Tuesday, 26 March 2013

DAISO in Singapore

  In another post (Art Stores In Singapore) I wrote saying that one could get some steals– as in cheap items or bargain, not actually taking illegally– from DAISO. I misspelled the shop's name, an oversight on my part, and my error was pointed out by a kind Anon. I rectified the error but found that people had followed the mis-spelled "DIASO" label on that post. To make up for that error, here's a post on all the DAISO shops in Singapore.

  DAISO's inventory differs with each store so what you can get at one store, you might not be able to find at another. The inventory also changes very quickly, to the extent that what you bought last month, you might not be able to find ever again at any of the DAISO stores due to discontinuation.

  Here's what I've seen/bought from DAISO.

  Resin. Apparently they sell resin in little 5g tubes. Still expensive, but good for people who just need small quantities for their own projects.

  Notebooks, and they still stock notebooks with white pages. Those are hard to come buy in other stores because they're difficult to clear. Most stores stock the ruled ones (those with lines) because that's what most people use. I like to use the un-ruled notebooks as diaries because I sometimes draw in them and my handwriting changes with my mood.
But don't make the mistake of buying too many too soon. I use one notebook in 2-3 months that's why I buy 3-4 notebooks at one go.
And they stock lots of other kinds of notebooks. Glittery ones. Plain ones. Cashier notebooks. Receipt notebooks. Ones with pretty covers. Small ones, big ones, thin ones, mini ones. They literally have 2 aisles in each store dedicated to just notebooks.

  They sell Japanese pen-brushes. It's like a pen, but with a bendy, slightly broader nib. The packaging says "Waterproof Ink" or sometimes "Indian Ink" but I think they use permanent marker ink. Try smelling one of them if you find one and you'll get why I think so. I have one of them... but I misplaced it... *fumbles around the house to find it* I have no clue where I last saw it. So, moving on.

  Oil pastels and normal pastels, acrylics, inks, oils, paintbrushes, Chinese brushes, coloured papers, sketchbooks. Yes, they sell art materials. Do keep in mind though, that you're paying just $2. They will not last long, nor have the same quality as artist grade (or even student grade) materials.

  The pastels I've tried- both oil and the normal type. They usually come in sets of 12, with an A set, and a B set of different colours. I like them. They're good for experimentation pieces.
A used set of oil pastels. They've got a good consistency. Well worth the $2.

  I really like the sketchbooks that DAISO stocks. They're sort of like cold-pressed watercolour paper with a medium tooth. They're wired-bound and come in different sizes. Try to get a plastic wrapped one if you're intending on buying because people like to touch and see what they're buying and fingers transfer oil to the paper through touch. You might get a nasty surprise later on when you use the sketchbook if you buy an opened one.

  Canvases. They're small, but good enough to use. Some come with a pre-printed composition of flowers or a landscape. I tried doing a watercolour piece using that but the watercolour didn't really stay. "Watercolours aren't meant for canvases," I hear you say. Yes, but in my defence I would like to say that the packaging said I could, so I tried... to not much success, unfortunately. Acrylics, or oils should fare better with these canvases.

  Crafty stuffs, like scissors, erasers, pencils, pens, markers, and craft punchers. There are lots of different kinds to choose from. Do keep in mind what's worth the $2 and what's not. For example, I wouldn't buy erasers from DAISO. I can get a high quality art eraser from Art Friend at under $2, so that's just not worth my dough. I bought this awesome mechanical pencil that stores thick leads which are great for me to bring out to sketch en plein air, and it was an excellent bargain because pencils with thick leads usually cost $15 and up in Art stores.
The pencil come with 4 leads and a box to keep them in. The back end of the pencil
 (essentially, the cap) doubles as a sharpener for the lead. Genius, isn't it?

  I mostly go to the IMM branch. To get to the pens and notebooks you turn right after entering the store. The craft section of that store, where all the acrylics, papers, sketchbooks  are located near the cashier side. It gets crowded there during the weekends though. The Orchard branch is a little squeezy, but I found lots of interesting things there. And the other ones I've been to was the Bukit Panjang and Rivervale Mall one. They're both small, and not very well stocked in their craft department.

And of course, the list of all the DAISO branches around our island:

2 Jurong East Street 21
#03-50 IMM S609601

1 Harbourfront Walk
#03-06 Vivocity S098585

City Square Mall
180 Kitchener Road, #04-05/06/07/08/09/10
Singapore 208539

Plaza Singapura
68 Orchard Road
#05-01/02/03 Plaza Singapura S238839

ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn
#B4-47 ION Orchard S238801

Rivervale Mall
11 Rivervale Crescent
#02-01 Rivervale Mall S545082

Parkway Parade
80 Marine Parade Road, #03-26B Parkway Parade, Singapore 449269

Sembawang Shopping Centre
604 Sembawang Road
#01-18 Sembawang Shopping Centre S758459

Kallang Wave
1 Stadium Place, #02-11 Kallang Wave, Singapore 397628

City Square Mall
180 Kitchener Road
#04-05/10 City Square Mall S208539

Tampines 1
10 Tampines Central 1
#03-17/18 Tampines 1 S529536

Chinatown Point
133 New Bridge Road
#B2-02 Chinatown Point S059413

Bukit Panjang Plaza
1 Jelebu Road
#04-03/04 Bukit Panjang Plaza S677743

Daiso Industries Co.
27 Penjuru Lane
#01-02 S609195

  I would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment telling me about what you've bought at DAISO that you thought was super worth it. :)

  The information on this page is correct, to the best of my knowledge, as of 11th Sept. 2014.


  1. Can items be exchanged in any branch?

    1. I'm not very familiar with DAISO's return policy, but if I were to make a guess, you'll have to have the receipt and go back to the same store within 7 days for an exchange.

  2. Actually you can exchange in any store, just that you must have the receipt and items in good condition/packaging within 7 days. but not all items can be exchanged especially hygienic-related and
    food-related items.

  3. hi! i would like to ask, is acrylic paint available in all daiso branches?

    1. Sorry for the late reply...

      I am not sure about that. I do know that every store has at least a small section for craft related items. You might want to call them directly to ask.

  4. you can exchange with 7 days when started dated.

  5. Hi ! It would be greatly appreciated if you could reply me as soon as possible ! :)

    Do you know if Daiso sells fabric paint or possibly iron on sheets ? (I think the sheets are impossible since they cannot be that cheap HAHA)

    Thank you ! 💞

    1. I don't think Daiso sells either of those things.

      Try Art Friend. I know that they sell fabric paints, and I'm quite sure I remember seeing iron on sheets. If you go to Dhoby Ghaut, you could also try Spotlight. :)