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ddy Winata Prasetyo took a quick look at the numerous socks on offer at a small shop at Asemka Market in West Jakarta on Saturday.

The resident of Subang, West Java, began to order, pointing at item after item, while a shopkeeper collected the goods and compiled Eddy's bill without missing a beat.

Eddy then pulled out two piles of Rp 100,000 (US$10.30) banknotes from a small bag dangling from his chest and finished the transaction in less than 15 minutes.

'Retail customers may have to drive a hard bargain to get a good price, but I don't need to because I'm a wholesale buyer and most shops here offer wholesale products,' Eddy told The Jakarta Post.

The humid, dank building that holds Asmeka market may not be appealing to first-time buyers. It has ugly walls and is located on a typically congested street near Glodok market.

Asmeka market, which offers products ranging from accessories to cosmetics to children's toys, is a popular destination for wholesale buyers from inside and outside the capital.

Eddy said that he has been shopping in Jakarta every two weeks for the last 15 years to stock his store back in Subang. He said that he typically leaves his hometown of Pamanukan in box truck with a driver for the drive to Jakarta, which can take up to five hours.

The early bird gets the worm: Eddy said that he typically finished his shopping in Jakarta around 8 a.m., after hitting Asemka and Pasar Pagi and Pasar Perniagaan nearby. 'I cannot find such a wholesale market in Subang. I shop here because the markets offer various new models of items.'

Finding the latest products was also cited as a reason for shopping in Jakarta by Didik Kristiawan, a retail buyer for his family's store in Pekalongan, Central Java.

Didik, who also works for a multinational company in Ciracas, East Jakarta, said that he shopped for wallets, sandals and belts at the Cililitan Wholesale Center (PGC) in Cililitan, East Jakarta, and at another Pasar Pagi in Mangga Dua, West Jakarta.

'I am looking for unique and trendy items that have not been offered by other stores in Pekalongan. We can make a good profit if I can get such products,' he told the Post over the telephone.

Didik said that his family's store could sell a pair of sandals purchased for Rp 50,000 in Jakarta for twice that in his hometown.

Itcha Octavia, a wholesale buyer from Cengkareng, said she researched items she wanted to buy on the Internet to determine their average prices before venturing to Pasar Asemka and Pasar Pagi Mangga Dua to make her purchases. She said that she relied on both markets to stock her shop.

'I avoid going to Pasar Asemka on Sunday because most tenants are on holiday and the ones that are open have more expensive prices. Vendors in Pasar Pagi Mangga Dua sell retail items, so I need to have better approach to get good prices,' Itcha said.

Most of the legendary markets in the capital city make up for their humble accommodations and lack of air conditioning by offering competitive prices for local products as well as imports from China, among other places.

The markets include Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta, the largest textile center in Asia, which attracts a million people a day, or upwards of two million a day during Ramadhan.

Also on a wholesale shopper's must-do list are Pasar Gembrong in Prumpung, East Jakarta, for children's toys, and Pasar Ular in North Jakarta, for chandeliers, crystal and ceramics.

Meanwhile, those seeking gems and precious stones can choose from a mind-boggling array products at Pasar Rawa Bening in East Jakarta, while those looking for an equally attractive range of flowers should visit the Rawa Belong flower market in West Jakarta.