question about buying electronics (and stuff) in hong kong, china, korea, japan, etc...

[spanky]

i'm just wondering for those who have been to any of the above mentioned countires... when u got there and did shopping for electronics... like digital cameras, or computer parts, or cd players... did u notice the pricing there to be good? when i say good... i mean better then the average price here in the US. i'm not saying it to be cheaper then the prices that i can get from the ferengi's in hot deals... but say if a digicam in best buy was $200... would i be able to find a better price in one of those mentioned asian countries? when i went to hk last year.... i didn't find the prices to be all that great. of course, maybe i just did not know where to shop (or how to haggle). can anyone provide insight? reason i am asking is becuz i will be leaving for hk on tuesday (yeah i know u guys will miss me) and its too late for me to order a CF card for my digital camera (just picked it up today) from crucial. my only options seem to be to go to a B&M store. i checked staples and the pricing compared to crucial is pretty big. so i am thinking... should i just wait til i get to hk and get a CF card? right now i only have a measely 8mb CF card... i would like to have a higher capacity CF card. soooo..... what do u guys think?

 

[dcdomain]

Well I think in Japan, everything is more expensive than here. Higher standard of living I believe.
In regards to Hong Kong, if you can haggle, and know where to shop, prices aren't too bad. Shop in Mong Kok or around Causeway Bay? Make sure you go to the shops up in the buildings, not the ones that are on the first floor. Helps if you can speak Cantonese... you have friends that live there?

Most of the time, people buy from Asian countries because those products are unavailable elsewhere, not because of price.

 

[GroundedSailor]

Originally posted by: dcdomain

Most of the time, people buy from Asian countries because those products are unavailable elsewhere, not because of price.

Agree on that one. I've seen products that took years to come to the US and some not at all.

If you go to the smaller shops (like kowloon etc) you must remember to haggle and bargain - prices can come down by 20-30% depending on what and how much you buy.

 

[AndyHui]

Generally go to Mong Kok or Shum Shui Po. Avoid places like Tsim Sha Tsui, where a lot of the shops deliberately jack up prices, simply due to the sheer amount of tourists around there.

Generally, you will need to know Cantonese to get the best prices, or even better, have friends who know shops very well.

For electronics stuff apart from your CF card, remember that we use a different voltage here. 220/240 volts.

Here are current CF prices:

Eagletec 128MB: HK$300
Eagletec 256MB: HK$580

Kingston 128MB: HK$400
Kingston 256MB: HK$830

Sandisk 128MB (regular): HK$390
Sandisk 128MB (ultra hi-speed): HK$480

To tell you the truth, computer part prices aren't that great here because they don't do price matching or rebates or anything like that.

 

[GroundedSailor]

And if you're going to Tokyo visit Akihabara for all electronics.

Check it out here

 

[BillGates]

Rats, no hot deals on toys, there goes my only reason for visiting those places, hehe.

 

[AndyHui]

Not necessarily. You can get certain things at great prices. Besides, the stuff here is so advanced that no amount that you are willing to spend is going to get you that gadget in the US.

 

[AndrewR]

Speaking of advances here that aren't available in the States, I saw two Sony digital cameras yesterday that were incredible. One was about the size of two butane lighters put side by side!! You could almost use the thing for a key chain. The problem is that it's limited to 640x480 resolution. The other one was just a bit bigger than a deck of cards and had 2 megapixels plus 3x optical zoom. Pretty sweet camera especially considering the size. I think it was 24800 yen, roughly $200.

 

[LongCoolMother]

japan prices are higher then US.

HK prices are not low, and will very often be higher then US.

mainland china prices will be much lower then USA and HK.

thats all i know from my own experience. note that im talking about in general.

 

[GroundedSailor]

Originally posted by: LongCoolMother
japan prices are higher then US.

HK prices are not low, and will very often be higher then US.

mainland china prices will be much lower then USA and HK.

thats all i know from my own experience. note that im talking about in general.

True, Japan is usually more expensive, but if you know where to shop, specially in HK, one can get good deals. Be prepared to bargain hard.

Or you can cross the border in Shenzen and pay Chinese prices but caveat emptor. (Let the buyer beware).

The main thing, as dcdomian pointed out, is that you will get stuff that is not yet available in the US. For some reason, even though it is the largest market, the US lags way behind the world in innovative electronics.

 

[MazerRackham]

Costco has CF cards for pretty cheap.... try there before you fly to HK

 

[Kelvrick]

Man, They wouldn't let me mention f@twallet? Oh well... Just go over there and find a Staples, OFfice Max, or Office Depot B&M coupon and head to the store with the cheapest price and pick up a CF card there. It won't be the cheapest you can find, but it'll be decent. If you can't, then you can always order online at a staples computer at a Staples store or from Office Max or Office depot and pick up in a store later that day. If you need help with this, gimme a PM.

<== monkey dance

 

[fornax]

If you go to Tokyo, go to Akihabara -- acres of electronics, most of it good Almost any big city in Japan has big electronics markets, and the electronics hobby shops are literallly on every block in some places. If you're electronics hobbyist, Japan is the paradise on Earth Can's speak of HK/Korea, never been there.

 

[BigNeko]

Well I think in Japan, everything is more expensive than here.

About 80% right, though hard drives, memory and some CPUs can be cheaper. Ex. AMD XP1600 for $45. Most consumer electronics stuff is much more expensive, except for occasional sales.

Shop in Mong Kok or around Causeway Bay?

The place by Mong Kok is called Golden Dragon Center. Also a couple of places by Wan Chai station. Can`t miss the one place with the blue, yellow and orange sign. Get some of those waffle things the lady makes on the corner. Don`t forget to walk around the parks on Sunday. That`s when all the Filipina housekeepers and nannys have the day off. The sound is unforgettable. You`ll understand if you experience it.

Almost any big city in Japan has big electronics markets,

Not really.

I think HK has been doing a slow but steady slide away from the days you could get a bargain. Globalization, baby!

Overall, Internet is cheaper/same. And if dealing with a reputable online store (like newegg), if you have a problem, you can return it. Not really possible at a place you are only going to visit.

There you go, your Planetship.

 

[spanky]

thanx to all for the many great suggestions i have to pack now... ah crap i hate packing

 

[pillage2001]

Mong kok street is your best friend. Take me with you!!!!!!!!

 

[Nessal]

I've been to HK last year and the prices aren't much different and many stuff are actually more then US prices. But I sure bought 283901283 copies of pirated software

 

[Nessal]

Originally posted by: BigNeko

Shop in Mong Kok or around Causeway Bay?

The place by Mong Kok is called Golden Dragon Center.

That place got raided last year about a week after I left back to US of A....heard they arrested sheit loads of people for pirated software. The raid was a few weeks after xmas so most of the tourist are long gone. Basically they don't want to scare off the tourist because they help boost the economy.

 

[Dragnov]

In Korea there are the retail business stores and the underground market.

THe large electronic malls are cheaper depending on what items you are looking for, but not in regards to computers. They are pretty much going to be the same price as the USA. Some of these you will be able to bargain for if there is no price listed. But these are liek the "real" stores, so not likely any cheaper....

Then there is the "underground market". It's not like Taiwan illegal stuff (although there is a few illegal DVD's/CD's, etc. and such), but its just one big undergound market (literrally) that has a bunch of electronics/computers for sale. I bought my MP3 player from there for ~$150 two years ago... it sells for around ~$200 over here still. The Mpio DMG.

At the time I was looking for LCD screens... somewhat cheaper. You have to bargain though...either the older angry agressive mom type (intimidation... like "WTF thats expensive, are you kidding me), the young girl flirt type (sympathy... "Please Mr. can you give to me any cheaper") or the big fatherly type (power/friend... "Oh c'mon, you can give it to me for a better price.)

I just asked em how much they would sell something to me for, and then I went to another place and told em to beat the price, and then went back asking if the first place would beat the price, and so on.

 

[spanky]

Originally posted by: Nessal

Originally posted by: BigNeko

Shop in Mong Kok or around Causeway Bay?

The place by Mong Kok is called Golden Dragon Center.

That place got raided last year about a week after I left back to US of A....heard they arrested sheit loads of people for pirated software. The raid was a few weeks after xmas so most of the tourist are long gone. Basically they don't want to scare off the tourist because they help boost the economy.

really? i was there last xmas too. hehe...

 

[GroundedSailor]

Originally posted by: Nessal
But I sure bought 283901283 copies of pirated software

Could have prob bought twice that amount for half the price if you crossed over into China. When I went to a few places (mainly N China) a couple of years ago they were selling the stuff openly on the street!.

Have a gooid trip!

 

[Zebo]

I saved a few thousand HERE on a projection...Heck yes, it's cheapoer

 

[dcdomain]

No time to get it from Crucial w/ free 2nd day FEDEX?

http://www.crucial.com/store/PartSpecs.asp?imodule=CT128MBC1&cat=Flash

From AU Tiger: "Get it down to $38.34 before tax if you use a 15% off link. Maybe even better if you can also combine ebates 3% rebate. Check xpbargains.com or other deal websites for a 15% off link. Ebates is not guaranteed to work, but I have had success in the past with ebates and the 15% off."

 

[spanky]

Originally posted by: dcdomain
No time to get it from Crucial w/ free 2nd day FEDEX?

http://www.crucial.com/store/PartSpecs.asp?imodule=CT128MBC1&cat=Flash

From AU Tiger: "Get it down to $38.34 before tax if you use a 15% off link. Maybe even better if you can also combine ebates 3% rebate. Check xpbargains.com or other deal websites for a 15% off link. Ebates is not guaranteed to work, but I have had success in the past with ebates and the 15% off."

i looked... unfortunately... no time. when they say 2nd day fed-ex... thats two business days... weekend's do not count. i am leaving tueday morning. dayam... talk about short notice eh? hehe...