Hard To Find Items Or Not So Good Quality In Thailand

[BKK90210]

college degree

We have too many copies all over our house!....Don't worry we will bring them too

Prenuptual documentation, , seperation papers and standardized divorce forms legal in your last state of residence precertified and agreed for your convenience.

Wow!....Are these fairly common things to bring along?

Is the "Prenuptual doc" be used between main wife and mini-wife? In our family I usually don't have any power much when it comes to budgeting.

Someone mentioned above.....to bring lots of big size "T-shirts"

Is this why I saw so many farangs in thailand wearing t-shirts that don't cover their stomach!? They couldn't find the one that fits?

[Patex]

My suggestions:

• Your favorite tooth- paste/brush, all your favorite, durable cosmetics
  

• High quality Turkishtowels, all sizes
  

• Manicure- set
  

• high-grade steel screws, all sizes
  

• Scrubbing-brushes for all purposes (House&Body)
  

• Telephone (House)
  

• Down- pillows
  

[BangnaBound]

I’ll have to second the high-grade screws, and quality towels as both are hard to come by, especially the screws. Is Robinson drive even available in Thailand? Along with the BBQ, don’t forget your favorite sauce.

[topfield]

Ammonia & spray-on Mosquito repellant

I went to Big C, Tesco and local market neither places had AMMONIA.

You are right ! I have a plague of cats leaving their muck near my gate. Tried to buy strong smelling ammonia to douse the floor with to keep them away.

All the products I could find were perfumed when what I wanted was a nasty smell !

Any suggestions ?

[Dakhar]

Hand tools, as mentioned before.

You can get hand tools here, but they for sure are not quality. Heck even the screws here are pretty sad.

I miss the tools, and the BMW M3, but that is another story.

Now I did bring a lap top computer, only to discover the computer was never sold in Thailand, hence no parts for it.....

So I would think twice about brining a lap top.

Computers are not cheap here that is for sure.

[jdinasia]

Ammonia & spray-on Mosquito repellant

I went to Big C, Tesco and local market neither places had AMMONIA.

You are right ! I have a plague of cats leaving their muck near my gate. Tried to buy strong smelling ammonia to douse the floor with to keep them away.

All the products I could find were perfumed when what I wanted was a nasty smell !

Any suggestions ?

PM Bambina and ask how to keep stray cats away ... or ask in the pets and vets forum

[Ulysses G.]

Music - if you like anything other than top 40.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Music - if you like anything other than top 40.

You can always buy music from I-tunes or similar site!

[jdinasia]

ya think?

As for music I eiher download it here or pick up just about anywhere ... some amazing stuff at roadside vendors in BKK, HKT and Pattaya

[Crossy]

I’ll have to second the high-grade screws, and quality towels as both are hard to come by, especially the screws. Is Robinson drive even available in Thailand? Along with the BBQ, don’t forget your favorite sauce.

I'd never seen a Robinson drive screw until someone asked about them on this forum a while back.

Like inch fasteners they are a purely American thing, do not expect to find them anywhere else on planet Earth. Honestly Posidrive or Supadrive screws are fine, you just have to ensure you use the right driver, all crosspoint screws are not the same. You definately want steel ones though (Homepro have), the cheapo monkey metal ones are total carp.

[Chang_paarp]

Do not take anything that plugs into the wall socket. Thailand is part of the real world that uses 220/240V 50Hz for power, and PAL for the television standard, the US uses 110V and 60Hz for power and NTSC (Never Twice Same Color) for television.

Most computers and low voltage equipment has auto sensing or dual voltage power supplies, but check before bringing them. Remember you will be either buying a bunch of plug adaptors or putting new plugs on them too.

[Crossy]

Most computers and low voltage equipment has auto sensing or dual voltage power supplies, but check before bringing them. Remember you will be either buying a bunch of plug adaptors or putting new plugs on them too.

Actually US plugs fit the Thai sockets just fine, a cause of many instances of plug / bang / smoke / tears

[BKK90210]

First of all….thanks bunches guys! .....kob khun maak maak krup

So far I have…….

Bed linens

Good shoes .... both dress shoes and athletic shoes, hiking boots+socks

x-large…..T-shirts

Levis

Gap boxers

Sunscreens

Spray-on Mosquito repellant

A laptop

A good and comfy office chair

The high tech rain gear

RainX

Christmas tree and decorations

Quality silverware w/ khives

High quality pots and pans

our used BBQ!

Kraft mac cheese – I will have to empty Costco shelves for this

High quality towels, all sizes

Scrubbing-brushes for all purposes (House&Body)

Telephone (House)

high-grade steel screws, all sizes

Down- pillows

Adjustable hand tools

Musics – When I need one I will download thru Walmart.com better……only 80c per song!

???? ..Prenuptual documentation, seperation papers and standardized divorce forms legal in your last state of residence

Oh lord...at buddha will... I sure hope I won't need them!

Cigs, beer, coffee + filters……I don’t smoke or drink, so won’t be needing these stuffs……but thanks for suggestions anyway

I also left out many items from many of you guys “wish list” which I don’t think I will be needing

One more question:

Tools – I have tons of them, both power and manual. Hmm I wonder……will I be able to find an electrician there to wire a few 110v outlets in the garage for me?......I’m also a home improvement fanatic (been watching too many shows on cable!)

I sure hope the list above will be helpful to some other folks moving to los too

Cheers

Bkk family

Edited June 9, 2006 by BKK90210

[Misplaced]

Tools - Buy a good CORDLESS power tools set with charger. You can always bring an electrical converter with you to recharge the battery pack..I think?

Get atleast 18v min (I believe Milwaukeee has a 28v cordless tools set available now... yippppiieeeee)

Edited June 9, 2006 by Misplaced

[Misplaced]

Ammonia & spray-on Mosquito repellant

I went to Big C, Tesco and local market neither places had AMMONIA.

You are right ! I have a plague of cats leaving their muck near my gate. Tried to buy strong smelling ammonia to douse the floor with to keep them away.

All the products I could find were perfumed when what I wanted was a nasty smell !

Any suggestions ?

almost fogot the essential - FEBREZE for your furniture (just incase you have animals). I definitely couldn't find any in Thailand

topfield - Sorry, I did not find any Amoniaduring my stayed, so I just used a standard floor cleaner. I love Cats, Dogs, and Animals in general so I did not want to scared them away.

[xbusman]

Ahhh home improvement guy, he is not talking about drills and belt sanders, I bet he has table saws, CNC routers, house jacks, laser sights and the like. I think wiring for 110 would be a problem, after all the 220 here probably ranges between 140 and 380 all day long. Get yourself a nice Honda 5K generator, those things work forever and will provide you lotsa clean 110 for far longer than the five years, you could probably use it as back up for our regular power drops.

I see no golfing equipment, its cheap and wonderfully fun in the kingdom, great exercise too as walking is a bit troublesome here. Might be a good time to take it up if you have not done so.

[booma]

In hindsight, I would've bought a good supply of decent batteries and a big tub of marmite.

[booma]

Crunchy nut cornflakes

[Misplaced]

Ahhh home improvement guy, he is not talking about drills and belt sanders, I bet he has table saws, CNC routers, house jacks, laser sights and the like. I think wiring for 110 would be a problem, after all the 220 here probably ranges between 140 and 380 all day long. Get yourself a nice Honda 5K generator, those things work forever and will provide you lotsa clean 110 for far longer than the five years, you could probably use it as back up for our regular power drops.

I see no golfing equipment, its cheap and wonderfully fun in the kingdom, great exercise too as walking is a bit troublesome here. Might be a good time to take it up if you have not done so.

OOOOO thats a good one. Can't go wrong with the Honda Generator thats for sure.

[lopburi3]

I would seriously rethink bringing 120v power items as not only is the voltage 230v here but the frequency is about 17% lower and most AC motors will run slow and hot. For battery operated items the only problem will be not plugging into a 230v outlet if charger can not handle it.

[Misplaced]

I would seriously rethink bringing 120v power items as not only is the voltage 230v here but the frequency is about 17% lower and most AC motors will run slow and hot. For battery operated items the only problem will be not plugging into a 230v outlet if charger can not handle it.

What about using a votage converter?

[Larryst]

I've been in Thailand for over 2 years. Here's some of the items I brought back that I couldn't find or I thought was too expensive in Thailand. I shopped at Sam's or Walmart in the states for the cooking items.

I bought a new Dell laptop B130.

6 boxes of blueberry pancake mix

every spice that I could buy or find. A lot of spices for cooking is hard to find or expensives. I bought the large containers

8 lbs of pepper jack cheese

2 lbs of mild cheddar cheese

2 large containers of parmesan cheese

8 lbs of red licorice

1 box of almond snickers

a new electric razor. Norelco it works all over the world.

A air popcorn popper

Every mix of muffins & cake mix. (I also have a oven here).

3 sticks of yard of beef of Hilshires

1 package of beef bits 2 lbs

a package of new underwear Hanes

4 pairs of levis

Spam

canned ham

Kraft blue cheese dressing

Kraft miracle whip

Kraft macaronni & cheese

peanut butter

I also bought a few other things.

Edited June 10, 2006 by Larryst

[Crossy]

I would seriously rethink bringing 120v power items as not only is the voltage 230v here but the frequency is about 17% lower and most AC motors will run slow and hot. For battery operated items the only problem will be not plugging into a 230v outlet if charger can not handle it.

What about using a votage converter?

Unless you have a VERY flash unit it won't change the frequency!! So the comment on motors is still valid. Obviously a converter will be just fine for your battery chargers.

[The Coder]

In my years living in Thailand one theme has never changed: anytime you buy something imported into Thailand, the prices are sky high. The markups are particularly acute on high end products because apparently they must only be purchased by consumers who are not cost sensitive at all because commonly you'll be faced with prices 2x or even 3x higher than you are used to. So don't even dream of buying such things in Thailand as even a simple maglite flashlight, a nice BMW, Mauviel cookware, subzero refrigerators, nappa leather sofas, or even consumer electronics of any kind.

I really feel for people who think "I'll just wait to get a camera in Thailand because they are bound to be cheaper there". Always do the price research and you'll discover buying imported goods in Thailand is financial suicide. Avoid, or bring in yourself unless you just don't care.

Linen is such a good example. The common consensus is "it's imported so it's really expensive". Well gee, it's imported into the USA from China too but it's cheap there. This bewildering price dichotomy makes my top 10 issues living in Thailand.

[monochaser]

In my years living in Thailand one theme has never changed: anytime you buy something imported into Thailand, the prices are sky high. The markups are particularly acute on high end products because apparently they must only be purchased by consumers who are not cost sensitive at all because commonly you'll be faced with prices 2x or even 3x higher than you are used to. So don't even dream of buying such things in Thailand as even a simple maglite flashlight, a nice BMW, Mauviel cookware, subzero refrigerators, nappa leather sofas, or even consumer electronics of any kind.

I really feel for people who think "I'll just wait to get a camera in Thailand because they are bound to be cheaper there". Always do the price research and you'll discover buying imported goods in Thailand is financial suicide. Avoid, or bring in yourself unless you just don't care.

Linen is such a good example. The common consensus is "it's imported so it's really expensive". Well gee, it's imported into the USA from China too but it's cheap there. This bewildering price dichotomy makes my top 10 issues living in Thailand.

Amen to that I tell you, Amen

[BKK90210]

Ahhh home improvement guy, he is not talking about drills and belt sanders, I bet he has table saws, CNC routers, house jacks, laser sights and the like. I think wiring for 110 would be a problem, after all the 220 here probably ranges between 140 and 380 all day long. Get yourself a nice Honda 5K generator, those things work forever and will provide you lotsa clean 110 for far longer than the five years, you could probably use it as back up for our regular power drops.

I see no golfing equipment, its cheap and wonderfully fun in the kingdom, great exercise too as walking is a bit troublesome here. Might be a good time to take it up if you have not done so.

Bingo!

Thanks xbusman……you’re not only hansum but smart too!…(err…this’s from my wife, not me )

Yes come to think about it, we actually do have a 5k generator. It was bought 2 yrs ago for the construction of our new house and had used it for only 2 months as the temp power source before got one from the city. What we have is by “Coleman” from HomeDepo, it came with 4 prongs, 6250w – 12 hrs. It’s great, a bit noisy, but it was worth it!……used once and still in a great condition. Thanks for reminding me of this!

PS...You got me there!......Yes I do have all those toys and have to admit I've never been too shy when it comes to buying all those toys!

[John K]

My last trip back the top 2 items on top of my list were aspirin and Bismuth (other wise known as the pink stuff) You can buy 1000 aspirin for about $3.00 in the USA but here I have only seen it at Boots for some ridiculous price like 10 for 40 ThB. The same for the Bismuth. Until you get use to the food here you can expect to use both in higher than normal dosages for the first 3 or 4 month. Thais like their food hot and when you go to a Thai restaurant you will find big containers of ‘fire’ on the tables in place of salt and pepper. Another item was Gold Bond medicated powder. It will work great while you are acclimating to constant dew points between 75 and 85 F.

My advise is to bring a supply of your preferred toiletries. Keep your mind open that you may find something here you like better than what is available in the states . I know thats why there is a lot of guys here. Several restaurants are here too so don’t feel lost on that. KFC, McDonald’s, Subway, Pizza hut, Outback Steakhouse, BK, Starbucks, Hard Rock café, Sizzlers to name a few. Back in Newington Connecticut there is a place called cables and Connectors. They specialize in hard to find and custom items. I am sure a similar store here would prosper nicely with items from where we came from.

[xbusman]

I found all the stuff like Miracle whip, mac & cheese, spam, peanut butter and other deadly US foodstuffs here, a little pricey but if you look at the inventory and shipping costs involved with purchasing before you come, just buy it here as you need it. Leave it in the US and watch your chloesterol (sp?) plummet.

Parmesian cheese is really expensive, I like Italian food so I always bring a few containers. Spices are expensive too, worth stocking up before you leave.

Toiletries, especially deoderant and razors, are very expensive here. I dont think the Thais need or use either. Cosmetics are also expensive. All that stuff listed above has a shelf life, so load up on what you can reasonably use.

I did forget the bar-b-que, thats one on my list to get. The hot air popper is also good. If you like ice cream, its expensive here and there are no ice cream makers for sale. That would be a winner. Ice and milk are cheap. I think the Thais like ice cream and imagine what a hit you would be to have home made ice cream parties. Those buckets and motors are hard to fit in carry on luggage, your container is perfect for it.

I am serious about the swedish foam mattress, they pack quite small and are simply heaven. I have literally sold hundreds of them to my friends and I still get thanked for it every time I chat them up. The mattresses here are either made from the same building material used in everything (concrete) or very expensive. For less money, you can buy a swedish foam mattress and have world class sleeping for five years. There is nothing you can buy and put in that container that you will appreciate more than one of those. The sell for over $2500 here, you can get one in the states for under $600 on ebay. If you dont like it, I guarantee I will buy it from you when you arrive. If your like the other 100 or so people I have put on them, you would rather lose and eye than give up that mattress.

Happy packing!

[gabe]

xbusman: Toiletries, especially deoderant and razors, are very expensive here. I dont think the Thais need or use either.

LOL

I'll tell ya sometimes it seems like living in Thailand is like living in a communist country. The selection of consumer products available for purchase here in Thailand is pretty bad/poor.

[Hans Brix]

I agree Gabe, I think it has to do with the buying power of the average Thai