# Electrical Kitchen item costs



## jabenna

Hi,

I move to Bangkok later this month. Wondering if it's worth buying new kettle/food blender here before coming? How much is an average run-of-the-mill model of both of the above? I've tried looking on the 'Big-C' website and Lotus but neither seem to show you actually products.

Many thanks,

JB


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## philobert

buy them there.

cheap as chips and reasonable quality.

(i've bought both)

in the LOS, these will not be your biggest deals.

phil

just here to help...............


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## Dave0

It normally pays to spend that little extra on a known brand name, I have had some success with unknown but normally if they are so cheap is because of quality.


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## jabenna

Thank you very much. Some websites say they are expensive, others say thenopposite so thought was better to ask you guys. I'm bringing my big TV and mac computer. We are 240 V in uK and Thailand is 220V right? Do you need voltage changer or just the adapter to make the 3 pin fit thai 2 pin? Do you know if anti histamine tablets are reasonable too? Sorry to ask so many qu's. Thanks in advance.


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## Dave0

I would not think is worth bringing a big TV as they may charge you import tax and big flat screen TV's are readily available here and not too expensive, yes Thailand is 220v & all you need is a 3 pin plug adapter.
Anti histermine and many more medicines like are also available here and not expensive.


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## duncbUK

If you want to save a few pounds, forget the Kettle and TV. Buy a Nintendo Wii from HMV at Heathrow airport T4, they cost £83 (VAT free, or about £99 on the high street) but here in Thailand 20,000 baht (or £400), so you could sell one for a tidy profit. I just bought a 3 pin plug adapter for 20 baht (40p) so buy here.
TV's cost more or less the same, other electricals are comparative or a little more in Thailand and they have the same voltage.
Yes you may have to pay import duty, but you may get away with it if its only 1.
Sad as I am, I always bring HP sauce, robinsons cordial if there is room in my bag.
As a guide, the average Thai doesn't buy mars bars, snickers bars, or packs of Mcvities digestives, or tetley tea...... so they and things like them are expensive.
Where are you moving too and god luck


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## jabenna

Thanks *Dave0 *- I have asked the 'change management' people looking after us about the import duty on the tv as they didnt mention anything about that. What about our laptops and mac computer? If they are ours and taking them why do we have to pay money?

*Mynah *- I'm not sure how my post showed "the totally false impression of Thailand that many people have". I was merely asking if they are any cheaper/more expensive to buy in the UK or Thailand to try and save myself some money.

*DuncbUK *- wowzers about the Wii. We are bringing our own but maybe should bring another? I still can't get over that the iPhone 4 has only recently just come out so is still so expensive over there. I would have thought the monthly cost of an iPhone 4 would have been the same, at least, as here in the UK.

In terms of HP sauce etc, it's walker's crisps for me haha! Chocolate I can take or leave. We came for a week to have a 'look-see' and found an amazing ice-cream shop in the big art gallery near MBK. Can see myself eating it every day! We are moving to Bangkok central. After the first 3 months not sure exactly, but towards On Nut end of the BTS.


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## philobert

> What about our laptops and mac computer? If they are ours and taking them why do we have to pay money?


no worries (duty) on laptops and such as long as it's only a couple.

phil


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## duncbUK

*correction*

In the supermarket I saw the Wii for 20,000 baht, but yesterday found that a place called pantip plaza sells imported ones (Korean I think) for about 8000 baht, still a saving but not as much as I originally said.
I hope you havn't bought another one just yet
!


jabenna said:


> Thanks *Dave0 *- I have asked the 'change management' people looking after us about the import duty on the tv as they didnt mention anything about that. What about our laptops and mac computer? If they are ours and taking them why do we have to pay money?
> 
> *Mynah *- I'm not sure how my post showed "the totally false impression of Thailand that many people have". I was merely asking if they are any cheaper/more expensive to buy in the UK or Thailand to try and save myself some money.
> 
> *DuncbUK *- wowzers about the Wii. We are bringing our own but maybe should bring another? I still can't get over that the iPhone 4 has only recently just come out so is still so expensive over there. I would have thought the monthly cost of an iPhone 4 would have been the same, at least, as here in the UK.
> 
> In terms of HP sauce etc, it's walker's crisps for me haha! Chocolate I can take or leave. We came for a week to have a 'look-see' and found an amazing ice-cream shop in the big art gallery near MBK. Can see myself eating it every day! We are moving to Bangkok central. After the first 3 months not sure exactly, but towards On Nut end of the BTS.


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## jabenna

*philbert* thank you again. The removals company who my partner's company is using is boxing everything themselves and making a full inventory for customs. We have a container and some air freight. If we buy laptops or electricals out there, when/if we return to the UK in the future, does the UK customs compare the list of things we took and then the list of things coming back in and charge import duty?

*duncB* haha no worries not gone out stocking up on 20 wii's! When we came over for the 'look-see' we had a quick look round MBK. Is there another place to buy electricals from or is MBK the bees-knees?

*Mynah* OK get what you meant now. We have a container provided for us and some air freight too so should be OK with things. Even if I was a millionaire I would still bargain hunt because it's the kind of person I am


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## philobert

> If we buy laptops or electricals out there, when/if we return to the UK in the future, does the UK customs compare the list of things we took and then the list of things coming back in and charge import duty?


I don't know. maybe you can ask the shipping agents that are moving you there. they may know.

cheers

phil


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## meetsara

Similar question: Should I but a laptop in the U.S. before moving to Thailand, or should I wait and buy my new laptop in Thailand? Thanks!


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## jabenna

philobert said:


> I don't know. maybe you can ask the shipping agents that are moving you there. they may know.
> 
> cheers
> 
> phil


just heard back from them. apparently as long as the items are older than 6 months old, which they are, it should all be fine when we arrive and have no tax to pay on them. they say at the moment there is no export tax/re-entering england tax but that there has been in the past so perhaps in 5 years when we come back they will help us then. Thanks again for your help. JB


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## duncbUK

For Electrical goods try Pantip plaza (near central world), any supermarket or powerbuy. The advantage of Pantip is price (if you are good at bargaining), but the other two win (including department stores) if you don't want to haggle, or if you are just researching price.

Re: MBK. I have been a couple of times, but don't really like it, and think it is a little overpriced


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## wildfk

*Consumer goods*

What you bring or buy depends on the item itself.

There is little or no point in buying bulky items like blenders and kettles in UK, unless you are already shipping a crate over with personal stuff - and even then you may find all sorts of hassle with customs if they find them.
Household Electrical goods in Thailand are a little bit dearer than UK...but that is the least of your problems. (actually when you consider that the VAT is only about 7% they are quite a lot dearer).

Sadly, the shops here are all part of a cartel that practices retail price maintenance - so bargains are extremely few and far between. you will find only minute variations in price between stores on the same item.

The quality and range of goods is also very poor.
I wouldn't worry about your average appliances too much but don't expect to see the range and variety you get back home - especially with such things as toasters and kettles as they are not standard equipment in a Thai kitchen. Food processors are also few and far between as are stick blenders.


The BIG no-no comes with customer service especially post sales; the staff are usually barely trained at all in product knowledge - they are only interested in one thing - selling you a item that their bosses have told them to shift. Ask a technical question and you will get a blank stare or a blatant lie.

REFUNDS / REPAIRS / REPLACEMENTS etc - if you have a faulty product or any other problem be prepared for an uphill fight to get a result.
The fist thing any retailer does in Thailand is blame the customer....if that doesn't work they will either take the goods to "examine for a ridiculous length of time or simply ignore you.

As for quality - you will find 2 levels of pricing - locally made or ASEAN goods tend to be cheap as there is little or no duty on them - but the quality- especially on some Chinese imports is DISMAL - avoid these items - they can be dangerous - poor wiring etc etc.
The irony is that much of the “European” or “US” items are manufactured in China too, but much higher standards are insisted on by the brand companies - often to comply with health and safety laws.

Thailand has little or no consumer protection law, the result being that if you do have a problem the result largely depends on the largess or lack of it of the vendor.

COMPUTERS, Cameras and hi-tech goods - you will find that Thailand lags behind by months or even years on the latest technology - take for example the new "pad" computers. Many are displayed in shops but your find they are either not available in all versions or are "grey" imports....i.e. someone as got brought them in from Singapore or even Eastern Europe.

You have to ask yourself if the guarantee on these is even worth the paper it;s printed on.

These items are usually small enough to carry as personal luggage and I would recommend that you buy ALL of this sort of stuff BEFORE you come to Thailand. you will find them cheaper - especially in the US, and you will be able to get the latest models with PROPER international guarantees.

A word about the electronics “malls” - they look like they have dozens of different stalls - like the Singapore equivalents, but when you look more closely you will see that companies like BANANA IT/ComSeven (one company) Hardware House, and others in fact have several stores dotted around the building, giving the false impression of choice. If you look further into this you then find that apparently separate retailers are owned by the same umbrella company.

As for Powerbuy, well their hold on the market is way too monopolistic for my taste and their business practices and pricing is highly dubious. How many high street retailers in your country offer a COPIED operating system (Windows etc) when you purchase a laptop or computer. THis doesn’t save you money - it just broadens their profit margin!

Most of the “Malls are owned by a small number of big retailers - the most noticeable being Central who always include Tops, Robinsons, Powerbuy and HomeWorks in their repertoire.


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## TomTao

jabenna said:


> philbert thank you again. The removals company who my partner's company is using is boxing everything themselves and making a full inventory for customs. We have a container and some air freight. If we buy laptops or electricals out there, when/if we return to the UK in the future, does the UK customs compare the list of things we took and then the list of things coming back in and charge import duty?
> 
> duncB haha no worries not gone out stocking up on 20 wii's! When we came over for the 'look-see' we had a quick look round MBK. Is there another place to buy electricals from or is MBK the bees-knees?
> 
> Mynah OK get what you meant now. We have a container provided for us and some air freight too so should be OK with things. Even if I was a millionaire I would still bargain hunt because it's the kind of person I am


My wife and I moved here from Australia a little over a year ago, I wanted to sell most of what we had and buy new when we arrived, but we ended up getting a half (20 foot) container. Since arriving I have seen most of what we brought across on sale here, you probably won't find bfand names like NEC here, but most other brands are here, I have found it best to avoid the names you don't know and stick to the internationally know brands. We once purchassed a small local brand name sterio that had a metal shell from Tesco Lotus, I got a small shock each time I touched it, so we took it back and after some discussion regarding the quality of the product we did get a full refund. There is an electrical retailer called Tokyu that stocks some of the big names and they not only deliver, they also offer good after sales service, if the person serving cannot answer your questions they will find someone who can. Other stores where you can buy some big names latest products are Big Camera and Banana IT. If you do have a problem it can require patience and persistance to get what you want. Most prices are fixed in most large sector or specialist retailers, but if you are a repeat customer and are willing to haggle they will move a little on the price. It all depends on what you want, where you look, your level of patience, who you talk to and how you talk to them, it always helps if you have someone along who can speak Thai, some staff can speak a little English, but not many.


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## jabenna

*duncbUK* Thanks again for the advice. I have a week and a half between landing and starting stuff so definitely going to have a good look round.

*wildfk* Wow! Thank you so much for your detailed reply. It's really appreciated the time you took to write it. ASEAN? I saw this on a thai visa forum email today saying Bangkok is the 2nd most ASEAN city...what does it mean? Which area does it apply to? China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia....etc?

Am looking forward to experiencing more Customer (non) Service as I had when we came for a look-see in February. I've been a retail store manager for 7 years so am sure I'm going to have to take a rewind in my thinking haha. Definitely don't want knock-off goods at all or anything of the sort, especially not software. I guess it can be tempting when you see things for 10% of the proper price though! MBK was brilliant to have a look round but as you say I'm sure it can take a lot of getting used to, to really get a good deal.

The one thing I have found surprising though is the slowness of new tech as you mentioned. I believe the iPhone 4 only came out in March over in LOS? I've had mine since July 2010! Can I just ask too sorry, even if it is trivial, haircuts...do I need to get used to a clipper cut before I come or is it possible to have a decent cut without paying massive bucks?

*TomTao* Thanks for the reply! Definitely going to do same as you and buy the more-known brands if only to make sure they are safe to use and last as long as normal. Where abouts is Tokyu? Sounds good and am liking the fact they give you good after-care. We get Thai lessons paid for by my other half's company so hopefully I may get there with the language a little bit, but good suggestion taking a Thai-speaker with us at first.


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## TomTao

jabenna said:


> duncbUK Thanks again for the advice. I have a week and a half between landing and starting stuff so definitely going to have a good look round.
> 
> wildfk Wow! Thank you so much for your detailed reply. It's really appreciated the time you took to write it. ASEAN? I saw this on a thai visa forum email today saying Bangkok is the 2nd most ASEAN city...what does it mean? Which area does it apply to? China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia....etc?
> 
> Am looking forward to experiencing more Customer (non) Service as I had when we came for a look-see in February. I've been a retail store manager for 7 years so am sure I'm going to have to take a rewind in my thinking haha. Definitely don't want knock-off goods at all or anything of the sort, especially not software. I guess it can be tempting when you see things for 10% of the proper price though! MBK was brilliant to have a look round but as you say I'm sure it can take a lot of getting used to, to really get a good deal.
> 
> The one thing I have found surprising though is the slowness of new tech as you mentioned. I believe the iPhone 4 only came out in March over in LOS? I've had mine since July 2010! Can I just ask too sorry, even if it is trivial, haircuts...do I need to get used to a clipper cut before I come or is it possible to have a decent cut without paying massive bucks?
> 
> TomTao Thanks for the reply! Definitely going to do same as you and buy the more-known brands if only to make sure they are safe to use and last as long as normal. Where abouts is Tokyu? Sounds good and am liking the fact they give you good after-care. We get Thai lessons paid for by my other half's company so hopefully I may get there with the language a little bit, but good suggestion taking a Thai-speaker with us at first.


Tokyu has a department store attached to MBK in Bangkok, they also have specialty stores throughout Thailand selling almost every electrical appliance for the home, including entertainment, but I'm not sure of the distribution. I have a new Samsung Galaxy S which I purchassed about a month ago in Bangkok from MBK, each part of the world has different release dates for new tech, I don't think Thailand is too far behind, the new stuff is released here before Australia gets it.


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## wildfk

*Haircuts etc*



jabenna said:


> *duncbUK* Thanks again for the advice. I have a week and a half between landing and starting stuff so definitely going to have a good look round.
> 
> *wildfk* Wow! Thank you so much for your detailed reply. It's really appreciated the time you took to write it. ASEAN? I saw this on a thai visa forum email today saying Bangkok is the 2nd most ASEAN city...what does it mean? Which area does it apply to? China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia....etc?
> 
> Am looking forward to experiencing more Customer (non) Service as I had when we came for a look-see in February. I've been a retail store manager for 7 years so am sure I'm going to have to take a rewind in my thinking haha. Definitely don't want knock-off goods at all or anything of the sort, especially not software. I guess it can be tempting when you see things for 10% of the proper price though! MBK was brilliant to have a look round but as you say I'm sure it can take a lot of getting used to, to really get a good deal.
> 
> The one thing I have found surprising though is the slowness of new tech as you mentioned. I believe the iPhone 4 only came out in March over in LOS? I've had mine since July 2010! Can I just ask too sorry, even if it is trivial, haircuts...do I need to get used to a clipper cut before I come or is it possible to have a decent cut without paying massive bucks?
> 
> *TomTao* Thanks for the reply! Definitely going to do same as you and buy the more-known brands if only to make sure they are safe to use and last as long as normal. Where abouts is Tokyu? Sounds good and am liking the fact they give you good after-care. We get Thai lessons paid for by my other half's company so hopefully I may get there with the language a little bit, but good suggestion taking a Thai-speaker with us at first.









ASEAN - Association of Southeast Asian Nations. They aim to become a common market (EU) type organisation......

I think this is the total list... Thailand Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore .Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

“Knock-offs” cover a wide range of goods from “seconds” to cheap copies to just sticking a fake label on something....but......

Pirate software is the norm in Thailand and it can be quite hard to get originals - often you need to buy and download on the net to do this.

As for the iPhone - well thailand has not yet got a universal 3G system in place and the botch-job that appears to be on offer also appears to be on a frequency that isn’t normally used. You’ll have to get the technicalities from a “boffin’. THe politics are a mixture of an elite trying to maintain a monopoly and the elite trying to curtail the amount of social media available to the “masses” - Thailand is politically very polarized at present.
at present 3G is available in parts of Bkk, some parts of north Chonburi province, Pattaya, and Chiang Mai.

Haircuts - are plentiful and cheap - about 100 baht up - you’ll find one in the end that does what you want. You can still get a cut-throat shave in some places too.
I was the English language advisor for the CS dept of a Thai company that exported worldwide and have gained a detailed insider’s perspective on how many Thai companies operate in this respect, as well as the management’s attitudes. I now work semi-freelance.

PS - Their are some pretty vacuous comments about “expat syndrome” etc including the most vacuous of all “why does he live here?”.

People try to excuse malpractice in thailand by claiming it as “cultural” differences - I’d love to hear one of these people start by defining culture and then follow with a definition of Thai culture....... this argument is so lame it just doesn’t have legs at all.

Corruption, crime and exploitation aren’t “cultural” - they may be endemic, but that is no excuse.


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## jabenna

*mynah* Thanks for your replies but please don't comment on advice others have given me as going 'on and on'. I'm really grateful for anyone's advice as long as it's constructive and non-aggressive or slanderous. I didn't view wildfk's comments as being negative at all, not that they need defending, merely advisory. I understand what emigrating involves and I am certainly not moving to Thailand for experience a phony, fluffy lifestyle. To be honest, all of your messages have been a bit negative on here and slating other people's comments, initially my own telling me I had a jaded view of Thailand when I had said nothing of the sort. I really don't want to argue so please just don't reply any more.

*wildfk* Thanks for the 3G network info. Do you know if the BTS extension has opened yet? Is it true it's going to be free for journeys on the extension at the start of the trial? I'm thinking take along my Thai friend the first time I go for the haircut just in case I say the wrong thing and end up with no ear and a botched job...it's taken me 5 years to find a place over here I like!

Your job sounds interesting. I'm doing a CELTA when I get over there, what qual's did you have for that job? Did you find it once you'd moved or had it set-up before you left?


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## alaia

I Am curious about ordering things like juicers, blenders ,dehydrators and food prossesor through amazon or a like company on line...Is it possible or am i better served to bring the ones i have with me...


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## TomTao

You could bring yours with you, but things to consider, 1. The power supply here is 220 volts 50 hertz, 2. Some if not all the products are available, but if you buy here you had best buy a brand name you know from an electrical retailer rather than a supermarket chain or mum and pop shop, 3. The cost of shipping may have you deciding to buy local if you are not doing a complete move of all possessions as my wife and I did from Australia.


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