Frustrated By High Price Of Musical Instruments In Thailand

[stevehaigh]

i'm trying to buy a yamaha keyboard, something like a psr-e323 which sells in the US for about $140 new

at the yamaha shop or in the music shops in bkk here its 12000 baht, about $400, i.e. 3x the US price

even second hand in the classifieds like http://www.thaisecondhand.com people want more than the new price in the US

i could buy in the US and have it shipped here and that would still be cheaper than buying it here but then it could get damaged in the post and customs could screw me

and its not just this item, almost everything that is not made in thailand costs many times more than the US price.

nothing i can do about it short of finding a friend who's coming over here packing lite and asking them to help

[Richb2004v2]

Anything that isn't imported in large numbers in Thailand is going to cost you more than back home. At least that's the way it seems to me. That basically means anything of high quality or any hobbyist paraphernalia. You'll probably be ok for a quality cheap guitar though. I would guess that the same goes for saxophones.

[RedFxTrade]

Would you not be better to take the chance and get DHL, FEDEX to send it. I have usually brought my guitars with me, although the Strat metal bridge started to rust due to the high humidity. Surely customs will not screw you that much?

[jaidam]

Never buy a cheap violin. It might be a fiddle!

[Wavefloater]

Would you not be better to take the chance and get DHL, FEDEX to send it. I have usually brought my guitars with me, although the Strat metal bridge started to rust due to the high humidity. Surely customs will not screw you that much?

That's a good point about the climate being hard on musical instruments, I brought a Gibson SG with me from N.A. and noticed that the metal was suffering from the harsh climate here, so I shipped it home and picked up a cheap Yamaha acoustic guitar just to have something to play. It only cost a few thousand baht and after doing a little work to improve the action, it's actually a pretty nice guitar to play (even if nothing like an SG), so you may want to compromise with something a little cheaper and possibly inferior anyway. I'd probably see what's available for keyboards rather than having one particular model in mind then make a decision according to my requirements and which one seems to have the most reasonable price mark-up.

As for second-hand shops, whenever I've looked in one I can only laugh. I could swear that some of the prices are higher than new for the same item. (Are these places only fronts for money laundering or other illegal activity?)

[gkinbkk]

I brought a Gibson SG with me from N.A. and noticed that the metal was suffering from the harsh climate here

In the US of A they call that relic'ing and charge a premium for it!!

I have a 57 LP and the nickel hardware is in pretty bad shape but it looks cool (I think Gibson call it VOS these days and charge an arm and leg through the custom shop) and if I really want to replace it, easy enough.

I dont have an answer on the keyboard situation as I was wanting one too but have no idea how to go about it. I must say though that the Roland I am looking at through pro plugin at Ladprao is not 3x the price, more like a third dearer which for what I'm looking at is really only a couple hundred bucks which I would blow on shipping and duties anyway.

The LP I bought in TH was, I think, 104000b after negotiation, from online retailers in the US $3699 and from Swee Lee in Singapore 8k so I felt I actually got it for a great price......

[Kilgore Trout]

I think this is especially the case for electronic instruments; they have some cool old beat boxes at the shop in Pantip but they want ridiculous money for them. I've seen the same ones sitting there on the shelf for years and they won't budge on the inflated prices. Not so smart... Oh well.

[anothertorres]

i just picked up an M-Audio Sono61 (at theera music in yaowarat) and only paid about $50 over what i'd pay at Guitar Center in the states. this was after he came down 4500baht from his original price.

but, yes... not only are the prices high, but the lack of major makers on the shelves is equally annoying.

[RedFxTrade]

Would you not be better to take the chance and get DHL, FEDEX to send it. I have usually brought my guitars with me, although the Strat metal bridge started to rust due to the high humidity. Surely customs will not screw you that much?

That's a good point about the climate being hard on musical instruments, I brought a Gibson SG with me from N.A. and noticed that the metal was suffering from the harsh climate here, so I shipped it home and picked up a cheap Yamaha acoustic guitar just to have something to play. It only cost a few thousand baht and after doing a little work to improve the action, it's actually a pretty nice guitar to play (even if nothing like an SG), so you may want to compromise with something a little cheaper and possibly inferior anyway. I'd probably see what's available for keyboards rather than having one particular model in mind then make a decision according to my requirements and which one seems to have the most reasonable price mark-up.

As for second-hand shops, whenever I've looked in one I can only laugh. I could swear that some of the prices are higher than new for the same item. (Are these places only fronts for money laundering or other illegal activity?)

For sure. Good idea. Have you ever considered a Guild M75-T bu De Armond? They are not made anymore. I have one. They are bit like the Neil Young style Gretsch. Such a great, solid guitar. You can pick them up on ebay. I would say its the cheapest guitar I have, but possibly the best made one strangely. Great sound also, but is a very heavy guitar.

Another tip to protect from the humidity is this. You know the celica gel stuff that comes in trainer boxes. Well you can get larger cloth bags of that. Always put it in a case when not playing and put a bag or two of this stuff in the case. Should keep the air dry in the case. Cheers.

[fantuzi]

I have just bought Yamaha keyboard and succesfully send it to LOS.It was EZ-200 model,100$ in US,250$ in...HongKong(Tom Lee Music),same in..Japan;Yamaha do not sell it

in LOS.Your model 323 costs 270US$(1900HK$).Why EZ-200? because of keys with "light action".I wrapped it in bubbles,added some dvd-s,books and sweets,which all made 11kg,I wrapped outside box in packing paper.Cost of airmail parcel was 40$,tax was 1200B - one week.I have found only one shop in US,which was selling worldwide,but they canceled my order with excuse - they can not send to ..Thailand.

if you have friends,who can bring your model from US,then you will save;or someone can post it for you,adding bubbles sheets as extra protection.It will weight about 8 kilos.It must not be longer then 110cm for airmail parcel.

You do not need to transport heavy extras like power adapter and tripod,you can buy them or make in LOS.

If you want to buy it for child,total beginner,without proven musical talent - you can try to begin and test: cheap chinese substitute

called:Angelet XTS-5089;it is not bad,cause they sell it in countries like Australia and NZ!and...they sell it in LOS(4000-5000B)

but you can find it easy on 2nd hand for 1000 - 2000B!Google it,you will see pics.And TRY before you buy.It may sweet waiting time for the real thing and - child will not lose enthusiasm.

Or you want to play yourself?

[nocturn]

Would you not be better to take the chance and get DHL, FEDEX to send it. I have usually brought my guitars with me, although the Strat metal bridge started to rust due to the high humidity. Surely customs will not screw you that much?

DO not FEDEX or DHL unless you want a huge duty bill.

EMS is generally ok.

[Jezquigleyuk]

It's the same with Nikon camera lenses, except that they ARE made in Thailand. Go figure. An expensive lens I wanted was £100 cheaper in a UK high street retailer (not known as a discounter) than here

[FarangBuddha]

It's the same with Nikon camera lenses, except that they ARE made in Thailand. Go figure. An expensive lens I wanted was £100 cheaper in a UK high street retailer (not known as a discounter) than here

Most likely made in a BOI "export" zone with preferential tax privileges if the production is for EXPORT. Any products from such facilities that make their way back onto the Thai market are treated like imports and taxed by customs accordingly.

As for all others complaining about the price of products in Thailand, look for acceptable Thai made substitutes and if none are available, bite the bullet and support the Thai economy/nation by paying the higher tax-induced price of non-essential imported products.

Edited May 24, 2011 by FarangBuddha