Why are electronics so expensive in Thailand?

[2fishin2]

Big screen TVs are Waaaaaaaaaaaaay more in Thailand than the US. And they are Made In Thailand!!

Most of the big names in TV have plants here except for Sharp, which still imports their panels from Japan.

Prices are fixed. You might find a "deal" where you save a few thousand baht, but there is no Costco or

Walmart here to kick them in the ass. And I'm sure they are quite happy that there is no Costco here.

Phones are another matter. Not too much difference in price there. Must be a volume thing.

Nah they are not waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more. In order to compare, you must find the exact same model of unit that is sold here and the US. Cannot make a generalization. And then you need to realize that prices are different due to many factors.

[Thian]

Prices must be higher here because showmodels are damaged a lot. Even stock gets damaged by dumb personell.

I've seen piles of Calphalon skillets stacked without any protection inbetween them in the big Centrall malls. Those pans cost 5-10.000 baht a piece and with scratches the nonstick layer will come off. They are crappy pans anyway.

Yesterday i saw some topmodel Mercs and Vellfire cars parked in the middle of a mall, Thai children were running around them and touching them where they could. Nobody told them to keep distance.

Coffeemachines are indeed expensive, so is grounded coffee in Thailand. They have so many models for such a small market that the only way to make profit is with double prices.

Central mall like Westgate have 2 Tops supermarkets right above eachother on different floors. They have the same fruit/vegy for sale and a big stock, the only way for them to make profit is again double prices.

For computers it's important to see what parts they installed inside. There's fast or slow memory, A or B-brandnames, fast or slow harddisks/memory. Original or Copy software.

My notebook was bought in Europe, when i wanted to free update it to Windows 10 it wouldn't let me here in Thailand. When i was in Europe it started updating to Windows 10.

Guess Microsoft boycots Thailand for free updates to Windows10 ?.

Scooters are cheaper in Thailand though.

If i buy electronics in Thailand i always ask for an unopened box. So many times i had to go back to the shop because something was missing. That won't happen again.

[Don Mega]

Big screen TVs are Waaaaaaaaaaaaay more in Thailand than the US. And they are Made In Thailand!!

Most of the big names in TV have plants here except for Sharp, which still imports their panels from Japan.

Prices are fixed. You might find a "deal" where you save a few thousand baht, but there is no Costco or

Walmart here to kick them in the ass. And I'm sure they are quite happy that there is no Costco here.

Phones are another matter. Not too much difference in price there. Must be a volume thing.

Yeah I bought a new TV about a month ago from Numchai. cost me Bt.31,000.00 ($857.70)

Here it is at Walmart for $897.99.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/LG-55UF6800-55-4K-Ultra-HD-2160p-60Hz-Class-LED-Smart-HDTV-4K-x-2K/45622206

[bazza40]

Some of it relates to whether the item is imported or not, and some to Thai middlemen. Scooters are cheap here, computers and computer parts are expensive, smartphones are cheap. ( All compared to Australia ).

I feel the market here w.r.to vehicles is quite distorted. It defies logic that a Mitsubishi Triton ute or a Nissan Almera, both manufactured here, should be significantly cheaper in Australia than here. And they are higher specification in Australia. Likewise, the used car dealerships here want stupid prices for low mileage vehicles - it's almost like they haven't heard of depreciation.

[sead]

Not only are they expensive but equipment are also outdated. Really old pc,laptops,scanners etc etc

[avander]

Interesting and timely topic for me. I gought my Home Theater system here from Australia a couple of years back. Our house wad hit by an lightning here a few weeks back and we had a lot of stuff fried. Lucky we have insurance and I have to say they've been great! No trouble with replacement or repair costs.

Most expensive was my HT Receiver which I bought for $AU1200 in 2013. No names but they have an distributor here where my unit was deemed unrepairable. They wanted more for a 'new' 2013 than I originally paid! Not interested in getting rid of old stock. They even said they'd throw in a bluray player but needed to add 16000THB to the price as a 'specia' package. Yeah, right.... The 2014 model was not discounted either. I really don't get it.

As a result I won't go back to that shop/brand now just on principle and looking for something, even an older model with equivalent features for a similar price to what I purchased in Australia. Onkyo is the closest so far btw but still not great.

Thai sales and marketing?!

[Beats56]

I cannot say i have particularly noticed inflated prices on electrical equipment. The only things i really buy are TV's and they have always seemed fairly reasonable. 10-12K for a flat screen, which i presume is comparable to anywhere else.

The other equipment i occasionally browse at are the electronic sections in Emporium etc toasty machines, rice makers, hot water, juicers etc never struck me as being unreasonably costly either, although granted i am rarely back in the home country these days ti gain a comparison.

Things i find expensive are decent bedding and the alike.

[Beats56]

I cannot say i have particularly noticed inflated prices on electrical equipment. The only things i really buy are TV's and they have always seemed fairly reasonable. 10-12K for a flat screen, which i presume is comparable to anywhere else.

The other equipment i occasionally browse at are the electronic sections in Emporium etc toasty machines, rice makers, hot water, juicers etc never struck me as being unreasonably costly either, although granted i am rarely back in the home country these days ti gain a comparison.

Things i find expensive are decent bedding and the alike.

[Beats56]

I wanted to get a stand mixer..kitchen aid but they want 3100 bt here. I guess I will mix by hand.

[Don Mega]

Bt.3100 for a KitchenAid Stand mixer sounds like a bargain, what model was it ?

[IMA_FARANG]

Many computer products are assembled here in Thailand.

Names like Toshiba, Asus. Hitachi, Hewitt Packard, Sony, etc. are actually assembled in less than a hours drive from Bangkok.

And yes, many laptops are often sold without a legal OS , and that is added on as cost

if you want a legal valid OS system you can later register on line.

The ASUS laptop I am writing this on was about 16,000 Baht, but to get a legal Microsoft 8.1 install cost me another 2500 Baht.

With a 2 year international repair warranty also.

Bought in IT City in Bangkok.

Fortune City IT Mall, about 2 blocks from where I live.

[elgordo38]

Bedding is cheap and soft mattresses in the IKEA.

I don't think we have one in Chiang Mai but we could sure use one. Shake up the retail industry here a bit.

Edited December 21, 2015 by elgordo38

[Cypress Hill]

Yeah, maybe you just are used to the high prices by now Was at Emporium today and saw for example an espresso machines that costs about 180 euro in Germany, 200 euro in Japan.. online in Singapore about 220.. At emporium: 325 euro. Most other once cost way more than in Europe as well.

Yeah cos you're always gonna get stuff cheaper in a high-end department store, aren't you?

I wanted to buy a sink strainer - y'know, one of those mesh things that stop crap doing down the plug hole in the kitchen sink

Emporium's kitchenware section wanted 500 baht - I 5hit you not

Went to the market in Big C/ Rama IV, exact same item by the same manufacturer - 50 baht

No point bitching about prices when you're buying from high end stores that have ridiculous mark up on certain lines.

If the OP had been buying a TV from Emporium, he would've seen prices comparable with US/Europe.

How many Thais are gonna be interested in buying an espresso machine?

[DoctorB]

This is certainly true for real hi-fi from the world-class brands.

With the increasing use of personal music devices there has been great growth in the number of headphones from top hi-fi manufacturers.

Last week I went looking for a quality pair; willing to spend 10,000 - 15,000 baht as they are my main mode of listening.

I took a list of 150 models with associated recommendations, from a leading English language hi-fi mag widely sold here in Thailand. From that list I found exactly 1 model, available in an i-Store. They were priced at nearly 6,000 baht over the UK price. This was at Central Festival, not some back-soi market.

There were a number of Sony, Panasonic, and JVC models with totally different model numbers to those on my list, all stressing 'Super-bass' or 'Mega-treble' or some such whizz-bang nonsense, as opposed to the 'close to the original sound' frequency response music lovers look for. And of course all the usual Hai-Fai, Fin-fan or Foo-Kyoo brands from some sweat shop somewhere were on display.

It seems, at least as regard hi-fi, that the top quality speciality products from American or European manufacturers are grossly over-priced here, while the big Japanese or Korean companies give completely different model numbers to their products, presumably to ensure you cannot relate them to reviews on Amazon or in magazines sold internationally. This appears also to be true for computers.

[ronmnk]

Yeah, maybe you just are used to the high prices by now Was at Emporium today and saw for example an espresso machines that costs about 180 euro in Germany, 200 euro in Japan.. online in Singapore about 220.. At emporium: 325 euro. Most other once cost way more than in Europe as well.

Yeah cos you're always gonna get stuff cheaper in a high-end department store, aren't you?

I wanted to buy a sink strainer - y'know, one of those mesh things that stop crap doing down the plug hole in the kitchen sink

Emporium's kitchenware section wanted 500 baht - I 5hit you not

Went to the market in Big C/ Rama IV, exact same item by the same manufacturer - 50 baht

No point bitching about prices when you're buying from high end stores that have ridiculous mark up on certain lines.

If the OP had been buying a TV from Emporium, he would've seen prices comparable with US/Europe.

How many Thais are gonna be interested in buying an espresso machine?

In Europe a high end department store might only have slightly higher prices for the same product, but not 80% more. The difference there between a high and a "normal" department store, is mostly that they carry more high end products. I also don't think it's related to it being electronics that most Thais don't need. Like I mentioned, some bose speakers were also twice as expensive here than in Europe or the USA. Thais surely listen to music too, no?

But your point is, stores in Thailand just try to get as much profit out of it as possible and just have no scruples when it comes to increasing prices?

[Cypress Hill]

Yeah, maybe you just are used to the high prices by now Was at Emporium today and saw for example an espresso machines that costs about 180 euro in Germany, 200 euro in Japan.. online in Singapore about 220.. At emporium: 325 euro. Most other once cost way more than in Europe as well.

Yeah cos you're always gonna get stuff cheaper in a high-end department store, aren't you?

I wanted to buy a sink strainer - y'know, one of those mesh things that stop crap doing down the plug hole in the kitchen sink

Emporium's kitchenware section wanted 500 baht - I 5hit you not

Went to the market in Big C/ Rama IV, exact same item by the same manufacturer - 50 baht

No point bitching about prices when you're buying from high end stores that have ridiculous mark up on certain lines.

If the OP had been buying a TV from Emporium, he would've seen prices comparable with US/Europe.

How many Thais are gonna be interested in buying an espresso machine?

In Europe a high end department store might only have slightly higher prices for the same product, but not 80% more. The difference there between a high and a "normal" department store, is mostly that they carry more high end products. I also don't think it's related to it being electronics that most Thais don't need. Like I mentioned, some bose speakers were also twice as expensive here than in Europe or the USA. Thais surely listen to music too, no?

But your point is, stores in Thailand just try to get as much profit out of it as possible and just have no scruples when it comes to increasing prices?

Pretty much

Sure Thais listen to music but they don't typically go out and spunk on Bose gear, hence the huge mark up by those retailers prepared to stock it for sale to wealthy Thais and foreigners who insist on high end stuff

Emporium KNOWS what lines it can get way with gouging for

Bose, Denon, Marantz hi-fi etc - they know very few other retailers stock that shit so they mark them up.

That mark up is used to partially subsidise the deals they offer on the LG, Samsung TVs etc they know everyone sells and so, can't risk pricing themselves out on

[flyingdoc]

Tremendous differences depending on the actual item concerned!

[samsensam]

certainly camera equipment and computers are considerably cheaper in the UK, plus you get a sale of goods act that can be enforced and warranty you can trust. oh yes and sales staff that can actually inform you about the products they are selling and help you make your choice.

levi 501's are cheaper here, and some telephones. other than that i'd shop for luxury items back home.

[irwinfc]

prices of certain items here are high because there are people willing to pay for them. perhaps along with their attempts to wow other people and show how wealthy they are. as the OP does not seem to have the same compulsion, better look elsewhere. in my years shopping around Thailand, the most common pricing strategy is to keep tag prices high and put a xx percent sale sign on the side to make potential buyers think they're getting a bargain. the best way is to do your research before buying, know how much you're willing to pay for something, and go from there.

[craigt3365]

certainly camera equipment and computers are considerably cheaper in the UK, plus you get a sale of goods act that can be enforced and warranty you can trust. oh yes and sales staff that can actually inform you about the products they are selling and help you make your choice.

levi 501's are cheaper here, and some telephones. other than that i'd shop for luxury items back home.

Are you sure they are original 501's? Lots of knockoffs unless you are buying in one of the big stores here.

[Deli]

No fierce competition as in Europe or in the USA. Plus some horrendous import duties to fill someones pockets.

I am usually trying to by 'new' 2nd hand stuff and did so far some good bargains, buying from Farangs moving away or being in need for cash.

[Thian]

Ricecookers are cheap in Thailand But that's the only product i can think of.

Most electronics i buy from internetshops in Europe and bring them myself. Internetshops have great service these days, are very cheap and deliver the next day. Perfect!

The Thai still don't understand how to make profit by selling high volumes for a lower price then the competition does. Also i don't understand why there are not many more internetshops in LOS. The shops always have far too much personell which is paid out of the customers pocket.

[gandalf12]

It all comes down to knowing what it is you want to buy and then shopping around for the best price

[Stradavarius37]

lol these things are mainly manufactured in japan/Singapore hence the prices we pay.

Do you know where things are made? Lmao

[Anon999]

Previously went to buy a Philips electric jug kettle and was appalled to find it the equivalent to £32 while the same model could be purchased in the UK for £18. A no brainer on my next trip there.

[Doisaketdreamer]

There is absolutely no doubt that most electronic items including tools and kitchen appliances are far more expensive in Thailand than in Europe or the USA. They are also significantly more expensive for exactly the same item than in Singapore or Manila. This is particularly true for higher end brands and models. Often, the Thai price is 50-200% higher than in Singapore or Manila. For me, I find it far better to buy the appliances in Singapore or Manila and carry them back. Customs almost never even stops me at the airport and even when they do ask the box to be X-rayed, I have never been charged one baht. I do not think import taxes explains these dramatic differences. Rather, I think that there are relatively few places to buy higher-end consumer electronics in Thailand and the information environment greatly favors the retailers. That is to say, most Thai people have no idea of the prices of these goods are in other countries. Generally, those Thais and expats that are wealthy enough to afford these items, just pay whatever the retailers demand. The rest simply do not buy these items at all, so the market is comparatively small and focused on premiuj margins that cannot be achieved in the USA, Singapore or even Manila.

[Doisaketdreamer]

There is absolutely no doubt that most electronic items including tools and kitchen appliances are far more expensive in Thailand than in Europe, the USA or Australia. They are also significantly more expensive for exactly the same item than in Singapore or Manila. This is particularly true for higher end brands and models. Often, the Thai price is 50-200% higher than in Singapore or Manila. For me, I find it far better to buy the appliances in Singapore or Manila and carry them back. Customs almost never even stops me at the airport and even when they do ask the box to be X-rayed, I have never been charged one baht. For example, a few days ago I bought a Breville food processor in Melbourne for $335 Australian dollars. The exact same item at Central was the 32,000 Thai baht! The machine is made in China. I do not think import taxes explains these dramatic differences. Rather, I think that there are relatively few places to buy higher-end consumer electronics in Thailand and the information environment greatly favors the retailers. That is to say, most Thai people have no idea of the prices of these goods are in other countries. Generally, those Thais and expats that are wealthy enough to afford these items, just pay whatever the retailers demand. The rest simply do not buy these items at all, so the market is comparatively small and focused on premium margins that cannot be achieved in the USA, Singapore or even Manila.

[snowgard]

I don't know but I realize that the most people here never know that the BRAND products what they bought in europe are produced in china.

And for all this things it donät give a IMPORT TAX to Thailand because Thailand and China have a freetrade agreement!!!

So NO IMPORT TAX!!! Just 7% VAT!!! But double or 3x expensive as in europe!!!

This is Thailand!!!

[bigt3116]

They are not if you shop around. I have bought a lot of electronics recently, camera, speakers, PS4, tablet, smart phone etc and they have ALL been cheaper than in the UK. Places like Lazada (with their discounts) offer very good prices, and free delivery.

Yeah, some products can be found cheaper on sites like Lazada. But I've also had tons of situations where it was impossible to not buy 70-90% more. For example with delonghi espresso maker, bose speakers.

SoundLink® Mini Bluetooth® speaker II

From Bose UK = 169.95 GBP

From Lazada TH = 183.70 GBP (9900 THB)

Difference is 8.1%

Not 70-90% !!!!

[ronmnk]

SoundLink® Mini Bluetooth® speaker II

From Bose UK = 169.95 GBP

From Lazada TH = 183.70 GBP (9900 THB)

Difference is 8.1%

Not 70-90% !!!!

Then Bose UK is just expensive as well. Amazon.de = 170 euro. Lazada TH is 47% more expensive.