September Travel Shopping Weekly: 6-Item Restock List, Check the Savings First, Then Decide Which Store Is Worth the Extra Stop

This week's roundup was compiled on September 16, using verified prices for six items checked September 11–12. It's a pre-trip shopping trade-off, not a new-arrivals ranking for the week, and there isn't enough period-over-period data to claim prices went up or down.

The selection criteria are simple: easy to fit in luggage, already has matched Taiwan and Japan prices, and able to answer one concrete question — whether to restock everyday items, whether cheap stationery is worth stockpiling, or where to buy a small gadget an influencer mentioned. No counterexample was cut just because the gap was small or Taiwan was cheaper.

MUJI Gentle Gel Cleansing Oil 220g: Japan ¥850, about NT$176; Taiwan NT$453, buying in Japan saves NT$277. Japan source: MUJI Japan official online store (2026-09-12); Taiwan source: momo third-party seller (cross-border direct from Japan) (2026-09-12).

Melano CC Enzyme Face Wash 130g: Japan ¥787, about NT$163; Taiwan NT$239, buying in Japan saves NT$76. Japan source: Rohto official store (2026-09-11); Taiwan source: PChome 24h (2026-09-11).

If these two items were already on your restocking list, note down the capacity and the Japan reference price first. The MUJI item's savings are more noticeable; the Melano CC item saves less per unit, but the one-time cost is also lower. This is a trade-off in price, not a comparison of product performance.

MUJI Erasable 3-Color Ballpoint Pen 0.5mm: Japan ¥690, about NT$143; Taiwan NT$210, buying in Japan saves NT$67. Japan source: MUJI Japan official online store (2026-09-12); Taiwan source: momo Shopping (2026-09-12).

MUJI Black 0.3mm Retractable Gel Ink Pen: Japan ¥120, about NT$25; Taiwan NT$29, buying in Japan saves NT$4. Japan source: MUJI Japan official online store (2026-09-12); Taiwan source: MUJI Taiwan official online store (2026-09-12).

3COINS folding glasses case: Japan ¥330, about NT$69; Taiwan NT$99, buying in Japan saves NT$30. Japan source: PAL CLOSET (3COINS official channel) (2026-09-12); Taiwan source: momo in-house (shipped direct from Japan) (2026-09-12).

The 3-color pen has a gap of about NT$67, worth checking out; the plain gel-ink pen only differs by about NT$4, not enough to justify planning a shopping trip around it alone. The glasses case differs by about NT$30 — whether to pick one up still depends on whether you actually need to replace your current one.

3COINS automatic vacuum compressor: Japan ¥1,100, about NT$228; Taiwan NT$195, buying in Taiwan saves NT$33. Japan source: 3COINS (2026-09-11); Taiwan source: momo third-party seller (cross-border direct from Japan) (2026-09-12).

This item's Taiwan reference price is lower than the converted Japan list price. A video can help you discover a product, but what should decide where you buy it is the same-model, same-spec price in both places. If you also need to buy a bag separately, factor that into the budget too.

The first column is labeled "already need to restock" for regularly used consumables; the second is "check if passing by" for small items with only a minor price gap; the third is "compare in Taiwan first" for items that are cheaper in Taiwan or that you need before you leave. You don't have to buy all six — crossing off the ones you don't need is a useful comparison in itself.

The same MUJI store can carry both stationery and cleansing products, but this piece doesn't survey stock at individual stores, plan a route for you, or factor in transportation costs. Open the product source to confirm the current price before buying, and read the related feature further down if you want a detailed buying rationale.