bamboozled

...thank you, Pib.

How do I open an account with Bangkok Bank New York? Do I need to open it at that branch in the US or open an account at any Bangkok Bank branch in Thailand.

...pity, I already have two Thai accounts with little money in them at Siam and Kasikorn but alas not Bangkok Bank!

Thanks all....

I crossed over at Mae Sai today with no problems. I have a Non-B and they didn't make any fuss whatsoever. It was tough getting through the throng of upset folks standing in front of passport control and they got me worked up that I wouldn't get in but obviously our situations were not the same. I'm American by the way.

Planning on doing ye ole border run on May 10 (my get out of jail free card expires that day...I know, cutting it close). Does anyone foresee why the border might be closed that day? No holiday or anything?

...tanks!

Yes I guess that seems kind of obvious doesn't it? I haven't found much else, such as a shop that advertises "we buy silver". That would be too easy I suppose. I could try back where I bought them, too. The price of silver has doubled since I bought them.

Thanks for your input.

Here's some info: http://greenpapayasangha.org/upcoming-retreats/

They have a weekly sitting and I'm sure if you go you can find more info from the folks in attendance.

It just seems so hopeless trying to avoid it. We are, basically, screwed. Better to go down laughing than go down complaining about it.

I've got some Karen silver bracelets that I would like to sell for their silver content (they were damaged; I don't think they have value as bracelets anymore). Does anyone know where I can do this?

Cheers...

I appreciate you reporting this. And there is no reading between the lines in my post (u c it's only 1 line!) Thanks for taking the time.

I make pretty funky fashionable leather goods, pretty niche market. And they're not cheap. Yes, they are not really proper for Anusarn but I thought I would get a few takers and drum up some interest. And hopefully attract some business folk that might want to do a wholesale order to sell back in Farangland or Japan (I think they have appeal to Japanese, IMHO). But I have tweaked my set up almost every night and sometimes I didn't bring my heavy hitters and brought less expensive items, made from canvas, cotton, hemp, some funky shoes, etc...Last night I brought an assortment of small leather items such as iphone cover, key chain, coin purse, etc... The perfect item for Anusarn. Last night I sold one key chain for 30 baht. Gross profit 15 baht. Yes! Anyhow, I don't think it's my merchandise, per se. I think it's the time of year. I talked to a long term seller last night and she said one works at a loss now until September and most folks just keep paying the rent and selling to hold their spot until the high season. Selling at Anusarn is not really my objective, it was just an idea to try, thinking it might be fun and bring in a little money and get some feedback. Well, I'll put a check next to the "idea tried" box and move on. We'll see when September rolls around.

Perhaps a market that is less tourist oriented would better suit my needs.

Cheers.

Thanks for the input everyone. I don't know how other stall owners get by selling there. I've talked to some and the numbers don't look good for the most part but still they are there. Perhaps as pointed out selling here is just icing on the day job cake. I don't get it, how they can survive. Maybe they just wait it out to keep their spot until high season and take a loss during low.

On a similar note, I also don't understand all the shops/bars/restaurants/coffee shops/etc...that open up all over town. It's not cheap to open a business (not talking about a stall but an actual shop with walls and roof) and most often you have a contract with a big sum up front and the joy of a monthly rent of at least 10,000. Where do all these people find the money to throw around on slim chances of success? The ones that don't go under but have few customers, how to they keep going? I'm baffled, personally.

Eyecatcher, what's your business? By last Tuesday, you mean the last day of Songkran, right? I started right before Songkran and things got a lot slower after, as you have mentioned. So you are thinking, as I am, that we have now entered the official low season, whatever that is these days with the Chinese, etc...?

As I was writing my post, "two weeks" to try out this new venture did indeed strike me as a very short time span. I know things take time but don't want to lose a lot of it trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole. I will check out Ban Tawai, that's an idea I never entertained. My items are not really mass market, however, and this is part of the problem. I'm trying to adapt, at least a little, to a cheaper more mass market item and quality but it is hard as my mind is not geared that way. I perhaps need two separate lines, a cheap and then a not so cheap.

A couple weeks ago I asked for thoughts on selling leather goods at Anusarn market. Well, my gal and I've been giving it a try and it's been pretty miserable as far as sales go. Luckily, it was a small investment to try it out but after two weeks we're most likely going to give it up. That's a small amount of time I suppose but it's tedious to haul ones stuff there every night, set it up, and sit there while ones bottom gets square from the stool...and very minimal sales (i.e. losing money). Of course, a year's contract in a shop at 30,000 a month to get the same results would be distinctly possible and distinctly a bummer so I am happy to not be in that situation.

Apart from whether our items are suitable for selling in Anusarn (I'm beginning to think they're not: not Thailand looking enough/not tourist trinket enough) what are folks thoughts on tourist numbers? Yes, it's low season (though I think with so many Chinese interested in Chiang Mai low season may change a bit and not be so "low"). I'm wondering if it's particularly slow just before and after Songkran, being that most tourists if they have April as a time frame for coming to Thailand will try and book their trip around Songkran and so the dates before and after the holiday are especially void of travelers. And that May while still being low season would show larger numbers of tourists (as compared to right now) as any effects from the holiday would be nil.

My point is, will next month be better for our sales? Should we try to sell in May at Anusarn?

On a slightly different tangent, I'm trying to recall what it's like to be a tourist and what I would be looking to buy at Anusarn market in an attempt to enter the tourists mind. I suppose price is a big factor though less so if it's an item that feels really special and tugs at the heart/soul. It seems if it has a Chang beer logo on it it has a proportionately higher chance of being carted away in a tourist trolley. So much for quality.

Cheers...

Yup, located the crimped tube. I think the difficult part will be plugging the hole in the freezer section. Is the material aluminum? Seems pretty soft but it's painted and/or coated in plastic/rubber so I imagine some prepping will need to be done on it.

It's a pretty old bugger, too. But it came with the house (rental) and I'll probably get stuck paying for it at a high rate if I don't fix it... Meanwhile, let me go get a drink of hot water....

My gal felt bad for the coolant trapped in our old duu yen so she decided to liberate it by making a small hole in one of the tubes of the freezer section. The gas was delighted and rushed out with a big smile and a loud hiss. She and I are less delighted now that we have no cool water to cut through this hot hot heat. The common solution to this situation is to buy a new refrigerator. However, this being Thailand with inexpensive repair costs, I was thinking it might be worth my while having someone plug the hole and put the gas back in its "cage".

Any thoughts/ideas/info on getting this done?

Thanks, Bam

I would venture a guess that the majority of sidecars are thus illegal but for the most part the illegality is an accepted practice...except perhaps if a farang does it. But I could def. be wrong, I have no knowledge, just an intuition.

Thanks for taking the time and posting the tip, Nancy. Turns out they were tired and didn't want to go out so that made things easy. Yes, I know it's Songkran.

Leather in Bangkok: Charoenrat Rd, near Wongwienyai BTS stop.

Thanks all. I bought a used one yesterday in Nong Hoi for 1900. Blue in color and heedless of traffic rules. All kidding aside, I plan on prudence and low speed.

Great pic! That's a heavy load he's pulling. ....there could be a business in there somewhere! Guess I'm headed to Cambodia???

Is there a special edition of walking street or something going on at Thapae gate or....?? Have some family in town and would like to bring them to see a sight or two...

Cheers!

I think you'd want one of the sidecars for that. They would def hold up the bike. The cart is just tied on by rope and is not really made for this purpose but is a cheap way to haul stuff. The sidecar, on the other hand, will give you a sturdy four-wheeled vehicle that won't readily tip over (unless you want to be a "real man" and take the corners fast which I sometimes do when I want to beI like a "real man" but when I'm feeling smart I drive like a girl).

...rereading my post "fair bit of supplies and leather" makes it sound like they don't have much. In fact, they have quite a bit of leather.

You can order it from Bkk and get it shipped here for 60 baht...overnight. I've never actually called in an order (they told me I could do that and one guy does speak English) but I have sent a big roll of about 250/300 feet for that price after buying it in the shop. This is on Charoenrat Rd near Wongwienyai. I think you can also order it through Gems shop, almost sure of it. Of course the price will be a little higher.