Anyone else notice the higher cost of PC products here?

[taytee]

I was looking to upgrade my outdated PC as most of it was built in 2016, just recently replaced my old monitor with one of the 144hz ones which is nice to have. Also my GPU RX 480 suddenly is lagging and stuttering so also just ordered a powercolor Radeon 5700XT.

 

Next was looking at CPU's but taking a look at JIB website the Ryzen 5 3600 is 6,990 baht, wow a bit overpriced with the current US prices... On Amazon it is $166 (5,170 baht) so 1,800 baht cheaper... So this wouldnt be the first time I used Amazon as it is now a viable option to order even to Thailand... Bought a Razer Naga trinity from Amazon and ended up saving 1000 baht even with the shipping fees (not to mention i think i got 30 baht or something back from my customs fee deposit). With shipping + deposit fees it comes to $201 (6200 baht) so total you still save 700 baht or so ordering from America... I think now Amazon isnt bad for some products to order here, especially if they are smaller/lighterweight things.

 

Anyway maybe im nitpicking but noticed some things are a bit overpriced even keeping in mind were not a central hub for trading electronics... even with that in mind some you would think it would be cheaper to drive down the road or order something locally then order from across the world and still save money worth the wait.

[BigStar]

58 minutes ago, taytee said:

Anyway maybe im nitpicking but noticed some things are a bit overpriced even keeping in mind were not a central hub for trading electronics

"Overpriced" is rather a misleading description. (Wine is overpriced!) Vendors in Thailand typically charge the full retail price suggested by the OEMs. Vendors in the USA, for example, typically discount that price. That has pretty much been the situation since forever, but not always. You just might find some parts cheaper here, so it pays to check. 

 

58 minutes ago, taytee said:

you would think it would be cheaper to drive down the road or order something locally then order from across the world and still save money worth the wait.

I dunno. You'd need to know exactly what's going on, pricing and cost structure all the way down the line.

 

You may get more convenient local support if you buy locally. Amazon is almost always cheaper than brick-and-mortar shops in the USA--who have to keep stock and have other overhead--or even many other online vendors. Further, prices may vary significantly among sellers on Amazon, too. So it's not quite as odd as you're portraying it.

[mtls2005]

I've been looking to do a Ryzen 5/3600 build for a while. I had planned to get the CPU/MB/Mem in the U.S. during an upcoming trip, but that trip was canceled.

 

There are many factors impacting end-user pricing. Here we have a two-tiered distrubution system with maybe one distributor selling to all the retail outlets. Their discount is based on volume and might only be 25%, and all the retailers pretty much match prices here. All prices include 7% VAT. In the U.S. the big retailers are also distributors and they get discounts on the order of 35 - 40%. In the U.S. you'll need to add any local sales tax, which for me is 6.25%.

 

The lowest price I've seen for the Ryzen 5/3600 this week is 6,740 at Advice. Advice may be the retail arm of the sole importer/distributor?

 

X570 MBs here are both hard to find and quite a bit more expensive. The B550's will probably be pricey as well.

 

U.S. price history...

 

https://pangoly.com/en/review/amd-ryzen-5-3600/price-history

 

 

[pmarlin]

Plain and simple, retailers in Thailand expect a higher profit margin than those in America.

[mtls2005]

For me, as of today, the Ryzen 5/3600 is ~ 15% more expensive here in Thailand vs. the U.S. (Amazon).

 

6,590 THB at Advice  https://www.advice.co.th/product/cpu/amd-am4/cpu-amd-am4-ryzen5-3600

 

The local MSRP (set by the sole importer/distributor) is, I think, 7,450. But it could be higher. That info, along with the volume discount levels are closely guarded.

 

The B550 MB (Gigabyte Aorus Pro) I've been looking at is ~ 10% more expensive here, again, for me considering local state sales tax. But these boards were just announced on 16 June.

 

 

Given the potential warranty issue(s), I can't say self-importing is worth it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BigStar]

5 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Given the potential warranty issue(s), I can't say self-importing is worth it?

For the Ryzen, perhaps, as it's so very unlikely you'll have a problem. I'd buy the board here, however.

[Daffy D]

How can you say something in another country is overpriced or underpriced?

 

Surely it depends on the exchange rate you are working with 

[Henryford]

13 hours ago, Daffy D said:

How can you say something in another country is overpriced or underpriced?

 

Surely it depends on the exchange rate you are working with 

Yes, i always thought that computers were quite cheap here in Thailand compared to the UK but now the exchange rate has dropped to 38 it is not so favourable.

 

[Don Mega]

4 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Yes, i always thought that computers were quite cheap here in Thailand compared to the UK but now the exchange rate has dropped to 38 it is not so favourable.

 

Luckily shops here don't except currency other than the baht !!

[pineapple01]

When you finally stop this cobblers of looking at prices of countries your not in life becomes much better.

[mtls2005]

14 hours ago, Daffy D said:

Surely it depends on the exchange rate you are working with

 

Yeah, I factored in the exchange rates, VAT here, sales tax in the U.S for my comparisons.

 

15 hours ago, BigStar said:

For the Ryzen, perhaps, as it's so very unlikely you'll have a problem. I'd buy the board here, however.

 

Agreed. Although I have purchased MBs (SSDs, mem, CPU, graphics cards, power supplies) in the U.S. and brought back, as I returned home 2 - 5 times each year. I never had an issue. On my most recent build I bought everything here.

 

37 minutes ago, pineapple01 said:

When you finally stop this cobblers of looking at prices of countries your not in life becomes much better.

 

Agreed, blissful ignorance is always better. For those of us who return home often it pays to consider prices eleswhere. And one can order from the U.S for delivery here, amazingly. You can automate price/sales targets with notifications, and save even more money. I'd often make a purchase months before a planned trip. FWIW, I'd do this for many items, not just PC kit.

[pineapple01]

What a fuss over a few pennies. Pleased i can afford to live here,seems cheap enough to me anyway.

[smedly]

21 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

For me, as of today, the Ryzen 5/3600 is ~ 15% more expensive here in Thailand vs. the U.S. (Amazon).

Thai retailers likely (partly) base their pricing on sites like ebay and amazon just like we do when buying something from a store - we do exactly the same, but there are other factors and the biggest is the value of currencies especially when checking global prices and trying to compare them locally - if the baht dropped 20% today it would make ebay/amazon look more expensive and local products would seem much cheaper because you are always going to compare with your home currency - Thais will see no difference because they earn baht and spend baht

 

So when you are comparing global prices currency exchange rate is a big factor to consider

[smedly]

1 hour ago, Don Mega said:

Luckily shops here don't except currency other than the baht !!

correct they only accept baht but we are paid in foreign currency and the OP is comparing prices quoted in different currencies so exchange rates are extremely relevant unless you are Thai

[Don Mega]

Just now, smedly said:

correct they only accept baht but we are paid in foreign currency and the OP is comparing prices quoted in different currencies so exchange rates are extremely relevant unless you are Thai

Are we ?.

My pay slips say baht.

[smedly]

1 hour ago, pineapple01 said:

When you finally stop this cobblers of looking at prices of countries your not in life becomes much better.

and that is cobblers because exchange rates are very relevant simply because our money comes from countries we are not in - we are in them when it comes to money

[Don Mega]

Just now, smedly said:

and that is cobblers because exchange rates are very relevant simply because our money comes from countries we are not in - we are in them when it comes to money

Might be time to consider a move back home if its hurting that much.

[smedly]

47 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Yeah, I factored in the exchange rates, VAT here, sales tax in the U.S for my comparisons.

yes you did factor it in and due to the strength of the baht stuff here is getting more expensive just as the OP says....................what am I missing ? - nothing

[pixelaoffy]

On 6/26/2020 at 12:51 PM, pmarlin said:

Plain and simple, retailers in Thailand expect a higher profit margin than those in America.

Across almost everything. Except food! And that has a 100% tax on if imported 

[smedly]

9 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

Are we ?.

My pay slips say baht.

then you have little to contribute to this discussion

[smedly]

6 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

Might be time to consider a move back home if its hurting that much.

was I complaining ? - keep your nonsense advice to yourself

 

I have plenty of money and a long way to getting a state pension - too young

[luckyluke]

i assume the % of foreigners staying short, long time or permanently in Thailand, which income is Thai Baht, is very low.

So the exchange rate will always be a major factor for the majority.

[mtls2005]

24 minutes ago, smedly said:

yes you did factor it in and due to the strength of the baht stuff here is getting more expensive just as the OP says....................what am I missing ? - nothing

 

Sure, that's why I prefaced my statements with "For me, as of today...".

 

And why I suggested that it might be best to purchase here, as of today, based on both price/cost and warranty issues.

 

I often purchase items, not just PC kit, in the U.S. to bring back because some items/sizes are just not available here. 

 

For PC kit it seems like many of the things I'm interested in have ALWAYS (~ 20 years) been 15 - 30% less expensive in the U.S., but that's anecdotal obviously.

 

Local retail PC component prices are based on the MSRP strongly suggested by the sole importer/distributor. That's why prices from JIB, InvadeIT, Banana, Jet, Advice et al. are all within a percentage point or less.

 

 

[smedly]

18 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

 

Sure, that's why I prefaced my statements with "For me, as of today...".

 

And why I suggested that it might be best to purchase here, as of today, based on both price/cost and warranty issues.

 

I often purchase items, not just PC kit, in the U.S. to bring back because some items/sizes are just not available here. 

 

For PC kit it seems like many of the things I'm interested in have ALWAYS (~ 20 years) been 15 - 30% less expensive in the U.S., but that's anecdotal obviously.

 

Local retail PC component prices are based on the MSRP strongly suggested by the sole importer/distributor. That's why prices from JIB, InvadeIT, Banana, Jet, Advice et al. are all within a percentage point or less.

 

 

don't agree

 

I have been living here 16 years and made many purchases in Thailand using Thai baht, when I compare prices with relative exchange rates at the time it made stuff quite cheap - not so much now and as the OP says even with postage costs it can be cheaper to buy from outside Thailand from ebay etc

[PatchinExPat]

It is a mixed bag. Something are way cheaper living here.

Some things about the same as the USA,

and some stuff I want to buy is 2x as high.

Have to average it all out.

[teatime101]

31 minutes ago, PatchinExPat said:

some stuff I want to buy is 2x as high.

I've been looking at prices for a Kawai ES8 Piano and the best price so far is 52,000 baht (CT Music), and the worst is 76,000 baht (Ubuy). Retail price in Australia is $A1695 (Turramurra Music) - that's $US1163 and 35,969 baht.

 

50% - 100%+ markup.

 

31 minutes ago, PatchinExPat said:

Have to average it all out.

 

Bananas are cheap...

[dddave]

On 6/27/2020 at 6:17 PM, Daffy D said:

How can you say something in another country is overpriced or underpriced?

 

Surely it depends on the exchange rate you are working with 

Also VAT.

 

Earlier this year I built a desktop PC using a Ryzen 2200G APU and an ASRock B450M motherboard.  I was able to buy both from online suppliers in Thailand for less than the US Amazon or Newegg prices.

(BTW, I don't recommend the ASRock B450M mb: quirky.  Really frustrating getting Realtek Audio to function)

 

PC parts prices change frequently.  "pcpartpicker.com" is a very helpful website for selecting components.  They have a constantly updated chart, tracking the prices of popular components.  Some of you may be surprised how often certain parts are actually cheaper here.