Mai Sai

[Thaifan2]

I went up to the Mai Sai border last weekend and bought some DVDs ( box collection of World at War and World war 2 plus box collection of Beyonce ),beer ( Cans of Bavaria beer 500ml ),and white wine ( Australian ).Anything else worth buying there to maybe sell on ?

[gotlost]

Viagra.

[getgoin]

Booze.

[IanForbes]

First you've got to know the prices of similar goods in local markets. A saving of a few baht is hardly worth while. Beware of knock-off electronics that APPEAR to be the real thing but are just poor replicas made in China.

[heybruce]

Booze and bootleg DVD's, that's about it. Most of the other stuff is of questionable quality.

[gotlost]

Snake Head Wine.

[orang37]

Sawasdee Khrup Khun ThaiFan2,

Surprisingly well-tailored knock-off (of major 'Italian' brand) suits at the emporium directly across from where you go in to pay the Burmese the required entrance/exit fee. Pretty sure they are synthetic fabric ... at those prices.

LED metal body flashlights that will fail, electrically, after one day of use, and are not repairable.

Lots of junky imitation-antique Shan images, images of the Burmese Nats (spirits), etc.

Several years ago found (on the Mae Sai side) a magnificent 12 inch high hematite Buddha image (hematite was discovered in Tounggyi state in Myanmar only in the late 1940's) for a bargain price. This year saw some hematite images on offer in Mae Sai at astronomical prices in sizes much smaller than twelve inches.

Hematite, because of its iron content, we are told, is difficult to carve, cannot be worked with the same machine tools used on marble, but this is "hearsay."

The variety of patinas possible with hematite are wonderful; but none seen since several years ago have matched the piece we found back then ... which had a purplish-translucent-appearing patina with silver veins appearing to "float" on its surface.

best, ~o:37;

Edited August 27, 2010 by orang37

[prism]

Wine.

Edited August 27, 2010 by prism

[CMX]

It would help me to know if the purchases must be made on the other side or not, as I don't go there any more. Also, if I bought a suit, booze, beer, wine, or carved figure, what would happen coming back into Thailand with regard to import duties (if that's where one purchase the item)?

Also, I walked from the bridge, Thai side, to the bus station not too many months ago and must have been blind - or on the wrong side? 'Course, that was the HOT season.

Soi sidestreets better for bargains? Duh.

Edited August 27, 2010 by CMX

[Thaifan2]

It would help me to know if the purchases must be made on the other side or not, as I don't go there any more. Also, if I bought a suit, booze, beer, wine, or carved figure, what would happen coming back into Thailand with regard to import duties (if that's where one purchase the item)?

Also, I walked from the bridge, Thai side, to the bus station not too many months ago and must have been blind - or on the wrong side? 'Course, that was the HOT season.

Soi sidestreets better for bargains? Duh.

Buying the beer the seller told us we could only take 12 large cans each to return to Thailand customs free .I also took 3 bottles of wine on top .

[Canada]

Nothing really aside from DVD collections/series. I guess it's kind of subject to your likes or dislikes. Some people like a cheap Chinese made Nokia copy that may or may not last a month. Mine is still going, my gf's packed it in already. About 8 weeks. I got and watched the entire 'The Shield" series. That was well worth the walk across the bridge. The roasted chestnuts on this side were less than "delicious" compared to others.

[amexpat]

Excuse, please. How much liquor can I bring back?

Scotch, wine, etc, all counted the same?

Thanks

[ThaiPauly]

Ciggies are also much cheaper, and if you don't smoke you can sell them on , but ONLY buy from the real duty free shop by the bridge, if you buy from the street vendors you will find (as I did to my cost the first time I went there) that smoking cardboard probably tastes better than whatever was in them...but the packaging was a masterpiece

[heybruce]

Excuse, please. How much liquor can I bring back?

Scotch, wine, etc, all counted the same?

Thanks

Two liters of hard liquor. I'm not sure what the limit is if you buy a combination of wine, beer and booze, but the staff at the large liquor store on the bridge will know, and that's the best place I've found to buy. The limits only apply if they check your bag when you cross back into Thailand; they've been checking my bag about half the time.

[iainiain101]

Is selling things on from Burma legal? Its just I noticed threads such as labour in Chiang Mai and other far less questionable activities, but of considerable interest, closed down on here almost immediately.

Iain

Edited August 27, 2010 by iainiain101

[NancyL]

Hubby and I went for the first time about a month ago. We decided not to risk our health in buying anything that we'd ingest. Some of the household items, like towels, tableclothes on the Thai side looked interesting, but we don't need any now. I ended up buying many music CDs on the Burmese side -- yeah, we're old farts and still listen to CDs. All were of great quality and the packaging looked authentic. The selection was fabulous, too.

I want to go back in a few months to buy more music CDs. I saw the CD/DVDs just on the Burmese side. The Burmese gov't charges Americans 500 baht to enter their country. Hubby says he's willing to go back to Mai Sai, but he's going to stay on the Thai side and drink 500 baht worth of beer at a riverside restaurant where he can watch me shop in Burma!

[anonymouse]

Hubby and I went for the first time about a month ago. We decided not to risk our health in buying anything that we'd ingest. Some of the household items, like towels, tableclothes on the Thai side looked interesting, but we don't need any now. I ended up buying many music CDs on the Burmese side -- yeah, we're old farts and still listen to CDs. All were of great quality and the packaging looked authentic. The selection was fabulous, too.

I want to go back in a few months to buy more music CDs. I saw the CD/DVDs just on the Burmese side. The Burmese gov't charges Americans 500 baht to enter their country. Hubby says he's willing to go back to Mai Sai, but he's going to stay on the Thai side and drink 500 baht worth of beer at a riverside restaurant where he can watch me shop in Burma!

He'd have more fun sitting on the Burmese side having a drink, lots of interesting Chinese and Russian beers at the duty free place over there as well as abc stout

[orang37]

... snip ... The Burmese gov't charges Americans 500 baht to enter their country.

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun NancyL,

Unless things have changed in the last five months, you had the option to pay the Myanmar "toll" with either US $10, or 500 Thai Baht.

best, ~o:37;

[NancyL]

Orang, we brought nice U.S. $10 bills with us and were told by the Burmese officials that they wanted only Thai baht.

[gotlost]

Orang, we brought nice U.S. $10 bills with us and were told by the Burmese officials that they wanted only Thai baht.

Don't really blame them the way the USD is getting its arse kicked. 30.93 today.

[ThaiPauly]

Is selling things on from Burma legal? Its just I noticed threads such as labour in Chiang Mai and other far less questionable activities, but of considerable interest, closed down on here almost immediately.

Iain

Burma is not Thailand

Burmese in Thailand ...not the same thing

[mcgriffith]

There's really not much to buy in Mae Sai that you can't buy here.

Maybe the radio controlled helicopter toys are a bit cheaper.

As for Tachilek, other than the previously mentioned deals on Aussie wine, booze, cigarettes and Cuban cigars at the duty free on the bridge....not much of note or interest to me. Unless you're into illegal wildlife products, or dodgy ED drugs sold by very pushy vendors, I'd give it a pass.

I've been all over Tachilek, through all the markets, etc. It's sort of like Tijuana circa 1949. Just a lot smellier......

[iainiain101]

Is selling things on from Burma legal? Its just I noticed threads such as labour in Chiang Mai and other far less questionable activities, but of considerable interest, closed down on here almost immediately.

Iain

Burma is not Thailand

Burmese in Thailand ...not the same thing

So I can go to Burma, buy booze, and sell it in a bar or say market in Thailand no worries?

[Soulwy]

Orang, we brought nice U.S. $10 bills with us and were told by the Burmese officials that they wanted only Thai baht.

Oh NancyL, too bad ... they tried this to me too... of course they want 500 baht instead of the 10 USD bill, 500 baht = 15 USD right now.

I kept smiling and repeating " Yes, please, Dollar is good, Dollar is good" . After insisiting in a veeery friendly way, he asked me if I was going to shop in Burma, and I confirmed. And then the 10USD bill got accepted.

I was a bit nervous though, you don;t want to mess with the brown teethed (or teethless) Burmese authority...!

[rodcourt49]

Is selling things on from Burma legal? Its just I noticed threads such as labour in Chiang Mai and other far less questionable activities, but of considerable interest, closed down on here almost immediately.

Iain

Burma is not Thailand

Burmese in Thailand ...not the same thing

So I can go to Burma, buy booze, and sell it in a bar or say market in Thailand no worries?

..best check first if the bottled liquor has a 'bond label'..I can't recall seeing them on bottles from Myanmar as they would not have passed through a Bond Store..just a thought

[ThaiPauly]

Is selling things on from Burma legal? Its just I noticed threads such as labour in Chiang Mai and other far less questionable activities, but of considerable interest, closed down on here almost immediately.

Iain

Burma is not Thailand

Burmese in Thailand ...not the same thing

So I can go to Burma, buy booze, and sell it in a bar or say market in Thailand no worries?

No you can't do that, personal use only or you can sell/give to a friend, if you buy say a bottle of whiskey in Burma it does not have a seal over the top of the bottle, therefore duty has not been paid.

[Sansai Sam]

Last bar I know that got caught with bottles without tax stamps was fined 4000 baht per bottle and that was 2 or 3 years ago.

[gotlost]

Last bar I know that got caught with bottles without tax stamps was fined 4000 baht per bottle and that was 2 or 3 years ago.

They got a break I have known bars to be fined 5,000 baht per bottle. When Beer Lao was first available in Chiang Mai only the lite had a tax stamp on it. Dark was available but no tax stamp. A certain individual that was acting as the distributor for the product in CM was caught selling the untaxed beer to bars and guest what he was deported.

[chuang]

Just remember whatever products you buy in Tachilek are not the real stuff.....

[grin]

I've been buying decaf coffee in Tachilek. The marked price is usually 300 to 350 Baht but I can usually get them for 200 or 250 Baht when I buy 3 or more. The same brand Nescafe Taster's Choice decaf is anywhere from 400 to 500 Baht in stores in Chiang Mai. The savings on this alone usually covers the cost of the trip.

Since you can only bring back one bottle of booze I try to buy something that I can't find anywhere in Chiang Mai. A couple of times I found some really nice Cuban rum. You do have to look around though.

Not everything is a knockoff. I looked at an iPhone once and wrote down the model number and serial number. I checked with Apple when I returned and found out that it was factory unlocked by Apple and had come from Singapore. It only had a couple of months warranty left but was still eligible for extended Apple Care and it was about 2/3 of the price that True was selling them for in Thailand. My only worry was that it could have been stolen property and the real owner could report the serial number to Apple in the future.