next comes the part where you plan what to do while you’re here.
1.Airport Services There are a few things to take note of when you arrive at the Shanghai Airport. Security is pretty standard per international standards, and you won’t be subjected to TSA-style unsolicited colonoscopies. You may be requested to open your bags for a brief inspection, so please do not attempt to smuggle contraband (see section on China Law). If the border officer asks the purpose of your visit and doesn’t understand e-sports, just tell them you’re here to attend an exhibition. PSA due to recent bs on worldnews: No, you will NOT be asked to hand over your phone or electronic devices. No, you will not have any bullshit spyware forcibly installed on your phones, apple/google already did that for you. No, security doesn’t give a shit if you have porn on your devices. These measures are only applied to specific border crossings in one specific part of western China that is prone to conflict, and do not apply to 99% of China’s ports. Once you leave the gates, there might be a swathe of tourist peddlers asking if you need a cab, do make sure to ignore them and just follow the signs to the public transport facilities. The information desks at the airport all have English assistance so you can look to them for help. There are 3 main transportation options from Pudong Airport to the city – Cabs, Metro and the Maglev, as follows: 1. Cabs/Uber: The fare from Pudong Airport to the venue is approximately 150RMB (22USD), subject to variation based on time (night rate, peak hour jams etc). Depending on where your hotel is, you can approximate what your fare would likely be. I recommend that you print out the hotel address (In Chinese characters) for easy navigation with the driver. 2. Metro: Metro lines are available in both HongQiao and Pudong Airports, and easily accessed after exiting the gates. This is by far the cheapest option, costing a mere 3 – 5 RMB a trip (45-75 cents), though you will likely be facing a rather packed train. If you’re looking to minimize costs or if your hotel is near a metro line, this is the recommended way, though you will have to navigate your way through the metro map to the right station. 3. Maglev: The Shanghai Magnetic Levitation Rail, available only in Pudong Airport, is a short-distance rail that takes you from the Airport to Longyang Station, a transport hub close to the city. Costing 40 RMB (6 USD) for a ticket, the Maglev is a state-of-the-art transport that goes up to 430+ kph, covering the 30+ km (19miles) between stations in 7 minutes (which the metro line would otherwise take 40 minutes to traverse). If this is your first time in Shanghai, I highly recommend taking it at least once for the experience, not just for the speed but also that surreal /futurology moment when the magnets hum to life and you feel the train levitating.
2.Currency Exchange Next thing you might worry about is currency exchange. In the case that you did not prepare local currency, there is a currency exchanger in the airport; however the airport rates tend to be pretty pricey. In China, currency exchange is government controlled, which means there are no private retail currency exchangers as one might find in other countries. Instead, all currency exchange are performed through the banks. The bank’s rates all uniformly follow the central bank’s rate, which is highly competitive, and in most cases the exchange rate will likely be far better than in your own countries due to regulations against banks placing a premium on currency exchange. You may have to bring your passport to prove your identity, but beyond that you won’t need to worry about any procedural obstacles. A yearly exchange cap of US$50,000 per person applies for foreign cash exchange (does not apply to credit card transactions), but I don’t think that would apply to most of us attending the event.
3.Transport A. UbeDiDi Didi, which is basically Chinese Uber, is the go-to app in Shanghai for vehicular transport. There are other alternative apps but Didi is the most integrated in terms of english availability and, more importantly, allows use of international visa/mastercard credit payment. While Didi is a very convenient mode of transport around Shanghai, do note that it may not be the best choice for the event, as you’re looking at over 15,000 people leaving the venue at the close of each day, of which a sizable portion will be hailing private fares. If you rely on Didi/Uber, you might find yourself placed 200+ in the queue with an estimated wait time of over 2 hours… which is why I recommend seeking public transport to the venue.
B. Public Transport – Metro The Shanghai Metro is the most convenient form of transport in the city. With a huge network spanning across the city, there are few places in the metropolitan area that are beyond a 15 minute walk from any given station. One of the most efficient systems in the world, the Metro runs at intervals of approximately 3 minutes, down to 30 seconds during peak hours (commuters wanted more but safety concerns limited the frequency), so you don’t have to worry about missing one. Most lines operate between 5am to 11pm, with Line 2 (which connects to the airports/railway stations) running as late as 1.30am. During the late hours though, taxis/didi would be your only option.
All stations have signs in both English and Mandarin so you shouldn’t have many issues navigating your way around, though you should take note of which exit you want to take as some major stations can have over 20 exits and span a long distance. The metro can be really packed during peak hours – while not at Japan levels of sardine packing, you may find yourself queueing and missing a few trains before being able to board one yourself. Peak hours is usually 8am-9:30am and 5pm-6:30pm.
To use the Metro, you will need to purchase a Public Transport Card which looks like THIS. The card can be purchased at any metro station including the airport and costs 20 RMB (3 USD) that can be refunded upon return. You can then top up the card with whatever value needed. Do note that the Public Transport Card is usable across all official public transport (Metro, Buses, Official Taxis, Maglev) which makes it particularly convenient as you won’t have to worry about spare change, you can pay by just scanning the card, so keep that in mind when topping it. When refunding the card at the station upon leaving the country, do note that there will be a 5% surcharge on refunds above 10 RMB when returning the card.
C. Public Transport – Taxi There are a few different taxi companies in Shanghai, but the main reputable ones are 大众 (Cyan colour), 强生(Yellow or Red colour). The main taxi companies are affiliated with the Department of Transportation, allowing them to accept payment via the public transport card as described above. It is highly recommended to obtain a card for this purpose as many Taxi drivers might not keep much spare change for cash transactions, given the cashless city phenomenon. You can also book a taxi directly using Didi, which may sometimes be faster than finding a dedicated driver.
Change Taxi's if the taxi does not have a meter or if the driver asks to keep the fare off-meter. Do note however that it is customary for the driver to not activate the meter immediately out of courtesy to the passenger – they usually activate it after driving a few meters or after completing a u-turn, so don’t be alarmed. You shouldn't have to bargain for your fare, and never pay up-front. Some drivers may prefer not to pick up foreigners due to bad experiences with past passengers (drunken fare-skipper incidents etc) and many cabs are pre-booked via booking apps, so don’t be surprised when an empty cab appears to ignore you.
Unfortunately, most taxi drivers will not understand the slightest bit of English, so if you don't speak Mandarin, it's very useful to have a 'taxi card'. Most hotels will provide you with one, which contains the hotel's address for your return trip. It's best to keep small bills or change for taxi's, as taxi drivers won't usually have change. Taxi drivers do not expect a tip, nor will they ask for one, but they do appreciate if you round up the bill / forego the change.
D. Relevant Traffic laws and customs: Shanghai is notorious for its cutthroat driving etiquette where many drivers don’t use blinkers and the right of way goes to whoever gives less fucks. While the traffic culture has improved over the years with increased traffic police oversight, there are still many things that may take visitors for a surprise. If in doubt, stick to a crowd and you’ll be fine. First off is the right-turn rule in China, where cars can do a right turn (small turn) on a red light. So if you’re at a traffic junction, don’t assume safety of passage once the pedestrian light turns green, take note of your surroundings for ignorant drivers to ensure it is safe to cross. Alternatively, stick to a crowd and you’ll be fine. Secondly, there are a lot of cyclists/scooterists in Shanghai, and they have a tendency to think themselves above traffic laws with their maneuverability. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had a close shave with some asshole on a scooter blatantly ignoring a red light. There are bicycle lanes on most roads around Shanghai, so keep an eye out there when crossing roads, or just stick to a crowd and you’ll be fine.
4.Food Being a cosmopolitan city, Shanghai caters to all sorts of tastes and preferences when it comes to food. Local signature dishes include steamed soup dumplings, pan-fried buns, soysauce braised pork, baked sweet potato, drunken chicken and many others, while also sporting some of the best hotpots around. There are also innumerable restaurants serving foreign cuisines, ranging from Japanese, Korean, Western, Indian and various Southeast Asian cultures. There are restaurants that cater to vegetarians and halal requirements, and if all else fail, we have the bastions of American nutrition, McDonalds/KFC/Burger King.
[Food Hygiene and Sanitation] One might be understandably concerned about the sanitary conditions of food in China. Shanghai’s town council has aggressively tightened hygiene regulations over the past years, particularly after major food scandals which pretty much killed the street food business due to public fear (unethical assholes ruining things for everyone as usual). While there are definitely seedy places out there with questionable sanitation, you would be perfectly safe sticking to larger establishments. As a rule of thumb, find places with a decent crowd and you’re good to go. Largefancier restaurants are very safe as they do have a reputation to maintain, and most expat/tourist areas are closely vetted; generally if the restaurant has a budget for English menus it’s pretty safe.
[Water] Tap water in Shanghai needs to be boiled before consumption. Your hotel should have complementary drinks (you can always ring the reception for more, though budget/midrange hotels might limit it at two per day) and there is no shortage of convenience stores across the city where you can purchase drinks.
[Exotic Foods] Shanghai’s on the moderate end of the scale when it comes to exotic foods, so you won’t be finding some of the more extreme foodstuffs that shows up on fear factor. If you’re feeling adventurous during your stay however, you can try some of the local delicacies which oftentimes involve parts considered unusual in western culinary cultures. Braised chicken feet (called Phoenix Claws) is a hugely popular dish, along with pork liver, blood pudding, pork ears, ox tail soup and many more. China has a rich culinary culture with many recipes passed down over innumerable generations, and many dishes have some sort of background story behind them.
[Tipping] Some restaurants refuse tips, mostly because they’re unused to it and are accustomed to fully returning your change. However, tipping is becoming more common in the city, but mainly in high-end restaurants where a 10-15% service charge may be added to the bill. Elsewhere it is not expected.
[Misc] While food in Shanghai’s metropolitan area is quite clean by international standards, it is recommended that visitors bring some diarrhea medication along just in case of upset stomachs. For allergies, there are over-the-counter medications available in local pharmacies, but anything with adrenalin or corticosteroid (epipens etc) will require a doctor’s prescription at the hospital. (See section on Medical Services) For street food/small eateries, unless you have a Chinese E-wallet app, you will likely have to use cash payments as vendors may not have SWIFT payment available, so keep some loose change on you.
5.Alcoholic Beverages The legal drinking age in China is 18, and the Chinese are no strangers to the world’s favorite poison. Most restaurants serve beers which tend to be local brews like Tsingtao pale lager, priced around USD$1.5-3 a bottle. If you prefer western drinks, there are also several western bars in Shanghai, usually clustered around expat areas. A quick google search of shanghai bars will give you a rough idea of where they are, these places tend to be streetfront and very popular so you don’t have to worry about seedy joints. Keep in mind though that imported drinks will have a hefty premium tagged on them if you’re buying from a bar, so don’t expect cheap prices in this regard.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can try the local Baijiu (White Wine or Chinese Vodka), which is a spirit typically around 52% alcohol content (though some brands go as low as 38 and as high as 64). Keep in mind that Baijiu has a different “role” compared to western liquor - despite also being served in small glasses (about half a standard shot), it is usually consumed during a meal, as a complement to your course rather than a standalone beverage, though it also can be consumed that way.
Buyers beware, however, as Baijiu comes in many different varieties and grades, ranging from thousands of dollars a bottle to 4 dollars for a 5 Litre drum. Just like how vodka’s cheaper than water in Russia, some of the lower end brands are ridiculously cheap. However you get what you pay for, and I honestly cannot recommend the cheap brands in good faith, as they’re considered “fake wine” by locals (just a shitty alcohol mix, not a savory brew), so unless you’re really motivated to abuse your body and taste buds, I’d advise to stick to the more mainstream brands recommended by your Chinese peers or stores. For reference, a decent bottle would typically have a retail price of around 400+ RMB (60+USD), with more popular brands going past 800 RMB (120USD).
6.Sightseeing Shanghai, being a highly developed city, has a skyline predominantly filled with skyscrapers and vast expanses of concrete jungle, so sightseeing here is a pretty similar experience to say, New York City. I’ll briefly list a few popular tourist hotspots here – there are already many tourist guides out there for Shanghai that gives you a wealth of information, so I’ll keep this section simple.
The Bund - Pretty much the iconic heart of Shanghai, a must-see.
Lu Jia Zui/Oriental pearl Tower – The financial center on the opposite coast of the Bund, with most of Shanghai’s iconic skyscrapers and buildings.
Nanjing Road – The quintessential shopping avenue, stretching from the Bund to People’s Square (Note: You can directly take the metro from the Mercedez Benz Arena to People’s Square, then tour via People’s Square – Nanjing Road – The Bund. It’s a easily navigated path following one main road, and particularly beautiful at night. Highly recommended.)
Yu Garden – Classical Chinese Garden and tourist hotspot
Shanghai Museum / Shanghai Science and Technology Museum
Shanghai Wild Animal Zoo – I highly recommend a visit if you can spare the time, as they feature a safari-like experience where you travel in a bus directly through an open pasture where tigers roam freely. Oh and you can purchase a live chicken to feed the tigers with.
Zhujiajiao* – A classical old Chinese town with traditional Dynasty-era architecture. A fair distance away from the city center but worth a visit.
SheShan* – A thematic tourist area with a huge park, golf courses, and the recently opened Intercontinental Wonderland Hotel – the hotel that is built within an abandoned quarry, featuring a unique “pit” environment as well as underwater rooms. Highly recommended for Underlord spammers.
*: As these places are fairly far from the city center, it is recommended that you seek a tour guide or tour group when visiting, if only to help with communication and navigation.
7.Chinese Law This is probably the section that will attract the most memetic responses so I’ll keep it straight and simple – please be a responsible adult, as you would be when visiting ANY country. You’re here to attend an Esports event and have a good time watching some top-notch dota with the rest of the world. This enjoyment is similarly shared by everyone in the stadium regardless of race, country or culture. Everyone is here to celebrate something we all enjoy in equal measure, so please don’t let any political or cultural disagreements get in the way, because it doesn’t belong here. That being said, there are certain laws that a visitor should keep in mind:
1. Drugs & Contraband All narcotic substances are a BIG no-no here in China, and this includes marijuana. China has a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs after being subjected to massive narco-terrorism campaigns by colonial powers, which inflicted grievous damage to the nation and resulted in deep social and cultural enmity towards substance abuse. Please do not attempt to bring any narcotics into the country, even if they are legal in your home country. If caught in possession of drugs, you will be arrested on the spot, with penalties ranging from 15 days imprisonment (smoking weed) to capital punishment (trafficking heroin). This is the one line you REALLY do not want to fuck around with while in China, so don’t do it.
2. Censorship of politically sensitive topics I’ll first clarify one thing: It is NOT illegal to engage in discussions about certain politically sensitive topics in China, unlike what popular opinion on /worldnews claims. However, broadcasting it would put you at risk of getting in trouble with authorities (looking at you edgelords who wants to put dumb political discourse on camera at a Dota event), as it can be considered public disruption or even instigating public unrest, which may get you detained for a couple days while your embassy sorts you out. If you are particularly concerned about this for some reason, the below links provides a pretty good picture of what you can expect when discussing sensitive topics in China: Link 1Link 2
If it is your first time in Shanghai, you may well find the local populace to be very different from your preconceived notions, especially for younger generations who are generally more connected and well-informed of international news. I recommend that you keep an open mind coming into this beautiful city, and enjoy some awesome dota with the local fans.
Due to hitting the 40,000 character cap on reddit, the remaining sections are posted in the link above. Please make sure to read them as well!
Again, if you have any questions, you can ask me in this thread or via PM, or through the Shanghai TI9 Discord where several locals are available constantly to answer any queries you have. You can also find more information through a quick google or youtube search, there are many resources that explains things you might encounter on a visit to Shanghai. One thing though, don’t ever use /China as a source of info, it’s a heavily biased (if not openly racist) cesspool.
To close things off, I hope this guide would be helpful to those of you visiting Shanghai, and it wasn't too much of a bore to read. This guide ended up being far lengthier than I predicted when I started it as a voluntary work, but it'd be worth it if it can help dota fans who are coming over from all around the world enjoy TI9 just a bit more. Shoutout to David from Newbee for keeping me on track over the past weeks and Icefrog for nerfing Doom to the point that I stopped playing Dota and could actually pump this guide out. Can you unnerf him now please? P.S. If any team orgs would like assistance in setting up a social media presence in China on chinese platforms (to perhaps connect with and build up your chinese fanbase), do drop me a message via reddit DM!
Comprehensive Guide for Shanghai TI9 Visitors [UPDATED]
With TI9 less than 2 weeks away, there are some who are still ironing out their travel plans, hence I have reposted this mega guide as an effort to reach more audiences who may have missed the first iteration. For those who have read the first one, give this version a skim as well as a few new sections that have been added, based on feedback and suggestions from the previous thread.
Heya /dota2, your resident bilingual Dota fan here, who brought you Chinese memes and interview translations over the past few TI's. With the advent of The International 9, many fans who are looking to attend the event live but have never visited Shanghai would understandably have many questions and concerns regarding the city. This guide was written by yours truly to give ya'll an idea of what to expect during your visit and answer some common questions and concerns. Be warned that this is a REALLY long guide (9k words, no biggie) aimed towards first timers in Shanghai, if you’re a ticket holder and this is your first time visiting, make sure to read the whole thing as a fair few parts are interconnected.
If you have any specific questions that this guide doesn’t cover, feel free to ask any questions in the comments section or via the Shanghai TI9 Discord.
Introduction
Shanghai is one of the largest cities in the world, with a population of more than 24 million. Situated along China’s eastern coastline, Shanghai has a warm temperate climate, with July and August being our hottest months averaging 25-35 degrees Celsius. Rainy season usually ends by mid July so we would expect typical hot summer weather during the event period with occasional light rain. Note that rainy days in Shanghai can cause a sharp rise in humidity due to its coastal proximity, so dress accordingly.
Air pollution in Shanghai has seen a drastic reduction since 2010 in an effort to improve the city's image. Despite this improvement, it is still considered fairly polluted by global standards, and sensitive people might experience respiratory irritation, though if you’re from a developed city you probably won’t notice much difference. Also, indoor smoking has been recently banned in Shanghai, so smoking is only allowed in open-air environments or designated smoking areas.
In terms of commodity costs, China isn't as cheap as it used to be, and Shanghai’s definitely on the pricey end of the scale. That being said, you can always find a good deal on accommodation and food if you’re resourceful enough, though you might need a local friend to help you with that.
Compared to other parts of China, Shanghai has one of the highest overall prevalence of English speakers. Younger generations have at least a rudimentary grasp of English, and there’s a fairly large number of proficient users. Communication for basic things like directions and purchases shouldn’t be an issue.
One thing to note is that Shanghai isn’t just a tourist location for you, it’s a tourist hotspot for the rest of China as well. There’s easily a couple million domestic tourists in Shanghai on any given day, and to them, YOU are a tourist attraction, so try not to be bothered by the looks and attention. This is particularly prevalent when you go to common tourist attractions such as Disneyland Shanghai where the predominant demographic are domestic Chinese tourists, some of whom may be a bit rowdier than the norm. Overall though, people in China are generally very welcoming and friendly towards foreigners, so if you’re in a pinch, don’t be afraid to ask for help from officials or passer-bys (particularly younger folk).
Preparations (If you haven’t done these preparations yet, HURRY UP!)
1. Visa Before one books a flight to Shanghai, first thing you will need to do is look up the Visa application process to obtain a tourist visa to China. Costing approximately USD$90-110, China’s visa application process is pretty straightforward, just fill up the relevant forms and attach the required documents. The main items you will need to prepare for the application would be your flight itinerary and hotel booking. Please note that in some countries, you may have to submit the application form in person or via mail to specific visa application centers, so make sure you do your research on the due process beforehand.
Officially, visa processing time is slated to be 10-14 days, but it can often be processed as quickly as 2-3 days, depending on how busy the embassy is. Again, check with your country’s authorities, you may have to return to the visa application center to pick-up your passport/visa.
Singapore, Brunei and Japan passport holders can enter China without a visa for a stay no more than 15 days. For those of you from countries with powerful passports, you may be unused to the paperwork to fill out, but it’s pretty simple to handle and shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes of your time.
2.Flight For flight booking, simply use your preferred website, skyscanner, booking, etc, to find the lowest fare available. Shanghai is a cosmopolitan city so there wouldn’t be any problems booking flights there, Pudong Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. Note however that there are two airports in Shanghai, Pudong International Airport (PVG) and HongQiao International Airport (SHA). Nowadays, HongQiao Airport is mostly for domestic flights, but if you’re flying from Eurasia, your flight may transit via another major inland city in China, which will possibly land you in HongQiao. If you’re travelling with friends via different flightpaths, make sure everyone’s booking to the right airport, because the two airports are pretty far apart on opposite ends of the city.
Should the air tickets to Shanghai be in short supply, alternative flight routes include flying to Hangzhou or Nanjing and taking a high speed rail to Shanghai. The high speed rail service in China is world-class and surprisingly easy to navigate (do ask on discord if you want more information about this, where other locals can help you), and it’s less than 2 hours travel time via the rail to Shanghai. If you wish to take this chance to tour around China a bit, this would be a good choice as you can visit multiple cities and see their unique history, culture and attractions (such as West Lake in Hangzhou).
3.Venue: Before we get to the hotel and accommodations, the venue needs to be looked at since I’m sure a lot of you will be looking to stay somewhere nearby. First off, here’s a google map of the venue and its surroundings. The stadium is conveniently located right beside a Metro station, China Art Museum Station. You will see the iconic Mercedez Benz Arena (MBA) building immediately when you step out of the station via exit 4 (I've personally verified it), and it is a mere 30 second walk to the stadium.
Located along the bank of the Huangpu River, the MBA is part of the expo grounds developed during the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. It boasts spectacular views of the city and the river, has a gorgeous park right next to it where you can go for a leisurely stroll, stunning architecture in every direction and rows upon rows of restaurants available in the adjacent River Mall Area 5. The entire area was developed for event purposes and its facilities are specifically constructed to cater to those needs.
HOWEVER, this also means that there are no hotels or residences within the immediate vicinity, since the district was entirely purposed as exhibition grounds. The nearest available accommodation would be budget hotels approximately 1km away, with decent hotels (4-stars & above) at least 1.5km away. Given how efficient the Shanghai Metro is, it is strongly recommended that you widen your hotel search radius and take advantage of the Metro system.
Please also note that food and drinks are not allowed to be brought into the Arena. While there is some leeway for small finger foods and mineral water, it is up to the discretion of the organizers/guards (i.e. if the venue ends up being a mess on day 1, they might enforce a stricter ban day 2 onwards. Keep the venue clean everyone!). Things like a Mcdonalds takeout bag are definitely not allowed. Food and drinks are available for sale inside the Arena, but at a hefty premium compared to standard local retail prices. For reference, a bottle of water sold inside would be about 15-18 rmb (2.50 USD), a grilled sausage is 10rmb (1.50 USD) etc. Given that the tournament is a full-day event, you would presumably be allowed to leave the venue for lunch and return back to the arena, but whether its single entry or multiple entry hasn’t been announced yet.
4. Hotels/Accommodation In a city of 24 million, hotels are aplenty around Shanghai, with options available across all prices. As a reminder, your passport is mandatory for checking into any public accommodation in Shanghai, be it hotels or AirBnB. Also, while AirBnB is rising in Shanghai, unless you have a local friend helping you out, you may encounter communication issues with due processes during your stay, hence I would recommend sticking to hotels where formality is assured. Please also note that due to the new recycling laws enacted in July, budget and mid-range hotels no longer provide bathroom amenities such as toothbrushes by default, but are available on request. Please remember to ask for them at the service desk before flaming them!
[Location Selection] The main priority when choosing a hotel for the TI event would be the ease of commute to the venue. It is highly recommended that you search for a hotel that is close to a Metro line. To recap for those who skipped straight to this section, it is due to these main reasons:
The Arena is located in a special use district, with no hotels in the immediate vicinity
The closest hotels are approximately 1km away, and higher grade hotels even further.
With almost 18,000 spectators leaving the venue at the close of each day, you’ll face massive wait times for Uber. Public Transportation is your best bet. Check the transportation section for guidelines on how to access and navigate the metro.
The Arena’s station lies on Line 8 (blue line), which runs vertically through the city. You can reduce the hassle of changing lines by selecting accommodation solely along this metro line, but it would limit your options. I recommend that you use the map view when booking your hotels on your booking site of choice and try to find hotels within walking distance of a metro station (which honestly isn't hard because of the extensive metro coverage - see transportation section). The main locations where hotel prices are higher would be in the strip stretching from People’s Square to LuJiaZui (highlighted in yellow in the above link), due to their premium location in the heart of Shanghai’s iconic tourist hotspots. If this is your first time in the city and you don’t mind forking out a little more, I highly recommend staying in these districts as they offer a much more immersive experience of the city’s attractions. Beyond these areas, hotel prices are generally fairly uniform across the city.
[Hotel Grades & Chains] i.Budget hotels (USD 35-70) While there are even cheaper options, I would not recommend them as they run the risk of being sketchy motels or hostels with nothing but a bed. Most of them likely won’t have English-speaking staff either, and honestly you likely won’t find them on international booking sites, so don’t worry. There are a few budget hotel chains in Shanghai, such as HANTING and JINJIANG. These are typical budget hotels offering a simple room with standard utilities and daily room service, but likely do not include breakfast nor any sort of catering service (they might on the upper price end). Note that even within the same hotel chain, the quality of the hotel may vary significantly, so keep an eye on the photos when booking. In some low-budget cases, the room might not have an exterior window, but gaming addicts don’t need sunlight anyway.
ii.Midrange Hotels (USD 70-120) This is where you’ll find some international brands like Holiday Inn. These hotels are generally 3-4 star caliber, and would match international standards in terms of room quality. Typical hotels, meals and standard services fully available.
iii.Luxury Hotels (USD 120+) As a cosmopolitan city, Shanghai sports luxury hotels from all international hotel chains, such as Mariott, Ascott, Intercontinental etc. Beyond the lavish facilities these hotels offer, they are also usually situated in shopping hubs or tourist hotspots, and you can be assured that they would have staff proficient in English.
If you have any queries or questions about the hotel you’re booking, feel free to ask on Discord where Shanghai locals (myself included) will be able to answer you.
5.VPN and Data Plans Due to censorship laws and the Great Firewall of China, many commonly used social media platforms and search engines are blocked and/or throttled in China. Facebook, Google, Snapchat, Twitter, Youtube are all completely blocked. Google translate and maps are usable (via its Chinese platform translate.google.cn and maps.google.cn), Whatsapp is kinda-sorta banned but messages do go through occasionally (pictures and media definitely can’t). Bottomline is, if you want to access the internet as you do back home, there are two options:
Your home country’s local carrier has global roaming, and you’re fine with coughing up the dough for usage abroad. Check with your service provider to see if this is available. If you’re visiting for a short duration (i.e. main event only), this would be a good choice and price would vary based on your mobile plan. Because you’re using the network provided by your own country’s carrier, the global roaming is NOT subject to the firewall and you’d retain full access to the internet, which saves a lot of hassle.
If you use a network in China, such as connecting to local wifi/using a local sim card you purchased, you will have to utilize a VPN to access the blocked content. Contrary to popular belief, VPNs are NOT illegal to use in China. (What is illegal is if you sell a VPN service as a corporate entity without approval granted by the authorities). There are tons of VPNs available on the market, however the GFW is no slouch and do periodic banwaves that kills of a bunch every now and then. Make sure you do careful research on which ones are reliably usable before purchasing; the free ones tend to be either shady (data selling) or unreliable (unusable/poor connection). If you use a VPN service, make sure to install and ensure that it is working first before arriving in Shanghai, as those service providers’ websites might be blocked.
Protip: If you’re a University student, look up your university’s tech resources to see if they have a uni-access VPN for students abroad, particularly if your university has a strong Asian demographic. Given the large number of Chinese students abroad and the endemic problem of being unable to access University resources whilst on holidays back home, many Unis have set up official VPNs for use by their Chinese students, which you can make use of in this instance. Most US/CA/UK/AU institutions have this function and you can look it up.
Purchasing a Sim Card for local use: If you wish to purchase a Sim card from a local carrier (China Telecom or China Unicom), there are retailers present in the airports for convenient access. Sim cards plans are generally quite cheap, ranging around 6-15 USD a month, and usually with unlimited data. Might be a little more expensive for short-term prepay usage. Also, do note that passport identification is necessary for purchasing a number, so make sure to bring your passport along. 6. Apps to prepare
Google Translate: Your best buddy if mandarin is basically moonrunes for you. Helps with basic communication which should cover most things you’ll encounter on your trip.
Pleco: Your second best buddy to help with communication, comes with voice functions, optical character recognition functions (when you see a signboard and have no clue what it means and you can’t type it out either), handwriting input (you can draw moonrunes into it) and many other functions that helps you overcome the language barrier
Didi: Basically Chinese Uber. Allows foreign credit card payment so one of the rare few apps that foreigners can work with. Visa/Mastercard/UnionPay only, not sure about AMEX.
Wechat: Chinese Whatsapp and Facebook rolled into one, you should set it up beforehand. This is THE most used app in China, just about everyone uses it and it is an essential means of communication. If you meet anyone you want to stay in touch with, add them through Wechat and you’re good to go. Perhaps someday you might even discover the fabled meme trove of China that is Wechat Stickers…
7.Money This warrants a special section because Shanghai has a unique case of being an essentially “Cashless” city. E-commerce is the predominant form of transaction in Shanghai, with virtually everyone making payments and transfers via wallet apps such as Alipay and Wechat. This has resulted in much lower amounts of circulated cash, and oftentimes small retails and cabbies may not hold enough spare change since barely anyone uses cash these days. While highly convenient, this becomes a challenge for foreign visitors as the process for linking the wallet app to a credit card requires verification from a local bank. There are a few ways one can make payments in China:
Domestic payment platforms such as Wechat/Alipay, if you are able to complete the verification process. This may be possible for some SEA nations with banks that are partnered with Unionpay.
Some international payment platforms such as ApplePay, SamsungPay are also accepted at larger chains (Starbucks, Mcdonalds etc)
Credit Cards are accepted at most large retail outlets, stores and restaurants, but some cards may not be accepted (Visa/Mastercard/Unionpay are fine)
Cash – ATM’s around the city do cater to foreign cards but there are transaction costs and withdrawal limits, I believe it’s around 2000 RMB per transaction (300USD) for foreign cards.
As visitors likely won’t go through the trouble to set up e-commerce for a short trip, you will have to stick to cash and credit card payments. Just keep note of my comment above regarding low amounts of circulated cash, so if you’re predominantly using cash, try to keep a fair bit of spare change on you to avoid issues. See also the section on transportation below for further information regarding travel payments, as you will be using a metro card to pay travel fares.
Arrival in Shanghai
Once you have made the necessary preparations for your trip to Shanghai, next comes the part where you plan what to do while you’re here.
1.Airport Services There are a few things to take note of when you arrive at the Shanghai Airport. Security is pretty typical of international standards, and you won’t be subjected to TSA-style unsolicited colonoscopies. You may be requested to open your bags for a brief inspection, so please do not attempt to smuggle contraband (see section on China Law). If the border officer asks the purpose of your visit and doesn’t understand e-sports, just tell them you’re here to attend an exhibition. Make sure to follow the signs for foreign visitors prior to the immigration checkpoint, as you will have to fill out an entry card and register your fingerprint scans as part of due process. PSA due to recent bs on worldnews: No, you will NOT be asked to hand over your phone or electronic devices. No, you will not have any bullshit spyware forcibly installed on your phones, apple/google already did that for you. No, security doesn’t give a shit if you have porn on your devices. These measures are only applied to specific border crossings in one specific part of western China that is prone to conflict, and do not apply to 99% of China’s ports. Once you leave the gates, there might be a swathe of tourist peddlers asking if you need a cab, do make sure to ignore them and just follow the signs to the public transport facilities. The information desks at the airport all have English assistance so you can look to them for help. There are 3 main transportation options from Pudong Airport to the city – Cabs, Metro and the Maglev, as follows: 1. Cabs/Uber: The fare from Pudong Airport to the venue is approximately 150RMB (22USD), subject to variation based on time (night rate, peak hour jams etc). Depending on where your hotel is, you can approximate what your fare would likely be. I recommend that you print out the hotel address (In Chinese characters) for easy navigation with the driver. 2. Metro: Metro lines are available in both HongQiao and Pudong Airports, and easily accessed after exiting the gates. This is by far the cheapest option, costing a mere 3 – 5 RMB a trip (45-75 cents), though you will likely be facing a rather packed train. If you’re looking to minimize costs or if your hotel is near a metro line, this is the recommended way, though you will have to navigate your way through the metro map to the right station. 3. Maglev: The Shanghai Magnetic Levitation Rail, available only in Pudong Airport, is a short-distance rail that takes you from the Airport to Longyang Station, a transport hub close to the city. Costing 40 RMB (6 USD) for a ticket, the Maglev is a state-of-the-art transport that goes up to 430+ kph, covering the 30+ km (19miles) between stations in 7 minutes (which the metro line would otherwise take 40 minutes to traverse). If this is your first time in Shanghai, I highly recommend taking it at least once for the experience, not just for the speed but also that surreal /futurology moment when the magnets hum to life and you feel the train levitating.
2.Currency Exchange Next thing you might worry about is currency exchange. In the case that you did not prepare local currency, there is a currency exchanger in the airport; however the airport rates tend to be pretty pricey. In China, currency exchange is government controlled, which means there are no private retail currency exchangers as one might find in other countries. Instead, all currency exchanges are performed through the banks. The banks’ rates uniformly follow the central bank’s rate, which is highly competitive, and in most cases the exchange rate will likely be far better than in your own countries due to regulations against banks placing a premium on currency exchange. You may have to bring your passport to prove your identity, but beyond that you won’t need to worry about any procedural obstacles. A yearly exchange cap of US$50,000 per person applies for foreign cash exchange (does not apply to credit card transactions), but I don’t think that would apply to most of us attending the event.
3.Transport A. UbeDiDi Didi, which is basically Chinese Uber, is the go-to app in Shanghai for vehicular transport. There are other alternative apps but Didi is the most integrated in terms of english availability and, more importantly, allows use of international visa/mastercard credit payment. While Didi is a very convenient mode of transport around Shanghai, do note that it may not be the best choice for the event, as you’re looking at over 15,000 people leaving the venue at the close of each day, of which a sizable portion will be hailing private fares. If you rely on Didi/Uber, you might find yourself placed 200+ in the queue with an estimated wait time of over 2 hours… which is why I recommend seeking public transport to the venue.
B. Public Transport – Metro The Shanghai Metro is the most convenient form of transport in the city. With a huge network spanning across the city, there are few places in the metropolitan area that are beyond a 15 minute walk from any given station. One of the most efficient systems in the world, the Metro runs at intervals of approximately 3 minutes, down to 30 seconds during peak hours (commuters wanted more but safety concerns limited the frequency), so you don’t have to worry about missing one. Most lines operate between 5am to 11pm, with Line 2 (which connects to the airports/railway stations) running as late as 1.30am. During the late hours though, taxis/didi would be your only option.
All stations have signs in both English and Mandarin so you shouldn’t have many issues navigating your way around, though you should take note of which exit you want to take as some major stations can have over 20 exits and span a long distance. The metro can be really packed during peak hours – while not at Japan levels of sardine packing, you may find yourself queueing and missing a few trains before being able to board one yourself. Peak hours is usually 8am-9:30am and 5pm-6:30pm. Do note that there are baggage scans in every station, and anything larger than a purse will have to be scanned.
To use the Metro, you will need to purchase a Public Transport Card which looks like THIS. The card can be purchased at any metro station including the airport and costs 20 RMB (3 USD) that can be refunded upon return. You can then top up the card with whatever value needed. Do note that the Public Transport Card is universally usable across all official public transport in Shanghai (Metro, Buses, Official Taxis, Maglev) which makes it particularly convenient as you won’t have to worry about spare change, you can pay by just scanning the card, so keep that in mind when topping it. When refunding the card at the station upon leaving the country, do note that there will be a 5% surcharge on refunds above 10 RMB when returning the card.
C. Public Transport – Taxi There are a few different taxi companies in Shanghai, but the main reputable ones are 大众 (Cyan colour), 强生(Yellow or Red colour). The main taxi companies are affiliated with the Department of Transportation, allowing them to accept payment via the public transport card as described above. It is highly recommended to obtain a card for this purpose as many Taxi drivers might not keep much spare change for cash transactions, given the cashless city phenomenon. You can also book a taxi directly using Didi, which may sometimes be faster than finding a dedicated driver.
Change Taxi's if the taxi does not have a meter or if the driver asks to keep the fare off-meter. Do note however that it is customary for the driver to not activate the meter immediately out of courtesy to the passenger – they usually activate it after driving a few meters or after completing a u-turn, so don’t be alarmed. You shouldn't have to bargain for your fare, and never pay up-front. Some drivers may prefer not to pick up foreigners due to bad experiences with past passengers (drunken fare-skipper incidents etc) and many cabs are pre-booked via booking apps, so don’t be surprised when an empty cab appears to ignore you.
Unfortunately, most taxi drivers will not understand the slightest bit of English, so if you don't speak Mandarin, it's very useful to have a 'taxi card'. Most hotels will provide you with one, which contains the hotel's address for your return trip. It's best to keep small bills or change for taxi's, as taxi drivers won't usually have change. Taxi drivers do not expect a tip, nor will they ask for one, but they do appreciate if you round up the bill / forego the change.
D. Relevant Traffic laws and customs: Shanghai is notorious for its cutthroat driving etiquette where many drivers don’t use blinkers and the right of way goes to whoever gives less fucks. While the traffic culture has improved over the years with increased traffic police oversight, there are still many things that may take visitors for a surprise. If in doubt, stick to a crowd and you’ll be fine. First off is the right-turn rule in China, where cars can do a right turn (small turn) on a red light. So if you’re at a traffic junction, don’t assume safety of passage once the pedestrian light turns green, take note of your surroundings for ignorant drivers to ensure it is safe to cross. Alternatively, stick to a crowd and you’ll be fine. Secondly, there are a lot of cyclists/scooterists in Shanghai, and they have a tendency to think themselves above traffic laws with their maneuverability. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had a close shave with some asshole on a scooter blatantly ignoring a red light. There are bicycle lanes on most roads around Shanghai, so keep an eye out there when crossing roads, or just stick to a crowd and you’ll be fine.
4.Food Being a cosmopolitan city, Shanghai caters to all sorts of tastes and preferences when it comes to food. Local signature dishes include steamed soup dumplings, pan-fried buns, soysauce braised pork, baked sweet potato, drunken chicken and many others, while also sporting some of the best hotpots around. There are also innumerable restaurants serving foreign cuisines, ranging from Japanese, Korean, Western, Indian and various Southeast Asian cultures. There are restaurants that cater to vegetarians and halal requirements, and if all else fail, we have the bastions of American nutrition, McDonalds/KFC/Burger King.
[Food Hygiene and Sanitation] One might be understandably concerned about the sanitary conditions of food in China. Shanghai’s town council has aggressively tightened hygiene regulations over the past years, particularly after major food scandals which pretty much killed the street food business due to public fear (unethical assholes ruining things for everyone as usual). While there are definitely seedy places out there with questionable sanitation, you would be perfectly safe sticking to larger establishments. As a rule of thumb, find places with a decent crowd and you’re good to go. Largefancier restaurants are very safe as they do have a reputation to maintain, and most expat/tourist areas are closely vetted; generally if the restaurant has a budget for English menus it’s pretty safe.
[Water] Tap water in Shanghai needs to be boiled before consumption. Your hotel should have complementary drinks (you can always ring the reception for more, though budget/midrange hotels might limit it at two per day) and there is no shortage of convenience stores across the city where you can purchase drinks.
[Exotic Foods] Shanghai’s on the moderate end of the scale when it comes to exotic foods, so you won’t be finding some of the more extreme foodstuffs that shows up on fear factor. If you’re feeling adventurous during your stay however, you can try some of the local delicacies which oftentimes involve parts considered unusual in western culinary cultures. Braised chicken feet (called Phoenix Claws) is a hugely popular dish, along with pork liver, blood pudding, pork ears, ox tail soup and many more. China has a rich culinary culture with many recipes passed down over innumerable generations, and many dishes have some sort of background story behind them.
[Tipping] Some restaurants refuse tips, mostly because they’re unused to it and are accustomed to fully returning your change. However, tipping is becoming more common in the city, but mainly in high-end restaurants where a 10-15% service charge may be added to the bill. Elsewhere it is not expected.
[Misc] While food in Shanghai’s metropolitan area is quite clean by international standards, it is recommended that visitors bring some diarrhea medication along just in case of upset stomachs. For allergies, there are over-the-counter medications available in local pharmacies, but anything with adrenalin or corticosteroid (epipens etc) will require a doctor’s prescription at the hospital. (See section on Medical Services) For street food/small eateries, unless you have a Chinese E-wallet app, you will likely have to use cash payments as vendors may not have SWIFT payment available, so keep some loose change on you.
5.Alcoholic Beverages The legal drinking age in China is 18, and the Chinese are no strangers to the world’s favorite poison. Most restaurants serve beers which tend to be local brews like Tsingtao pale lager, priced around USD$1.5-3 a bottle. If you prefer western drinks, there are also several western bars in Shanghai, usually clustered around expat areas. A quick google search of shanghai bars will give you a rough idea of where they are, these places tend to be streetfront and very popular so you don’t have to worry about seedy joints. Keep in mind though that imported drinks will have a hefty premium tagged on them if you’re buying from a bar, so don’t expect cheap prices in this regard.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can try the local Baijiu (White Wine or Chinese Vodka), which is a spirit typically around 52% alcohol content (though some brands go as low as 38 and as high as 64). Keep in mind that Baijiu has a different “role” compared to western liquor - despite also being served in small glasses (about half a standard shot), it is usually consumed during a meal, as a complement to your course rather than a standalone beverage, though it also can be consumed that way.
Buyers beware, however, as Baijiu comes in many different varieties and grades, ranging from thousands of dollars a bottle to 4 dollars for a 5 Litre drum. Just like how vodka’s cheaper than water in Russia, some of the lower end brands are ridiculously cheap. However you get what you pay for, and I honestly cannot recommend the cheap brands in good faith, as they’re considered “fake wine” by locals (just a shitty alcohol mix, not a savory brew), so unless you’re really motivated to abuse your body and taste buds, I’d advise to stick to the more mainstream brands recommended by your Chinese peers or stores. For reference, a decent bottle would typically have a retail price of around 400+ RMB (60+USD), with more popular brands going past 800 RMB (120USD).
6.Chinese Law This is probably the section that will attract the most memetic responses so I’ll keep it straight and simple – please be a responsible adult, as you would be when visiting ANY country. You’re here to attend an Esports event and have a good time watching some top-notch dota with the rest of the world. This enjoyment is similarly shared by everyone in the stadium regardless of race, country or culture. Everyone is here to celebrate something we all enjoy in equal measure, so please don’t let any political or cultural disagreements get in the way, because it doesn’t belong here. That being said, there are certain laws that a visitor should keep in mind:
1. Drugs & Contraband All narcotic substances are a BIG no-no here in China, and this includes marijuana. China has a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs, after a ugly period of being subjected to massive narco-terrorism campaigns by colonial powers, which inflicted grievous damage to the nation and resulted in deep social and cultural enmity towards substance abuse. Please do not attempt to bring any narcotics into the country, even if they are legal in your home country. If caught in possession of drugs, you will be arrested on the spot, with penalties ranging from 15 days imprisonment (smoking weed) to capital punishment (trafficking heroin). This is the one line you REALLY do not want to fuck around with while in China, so don’t do it.
2. Censorship of politically sensitive topics I’ll first clarify one thing: It is NOT illegal to engage in discussions about certain politically sensitive topics in China, unlike what popular opinion on /worldnews claims. However, broadcasting it would put you at risk of getting in trouble with authorities (looking at you edgelords who wants to put dumb political discourse on camera at a Dota event), as it can be considered public disruption or even instigating public unrest, which may get you detained for a couple days while your embassy sorts you out. If you are particularly concerned about this for some reason, the below links provides a pretty good picture of what you can expect when discussing sensitive topics in China: Link 1Link 2
If it is your first time in Shanghai, you may well find the local populace to be very different from your preconceived notions, especially for younger generations who are generally more connected and well-informed of international news. I recommend that you keep an open mind coming into this beautiful city, and enjoy some awesome dota with the local fans.
Due to hitting the 40,000 character cap on reddit, the remaining sections are posted in the link above. Please make sure to read them as well!
Again, if you have any questions, you can ask me in this thread or via PM, or through the Shanghai TI9 Discord where several locals are available constantly to answer any queries you have. You can also find more information through a quick google or youtube search, there are many resources that explains things you might encounter on a visit to Shanghai. One thing though, don’t ever use /China as a source of info, it’s a heavily biased (if not openly racist) cesspool.
To close things off, I hope this guide would be helpful to those of you visiting Shanghai, and it wasn't too much of a bore to read. This guide ended up being far lengthier than I predicted when I started it as a voluntary work, but it'd be worth it if it can help dota fans who are coming over from all around the world enjoy TI9 just a bit more. Shoutout to David from Newbee and everyone who has contributed suggestions to make this guide more complete. I look forward to seeing you all at TI9!
My in-depth guide on how I make over $500 a month thrifting and flipping/reselling quality men's shoes.
Disclaimer:I have no affiliate links, no plugs, and nothing to sell you. I am working on a freebie in exchange for email sign-ups for my website, but this is down the road when I actually get things off the ground. This is some practice, plus sharing helps the world go round. Of all my random endeavors, I'd say my most successful (and enjoyable) has been thrifting and flipping sartorial footwear. It's not the sexiest side-project, and I'm not living on my earnings, but it has done far better than I first expected. To simplify it all, I find high-quality men's dress shoes, repair and/or clean them, and sell them. I also thrift menswear items and do some resale, however a lot of that is for my own wardrobe. This isn't a massive enterprise, although my last month has been my most profitable to date ($500 in earnings, which is about $400 in profits), and I'm hoping to take things more serious moving forward. Link to stats:https://imgur.com/q8gC2pI- I've actually just passed this and am nearing $700 in earnings. I think I've stuck with this more than other endeavors because 1), its almost immediately profitable, and 2), I honestly enjoy it, so it doesn't feel like to huge chore to for look and list items. Having a little extra here and there certainly helps fund other hobbies and interests. If you're interested in fashion, want some extra money, or want to seriously fund a project you're working on, you might find thrifting and flipping can do just that.
The process
If you've ever flipped something before, it's pretty much the same idea: find something at a low, discounted price, make any required repairs or fixes, make it look presentable, and sell it at a higher price than you bought it. I choose quality shoes because compared to items like t-shirts, coats, oxfords, and pants, they are available at a low price point, hold onto their value better (generally), are pretty durable, clean up well, and just resell better than the rest. Here's my general workflow when it comes to buying, fixing up, and selling shoes. The rest of this guide is broken up into these 8 sections.
Hit up a thrift store: thrift stores are your haven. Some days, you might come home with five pairs of fantastic shoes in near-perfect quality. Some days you'll come back with nothing and broken dreams. Others, you'll get annoyed that there's nothing worth buying and you end up buying an overpriced pair of crap boots you know you shouldn't have bought. Regardless, thrift stores are where you'll do most of your hunting due to their lower prices.
Searching for shoes: following a number of criteria, you will search for quality shoes that can be resold, and require minimal work to do so. Shoes of a certain brand, quality, model, condition, colour, leather, etc. will sell better than others. It sounds obvious, I know, but it's important to take this into consideration. Shoes that look 'cool' to you might be worth nearly nothing, while that beat up pair of oxfords might be worth $300 to the right buyer after a good cleanup. I'll give you a number of criteria so you can identify what's worth buying.
Purchasing the shoes: once you've found a pair (or two, or three), now you need to see if the price they're being sold for is worth it. I've never been to a thrift store where I can haggle, so my advice to you is to not bother unless it is stated. eBay is your friend. Download the app and under the additional search criteria, click on 'Sold Items'. This gives you items that fall within your search query that have already sold, so you know what prices buyers might buy for a similar item.
Get them home and do additional research: you'll get better at this with time, so you'll need to do less and less research before/after you buy a pair of shoes. Once you're home, take a look not only at how much the shoe sells for, but what type of leather the shoe is made from, the welt (how the leather part of the shoe is attached to the sole of the shoe), the style of shoe, etc. This isn't just education for your sake; knowing the various properties and * of the shoe will help you describe it better in your selling descriptions on eBay and other sites.
Clean the shoes and apply leather conditioner: I'll provide more in-depth instructions, but you'll take time to use leather cleaner (water works in less severe cases) and leather conditioner, along with a brushing with a good horse hair brush to give the shoe some shine and encourage oils to spread throughout the leather. You may or may not want to polish the shoes with shoe polish, but 95% of the time I don't bother. In certain cases, you may want to apply some shoe stain or polish that matches the colour of the shoe to hide scuff marks.
List items online: there is no end to what site you can list your goods. For the most exposure, I recommend eBay. There are a number of tips to help you determine a final price, and how to optimize your listings and get exposure.
Package and ship them out: I admit I could do better here than I am currently, but I'll share what I currently do to ship out shoes.
Profit!
Let's begin. Please excuse any mistakes; I'm going to go over this a few times. It's also a bit long, but I haven't added anything that isn't important if you want to take this a little more seriously than others.
1. Hitting up a thrift store
Thrift stores acquire goods through a number of different sources. Some are donated direct to the store, while other times dry cleaners with past-due clothes will donate the clothing. Those charity boxes where you donate clothes (think for cancer, diabetes, etc.) also give these clothes to thrift stores like Value Village (or are actually owned by the company) and they sell it for a profit. No matter where these items come from, they'll be available to you at a discounted price. Obviously, used goods will be cheaper than brand-new, and shoes are no exception. I live in Canada, so I don't have access to the same number of discount/thrift stores you'll find in the US, however my favourite tends to be Value Village, simply due to the fact that their stores are much larger than other chains, and generally have a well rotated shelf. You can go into a Value Village one day and the next they'll have a few new items to check out. Some tips for thrifting:
Go during your work lunch, on your way from work, or early on weekends. Don't bother going at the same time everyone else does, which is sometime after work in the evenings, or later in the day on weekends.
Have an understanding of stocking size. Shelves at thrift stores are generally a set size. This means if a shelf can hold a maximum of 20 items, it will only every house 20 items. If a store has a small shelf dedicated to men's shoes and they don't sell many of them or cycle through them, you won't find new items. Check locations with larger shelves/more stock more often and make the most of your time.
See how often new items come out, and when. Thrift stores don't usually work like clock work, however there are vague schedules when new items come onto the floor, or when items are rotated in and out. If you're aware that someone stocks new items sometime in the morning before noon, for example, try timing your visits to take advantage of these facts.
Go out at least 3 times a week, and not to the same location. Make this a habit. Go when you can, even if it is on a weekend, but use the previous rules to thrifting to make the most out of your time.
Don't be discouraged. You will find nothing some times. You will also come back with more than you can managed. Understand that it is all luck, with a little strategy. If you remember this, that there are ups and downs (just like life), you'll do fine.
Try to hit up areas with an older, more wealthy population. Thrift stores ship out stock between locations to ensure they have relatively full shelves. However, much of what is donated in an area is kept there to be sold. That means if you go to a thrift store where the populace is older (is more willing to own older or higher-quality goods to some degree) and wealthier (has disposable income and may rotate through old goods quickly), you might have more luck. Areas with a high student population are often picked clean, although sartorial goods aren't always picked through.
Give yourself time. Give yourself at least twenty minutes if there is a sizable shelf for shoes. I like to give myself half an hour at a thrift store to check out everything, but if you're just selling shoes, twenty minutes is enough.
If you take just one thing away from this sections, it is time. Hit up stores regularly, and don't rush yourself.
2. Searching for shoes
Please refer to section 4's 'Beginner Shoe Brand List'. Use that list as a guide to find shoes. Use that same section's 'Signs of Quality' list to understand what some of the hallmarks are of a good shoe. Please, take a look at these shoe brands, take a look at the hallmarks of what makes a quality shoe, and use this information to inform your purchasing habits.
Discard your perspective that thrift store goods are filthy and disgusting. Sure, goods like clothing don't smell great (luckily shoes often don't smell), but it doesn't mean they're unwashable/untreatable. You'll never find the good stuff if you let a few off-smells scare you.
Look at the men's shoes section, but don't ignore the woman's shoes as well. I don't mean look at all the woman's shoes (unless you want to get into woman's shoes, which is certainly a profitable niche), but look out for mislabeled shoes and boots that could be male. Shoes without heels, are generally larger, and have less feminine features could possible me male shoes, so keep your eye out.
Check out the showcase/high-end sections. You can find some good items in these areas, but be careful. They sections are notorious for counterfeit items, but only for the designepopular brands. When dealing with dress shoes, this isn't as much of an issue, but if you see a pair of Gucci loafers, take into consideration that you might be looking at a fake. Also, although an item might be genuine, it might be priced too high for the risk to be worth it.
Dirty or scuffed shoes aren't write-offs. A little dirt might be masking a wonderful pair of shoes underneath. What looks dirty and dull can, more often than not, be restored with a little water, leather cleaner, leather conditioner, or polish. With time, you'll be able to spot what can be fixed, cleaned and restored, and what isn't worth your time. For example, shoes and boots made of chromexcel or 'pull-up' leather can look nearly brand-new after some leather conditioneoil, and a good brushing. What looks horrible on the shelve will always look better once you've done the bare minimum restoration work.
But don't just pickup a pair to take home without checking for less than apparent issues. Check the entire shoe for damage that might discourage buyers.
Look at the underside of the shoe; the sole. Is there a visible welt (a line of thread around the perimeter of the shoe)? How worn is it? Is it almost gone, reduced to mere dots of thread? Are the soles showing heavy cracking or damage? Do you see any cork on the bottom of the shoe? Any holes? Are any layers of the sole separating or breaking apart?
Look to the sides of the shoes, then the top. Are there any cuts or cracks in the leather (cuts and cracks are different than creases, as this has compromised the leather and cannot be fixed in the vast majority of cases)? Any heavy discolouration that seems to be deeper than surface level? Any heavy scuffing that cuts deeper into the leather? Any marker or paint stains? Have any seams (especially on the back of the shoe) begun to come loose? Did the previous owner step on the back lip of the shoe?
Look on the inside of the shoe. Does the inside shoe heavy discolouration (from sweat, pressure, general age, etc.)? Are there any large tears? Anything that looks really off? Is any leather peeling away along any seems?
Use your senses when trying to determine if a shoe is worth buying. Many of your purchase decisions will be made by identifying a shoe's brand name and model, but there are times where it's more difficult than that to determine more about the shoe. You'll need to get a feeling of the overall quality, and various unique features of the shoe to tell you more about it. Touch the shoe's leather, see if the inside is lined or unlined, if it has a quality welt...all of these indicators might tell you if your shoe might sell well online by a buyer who knows what they're looking for. Just because its not on eBay, or hasn't sold on eBay, doesn't mean it won't sell.
3. Purchasing shoes
Honestly, there isn't much to say here. If it's an independent thrift store that allows haggling, feel free to do so. I've dealt with consignment shops that are open to budging a bit, but that's about it. My rule of thumb when buying shoes to resale is to sell the shoe for at least x3 it's original cost. If a shoe costs $20, I should feel confident that I can sell it for at least $60. The pricing on shoes seems to be very haphazard, even at chains, and these companies often price well known designer brands highly, but lesser known ones they have no idea.
4. Take them home and do additional research
Before I get deep into this section, I'd like you to think about how often you see these brands. Aldo, GEOX, Ecco, H&M, Dockers, Old Navy, American Eagle, Steve Madden, Call it Spring, Zara, Rockport, George. These brands are what I generally refer to as 'fast fashion' brands (GEOX and Ecco aren't per se, but you'll find your fair share of their plasticky, misshapen shoes donated, anyways). They really won't make you money unless they're in perfect condition (ideally with price stickers still intact) or are a limited run, disproportionately popular model, part of a collab, or are made in countries associated with higher-quality menswear (Italy, Bulgaria, Spain, Portugal, etc.) My advice: don't buy them. Okay, fine. So what should you buy? Let's start with the importance of brands in evaluating worthwhile footwear. Brands are important when dealing with men's shoes for a number of reasons.
Story: All brands have a history; a story. Some are quite interesting; others...not so much. Some companies will buy the rights to old, historic brands, just so they can say they have over 100 years of heritage (you wouldn't believe how rampant this is in the watch world). Think Viberg, Rancourt, Allen Edmonds, etc.
Clout: Especially relevant to designer items, you're paying more for the prestige behind the name. This doesn't always (or often) mean an item is of higher quality. Think Gucci, Prada, etc.
Quality: Some brands are known for better quality goods. Quality is subjective, of course, but there are a few markers to watch out for. You can generally expect a shoe from Allen Edmonds (at least their vintage shoes till now) to be of excellent quality compared to what the average consumer wears. Think Vass, Edward Green, etc.
Materials: Some materials are simply more expensive to source, purchase, and to work with.
Production Location: Brands produce their shoes in various countries. Some are known to only create goods in countries associated with ethical treatment, which increases cost.
Production Methods: Some brands make their shoes fully, or partially, by hand (also called 'benchmade'. This increases cost and generally means you're looking at a quality piece of footwear.
When a retailer sells you a shoe, the price is based on a combination of these factors. It's just like with purses, clothing...you name it, these factors dictate price and worth to consumers. When you're buying a designer brand of nearly anything, you're usually paying a premium for the story behind the brand and for the clout associated with it. If you see the brands below in good quality (not deep gashes, cuts, heavy discoloration, heavy sole damage, etc.) : A Beginners Shoe Brand List
Red Wings
Wolverine
Johnston & Murphy: If they are vintage are are in good condition, or have a goodyear welt, buy them.
Allen Edmonds
Cole Haan: This one's tricky. If they're not made in India and don't have a rubber sole, they're likely a good purchase.
Florsheim: Also difficult. If not made in India, consider them.
Salvatore Ferragamo
Hugo Boss: Hit or miss. Some mainline series aren't fantastic, but a few show high-quality construction.
Alden
Carmina
Loake
Meermin
Herring
Beckett Simonon
Charles Tyrwhitt
Dack's: Generally a good buy if the style isn't too dated.
Grenson
Frye
Common Projects
Bally
Crockett & Jones
Trickers
John Varvatos: Made in the US or Italy are of higher quality.
Aquatalia: Hit or miss, as their shoes quality can be all-over the place.
Chippewa
Grant Stone
Church's
Tod's
Rancourt
Alfred Sargent
Oak Street Bootmaker
R.M. Williams
Vass
Viberg
For the most part, I have excluded items that even if you see, you should consider that they might be replicas. Brands like Gucci and Prada are notorious for this. As great as brands are, there will be some that don't come up very often. Sure, an eBay search can help, but will be times when you stumble upon something incredible, but didn't take the time to look into it. That's why being able to recognize the markers of a quality shoe is so important. When you're searching along a rack quickly to make the most of your time, too many times I find myself searching for a brand. Sure, well known brands make money. But every so often, you find something new that scores you BIG. Consistency, I honestly believe, is the most important factor when hunting for shoes. Sure, a pair of Gucci loafers might sell because of the brand name, but you'll make more money by selling shoes that are well-made and resonate well with the sartorial crowd. The people who buy these shoes aren't often considered with brand name, particularly; they're not hypebeasts. Those one-off mega-finds don't come around too often, so always be on the lookout for quality footwear. You won't regret it. Below are some marks of quality that you should look for. Some of these will jump off the shelf at you, saving you time at the thrift store. Signs of Quality:
Stitching: Goodyear welts, blake welts, hand stitching, etc. These welt are sometimes simulated, but are marks of better quality. The soles and the leather upper are stitched together (in different ways depending on the stitch) but the main thing is that they are NOT cemented, or simply glued together. Shoes that are 'cemented' together generally do not last long and are a pain to repair when the upper separates from the sole.
Actual, non-corrected leather: Corrected leather often looks and feels plasticky, and has been sanded down to remove any signs of discolouration, poor hides, etc. Hell, even before we talk about corrected leather, you should ensure you're dealing with leather at all (check for 'genuine leather' and stay away from 'made-made upper'), as some simulated leathers can be convincing on first glance. It will take time to understand what corrected-grain leather looks like, but take a look at nearly any typical shoe from ALDO, and you'll have your answer.
Clean, even stitching: Sure, mistake happen, but high-quality shoes have very clean stitching that should be the same on both shoes.
Layered leather soles: It can be hard to tell if there is simply a wood veneer on the sides of a shoe's soles, however they try to replicate a stacked leather sole, which is multiple layers of leather that are cut and polished. If your shoe actually has these, it's another element that bumps up the cost of the shoe. Shoes that only have rubber soles are very likely of a lower quality.
Chromexcel, pull-up, and more durable leathers: Bad for the planet due to the toxic materials used to dye the leather, they offer outstanding durability and develop a great patina with time. It can be hard to tell if a leather is chromexcel or pull-up, but generally they are thicker, have well-faded scrapes or scratches, and sometimes exhibit a lightening of the leather if you press upward on the underside of the leather (why it's called pull-up).
Rounded toes vs square/box toes: For the most part, square toed shoes aren't often made by quality manufacturers. I'm not saying they aren't, but many sartorial shoe makers with history or prestige don't make them. 99% of the time, if a shoe has a box/square toe, it isn't worth looking at. Shoes with round toes (and that includes the 'pointy' toes) are a safer bet.
Handwritten sizing/details: This might seem a little random, but older shoes, or shoes made by hand, often have the sizing and additional details (like model number) written in some permanent ink by hand. Not all shoes of quality have handwritten details, but those that do are generally benchmade and worth a closer look.
Made in a country where production is more expensive: Think Canada, the US, UK, Italy, Bulgaria, Peru, Australia, and, in general, Europe. India, Malaysia, China (with a few exceptions), Sri Lanka, and other countries offer cheap labour and lower quality control. Be aware that countries like Italy still make great shoes, but there are large-scale factories that take advantage of that old-world assumption that Italian goods are high-quality.
5. Clean the shoes and add leather conditioner
Now for the moment of truth: cleaning the shoes and making them look like a million bucks. Here are my tips for cleaning regular leather (and not suede, which is that fuzzy, nappy leather that isn't smooth and shiny).
Brush your shoe well with a horse hair or soft plastic brush. Brushing the shoe, from top to bottom, will remove any dust and large particles, and also result in a less dirty cleaning cloth. Remove the laces and pull the tongue out so it can be brushed and cleaned as well.
Lightly dampen and wring a cleaning cloth (preferably cotton) and clean the shoe with circular strokes. Leather doesn't love water, so it's best to use a little while you clean your choose and not to soak them. DO NOT use soap. Leather cleaners can be effective, although try to stick with brands like Saphir, who have a good name with a good reputation, as to not damage your shoes. Cleaning in circular strokes does the trick well, especially when spot cleaning. Use an old soft-bristle toothbrush with a little water to clean where the sole of the shoe meets the upper (the leather body of the shoe).
If a shoe is especially dirty, let it dry after a few go-overs. Don't over wet the shoe, as you might end up staining the leather and causing water damage. If there is a significant amount of dirt on the shoe, or if the shoe has excessive polish or stain, resort to a leather cleaner. Most leather cleaners help dissolve dyes and other compounds on the surface of a shoe, and usually don't strip shoe stains much.
After the shoe looks pretty clean, let it dry for a few minutes, give it a brush, and apply your leather conditioner. Again, giving the shoes a few minutes to dry is a good idea. Brush the shoes to remain any additional dust or debris that might come from your cloth. Next, get a fine terrycloth (or a cotton cloth this is very fine, or even some woman's stocking or hose) and add a tiny bit of leather conditioner to a section of the shoe. Only apply leather conditioner to non-suede or nubuck leather (again, none of that fuzzy leather, else it will most certainly ruin the texture and colour). My all-time favourite is Saphir Renovateur, which goes for a pretty penny compared to some Amazon brands, but it works wonders. Rub it on in a circular motion until absorbed, and do so until you covered the leather upper of the shoe.
Brush, brush, brush. Brushing shoes seems a little odd, but the process helps redistribute the oils naturally present in the shoe, as well as the conditioner we just applied. Under certain conditions (like with Saphir Renovateur, it also adds an excellent shine that makes the shoe pop Brush the shoe until you're uncomfortable, then brush a few moments longer. Brush the technique below:
Brush horizontally on a piece of leather, side to side.
Then on the same section, turn the brush 90 degrees, brushing up and down.
If you brush with this technique, you are brushing the surface of the shoe evenly.
If you follow these instructions, you're probably going to end up with a pair of shoes that look quite a bit better than they did initially, especially if they picked up some dust and grime on the shelf at the thrift store.
6. List the items online
If you only ever listed shoes on eBay, you'd do rather well. However, some shoes, especially if you don't stick strictly to dress/sartorial shoes, will sell better on other platforms. Grailed is a fantastic website for more 'hype' brands and leather sneakers. Some of my favourite or commonly well-loved options include:
The Real Real: More luxury brands, plus they take a more significant cut
Poshmark: Generally anything, especially mass-market designer items
Depop: Quirky items
Etsy: Vintage items
I don't do much listing of items locally, as I've found I get minimal hits/traffic compared to eBay or Grailed. However, don't discount:
Kijiji
Facebook Marketplace
Letgo
Craigslist
Other local marketplaces
A lot goes into properly listing an item online. There's tons of room for optimization, which I'll be delving into when I work on my first ebook, course, or whatever I end up doing. But I'll give you a few tips below.
The more photos, the better. A newer phone camera will do just fine, but high-quality shots help sell items. Try to have a neutral backdrop. Take photos of the top, the sole, and all sides of your shoes. Make sure at least one photo includes the brand logo. Ensure you have a photo of the shoe's sizing, which can be found on the tongue or the inside near the heel. Make sure you take photos in a bright area (natural like is often preferred). Finally, take photos of any damage that might catch someone's attention, like cracks, cuts, or deep craps or nicks. You will need to make note of these.
Ensure the title includes the shoe's brand, series/line, colour, size (US and EU, preferably), width (C, D, EE, etc.), and anything else of note are included in your listing. Giving browsers key information immediately will work in your favour.
Ensure all fields are filled out (that are applicable) to the best of your ability. eBay has tons of fields, especially for shoes, but be sure to fill out the sizing, material, brand, colour, and description/condition fields. The latter is especially important, as seasoned users will look to you to provide details on the condition of yours shoes, such as damage or wear. Be clear. You do not want to deal with returns, so don't give the customer a reason to prompt one.
Start buy using historic 'Sold' prices on eBay to determine listing prices, and start off with 'Buy Now' listings. Do your due diligence and see how much the same brand of shoe has sold for in the past, and try to take an average of those. You can push your listing price to the high end, but you will likely see fewer inquiries. Because auctions with reserve prices (basically your item MUST sell for more than the reserve price, which means you won't accidentally sell an item for $10) cost money to list, I stayed away from them at the beginning and just listed 'Buy Now' listings. I added a minimum offer value, so I automatically refuse offers under a certain value, so low-ballers don't waste my time.
Do your research on how to set up shipping, especially to an international audience. I'm still struggling with this myself, but I'd save a good amount of time figuring it out in advance. Nearly all the questions I get ask how much shipping to a certain location will cost, so I encourage you to get ahead of the game and set up a shipping table with eBay. Most of the time you can guesstimate the general weight of the package by weighing the shoes in advance.
7. Package the shoes and ship them out
Wohoo! You sold your first pair of shoes. If you didn't change your default eBay settings, you have about 2 days to ship out your item. You can change this setting to give yourself more time to prepare. Here are a few tips to ensure your shipping goes off without a hitch:
Before you buy any boxes, save and use the boxes from your past delivers from Amazon, etc. These boxes are perfectly fine for your shoes, as long as they fit. If you live in a condo or apartment building and have shared recycling, go and grab a few clean boxes and use those. Don't be ashamed; you're saving yourself from paying $2-5 for a damn piece of cardboard. If you need to buy a box, look at which post offices/providers have the cheapest boxes.
Invest in a roll of packing foam (by-the-roll variety) or packing paper. I often get enough packaging and wrapping goods from my Amazon orders, but investing in packing material isn't a bad idea. It not only protects the shoes in transit, it also looks more professional. You can order some from a few shipping/logistic companies, and you can even try your luck at a Home Dept or similar store.
Use eBay's Shippo to easily print labels. Shippo is eBay's built-in label creating platform that integrates with nearly every courier and delivery service. Go to your sold items section and click on 'Print Label' in the dropdown beside the item. It will take you to Shippo, where you can create an account, attach a payment method and create a label immediately. It will import nearly everything about your listing. The only thing you need to insert is the size and weight of the package, and fill out any customs info. Select the company you would like to use (it will show you the cheapest ones first, but try to use what you advertised in your listing). Pay for the label, print it, and tape the correct section of the label onto your package. Done.
At this point, you can drop your package off at the applicable postal office or box. At this point, hold onto the tracking info if you have any, and send it to the buyer. This not only creates trust with the buyer, but you would appreciate it in their position. Just for some piece of mind.
8. Profit!
If you use eBay, you will most likely have your funds held until the buyer receives their item. Don't despair! You'll get your money soon. As you can also see, I haven't calculated my actual profits or anything. I could, but I just haven't yet. But just like anything with entrepreneurship, you just need to do it. I have excuses, but I'm trying to work past those. I would encourage you to keep records and see how much you spend on buying goods, and your margins after selling. And that's about it! Feel free to ask any questions you have, about thrifting, reselling, and menswear in general. It all comes naturally for me at the moment and I'm sure I've missed a fair bit (although I am saving some of the sauce for my website content in the future).
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