bamboozled

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.

thanks Oz. I'm thinking also maybe at Kham Thieng flower market. I know it's one of those things I've seen around but never paid attention to since I wasn't in the market for one...at the time.

Hello folks, where might I find one of those two-wheeled carts that one sees towed behind Honda Dreams and the like? I need to occasionally haul some stuff around and this seems like an economical solution since a car is not an option for me. A used option would be perfect...

Thanks and have a safe and fun Songkran...

There's another shop on Thaphae Rd almost at the gate on the right side. It has a green side that says "Gems" and a lot of bags and suitcases displayed. They sell a fair bit of supplies and leather though you wouldn't know from the outside.

I have a similar problem or so it seems. Just step outside my door and the mosquitos swarm. In fact, there are so many even in the house that I can't sit comfortably at night and type on the computer without having to keep a constant vigil on my ankles. However, the Thai folks in the house diagonally across the street sit in their living room with the lights on watching TV with the door wide open. As do many others. I can only surmise that either they really like farang blood or that there is something peculiar about my house. It is wooden, probably 50 years old, and slightly raised on stilts so that there is about 3 feet of open dark, dank space underneath. Maybe that's what they like, the crawl space underneath. Anyway, I can't type anymore, have to scratch an itch....

Thanks again, all. I didn't realize that steamers had become such a common place item. Last time I searched, in farangland 5 or 6 years ago, they were not common place at all. Now they are in almost any/every department and electronics shop. The cheapest is still over 3000 grand. Why it costs so much to make steam, I don't know. And I saw an iron that makes steam and maybe French toast, too, for over 15,000!!! It's an iron!!!!!!!

Great! thanks people! Much appreciated. Where is Baan and beyond? I've seen it but can't remember where. Do we think it would be less expensive than at Robinson's?

...and a decent, collapsible garment rack, too!

Does anyone know where I could purchase one of these in CM? I'm looking for the type with a refillable water tank with a hose and wand from which the steam exits, not an iron with steam capability.

thanks so much, cheers.

I have a registered Thai business. Having my girlfriend maintain the proposed stall would be to stay within the law as I cannot legally work at said stall/shop. I have thought the night bazaar was dying for years as well and certainly Kalare has had many empty stalls (not sure now) but if you drive/walk by on a non-walking street evening there are loads of people. I imagine it would tone down quite a bit in the low season (like now!) but still, if the rent is quite cheap and one can get a some wholesale orders it could be worthwhile. I'm under the impression Anusarn and Kalare are privately owned by mister beer Chang so the government would not be involved (if indeed this is the case). Walking street is run by the government and one must be a CM resident to participate.The place is such a madhouse these days and that thinking about navigating the crowds 1 or 2 nights every week makes me cringe. Of course, crowds are what you want but it seems so crowded you can't even look or buy anything.

There are many folks selling leather goods this is true. Mine are of my own production and so different from what's available, for the time being.

Thanks for all the input.

I'm toying with the idea of opening a stand in the night bazaar or Anusarn market. Does anyone have any input on that or current info? I'm not sure who to contact or any idea of price. I can go and talk to some folks that have stands already but thought I would find out what the buzz is on Thaivisa. I would be selling leather goods (or rather my Thai significant other would). My target is a bit higher than what most folks are selling but I would hope my product is as well. I'm thinking I might get some wholesale orders. Not sure retail would be much but I could make some less inexpensive items to add to my collection.

Any input folks?

Thanks and cheers....

The shop I was talking about...take a left on the small soi just after Siam Commercial Bank on the left-hand side of Chotana. This maybe 1 km down (or less?) from Chang Phuak gate (north gate) and before you get to Tanin market. It is down that soi on the right hand side #30. It has a sign only in Thai and has a glass front. You will see an old brick chedi on the soi...it is a little past that on the right. Good luck.