Back in the 80s and 90s Bangkok seemed to have an endless supply of locals trying to sell you tourist schlock.

The streets around Sukhumvit, Silom and Khao San were lined with stalls selling every imaginable piece of forgettable tat known to mankind. Fake Rolexes, counterfeit Mont Blanc pens, football shirts, pirated DVDs, those dark red resin elephants, dancers and temple figurines, embroidered wall tapestries with sequins and Thai dancer prints on fabric, questionable gemstones, and enough laser pointers to pose a legitimate threat to low flying aircraft.

Then there were the wandering vendors.

One minute you would be peacefully eating noodles at a street stall and the next somebody had magically appeared beside your table offering you a hammock, a torch, a pair of crooked sunglasses, a fake watch, and what appeared to be a samurai sword made from recycled biscuit tins.

Most of it was complete rubbish of course.

But every now and then you did end up buying something strangely decent.

The only thing I can think of that I still actually own is a knife I bought roughly twenty years ago from one of those dodgy weapon stalls. You press a tab on the back and the blade swings out on a spring mechanism with a very satisfying little snap to it.

To this day it still works perfectly.

Honestly, the thing is weirdly addictive to play with. It has proper fidget toy vibes. Half the enjoyment is just putting a bit of pressure on the lever and watching the blade flick out like some low budget gadget from an 1980s action film.

And considering it probably cost me a couple hundred baht at most, the quality is surprisingly solid. Proper steel construction, decent weight to it, sharp enough to shave a mosquito’s nads off, and somehow still functioning after two decades of abuse in random kitchen drawers and backpacks.

Ironically it has now settled into a glamorous retirement role mainly involving cutting open the plastic shrink wrapping on six packs of large drinking water bottles.

It does make you wonder if anybody else ever picked up something from those old vendors that actually turned out to be genuinely useful, memorable, or whether most of us were simply financing an underground economy based entirely around silk ties, beach sarongs, bamboo flutes, wooden frogs that croaked when you rubbed their backs, fake designer belts, Muay Thai shorts, or Thai triangular bolster pillows that folded out into a makeshift bed that always looked more comfortable than they actually were.

Did anybody ever buy something from those days that genuinely stood the test of time?

12 minutes ago, 123Stodg said:

Did anybody ever buy something from those days that genuinely stood the test of time?

I got a fantastic deal on a Rolex.

The only thing that I remember was a blue beach sarong from Khaosan road 1998, lasted a few years and was ideal for travelling.

Also from Khaosan mp3 player lasted a few weeks, a bag a few months.

and yes something I've just remembered and i still have, hemp zip pouch ideal for coins. 28 years old, still ok, sometimes use it

Muay thai ankle supports. Very handy.

in '91.......2 X too cheap not to buy, Boss style silk suits and pastel blue Don Johnson jacket.....all neatly folded at bottom of wardrobe; never worn and begrudgingly chucked in 2018.............!.....hands up, not on a stall........

Edited May 30May 30 by Off Piste

11 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

The only thing that I remember was a blue beach sarong from Khaosan road 1998, lasted a few years and was ideal for travelling.

Also from Khaosan mp3 player lasted a few weeks, a bag a few months.

and yes something I've just remembered and i still have, hemp zip pouch ideal for coins. 28 years old, still ok, sometimes use it

I bought a bag from Pratunam, lasted 1 week.

Edited May 30May 30 by Rockyroad

I bought a "real crocodile leather" portemonnaie for a ridiculous amount of 150 Baht or something around that in 1998, more as a gag.

It lasted nearly two decades before the yarn with which it was stitched together finally disintegrated.

37 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

I bought a bag from Pratunam, lasted 1 week.

My life has forever been greatly enhanced by that blessing of information.

Sometimes it seems most everything was better "back in the day". We are not moving forward.

13 hours ago, 123Stodg said:

Back in the 80s and 90s Bangkok seemed to have an endless supply of locals trying to sell you tourist schlock.

The streets around Sukhumvit, Silom and Khao San were lined with stalls selling every imaginable piece of forgettable tat known to mankind. Fake Rolexes, counterfeit Mont Blanc pens, football shirts, pirated DVDs, those dark red resin elephants, dancers and temple figurines, embroidered wall tapestries with sequins and Thai dancer prints on fabric, questionable gemstones, and enough laser pointers to pose a legitimate threat to low flying aircraft.

Then there were the wandering vendors.

One minute you would be peacefully eating noodles at a street stall and the next somebody had magically appeared beside your table offering you a hammock, a torch, a pair of crooked sunglasses, a fake watch, and what appeared to be a samurai sword made from recycled biscuit tins.

Most of it was complete rubbish of course.

But every now and then you did end up buying something strangely decent.

The only thing I can think of that I still actually own is a knife I bought roughly twenty years ago from one of those dodgy weapon stalls. You press a tab on the back and the blade swings out on a spring mechanism with a very satisfying little snap to it.

To this day it still works perfectly.

Honestly, the thing is weirdly addictive to play with. It has proper fidget toy vibes. Half the enjoyment is just putting a bit of pressure on the lever and watching the blade flick out like some low budget gadget from an 1980s action film.

And considering it probably cost me a couple hundred baht at most, the quality is surprisingly solid. Proper steel construction, decent weight to it, sharp enough to shave a mosquito’s nads off, and somehow still functioning after two decades of abuse in random kitchen drawers and backpacks.

Ironically it has now settled into a glamorous retirement role mainly involving cutting open the plastic shrink wrapping on six packs of large drinking water bottles.

It does make you wonder if anybody else ever picked up something from those old vendors that actually turned out to be genuinely useful, memorable, or whether most of us were simply financing an underground economy based entirely around silk ties, beach sarongs, bamboo flutes, wooden frogs that croaked when you rubbed their backs, fake designer belts, Muay Thai shorts, or Thai triangular bolster pillows that folded out into a makeshift bed that always looked more comfortable than they actually were.

Did anybody ever buy something from those days that genuinely stood the test of time?

Can you take a video of the mosquito decapitation for us? Now that would be entertaining.

Easy household repairs on the street. Watches, shoes, eyeglasses, fans, irons and much more were so easy to find. The guys who ran them were hardworking good guys. Still a few around. Near me but not walkable I have shoes and a handy man for fans and the such. Sad to see them close up.

3 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Can you take a video of the mosquito decapitation for us? Now that would be entertaining.

Insect snuff videos? Guess there is a market for everything.

3 minutes ago, marin said:

Easy household repairs on the street. Watches, shoes, eyeglasses, fans, irons and much more were so easy to find. The guys who ran them were hardworking good guys. Still a few around. Near me but not walkable I have shoes and a handy man for fans and the such. Sad to see them close up.

I had many pants repaired by street seamstresses. The roaming knife sharpener guys with their little wooden setup were cool too. All gone now.

17 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Sometimes it seems most everything was better "back in the day". We are not moving forward.

It's just a reflection of the demographic................I never hear the younger generation say 'back in the day'

In 2010 I bought a "zippo" the size of a hardback novel. Takes normal-sized flint and wicks. Still works.

I bought Kamagra Jelly 2 years ago, Im still waiting for it to work !!

I bought a student card from khaosan 1998, that was good for a couple of years

I have a couple of Formula One shirts.

Also I have a couple of knock-off fountain pens (Montblanc) that still work fine and couldn't be identified as knock-offs from across the room.

Off topic trolling posts and replies have been removed. A post with an ethnic slur comment toward Pakistan people has been removed.

19 hours ago, blaze master said:

I got a fantastic deal on a Rolex.

The big hand fell off mine !

6 hours ago, Terrance8812 said:

Insect snuff videos? Guess there is a market for everything.

Come to my house and watch me exterminate the ants. I'm thinking 20K should be a good salary.

8 hours ago, jts-khorat said:

I bought a "real crocodile leather" portemonnaie for a ridiculous amount of 150 Baht or something around that in 1998, more as a gag.

It lasted nearly two decades before the yarn with which it was stitched together finally disintegrated.

Mine was shoes made of genuine elephant hide!

Many years ago use to by music tapes ,they had all the good bands from

the 60's and 70's ,if I remember correctly they were 5 for 100 B.,still have

them ,Just watch them on YouTube now.

regards worgeordie

8 hours ago, westhighland said:

I bought Kamagra Jelly 2 years ago, Im still waiting for it to work !!

Try rubbing it in on the desired location as forcefully as you can for the next 72 hours straight. If it doesn't begin working after another 3 days then report back and I'll gladly arrange a full refund for you.

Also, using it when you are with someone else is also known to produce markedly better results. Worth a shot at least...

Edited May 31May 31 by BilllyGOAT

On 5/31/2026 at 5:43 PM, BilllyGOAT said:

Try rubbing it in on the desired location as forcefully as you can for the next 72 hours straight. If it doesn't begin working after another 3 days then report back and I'll gladly arrange a full refund for you.

Also, using it when you are with someone else is also known to produce markedly better results. Worth a shot at least...

Rubbed it on desired location, but my Mrs says it burns, tried the someone else, still didnt work, now my gold chain's gone missing, those light fingered lady boys!!