Why are electronics so expensive in Thailand?

[Don Mega]

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.

So still 23% to 43% cheaper than your previous claims.

[Pdaz]

Last year I wanted to buy some Sonus speakers and a couple of soundbars.. Had checked the price on the net but was keen to buy so found the Sonus dealer in BKK.

The total price was roughly $350.00 more in BKK. Worse they didn't have enough stock to fill my requirements and said it would take a Month to order.

Next day I bought the speaker units on eBay from the US. Delivered in 5 days, even after tax/shipping they were cheaper than the BKK price. On my next trip to Singapore I bought the soundbars and hand carried them back. Another saving.

Last Month I saved close to 50k baht buying a road bike in Perth rather than BKK and again flew in with it. Pretty much any quality item is cheaper overseas.

Even Australia, which I think is also an expensive place to buy electronics was able to have a better price for an iPad Air than BKK after GST refund.

Cheap plastic crap is cheap in Thailand, Cheap poor quality clothes and housewares are cheap in Thailand. Some TV's and laptops are similar in price to the West but often the specs are lower. In reality if it wasn't for the fact I don't pay income tax, council tax and National insurance here I think Thailand would be a pricey place to live. especially if you like cars, wine and cheese

[bigt3116]

I know what you mean I wanted to order a computer steering wheel for the kids and in America they sell for

about 8500 baht but here they go for at least 20,000 to 30.000 baht no way I will pay that much.

Maybe check Lazada ?

15,990 is the most expensive and 12,000 is the cheapest, (with pedals)

[pgs]

Some interesting viewpoints !

I have just bought (last Sat) a new laptop computer which would have cost much more had I purchased in the UK or Australia.........................

Unless you are using a Linux variant or pirated Windows, wait until you are hit with the price of a legal copy, then tell us how much cheaper...(and the rest of the software)

[Beats56]

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.

[MaeJoMTB]

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

Bicycles are about 30% cheaper than in the USA, and 40% cheaper than in the UK.

[Beats56]

My Dell laptop updated to Windows 10 and I bought it in Canada. Installed with out a hitch.

[Thian]

I bought a new ricecooker yesterday in Central, they had many models with "made in japan" logo on it....they cost 5-10 times more then a "made in china" but why would they be here???

Also there's a new "brown envelope" now, it's called the Central gift card

[hhgz]

For the same reason that liquor is.

[sumrit]

A friend recently moved to Thailand from the UK and has purchased several electronic items as a result. Below is a rough comparison between what he paid in Thailand and the cost of the same/similar items in the UK:

50" LG TV (Powerbuy) 17,000 baht (Currys?Dixons) £400 - 20,000 baht

22" Samsung TV (Tescos) 5,000 baht £120 - 6,000 baht

HP 23" all in one PC (Powerbuy) 25,000 baht £600 - 30,000 baht

14" Acer laptop (Powerbuy) 10,000 baht £220 - 11,000 baht

Brother printer/scanner Tukcom) 4,500 baht £100 - 5,000 baht

Android box with camera (Lazada) 2,350 baht (Ebay) £ 40 - 2,000 baht

Samsung Microwave (Powerbuy) 3,500 baht £ 65 - 3,250 baht

He also paid 11,000 baht for a two burner inset gas hob for which there is no UK equivalent but is nearly double the cost of a four burner hob in the UK.

I compared with Currys prices because they're (probably) similar to Powerbuy in Thailand.

Where there was no exact model to compare I chose a UK model of the same make with similar specs. The UK 50" LG TV has a built in freeview box while the Thai version does not but the Brother printer in Thailand includes a continual ink feed system in the price that isn't available in the UK (from Currys).

[MaeJoMTB]

Sandisk 240GB SSD+,

Thailand 2,900bht,

Amazon.com $80,

Ebuyer.co.uk 60GBP

Not much difference.

[kjhbigv]

Not everything is more expensive eg. TV's, some laptops etc, but this is......just bought online in the UK (will get someone to bring it over), in Currys Sale it was GBP349.00, checked Robinson and it was 58000Bht! Now that IS a price difference!

[bill1369]

My former landlord is a flight attendant with Thai Airlines. She told me she and her sister (also an attendant) never shop in Thailand - too expensive. However, she may have been talking about high end dresses, etc and jewelry. Never asked her.

[Henryford]

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

Correct, i am looking to buy a Samsung Note Edge. I've found it for 16,500 baht here in Thailand. The price in the UK from Amazon is 23,500.

[NickJ]

I just bought a hi res Sony Walkman. Cost pretty much the same here as the US.

[NeverSure]

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% !!!!

And in the US at Costco they are $160 - 108 GBP. LINK

You folks should go shopping in the US where there are no import duties few other taxes and big retail competition and see for yourselves.

Cheers

Edited January 3, 2016 by NeverSure

[NickJ]

Wish I could just beam myself back just for Costco at times............

[ardokano]

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!!!

Not all BRAND directly delivery to market from factory. Differend brand - differend logistic way.

For example Apple not directly frojm China delivery to local diller.

Some Brand cheap and top sell model on local marcet delivery from factory or even local produce, but hight price model delivery from some warhouse not from country of origin of the goods.

So price be different. Some expensive, some not.

PS

In china some BRAND " made in China" more expensive than in Europe.

So mainland Chinese go shopping to HK

Edited January 3, 2016 by ardokano

[MoeDast]

Absolutely true:

(prices from 2 FEB 2017)

 

BOSE Quiet Comfort 20 is 13,500 THB in store and online! 

it is 199 Euros in Amazon.de and 249 USD in Amazon.com

(80% more than EU and 16% more than US)

 

GARMIN Fenix 3 HR is 23,400 THB in store and online! 

it is 449 Euros in Amazon.de and 549 USD in Amazon.com

(38% more than EU and 14% more than US)

[JayBird]

For what it's worth:

 

High-End (by US/European standards) Electronics seems to cost a bit more here than in US/Europe.  Basically it seems a 'sale' price here is comparable to a 'regular' price abroad.  But not by a high enough margin one would gasp.  (I gasp at the Car Import taxes... that's gasp worthy).

 

Mobile phone prices seem pretty comparable.

 

Laptops are varied -- If you want Dell/Alienware -- there seems to be a LARGE premium compared to US and a moderate premium compared to EU.  But the same in the EU.  (When I'm in the EU I import my Alienware from the US and pay half of what I pay in the EU --- and get a proper keyboard to boot).

 

When you start looking at home appliances, I basically break it up into two categories:

-- High End Import (These are the same as what you would get in Japan/US/EU)

-- Mainstream (These are the things that may come from EU/Asia but commonly sold in Thailand -- such as Air Con)

 

The high end import stuff will have a hefty premium (as there is not many people buying it (mostly rich farlang and rich thais), so the economy of scales kick in).  The mainstream stuff does not have as much of a premium as there is a high volume of them being sold (which is why Microwaves, Mobile Phones, and Tablets are cheap -- everyone is buying them).

 

On a separate note: Anyone know of a nearby country that offers mailbox drop off service so one can order Laptops from the US to be shipped to that country and then picked up?  I am not sure I want to import a Microsoft Hololens from US and pay a hefty premium+ to customs to get it.