Langkawi Duty Free Shopping

Located just north of Penang and in the South of Thailand, Langkawi Island is a tax-free island that sells some of the cheapest items found in Malaysia.

As many travelers would head to Langkawi for a holiday, you simply cannot miss the shopping offers they have going here.

Among the items that are in demand with locals are cigarettes, liquor, beer, chocolates, luggage, sports shoes, perfumes, and cooking ware.

Yes, cooking pots are a huge thing here for the ladies as many places sell them really cheap.

There are about 20 to 30 duty-free shops here including a few supermarkets. Most of the shops operate out of normal shop lots here and are found concentrated in the center of town.

Every time I visit Langkawi, I will make it a point to stop in Kuah town to get my quick fix for shopping here.

Usually, my list comprises chocolates for the relatives and liquor for my personal collection and these are some of the must-buy things for me.

One of the popular places I like to shop is at Eastern Native Duty-Free in Kuah town. They are located in the center while their neighbor Zeno Duty-Free also caters to a good selection of whiskeys and liquors.

These two places seem to offer very reasonable pricing for all their items, but I would like to share a tip with you. When you buy chocolates from duty-free shops, you should always check the expiry date.

The trick used by all shops would be to ‘Buy 2, Free 1’ or even ‘Buy 4, Free 2’. Note that usually these chocolates are reaching their shelf-life and they are trying to clear their stock.

Unfortunately, this happens at all duty-free outlets in Malaysia and around the world too. Therefore, always check the expiry of the chocolates before blindly buying. 

Located just out of the main town at the Parade Center, you would probably need a taxi ride or a 15-minute walk from the town center.

They are known to sell the cheapest beer, wines, and whiskeys on the island and have a good history of more than 20 years in business here.

As they carry most of the international alcohol and spirit brands, and if you do not find something that you want here, just head back to the Kuah town area and visit other duty-free liquor shops. 

Apart from the usual chocolate and alcohol sold at the duty-free shops in Langkawi, there are also many other items to buy here.

Among them are travel or luggage bags which are often dirt cheap. They are mostly non-branded bags but offer travelers a very cheap option.

A 26″ inch bag would cost about RM30 (US$8) and surprisingly most of the brands here would be under the Polo branding too. This is quite tricky if you know your brands, so be cautious.

They carry sizes from 24″ right till 36″. Here’s the catch, though they look presentable and non-branded, they actually last quite long.

I bought a 24″ Polo Travel Bag a number of years ago and I am still using it till today. Update: Well, it lasted me a good three years before the tires gave way. 

Duty-Free Cooking Ware is abundant over here and housewives will go crazy for the prices they are being sold.

Top brands like Tefal, Corning Ware, Luminarc, Visions, Corelle, Pyrex, Acropal and La Gourmet are sold all over town and even at Pantai Cenang area.

Some of the bigger duty-free shops which look like supermarkets seem to carry a much wider range than the smaller shops. So if your vice is cooking, then you have visited the right place.

The prices are very cheap compared to the retail pricing and you can save up to 70% on selected cookware here.

Most of the retailers would offer unbelievable promotions in the front of the store to lure you in too.

Duty-free perfumes in Langkawi are also making an impact with specialty shops opening in the main town area and some at Pantai Cenang main street.

You can find most of the international brands sold at very cheap prices, but you really need to check on the products on the authenticity of them.

Sometimes the duty-free perfumes are even cheaper than the airport duty-free shops, so if you are a perfume lover, do check out some of the selections available around Langkawi’s Kuah Town or Pantai Cenang.  

Sports fanatics would be happy to know that there are a few Duty-Free Sports Shoe shops in Kuah Town and Pantai Cenang.

One of the famous outlets is called Al-Ikhsan Sports Shop and sells some of the top brands like Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Puma here. They also sell apparel, bags and other sporting items with prices that are really cheap.

Another Australian brand called Cult sells some awesome beach and surf wear items in town. Walking around, I must have noticed at least 3 to 4 sports shops here.

There could be many other shops selling sporting goods, but again, I would advise on going to reputable shops due to knock-off brands openly available.

Inside one of the duty-free chocolate shops in Kuah.

If you find something better, you would end up buying more than you expected. As for Pantai Cenang (Cenang Beach), there are not many outlets offering duty-free and if you do see some, note they would be not as complete as the places in Kuah Town.

Duty-free cigarettes in abundance at Langkawi.

Conclusion

But please do take note of the duty-free allowances that your country has as each country has its own limitations on duty-free items.

For locals, this too applies when buying liquor or cigarettes, so always double-check before simply buying. Other than that, have a fantastic time in Langkawi.