My friend is off to China soon , and wanted to know if he could bring me any thing back , may be like a mobile phone, now this may sound a silly question , but what would you ask your friend to bring back for you, is there any thing you can think of that would be a '' bargain '' getting it from China rather than buying it in Thailand, I was even thinking of asking him about a '' lookalike '' product .

My friend is off to China soon , and wanted to know if he could bring me any thing back , may be like a mobile phone, now this may sound a silly question , but what would you ask your friend to bring back for you, is there any thing you can think of that would be a '' bargain '' getting it from China rather than buying it in Thailand, I was even thinking of asking him about a '' lookalike '' product .

I would ask him to bring things from companies that have been in the market for several years and can provide (a working) international warranty for at least one year. Sure you can ask for a "lookalike" product but I would ask rather for a "workalike" product .

My friend is off to China soon , and wanted to know if he could bring me any thing back , may be like a mobile phone, now this may sound a silly question , but what would you ask your friend to bring back for you, is there any thing you can think of that would be a '' bargain '' getting it from China rather than buying it in Thailand, I was even thinking of asking him about a '' lookalike '' product .

I would ask him to bring things from companies that have been in the market for several years and can provide (a working) international warranty for at least one year. Sure you can ask for a "lookalike" product but I would ask rather for a "workalike" product .

good point

1) as alluded Johnxxx..get an internatiol warranty in writing, not just an assurance that "this is International Brand x so should be OK"...I have items such as Sony, Phillips bought in Shanghai when I was posted there and the warranty is not recognised out of China becasue I did not "get it right". If vendor asssures international warranty is kosher, ask for the Guarantee Certificate that comes with the product and read it!

2) very often instructions are in Chinese Language only, so you may also need to make sure you have the English version.

Finally, the best DVD players I ever owned were Chinese no-name brands, cheap and reliable and plays the most dodgy DVDs that you can get from the streets...whereas the Sony DVD player was "too high tech" and sensitive. So Sony is reserved for real DVDs and Chinese player for the "lookalikes". On this topic, I bought heaps of DVDs at RMB5-7 each...excellent quality. Only because nobody in Shanghai back then knew where to get the real thing!

Interesting Article in the New York Times..

New York times

SHENZHEN, China — The phone’s sleek lines and touch-screen keyboard are unmistakably familiar. So is the logo on the back. But a sales clerk at a sprawling electronic goods market in this Chinese coastal city admits what is clear upon closer inspection: this is not the Apple iPhone; this is the Hi-Phone.

Ebook readers, good quality made in China stuff.

Meizu M8 very good quality Iphone clone.