Hi,
We did the same last year. Fortunately we were taken around by our agent, which made everything really easy. Has your agent not offered the service, I think most of them do?
We bought everything in Marmaris, there are quite of lot of furniture shops there. We have visited Mugla about a month ago, from what we saw I wouldn't have thought it would be better for furniture shopping than Marmaris. I think you could probably get things like kitchen untensils cheaply there though, everything is much cheaper than Marmaris as it is not a tourist place at all.
The best place we found for our bedroom furniture was IDAS on the same road as Tansas. If you get an assistant to help you, they take you down into the basement where they have loads of beds, wardrobes etc. We bought beds where there are handles at the bottom which you lift to open up the storage underneath. They have given us loads of easily accessible storage space.
We found we couldn't get a sofabed we liked very cheaply, we had to pay over £400 for ours, we didn't like the fabric that most of them were made in. I know we bought it somewhere around Tansas but I've forgotten where! There is a lovely shop on the road down by the side of Tansas, where you can buy extras, nice ornaments etc., They also sell nice crockery. Its on the right hand side of the road, and has italian looking balconies. There is also a lovely modern shop in a small shopping centre, along the sea road - walking from Tansas towards Bar Street. Hope that helps a bit - have fun - we did, its a strange experience dashing round spending all that money in such a short time (we did it all in 3 days!)

Thanyou for your comments, vey helpfull. We know the area around Tansas. Yes our agent has offered that service but we want to explore all avenue's and are woried about paying over the odds for an agents commission it's hard to know what peoples motives are. We don't mind paying a fee for that service but would not want to pay for any hidden commission or only be taken to the shops that an agent could be getting a cut of what we spend. You were obviosly pleased with your agent which one did you use Our agant so far so good but it's nice to be a little more independent as well. Do you have any comments on servicing the appartment again the agent has offered that service but what other options are there? Look forward to any other info Thanks again.

Hi, Yes we also thought we may have to pay over the odds buying with the agent. What we did was arrive in Marmaris on a Monday afternoon, spent the whole afternoon and evening racing round the shops, asking for prices etc., and buying small items, then the next day we were taken around by the agent. We had a notebook where we had made notes of shops and prices, so we had a good idea what we should be paying for most things, and I don't think we were ripped off at all. The agents - Londonspanishturkish from Turunc were worth their weight in gold, everything we were interested in they got the price for us, and then converted it to sterling, so we could weigh things up. We ordered all the essentials over the Tuesday and Wednesday, and flew home on the Thursday. Our agents arranged delivery for us, stored the small items we had bought, and even arranged the furniture for us when it was delivered! We found that everything was exactly as we had ordered, when we came to stay in our apartment. Not like England, there would be bound to be some bits and pieces missing, or the wrong items! Our agent is doing a managing service for us, although we are not actually arranging rentals through them. We haven't really compared prices of managing agents, but we have been so pleased with what they have done, that for now we are happy to stay with them.
I think I have some detailed information in an email from last year from another HolidayTruths member of where all the shops are for things you will need. That email was like our bible to us, when we were there. I'll see if I can find it and send you a pm with it in later.

Alfie If you would send it ,if you can find it we would apreiciate it thank you.

Hi, Gaser,
We have also bought a duplex in icmeler and we have been scouring the forum for some info on where to buy items from so your question and replies have been very useful.
Where abouts is the duplex you have bought ?You never know we could be neighbours. linda and steve xxx

Hello Steve & Linda we have sent a pm with description and will try to foward pm with more shopping tips supplied by Alfie.

Alfie,
Is the list you sent by PM worth adding to the topic?

Just a thought for future users.

Van

Here are those tips for all to see. We will post a note of our shopping trip when we have been and done it Hope it's ok to post this advice kindley forwarded to us by Alfie, what a freindly helpfull site this is.

So I am now going to attempt some directions as to where you will find furniture shops. I dont know the names of the roads, so will have to do restaurants and landmarks!

You know where Tansas is so that really needs to be our starting point for directions. Most of the shops you will want are not far from there.

Electrical items: Irons,kettle, toaster, microvave, vaccuum cleaner, I would get those in Tansas, I bought mine from there, you can buy TVs in there to, Migros also sell fridges, washing machines, so check them out to see whats on offer Migros and Tansas both have web sites,

http://www.tansas.com.tr

http://www.migros.com.tr

Also there are shops known as "Spot shops" which sell very good 2nd hand furniture and electrical items.

There are a few not far from Tansas.

1st Spot Shop:

Go down the street opposite Tansas, where HSBC bank is, go past the taxi rank, on the left. then take the next turning left, just before you come to the pizza place. You will have like a storm drain on your left, and as you walk up this street there are a lot of electrical shops on your right, and on the other side of the road there are some curtain shops (they are on the other side of the strom drain) I think the first spot shop is on the first junction on your right, but possibly the 2nd, but it has a sign outside.

2nd Spot Shop:

Again start at Tansas, with Tansas to your back, you take the first turning left. Follow that Road, as if you were heading towards the friday market (which is now on a thursday) again pass some curtain and material shops ( you can buy pillows in these) there is also a nice shop opn the opposite side of road that sells ornaments, glasses really nice bits and pieces, but more like finishing touches than "essentials". Also along this road on the right hand side is a good shop for kitchen utensils. Saucepans, cups etc. The Spot Shop is on the right hand side of road. I have not been to this one myself, but these are the directions I was given.

If you are looking for 2nd hand furniture there are a few shops.. directions as follows.

You need to be heading for the "Old Datca Road"

Start at Tansas, with Tansas to your back, turn left and walk along the road that Tansas is on, you will come to a set of traffic lights, you need to turn left here, there is a shop on the corner that sells 2nd hand items, (does some new sofa beds in here)

There are about 3 more shops as you walk down this road, but you seem to walk for miles, and I was not at all impressed with any of them.

New furniture. sofas, beds etc.

There are a few with web sites

http://www.istikbal.com.tr

There are 2 big Istikbals in Marmaris.

One is on the Road that Tansas is on, as if you were walking back up the Road, with your back to the sea, it is on the right hand side. They are quite expensive. Very nice furniture though, also on that Road on the opposite side, is Idas, they do sofas, and beds, I have bought all my beds from this shop, and also bedroom furniture.

On that road, there are quite a few shops that sell household goods, Beko, which is electical, Idas (as above) Istikbal (as above) Marshalls ( paint etc) there is also a big kitchen/bathroom showroom place. But I have ot ventured in, as it may temp me to change my bathroom and I cannot afford to do that!

There is another really big shop that sells, sofas, beds so it is back to a long winded set of directions again.

Start at Tansas, go down the Road opposite, and follow it to the end then turn right (there is also a little shop on the right hand corner worth looking in) if you turn left and walk up the Road, you go past a childrens furniture shop, then you take the next left and on the right hand side of the road you will see the furniture shop.

We bought our sofa a bit further down from that shop, instead of turning left we carried on down the road, passed the petrol station and there is a furniture shop on the left hand side, we paid about £500 for ours which is a 3 seater goes to a double bed, a 2 seater and 2 arm chairs. ( I sold my arm chairs to my neighbour)I wanted cream and peach and I wanted it delivered that day. Which it was.

Everything I have bought has been either been delivered that day, or if its late in the day, they have come the next day. So have been very lucky, as I know k=not everyone has been so lucky. Even when I had digiturk, my neighbour arranged for them to come out on the 10th April, at 10am, at 0940 they rang me to say they were on their way and would be 20 minutes. Yet someone else I know had nothing but trouble getting them out!

You will probably at some point want a safe for the apartment and several keys cut. The street opposite Tansas, just past the pizza place, they cut keys and also sell safes.

If you want pictures or mirrors, just past the safe/key place there is a gallery where you can choose the picture and they will frame it, I had my mirror for the bedroom done there, chose the frame and collected it later that day. I also bought a few cheap pictures £2-99 in the sale, sort of thing, then took them to Turkey, 1 got broken in the case, and they replaced the glass for me.

I have started a trend on our complex. We bought a "key safe" which is bolted to the outside wall of the apartment, and it has a combination lock, that way rentals can just collect keys without someone having to meet them, also means you will never get locked out!

Try http://www.screwfix.com

Product code 77908 £29.99 exc VAT

I hope my directions are not too confusing, and that I have been of some help to you. I know I ended up with sore feet when we were sorting out furniture.

The spot shops also sell some new furniture, although there was nothing really to our taste there, but plenty of other people we know seem to have bought stuff in them.
Hopefully this will be of some use to you - it certainly saved us time to have some ideas about where to go!
Good luck,

have to say thank you to jo2beans - who is a member of this forum she very kindly sent me the email last year with the instructions - hope you don't mind Jo your email appearing on here! I'm sure you won't as you have been a great help to us.

WE can't thank Gaser and Alfie enough for all the info. I am going out on the 10 june with my mom as Steve has work commitments and I am a bit scared of the unknown. I am sure with all this info we now have it will be like a walk inthe park. I am hoping to get bedding and towels from the market do you know of anywhere else to get these from apart from the Tansas. many thanks Linda

Sorry I fogot to say we have sent Jill and Micheal an email. Hope you get it okay. Linda.