Should I Buy It Before I Move To Thailand?

[tuffy]

We are planning on moving to Thailand this summer. My question is should I buy things such as a flat screen computer monitor, cell phones etc. here in the states or are the prices comparible in Thailand. I ask because several years ago when I compared prices it seemed that they were quite high in Thailand.

[The Coder]

Prices in Thailand are still much higher on anything imported (and even on electronics manufactured in Thailand), at times double the price. The other problem is availability on particular models you may want is limited or non-existent. This means you will end up paying more for a product that is inferior to what you really wanted. Bring all you can in, you won't regret it. There is a sticky link at the top about pantip prices. Easy to do your own research. Don't forget a plan regarding declaring things you bring in. Some people go with don't ask, don't tell. Might not be the right call if you go in the nothing to declare line with a bunch of big factory boxes with new equipment.

[Guest endure]

And don't forget that the mains voltage is 220 volts 50 Hertz.

[Carmine6]

One exception might be the cell phone. If you already have a GSM carrier like Cingular or Tmobile, you can probably have the phone unlocked so it can be used in Thailand.

If you don't already have a GSM phone, it'll probably be cheaper to buy one in Thailand.

If you plan to travel around Asia once in Thailand, you may also want to avoid the hassle on the trip out and pick up things in a more economical country later.

[tuffy]

How about cell phones? What do i need tri band or 4 band? I assume a gsm is the way to go. Any suggestions?

[Carmine6]

How about cell phones? What do i need tri band or 4 band? I assume a gsm is the way to go. Any suggestions?

Tri band may work. Quad band definitely does, but again the phone has to be unlocked, which they will do in Thailand. But they may not be able to for brand new phones or ones uncommon in Thailand.

GSM Frequencies Thailand

US uses GSM 850 or 1900

Thailand uses GSM 900 or 1800 although this website has one Bangkok carrier on 1900

[autonomous_unit]

It will cost around $5-20 US to unlock a typical phone at MBK, depending on your luck and haggling skills. But as others said, it isn't worth bringing one unless it is a world phone and already paid off on a subscription subsidy. Don't subscribe just for a phone and then owe an early cancellation fee!

Phones are sold here without subsidy and the prices seem the same as any of the websites where you can buy unlocked phones in the US. The selection might be a little different, but there is plenty of overlap.

Also, if you get one here, it will likely have Thai markings and font support which your Thai family might appreciate...

Once you get a world phone, you can buy a pre-paid SIM from T-Mobile USA or Cingular and maintain it for use in the states at a cost of about $8/month or a bit less. (Buying $25 refills that add 90 days to the expiration date.) I just mention this in case you are thinking about ways to have a phone work both places... note, the startup cost for this is pretty large compared to in Thailand, so you do not want to let a SIM expire unless you really mean not to use it anymore. International roaming fees continue to be absurdly high, paying for a second SIM once you average more than a few minutes per month (half hour per year) on the phone while traveling.

[Axel]

Don't forget, you have to pay for duty and tax on whatever you bring into Thailand.

Only exception returning Thais having lived abroad for more than 1 year and foreigners on a valid work permit and visa extented to 1 year.

[Phil Conners]

I think for small gadgets like mp3 players and digital cameras it would be worth bringing one over, but most other stuff has come down dramatically here and won't be worth the hassle bringing it over.

As an example I recently bought a Canon Ixus 55 here for 20K baht. I found the equivalent model (actually the exact same but with a different name) on the internet sold in US for around 14K baht - but after considering the free 256K SDRAM I got with the camera here + 1000 baht worth of vouchers usable here + shipping of the camera from US the actual difference was too small to make it worth while.

[The Coder]

...but most other stuff has come down dramatically here and won't be worth the hassle bringing it over.

As an example I recently bought a Canon Ixus 55 here for 20K baht...

Beg to differ. The Canon SD450 + 256MB SD can be purchased online in the US for about 11K. I see this combo on tohome.com (thai website) for 17K baht so perhaps it is less then when you bought it. Still, I think most people given the choice would see the price gap as significant. Yeah, it's not double in this case, but it is 50% more.