# How many thai products satisfactory?



## Dave O'Dottu (Jul 15, 2009)

How many thai products have you found satisfactory? 

the majority of the stuff sold on Khao San rd is shoddily made, e.g. the leather goods. 

A lot of the "silk" offered even at the expensive shopping centers is flimsy and not good quality silk.

My opinion is that thailand maintains a low average in shoe reliability and backpack type products. 

For example -- if they say it's real leather and even put a match to it, mm, mm.

The shoe stores on Chakrapongse just off Khao San rd, often sell shoes that are glued not nailed. Therefore the soles will come unglued with a week or two. 

Does anyone have any opinion of general thai product reliability (not major international brands sold in thailand)?


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## Guest (Oct 18, 2010)

Yeah, i have an opinion. Foolishly, I went to a Thai stall to buy a USB stick and when I arrived home it had been stuffed with fake material, glued together, and repackaged. I'd like to think this is not the norm, but it was my experience.


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## Dave O'Dottu (Jul 15, 2009)

jpippy68 said:


> Yeah, i have an opinion. Foolishly, I went to a Thai stall to buy a USB stick and when I arrived home it had been stuffed with fake material, glued together, and repackaged. I'd like to think this is not the norm, but it was my experience.


Was this at one of the major IT centers in thailand, like Panthip Plaza?

If not, where was this stall, please?

Was it a major brand in what appeared to be original sealed packaging?

What brand did it say it was?


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## nextpat (Aug 28, 2009)

I've had good luck with all my purchases. Just follow the adage, "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is." Sure, things are less expensive. Check the stitching at the seams, check the material for defects and quality/weight. If the stall in the market has a huge variety of items and no specialization, then your run a higher risk because the sellers probably have little or no real knowledge of what they are selling. If you are buying a bag, don't look at cheap gift shops, look at a luggage retailer or stall, and so on. Electronics? Stick to the mall in BKK that specializes in them. Custom suits, pants, shirts and sportcoats? Go to Pinky Tailor in Ploenchit, Bangkok.

As for Thai silk, it is naturally different from Chinese silk. It has a more firmer hand and more tiny knots. Chinese silk is usually better for neckties, for example. But Thai is much more interesting and noteworthy as a scarf or shirt/blouse.

Buyer beware is a good motto.


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## Song_Si (Jun 11, 2010)

hi

keeping this light-hearted and not to be seen as 'Thai-bashing' which is prevalent on some forums . . .

My Thai partner falls about laughing saying "_made in Thailand_' when something cheap I bought breaks - this after I've usually been told it'll be 'no good' but bought it anyway.

I think the best was a pair of shorts I bought when we holidayed in Phuket, after the second machine-wash they came out in pieces, it was as if the thread used was biodegradable and had dissolved in water - I could only laugh. 'Tourist quality'. By comparison 2 pair I bought at a Big C have so far proven indestructible. 

Then there was the spade - the only style available at our local 'sell-everything' store. It buckled first time I used it to attempt to dig a hole (isn't that what spades are for?). Cue more laughter from her and 'it was only 120 baht'. 

Maybe I'll never learn . . . my eye for a bargain hasn't served me well. 

Equally though, I have some good shirts that will go the distance, jeans too. They cost a little more. 

I've learnt that the tubes the roadside place will fit when you stop with a puncture are very low quality - should expect that at 120baht supply and fit, lose pressure and often tear around the valve, worth spending 200 for a good one from a Yamaha/Honda etc dealer and keeping as a spare. 

Live and learn!


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## pannyzero (Aug 26, 2010)

*Tips for buying stuffs in Thailand*

If you wanna buy electronic gadgets, stick with retail shops in any big malls. If you wanna buy electronic gadgets from street vendors, there is high possibility that you will get ripped off since their goods are fake and are made in China.

For cloths, If I want long-lasting one, I would spend a little more money on local brandname cloths... cuz the tend to use better material and have better cutting. 
Tip: a lot of Thais buy new cloths very often so they dont really care about how long their cloths will last. Also, for silk, the real good quality Thai silk is very expensive. For a good quality silk dress, it costs (at least) $5,000-7,000B. If you have a chance, go to OTOP fair. It will show you how expensive Thai silk can be. It would be better for you if you have some knowledge about silk before you buy one. Otherwise, you will get ripped off from street vendors.


One more thing to be considered...
ALL street vendors, they pay very expensive renting cost for their tiny shop in tourist area. For example, Kaw San Rd., the minimum rental fee for a 2mx2m is about B20,000(this information is from 2 years ago) a month. So, they need to sell something that have lowest original cost(which means low quality) in the highest price. Plus...most of their customers are tourist which means their customer will not come back and complain about their goods.

Last tips: shop around like local and dont believe every words street vendors tell you.


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## wildfk (Apr 26, 2010)

Most of the stuff you are talking about is NOT Thai....it is made in China or elsewhere.

Thailand's problem is not the quality of it's manufacturing per se, so much as the kind of goods it permits to be sold. This is largely due to the lack of consumer protection and corruption that allows those with connections to import and sell goods that are substandard with impunity.


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## Dave O'Dottu (Jul 15, 2009)

my opinion from having observed the OTOP (one village one product) fairs is that the stuff sold there is not good quality. 

those little burl wooden business-card holders, for example, will come apart because they are glued and not well. 

the leather items are of the same low quality as the same stuff sold on Khao San road in Bangkok.

Much of the stuff at those fairs is not made in those villages/towns. 

if you get up close and look at the fabric the clothing and fabric bags are made of, it is not good quality. 

those fairs are not the places to buy silk. there are established silk shops for that. 

this sort of decline seems to happen to a lot of "street fairs" including those in the usa. And of course a lot of the stuff especially clothing is made in china. 

You have to wander around to find stores that sell the better-quality thai products.


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## allanb (Nov 9, 2010)

Well, I have another theory about buying "non-Thai" goods in Thailand, I think they are second rate too. 

I bought a Seiko watch from a jewellers, at the same price I would pay in the UK, with the same level of finish and I am 100% convinced it is not a fake. Within the first 2 weeks one of the little gold coloured hour indicators came loose and became lodged between the hands, stopping the watch, making me late for an appointment. I took it back to the jewellers, who fixed it, taking 2 days to do so, a week later the same thing happened to another hour indicator and over the year I have had it, it has been back 4 times and each time I have been denied a refund. I currently have one loose again rattling around in the face.

I bought a cheap Chinese angle grinder (I have bought these before in the UK and they last for years) and the main bearing broke after a month and when I took it back they said it was a "cheap price"and had no warranty. The same happened with an MP3 player and 2 faulty Kingstone USB memory sticks and each time they gave some excuse, why I couldn't have a refund.

Now the prices I paid for all of these goods were the same as the UK, some more expensive, but in the UK, if I had produced a receipt I would have had a refund, almost without a problem. Because UK law demands they do that.

So if I were Seiko Ltd or Kingston Ltd, had some production problems and was unsure about a product batch, where would I ship them? Not to the UK, where I would get them back and my reputation could be damaged, but Thailand where I wouldn't and the complaint could be dismissed as a probable fake.

I hired a small Toyota car which was the biggest piece of junk I have every driven, now I know that they have had some recalls and it was the bottom of the range, but really. These Jap cars only have build quality going for them, since they are not cheap, nor at all nice to look at, nor fast, comfortable or economical, so it is pretty fustrating when the build qulaty is so poor.

Now I know this is only my experience, but I think it is because there is no consumer protection here in Thailand.


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## allanb (Nov 9, 2010)

Well, I have another theory about buying "non-Thai" goods in Thailand, I think they are second rate too. 

I bought a Seiko watch from a jewellers, at the same price I would pay in the UK, with the same level of finish and I am 100% convinced it is not a fake. Within the first 2 weeks one of the little gold coloured hour indicators came loose and became lodged between the hands, stopping the watch, making me late for an appointment. I took it back to the jewellers, who fixed it, taking 2 days to do so, a week later the same thing happened to another hour indicator and over the year I have had it, it has been back 4 times and each time I have been denied a refund. I currently have one loose again rattling around in the face.

I bought a cheap Chinese angle grinder (I have bought these before in the UK and they last for years) and the main bearing broke after a month and when I took it back they said it was a "cheap price"and had no warranty. The same happened with an MP3 player and 2 faulty Kingstone USB memory sticks and each time they gave some excuse, why I couldn't have a refund.

Now the prices I paid for all of these goods were the same as the UK, some more expensive, but in the UK, if I had produced a receipt I would have had a refund, almost without a problem. Because UK law demands they do that.

So if I were Seiko Ltd or Kingston Ltd, had some production problems and was unsure about a product batch, where would I ship them? Not to the UK, where I would get them back and my reputation could be damaged, but Thailand where I wouldn't and the complaint could be dismissed as a probable fake.

I hired a small Toyota car which was the biggest piece of junk I have every driven, now I know that they have had some recalls and it was the bottom of the range, but really. These Jap cars only have build quality going for them, since they are not cheap, nor at all nice to look at, nor fast, comfortable or economical, so it is pretty fustrating when the build qulaty is so poor.

Now I know this is only my experience, but I think it is because there is no consumer protection here in Thailand.


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## wildfk (Apr 26, 2010)

allanb said:


> Well, I have another theory about buying "non-Thai" goods in Thailand, I think they are second rate too.
> 
> I bought a Seiko watch from a jewellers, at the same price I would pay in the UK, with the same level of finish and I am 100% convinced it is not a fake. Within the first 2 weeks one of the little gold coloured hour indicators came loose and became lodged between the hands, stopping the watch, making me late for an appointment. I took it back to the jewellers, who fixed it, taking 2 days to do so, a week later the same thing happened to another hour indicator and over the year I have had it, it has been back 4 times and each time I have been denied a refund. I currently have one loose again rattling around in the face.
> 
> ...


UK - and most EU countries have a very simple solution - it's called fair trading - and it's pretty much enshrined in law.

The principle is that if you buy a good or service it should perform reasonably.

to give an extreme example - if you buy a car it would be natural to expect it to have 4 wheels - if on delivery it hasn't, then regardless of any contract, deal price etc your would have grounds for a refund - CASH and the vendor would be liable.

unfortunately in Thailand no such concept seems to exist - the contract between vendor and user is still king so if you buy ANYTHING the vendor usually has a clause or policy that precludes you from any refund regardless of how negligent or even deceptive the vendor may have been.

in the UK for instance you don't even really need a receipt as retailers keep records of very item they sell and your memory card would be replaced or a refund offered (credit with the shop is not enough).

Again the retailer would be judged not by any contract (these are still subject to the law regardless of what they try to say) - and the retailer would be expected to have sold a card that operates properly for a reasonable length of time - arguably 1 year.

In UK and EU the purchaser is King - in thailand the vendor has everything weighted in his/her favour. This is a very powerful government lobby (ing Power? Central etc?) and it is very unlikely that that will be any sweeping changes at present.

In the meantime retailers big and small will be able to offer substandard goods with impunity.

BTW - this also includes copies and pirated goods, which are still being produced by the millions in neighbouring countries - the quality HAS to be poor otherwise the price would be virtually the same as the original.

Companies who make electrical goods manufacture according to the market they are going to - they know that if the goods will end up in UK - even on a market - they are likely to be picked up by the fair-trading officers - and checked for safety etc - so the goods they supply legitimately are of better quality (safety of wiring, plastic used etc) than an apparently identical god purchased here where checks and enforcement are minimal


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## allanb (Nov 9, 2010)

Absolutely, long live on-line shopping.


Silence is golden, duct tape is sliver.


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## wildfk (Apr 26, 2010)

allanb said:


> Absolutely, long live on-line shopping.
> 
> 
> Silence is golden, duct tape is sliver.


I buy online and companies like Amazon and I have found they have a virtually bullet-proof customer care system, refunds, delivery guarantees etc etc.


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