What are some things you can buy in Asia?

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AmphibSailor

Golden Member
Feb 15, 2002
1,399
5
81
:) Like some of the other suggestions....get tailored clothing...Leather anything is very reasonably priced (inexpensive ... or cheap...your choice) as well as good quality clothing. You don't have to buy knock offs...

Where in South Korea, Japan and China are you traveling to...?
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
100,939
18,098
126
Get one of those network enabled HD player. It plays High Def stuff stored on DVD or HDD. It can access networked content or usb hdd.
 

pontifex

Lifer
Dec 5, 2000
43,804
46
91
Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Women are really cheap there. You might run into legal trouble trying to resell them for profit though.

wow, can't believe it took so long for this to come up
 

pradeep1

Golden Member
Jun 4, 2005
1,099
1
81
You can get custom made items cheap there, like good quality suits.

Also consider medicines from reputable pharamacies. Prescription drugs in Asia cost sometimes 1/20 or 1/100 of what they cost here in the USA. You can stock up on diabetes drugs, cholesterol drugs, viagra, antibiotics, oral contraceptives, heartburn meds, etc. You can have your physician here provide you with a prescription, or you can visit a doctor there (for about $5-10 for the consultation) and get a prescription. Having a prescription is required so you won't get busted by customs. Most of the medicines are produced by US companies' subsidiaries there and they are safe.

Leather goods are cheap.

Jewellery - you can find a lot of intricate handworked designs that you won't find here in the USA. The surcharge for labor is only about $2-5 per gram, which accounts for a premium of only 20% over the cost of the gold in the item. Whereas buying the same thing here would cost 75-200% over the cost of the gold.

Electronics are iffy. Unless you are going to Taiwan or Hong Kong, I'd avoid electronics because of the large counterfeit markets there.

Also consider purchase of physical luxuries - massages, hot oil treatments, full body massages, etc. Avoid sex industry.

Medical care - Asia, especially India, is becoming a hotspot for high quality medical tourism. You can get minor surgeries taken care of for really cheap prices. Also you can have your teeth fixed (caps, crowns, root canal, etc.). Major surgeries are also very good in major cities - I've known of people going to India to have bypass surgeries, lipsuction, etc. Quality of care in the good major hospitals is better than what you can get here. Some of the major hospitals are set up like 5 star hotels with all the amenities. Cost would be about 1/5 to 1/10 of similar services in the USA.

Hope this helps.

 

HammerCurl

Senior member
Apr 3, 2007
651
0
0
I went to China for winter session for a month, most worthwhile things I brought back was some neat art and a silk blanket. I bought some jade over there, no one I bought it for thought it was pretty (guess I have a bad taste in jewelry). Hope you have a great trip! (Some of the toilets are just sunken in porcelain holes in the ground ;)
 

SirStev0

Lifer
Nov 13, 2003
10,449
6
81
My friend spent a semester in China. He bought us all soveiners before he left. He got us mostly little stuff. Communist zippos, t-shirts, hats, and even a dagger. Most of the stuff he said cost him roughly 50 American cents. The dagger (which was freaking wickedly cool) was the most expensive. It cost him about 4 dollars. That is a legit dagger too. Really nice handle, real blade, decorated sheath. He also bought him self a library of pirated movies... He brought home probably about 100 of them, some of which were complete seasons/series of TV shows, and they are very nice quality stuff. Not the usual pirated garbage you can buy on a street corner in NYC. I believe he spent 10 to 20 bucks on all of them.

 

SirStev0

Lifer
Nov 13, 2003
10,449
6
81
Originally posted by: Lifted
Originally posted by: BatmanNate

If Bud is "premium beer" I'd hate to imagine what you consider swill.

:D

I was wondering about that too. Is that part of the joke?

Premium is a "type" of beer. Usually used to describe a decent quality lager type beer made in america.

Examples: Budweiser, Miller Genuine Draft, Yuengling Premium, Old German Premium Lager, etc.
 

Gooberlx2

Lifer
May 4, 2001
15,381
6
91
Pearls are cheap in parts of China. I know they were super cheap when I was in Shanghai, but I've heard they were expensive in Hong Kong and Beijing. I do know that a necklace similar to what I purchased for my wife went for about 30x - 50x or more here in the states.

Having clothes tailored and made was cheap as hell too. I bought a Kashmere w/ silk lining full length coat for what came out to around $65 US. Also a full length silk Chipao (sp?) for my wife. All very well made too.

Electronics were not cheap at all.
 

luv2liv

Diamond Member
Dec 27, 2001
3,506
95
91
and dont forget to bargain!
in a lot of stores you can. in deparment stores you cant.

u dont need to know the language. bargain by punching the amount in their calculator. they need your money more than you need their goods.
 
Oct 25, 2006
11,036
11
91
Learn to bargain, REAL fast.

Apparently, people have been able to push the prices of things that are over 200 dollars, to 100 dollars
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,811
126
Originally posted by: pradeep1
You can get custom made items cheap there, like good quality suits.

Also consider medicines from reputable pharamacies. Prescription drugs in Asia cost sometimes 1/20 or 1/100 of what they cost here in the USA. You can stock up on diabetes drugs, cholesterol drugs, viagra, antibiotics, oral contraceptives, heartburn meds, etc. You can have your physician here provide you with a prescription, or you can visit a doctor there (for about $5-10 for the consultation) and get a prescription. Having a prescription is required so you won't get busted by customs. Most of the medicines are produced by US companies' subsidiaries there and they are safe.

Leather goods are cheap.

Jewellery - you can find a lot of intricate handworked designs that you won't find here in the USA. The surcharge for labor is only about $2-5 per gram, which accounts for a premium of only 20% over the cost of the gold in the item. Whereas buying the same thing here would cost 75-200% over the cost of the gold.

Electronics are iffy. Unless you are going to Taiwan or Hong Kong, I'd avoid electronics because of the large counterfeit markets there.

Also consider purchase of physical luxuries - massages, hot oil treatments, full body massages, etc. Avoid sex industry.

Medical care - Asia, especially India, is becoming a hotspot for high quality medical tourism. You can get minor surgeries taken care of for really cheap prices. Also you can have your teeth fixed (caps, crowns, root canal, etc.). Major surgeries are also very good in major cities - I've known of people going to India to have bypass surgeries, lipsuction, etc. Quality of care in the good major hospitals is better than what you can get here. Some of the major hospitals are set up like 5 star hotels with all the amenities. Cost would be about 1/5 to 1/10 of similar services in the USA.

Hope this helps.

All very good suggestions.
 

potato28

Diamond Member
Jun 27, 2005
8,964
0
0
Originally posted by: tenshodo13
Learn to bargain, REAL fast.

Apparently, people have been able to push the prices of things that are over 200 dollars, to 100 dollars

QFT. Anywheres in the world you can bargin.
 

Phokus

Lifer
Nov 20, 1999
22,994
779
126
I forgot, buy some tailor made suits, i hear it's dirt cheap in hong kong (and probably on mainland china too). Also, silk clothes if you have a girl.
 

PhoenixOrion

Diamond Member
May 4, 2004
4,312
0
0
Things I remember my wife and I bought when we visited these countries,

Japan - ornate hand fan, decorative cover for a throw pillow, chopsticks gift set with matching soup spoons

South Korea - celadon pottery, miniature hanbok dress in a shadow box, coach leather bags, Hard Rock cafe T-shirt, 2 custom wool suits and 6 dress shirts

China - solid wood apothecary/medicine chest, jewelry box with mother of pearl inlay all over it, ceramic vase from some village at the bottom of the great wall hike, sinopec formula 1 racing souvenir 'baseball' cap
 

TheGizmo

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2000
3,627
0
71
hey i'd pay you if you could buy me my medicine in china and mail it to me :) pay ya for the mailing and some extra for your troubles. let me know if interested. thanks. meds are so expensive here, especially when you don't have health insurance :(

anyway, other suggestions: cell phone. they have the coolest phones out there. and for hawaii, definately get some really nice organic food. and don't miss out on that skydiving for the life of you.
 

patentman

Golden Member
Apr 8, 2005
1,035
1
0
Originally posted by: Luthien
dried deer penis

you wouldn't happen to live in DC would you? The only place I've ever heard dry deer penis uttered before was on a radio show that is on around here.
 

ghostman

Golden Member
Jul 12, 2000
1,819
1
76
Originally posted by: TheGizmo
anyway, other suggestions: cell phone. they have the coolest phones out there. and for hawaii, definately get some really nice organic food.

While their cell phones are cool, a lot of it has to do with the services associated with the cell phone. Those services just aren't here yet.

I've always wondered whether photography gear was cheaper in Asia, being that they are closer to the source. If your walls are bare, can't you pick up a photo printer and tons of ink? Then just cover your walls in your photos.