Arriving Supanaphum, is it worth buying wine duty-free there?

[chubby]

Arriving Supanaphum, is it worth buying wine duty-free there?

i'll be staying near asoke, perhaps, i should just buy my wine at foodland instead, unless the price is somehow better dutyfree, somehow i'm doubting there is any benefit to buying at the airport given, it's run by kingpower? and airports marking everything up, before whatever dutyfree means......

or any advice on a decent wine maybe 1.5liter size and shop around asoke or phom phrong .......

[nidieunimaitre]

The airport "tax free" shops are a rip off, especially at BKK.

I have never seen any wine worth buying there.

And do not forget: You are allowed only 1 liter of alcoholic beverages, and that includes wine, beer and liquor COMBINED!

Also you are not allowed to declare the extra liters and pay duty.

If you want 1 bottle for a special occasion, buy it at home and bring it in your checked baggage.

[onetime]

There is a very old scam that happens in the duty-free shops. You go in for a look and the nice girl in the store gives you a gift. You think life is good.

When you leave the po-po stitches you up for stealing. They take you to a room somewhere and a third party comes in a negotiates the pay off.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8154497.stm

[chubby]

guess, i knew this.

any thoughts on most affordable spot to buy wine near sukhumwit?

[Matej]

There is a very old scam that happens in the duty-free shops. You go in for a look and the nice girl in the store gives you a gift. You think life is good.

When you leave the po-po stitches you up for stealing. They take you to a room somewhere and a third party comes in a negotiates the pay off.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8154497.stm

I'm not surprised at all ... anything is possible here.

BTW, thanks for the warning.

[ajahnlau]

best buy is Kaluha or bailey's

[Lantern]

Whenever I walk through BKK it's hands in pockets all the way through the shops.

[chubby]

please explain ; not sure how to drink that except in a white russian or something

best buy is Kaluha or bailey's

[bubba]

I disagree. The prices for alcohol at duty-free are much better than in town. On-arrival duty free is somewhat limited in choice compared to departures, but they do stock some very nice bottles there at at least 25% cheaper than in-town.

Have a look at these prices and compare:

http://www.wineconnection.co.th

If you do want to buy some wine during your stay, Wine Connection has a nice selection.

[chubby]

is the airport wine sold by King Power?

or any particular wine or spot at the airport ? i'll be arriving at like 1100pm at night ...........

[trotbot]

It depends where you are coming from and what you want. 'Duty free' prices are usally set at 20%-30% lower than the domestic price, and because Thailand has high excise taxes on alcohol it makes the Duty Free price high as well.

The selection on arrival is more high end than outbound, with very little choice at less than 1,000 Baht, and 2,000+ being the norm. As long as you are not transitting on route, it may be better to buy it at departures.

The best value alcohol compared to domestic Thai is vodka.

DF shops are still open at 11pm, I have never actually seen them closed.

[chubby]

so is there enough time to get to "arrivals" and still not be at the end of the line at immigration and/or be ready to pick up my luggage?

or where is "arrivals" from someone exiting a plane, the upper level i suppose, can one, get up there from arrivals?

are you saying vodka vs thai vodka(if it exists) or any vodka at airport price vs. any vodka sold in stores? or

i hesitate to buy anything from king power from the old horror stories...........

[bubba]

so is there enough time to get to "arrivals" and still not be at the end of the line at immigration and/or be ready to pick up my luggage?

or where is "arrivals" from someone exiting a plane, the upper level i suppose, can one, get up there from arrivals?

are you saying vodka vs thai vodka(if it exists) or any vodka at airport price vs. any vodka sold in stores? or

i hesitate to buy anything from king power from the old horror stories...........

Considering that immigration is handling arrivals from many flights, it really doesn't matter much if you are the first one to arrive there from your flight. As for baggage, BKK has notably slow baggage service, so you will probably be waiting for that anyway. But if you do want to pass immigration first, there are several small duty free shops after immigration in the baggage area.

There is no vodka made in Thailand. The only white spirit is rice whiskey, which is cheap and nasty. If you are looking for vodka, duty free on arrival usually carries bottles such as Bombay Sapphire, Gordons and Beefeater in one litre bottles. They are all less expensive than the 750 mL bottles sold anywhere in town. But if you just want cheap, there are cheap vodkas sold in supermarkets, such as Gilbey's for something like 450 baht for a one litre bottle. That would be about half the price of a good bottle of vodka at duty free.

So if you want a good bottle of vodka, buy it at duty free on arrival. There will be no horror story.

[chubby]

useful, though, i think your referring to Gin, not Vodka ?

so is there enough time to get to "arrivals" and still not be at the end of the line at immigration and/or be ready to pick up my luggage?

or where is "arrivals" from someone exiting a plane, the upper level i suppose, can one, get up there from arrivals?

are you saying vodka vs thai vodka(if it exists) or any vodka at airport price vs. any vodka sold in stores? or

i hesitate to buy anything from king power from the old horror stories...........

Considering that immigration is handling arrivals from many flights, it really doesn't matter much if you are the first one to arrive there from your flight. As for baggage, BKK has notably slow baggage service, so you will probably be waiting for that anyway. But if you do want to pass immigration first, there are several small duty free shops after immigration in the baggage area.

There is no vodka made in Thailand. The only white spirit is rice whiskey, which is cheap and nasty. If you are looking for vodka, duty free on arrival usually carries bottles such as Bombay Sapphire, Gordons and Beefeater in one litre bottles. They are all less expensive than the 750 mL bottles sold anywhere in town. But if you just want cheap, there are cheap vodkas sold in supermarkets, such as Gilbey's for something like 450 baht for a one litre bottle. That would be about half the price of a good bottle of vodka at duty free.

So if you want a good bottle of vodka, buy it at duty free on arrival. There will be no horror story.

[ktownsoi12]

Have friend who works at duty free there and she confirms not the ideal place to pay for alcohol it's still heavily marked up even if it "duty free". Duty free upon arrival at airport is definitely over priced but compared to Bangkok prices for vodka and other imported spirits seem to be about 15% cheaper.

[jacko45k]

The airport "tax free" shops are a rip off, especially at BKK.

I have never seen any wine worth buying there.

And do not forget: You are allowed only 1 liter of alcoholic beverages, and that includes wine, beer and liquor COMBINED!

Also you are not allowed to declare the extra liters and pay duty.

If you want 1 bottle for a special occasion, buy it at home and bring it in your checked baggage.

The ones in Bangkok are cheaper than many other countries, particularly for tobacco products.

Probably not cheaper than Tesco though.

[bubba]

The airport "tax free" shops are a rip off, especially at BKK.

I have never seen any wine worth buying there.

And do not forget: You are allowed only 1 liter of alcoholic beverages, and that includes wine, beer and liquor COMBINED!

Also you are not allowed to declare the extra liters and pay duty.

If you want 1 bottle for a special occasion, buy it at home and bring it in your checked baggage.

The ones in Bangkok are cheaper than many other countries, particularly for tobacco products.

Probably not cheaper than Tesco though.

Tesco Lotus is most definitely not cheaper than BKK duty free for spirits. Duty free is at least 25 - 30% cheaper for the same brand.

[morpho]

I have never seen much of a price of difference between duty free shops at Suvarnabhumi and local wine/spirits shops in Chiang Mai, and I actually get better prices on spirits here in town.

Changi in Singapore has the best duty free shops IMO.

Edited December 22, 2015 by morpho

[razer]

Duty free prices in BKK are about the same as in town store prices and sometimes more expensive than store prices. It is the most stupid airport duty free I've ever seen.

[superal]

BK duty free on arrival 3 weeks ago , B&H 650 baht 200 , L&B 750 baht 200 and both seem to be genuine products with UK c/s address info within the packet lid . Anyone know if they are available to buy within Thailand as all I see are Marlboro and L&m up here in Isaan and I no likey

[Inquisitorial]

Depends where you are coming from. We find it is cheaper purchasing our wine in Australia on special from liquor shop and bring our allowance in that way.

We find the liquor shops in Australia are cheaper than Duty free for wine.

[mydee]

so is there enough time to get to "arrivals" and still not be at the end of the line at immigration and/or be ready to pick up my luggage?

or where is "arrivals" from someone exiting a plane, the upper level i suppose, can one, get up there from arrivals?

are you saying vodka vs thai vodka(if it exists) or any vodka at airport price vs. any vodka sold in stores? or

i hesitate to buy anything from king power from the old horror stories...........

Considering that immigration is handling arrivals from many flights, it really doesn't matter much if you are the first one to arrive there from your flight. As for baggage, BKK has notably slow baggage service, so you will probably be waiting for that anyway. But if you do want to pass immigration first, there are several small duty free shops after immigration in the baggage area.

There is no vodka made in Thailand. The only white spirit is rice whiskey, which is cheap and nasty. If you are looking for vodka, duty free on arrival usually carries bottles such as Bombay Sapphire, Gordons and Beefeater in one litre bottles. They are all less expensive than the 750 mL bottles sold anywhere in town. But if you just want cheap, there are cheap vodkas sold in supermarkets, such as Gilbey's for something like 450 baht for a one litre bottle. That would be about half the price of a good bottle of vodka at duty free.

So if you want a good bottle of vodka, buy it at duty free on arrival. There will be no horror story.

Quite right, except you are talking Gin rather than Vodka

[mydee]

Depends where you are coming from. We find it is cheaper purchasing our wine in Australia on special from liquor shop and bring our allowance in that way.

We find the liquor shops in Australia are cheaper than Duty free for wine.

They are and the quality of Australian wine marketed in Thailand is generally mediocre. The other issue is the storage of wine in Thailand. I have had the misfortune to have bought wine from a supermarket here and it was cooked. Fortunately there are some good wine outlets and restaurants here now who cellar their wines properly.

[bubba]

Duty free prices in BKK are about the same as in town store prices and sometimes more expensive than store prices. It is the most stupid airport duty free I've ever seen.

OK, let's take Bombay Sapphire gin for example. A one litre bottle at BKK duty free costs 830 baht. That works out to the equivalent of 622 baht for a standard 750 mL bottle.

At the in-town shops (Villa, Tesco Lotus, etc.), a 750 mL bottle costs 1000 baht or more.

I would really appreciate a recommendation regarding where I can buy spirits in town at or lower than duty free at BKK, and specifically, where I can buy Bombay Sapphire for 622 baht.

[nidieunimaitre]

Duty free prices in BKK are about the same as in town store prices and sometimes more expensive than store prices. It is the most stupid airport duty free I've ever seen.

Most tax free shops around the world seem to have a couple of specials at discount prices - but not BKK.

Last time I thought it was maybe a good idea to buy Blend 285 as a present for Thai friends in Belgium.

Double the Macro price!

We drank Trappist instead....

[Bangkok Barry]

There is a very old scam that happens in the duty-free shops. You go in for a look and the nice girl in the store gives you a gift. You think life is good.

When you leave the po-po stitches you up for stealing. They take you to a room somewhere and a third party comes in a negotiates the pay off.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8154497.stm

Still? You think so? You quote a report from over six years ago.

[nidieunimaitre]

Duty free prices in BKK are about the same as in town store prices and sometimes more expensive than store prices. It is the most stupid airport duty free I've ever seen.

OK, let's take Bombay Sapphire gin for example. A one litre bottle at BKK duty free costs 830 baht. That works out to the equivalent of 622 baht for a standard 750 mL bottle.

At the in-town shops (Villa, Tesco Lotus, etc.), a 750 mL bottle costs 1000 baht or more.

I would really appreciate a recommendation regarding where I can buy spirits in town at or lower than duty free at BKK, and specifically, where I can buy Bombay Sapphire for 622 baht.

The choice is not BKK city or BKK airport.....

Buy it in your home country, unless that is Saudi Arabia or UK.

[Bangkok Barry]

Tops supermarket in the basement of Robinsons at Soi 19 has a decent choice with a large price range. Or there is UPSTAIRS at Villa near Soi 33. They have thousands of bottles but keep the area a secret for some reason. Never seen anyone up there.

[off road pat]

There is a very old scam that happens in the duty-free shops. You go in for a look and the nice girl in the store gives you a gift. You think life is good.

When you leave the po-po stitches you up for stealing. They take you to a room somewhere and a third party comes in a negotiates the pay off.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8154497.stm

I knew of some scams, read lot about it , but the article is scary...!!

I used to check out the prices in the Tax free area at the airport, and found that everything could be bought cheaper in Bangkok town.

I used to buy professional photographic film, before the digital photographic revolution. And when I checked to buy this at the airport it was a whole lot more expensive at tax free....

You want cheaper good wine ? go for a visa run to Mae Sai....on the Burmese side (Thachilek) there are liquor shops that sell a whole lot cheaper than in Thailand.

[Brer Fox]

If you are coming from Vietnam always buy in Vietnam before you leave. No taxes or duty on spirits there. A little on wine to protect their wine industry.