I am traveling from the US to thailand in may, I was wondering what things are cheap out there?

Question

I am a guy, but very shop-a-holic. I can outshop most of my girlfriends :o) I read that PCs and cameras are more expensive out there. So I just wanted to have a general idea so I can know how much $$ to save up. Things I am interested in are clothing (designer), electronics, homer decors and the likes.... thankssss

Answer 1

those stuffs are available in the US and not just imitation, so why bother to go other places to find the same things.
you should just stay put.

Answer 2

Hi, most things that will be cheap in Thailand are those that are made in-country. Anything that get imported, especially electronics do have quite a hefty import tax levied. That is why generally PCs and cameras will be more expensive than say in Singapore or Hong Kong. So example will be a desktop PC running on Pentium 4 with a 40GB harddisk, complete set will cost about USD800. A laptop easily cost in excess of USD1200.

For clothes, you can find plenty and even of good quality at Pratunam Wholesale Centre or even at Bo Bae Clothing Centre. Both these places have many shops selling clothes of many designs and styles. Example will be a simple T-shirt can cost you USD5, but you buy by the dozen, price can drop to USD3 per piece. However, there will be shops with much better quality stuffs and you will have to decide your price. Remember you can bargain at the shops till you feel the price is right for you to buy.

For home decor, head to Chatuchak Weekend Market and Chatuchak Plaza to look at the wide range of goods available. Price vaies depending on the make and quality. Sorry, cannot give you a price range as I will not know what you want.

Answer 3

Accommodation can be cheap even in the world's best known five star hotel chains. Service products are also cheap, but for electronic stuff I would go to Singapore where they tend to be cheaper than in Thailand, and the worldwide guarantee is more likely to be provided. Remembering of course that electricity voltage in both countries are the same as in the UK ag 220 volts so if you are from the States or a country with 110 volts then you will need to buy a transformer and certainly a plug adaptor.
Travel is cheap in Thailand and low cost international flights are easy to get so going to Singapore as a side trip for a weekend or so will not be difficult, except for the cost of accommodation down there which can be as expensive as in the West.

Answer 4

SHOOT...............EVERYTHING in Thailand is cheap! A hotel room here that would cost over $200 a night will cost under $50 there. If you like prostitutes...they are cheap (Yeah, I was in the Navy, and probably every guy I knew from my ship had multiple prostitues while we were there). Jewelry is amazingly cheap, and their gold is a lot better too. You can get all sorts of things to decorate your house with extremely cheap. Food is inexpensive. Clothing is cheap, but a lot of it is knock off brand. You can get anything cheap, but you just have to know how to bargain with them. TIP.......they know you are American. Compared to them Americans are extremely RICH, RICH, RICH. So they will up their prices for us. Remember that, and then you can talk them down big time. If they won't agree to a price you want then just start walking away, and they will call you back, and give you what you want. They know that you can find the same thing they offer right down the road. So they're gonna give you your price you want. I went to Thailand twice, and got pretty good at barganing with them.

Answer 5

here's the drill - the best values in Thailand are things that take advantage of the considerably lower Thai wage rate.. so, service oriented luxuries, such as foot massage etc.. will be far cheaper than USA.. - as to shop shopp shopping, tailor made clothes are a great value, ready to wear, less so.. as Walmart taps into the Chinese mkt and serivces that quite reasonably in the US.. - as to decorative accessories, carved wooden items are reasonable, especially so up north in Chiang Mai... but handcrafted items can be quite reasonable.. you might want to check out the night bazaar at Suan Lum as well.. - HOWEVER - whatever you buy here, buyer beware rules the day.. designer labels are sewed on to anything, fake watches abound, and lies about gemstones being real as well - - so, know your stuff and shop around.. depending where you are, it doesn't hurt to bargain.. learn to say "Pang" [ expensive ] - it will make you sound like a local and they will think you are not some yokel from Iowa.. [ try not to hold your stomach when you say Pang - it does not refer to hunger ] -

yes, electronics are better to buy near home for price and guarantee reasons.. but things like software and knockoff cds etc are cheap.. go to Panthip in Bangkok - -

ok?