Your Favorite Bargains In Thailand

[jfchandler]

Sorry for the bad attempt at humor... You had to have been reading the very long thread here lately about the Thai govt. beginning a program to measure peni (?) as part of a survey to determine proper condom sizes. I could say more, but probably shouldn't. There was, however, in that thread, a scientific report on penis sizes among different nationalities. Sorry you missed it...

Edited November 29, 2009 by jfchandler

[londonthai]

All the store where I'm shopping, I only see the small (Thai penis sized ), very green stubby bananas...But out on the street, with the guys and their cards, I see the normal bunches of longer, very nice yellow bananas, typically 20 baht per bunch..

supermarkets do sell half ripe fruits, because the chain from the farmer to the shelf is longer and those fruits have to survive all the tossing around. Also, they will stay on the shelf for many days. As an average shopper goes to supermarket once a week, those fruits have to be still good to eat for many days after being bought.

those fruits are not as healthy, also for the fact, that a lot of chemicals were used in their growth and transport (to stop fungus, rotting and kill insects).

on the other hand those fruits on the carts are produced locally, on the outskirts of bangkok and are picked up only when they are ready to eat. That's why those bananas are yellower and larger

[kurnell]

Fruit, very cheap. Coconuts 4 Baht ea, Bananas 15 Baht per hand, watermelon 15 Baht each etc.

Iced coffee 15 Baht

Clothes, shoes incredible value.

Oh My Buddha! I just paid $7.99 for a Kilo of bananas and Iced coffee is $4.50 a Litre.

Get me out of Australia and back to Thailand.

Coopers/VB in an Aussie bar $3.30.

[mauiguy90]

Free flights on Air Asia!!! Well almost free--2 R/T flights to Phuket for 1000 baht. Awesome!!!

[citizen33]

There aren't many manufactured goods/products on the list so far, presumably because services/labour are what is generally cheap. I wonder about:

Solid wooden furniture - many bargains to be had

Carved hardwood items and hardwood building products (doors, stairs, coving, skirting boards etc).

The better quality ceramic tiles

Some gem stones (not from the scammers though)

Thai gold - I don't buy much but am impressed with the resale value.

Some locally manufactered steel and alloy products such as fencing sections are much cheaper than in the West.

Spectacles

Business cards

On the other hand I am not so impressed with: good quality clothes and shoes, computers, modern flat screen TVs (CRTs are cheap), branded car parts (Ford are expensive), fitted kitchen units, quality domestic appliances. In some cases this is because of simple price and sometimes price/quality balance. At the low quality end I often see Chinese goods in the UK for less than Chinese goods in Thailand.

[deejah]

a good healthy thai meal 30-40 baht

I would suggest that you check the healthiness of this Thai meal. Chances are it is laced with MSG and sugar.

mai sai namtam

mai sai pung shu rut

that would only work, if you stand in the kitchen right next to the cook and pinch him when he is going to MSG the food.

depends on the cook and how well they know me

add to the list

dental cleaning 500 baht!!!

dental consultation - free!!!

[David006]

- Free heat, clean unpolluted water from our well

- market produce..best eggs I have tasted, meats , fish, crustaceans, fruit, sweet stuff and a great bowl /bag of something tasty to nibble on while shopping......and of course free smiles from the market girls/ladies and their kids..lovely people....oh and pretty good wellies for 165bt, kitchen bits, hand tools, baskets, bags, shirts, 35bt flip flops etc etc etc.. Don't have use for those mountains of 99bt bras though...yet....maybe should buy a Sopwith Camel.....

Deeja:.. thx for reminding me...dentists are so inexpensive here full check up/cleaning antibiotics for infected molar and cleaning 800bt in newly opened dentist on SV11 bkk. beautiful young Thai girl dentist taboot....

Edited December 1, 2009 by David006

[bkkjames]

Living in BKK, I'm a bit perplexed about the local bananas thing...

All the store where I'm shopping, I only see the small (Thai penis sized ), very green stubby bananas...

But out on the street, with the guys and their cards, I see the normal bunches of longer, very nice yellow bananas, typically 20 baht per bunch...

How come none of those seem to be found in the stores... (Villa, Tesco, Carrefour, Big C, etc....)???

The Jusco near my home has enough banana varieties to excite even the most frigid orangatang.

[quiksilva]

In addition to the food etc original, genuine, boxed, PC games at 700 Baht each instead of the 50-60 quid a go in the UK.

Oh and how about a weekend away on a tropical island..?

[JayF]

Has to be Dentists and street vendor meals/fruit. Of course the hostesses are always a nice-to-have.

Not a bargain as such because I've never bought them, but the fact that you can buy: crossbows; retractable batons; knuckle dusters and knives from hel_l, and various (probably) illegal electronic stuff such as: mobile phone jammers; covert cameras and police sirens for your car, from any respectable shopping centre (MBK, Bangkok/Tukcom, Pattaya) always fascinates me.

[Dakhar]

Her name was "Lek"

[JayF]

Her name was "Lek"

Yeah I agree. She was great.

[Donnyboy]

Fruit, very cheap. Coconuts 4 Baht ea, Bananas 15 Baht per hand, watermelon 15 Baht each etc.

Iced coffee 15 Baht

Clothes, shoes incredible value.

Oh My Buddha! I just paid $7.99 for a Kilo of bananas and Iced coffee is $4.50 a Litre.

Get me out of Australia and back to Thailand.

since when is iced coffee bought by the litre? decent serving

[gregb]

1 kg of CNG

8.5 baht.

That's a bargain.

[KiethBardwell]

Pies are quite cheap, and Human Life.

Edited December 3, 2009 by KiethBardwell

[Jim's_a_Thai_Fox]

Bargains for me:

- running a household (bills etc. but No UBC!)

- Thai massage

- Tennis membership (300 bhat/month)

- Ceramics

For me, the best low cost / high value thing I know of is my Thai missus. Easy to live with and hassle free co-existence - just a treat her right, be kind and she'll be there for life (well, we shall see about that I guess, but so far so good)... and not only does she love to cook, she loves me enjoying her food. Total bargain.

[torrenova]

all the exotic fruits and vegetables, which you even don't see in the supermarkets in the west (and I don't mean durian) or they are £1 per piece - here in season 10-20 baht per kilo or free under the trees in the villages.

They are not 'exotic' fruits.. They are domestic ones.

Purchased peaches lately ?? Plums ?? Or quality avacados ??

All the things that are labour intensive are where your savings are.. Cheap local foods, cheap laundry, cheap domestic help, etc.. Its the mid end and up stuff, that Thais dont generally use, that robs you of those savings.

Exactly. Local stuff from "back home" costs an arm and a leg in relative terms.

[hegenious]

For me, the best low cost / high value thing I know of is my Thai missus. Easy to live with and hassle free co-existence - just a treat her right, be kind and she'll be there for life (well, we shall see about that I guess, but so far so good)... and not only does she love to cook, she loves me enjoying her food. Total bargain.

Couldn't have said it better myself, about my Thai missus