Laptop

[Neeranam]

I plan to buy anew laptop this week but the thought just came to me that I may be cheaper to buy it Duty Free. I'm going to the USA in a couple of months - would I be a lot cheaper getting it there, or on the way at the airport?

[meadish_sweetball]

Duty free electronics in Thailand are generally the same price as in town, at least the things I have checked personally (camcorders, mp3 players, digital cameras).

They seem to have a higher markup to compensate for the lack of taxes and possibly to cover the higher rent at the airport.

[justwilliam]

I have just spent several months on this same decision, and finally decided to purchase in the US, for one principal reason.

The advertised prices in the two markets don't seem to be that different, but in my visits to Pantip I looked superficially at maybe 50 notebooks, and closely at at least 10. The most striking fact was that of the 50 notebooks, only about 5 had legitimate copies of the operating system. I was frankly amazed to see brand new HP laptops offered with bootleg copies of XP. And anyway I wanted Vista, and I wanted it installed by the manufacturer, not the retailer. Those notebooks that I did see that had Vista installed by the manufacturer were much more expensive than in the US.

I am not a prude with regard to bootleg software, except for the operating system, where since I am not technically proficient, I want to be sure I have the manufacturer's full support.

[Firefoxx]

You have to look at the market in Thailand, where volume dictates what is sold. Cheap translates to volume, and the one thing that could cut 5k+ off the price of a notebook is the OS. Thais don't really care if it's legit or not, there are plenty of bootlegs out there to be had, and if it's cheaper then it's more desirable. There are plenty of notebooks sold in Thailand that do come with a legit OS... for example Acer has pretty much the same spec notebooks sold with or without the OS (and perhaps a bit more HD space), with a price difference of around 5-10k. Guess which one sells better?

I really hate the pre-installed OS. Yes, you get the OS, but you also get around 20+ other idiotic programs that do basically nothing useful and eat up resources and are a PAIN to remove. I had to do that on 2 Sony laptops, and it took even more time than just installing a new OS, and even then I wasn't able to get rid of all the useless muck.

Prices are actually very similar for mainstream models. For the more exotic models (17" and the like) and brands (Japanes brands like Sony and Fujitsu) you will probably find them cheaper in the US (or you'll actually be able to find them, since many uber-high-end models aren't sold in Thailand). The US also tends to have some *real* sales (unlike Thailand, no real deals, and sales which come with special conditions) which can cut the price of a notebook by 50% or more, but you need to be at the right place at the right time.

Duty free is really a joke. Yes, it might be cheaper than buying it locally if the price difference between the countries is already HUGE, but buying it at any retail shop instead of at the airport will be cheaper, even with said duties (doubtful that you'll have to pay them) included.

[britmaveric]

Better rate in yankland -save your dosh and wait.

[astral]

I was frankly amazed to see brand new HP laptops offered with bootleg copies of XP.

How did you tell that the copies were bootleg??

If OP does buy in the US he should make sure that the warranty covers Thailand as well.

[sbk]

I bought my laptop in the US and paid about 10,000 baht less for the same thing there than in Thailand.

But, I have to add, I am a serious bargain shopper. Neeranam, PM me if you want any tips for finding laptop bargains in the US

[Firefoxx]

Like with pretty much all electronics goods sold through normal retail channels in Thailand, the price is mostly fixed. Therefore, you could go to any retail shop (not a shady shop) in Thailand and you'll get the same price quoted. After a bit of haggling, you might get a few % knocked off. If there's a sale, it's a nationwide sale, and all shops will have the same sale. That's just the way it works here.

In the US, you'll find that a lot of the big retailers (CompUSA, BestBuy, etc) will initially sell at the same MSRP (like $3999.99, the magic 9's), and then will gradually deviate. There will also be offers of rebates, store sales, season sales, etc. etc. Online stores will also tend to have them cheaper to start with. So, yes, it can be a lot cheaper if you do your research. Just don't buy MSRP, since that's just the same as buying in Thailand.

[lomatopo]

I think you need to narrow the search down to a manufacturer or two and and model number or two, and then start to compare cost/value while considering, where applicable, sales tax, shipping, VAT, warranty, relative value of currencies, service, support and package (OS).

Once you have a model number you can use some of the price comparison websites, or e-Bay, to locate on-line retailers in the U.S.A., and get a handle on pricing.

I wouldn't get to confused on the OS issue. If a legitimate copy is bundled then fine, if not, add it as a line item. Some brands here come with legitimate OSes (Sony, HP), others do not so you need to add that cost (Windows XP Pro used to be ~ 5,500 baht) to get the final price.

[keemble]

I have just spent several months on this same decision, and finally decided to purchase in the US, for one principal reason.

The advertised prices in the two markets don't seem to be that different, but in my visits to Pantip I looked superficially at maybe 50 notebooks, and closely at at least 10. The most striking fact was that of the 50 notebooks, only about 5 had legitimate copies of the operating system. I was frankly amazed to see brand new HP laptops offered with bootleg copies of XP. And anyway I wanted Vista, and I wanted it installed by the manufacturer, not the retailer. Those notebooks that I did see that had Vista installed by the manufacturer were much more expensive than in the US.

I am not a prude with regard to bootleg software, except for the operating system, where since I am not technically proficient, I want to be sure I have the manufacturer's full support.

bootleg copies of xp on new model hp laptop?i think your talking about the pre-installed windows os that came with it.its a legal copy.they didnt include the recovery cd.instead,they saved it on the harddrive that you can later burn to a cd or dvd for backup.

[justwilliam]

As much as I would like to think you are correct, this was not the case.

At the three or four establishments selling these HP machines, I specifically enquired about the operating system. Once I got past the "another crazy farang" part of the conversation, I was assured I could purchase a licensed version if I so desired, and the hardware seller would install it for me without charge. I was directed to another establishment to purchase the legal operating system, where the prices varied from about Baht 5,000 to Baht 30,000, depending on the version of XP or Vista.

Otherwise I could accept the bootleg operating system they had already installed.

I should add that most of the Compaq, Acer and Asus machines were similarly equipped with bootleg operating systems, but that wasn't quite as surprising to me as HP. The Sony machines seemed to be all genuine, but very expensive.

[Firefoxx]

HP in Thailand isn't really a top tier notebook manufacturer, as it's in direct competition with Acer, so I'm not really surprised. The decision to put in a bootleg copy of windows for a machine that comes with Linux is up to the retailer, even though HP might frown on this type of thing. Anything to stay competitive. As mentioned before, there are usually versions that do come with legit windows, you just have to pay more, and it'll be stated quite clearly whether or not the OS is included. HP and Compaq are one and the same, it's simply that Compaq is the brand that HP uses for it's ultra-low tier notebooks (but there are HP-branded notebooks that are low-tier too).

So, if you want a legit OS with the notebook, just look for it in the specs, and you'll get a legit OS with all the trash that comes with pre-installed OS's. The price difference between it and the ones that come with linux/dos will be the same as just going to a store and buying the OS separately. It's just a matter of principles, really. In the US, the law is more strict, but like I said, the retailers will do what is necessary to survive. Local buyers have no problem with this, since it's not as if the retailers are saying that the OS is legit.

[keemble]

nowadays,its not ideal to buy original windows software cause you can pretty much do anything with the copied ones.install software,update windows,etc.just like having a licensed windows installed.for end-user only of course.

just to make sure you get the laptop with a licensed windows os on it,check for the certificate of authenticity seal.

[Paulbangkok]

If you are here as a tourist you can buy it here in Thailand, take it and the receipt with you to the airport and claim back the V.A.T. I've done this before with various different purchases and as long as you allow for an extra 45 minutes at the airport it is well worth the effort!

[meadish_sweetball]

For a VAT refund, I understand the shop will need to fill out a form for this purpose as well, apart from providing a receipt specifying the VAT. Also note many smaller shops deal without VAT.

[Paulbangkok]

For a VAT refund, I understand the shop will need to fill out a form for this purpose as well, apart from providing a receipt specifying the VAT. Also note many smaller shops deal without VAT.

I agree that the smaller shops don't register the V.A.T and give receipts however they usually still include it in the price so advise buying it from a retailer that is able to offer a V.A.T. receipt .

As for the documents needed to claim the V.A.T. they don't need to be filled out or signed in the store and can be aquired and completed at the office in the airport, or at least that was how it was done at Don Muang Airport, I haven't done this at the new Suvanhamabanbamburi or whatever they call it airport.

[chinthee]

If the OP's source of funds is US dollars, at today's exchange rate, I'd definitely buy in USA. Not sure what brand he's looking at but building a good dell system online (in USA site only) and having it delivered to USA address for pickup is a good option if you like Dell.

However, there is another important point about warranty service. I've owned and had serviced laptops in Thailand - IBM thinkpads, Toshiba, and Acer. The best customer warranty service I've seen is Toshiba. IBM was ok (but slower), but I've heard it's gone down since Lenovo took over. Acer I believe is pretty good. In all these cases, service is in Bangkok. No experience with other brands.