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12/06/2004 04:46:45 AM · #1 |
Would there be any advantage costwise to doing so? I have family overseas in Taiwan that could easily pick stuff up and ship it to me, if I wanted, but I don't know if there's a cost advantage worth doing so these days, and I don't want to waste their time running all over to check prices for me.
Thanks!
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12/06/2004 08:00:47 AM · #2 |
It was my experience earlier this year that the Hong Kong "LIST" price would not make it worthwhile, however, if you have a skilled bargainer working on your behalf at the time of the sale, then it might result a good bargain. Also, it was recommended not to ship anything from Asia without a tracking number as fraud is rampant, thus adding anywhere from $50 upwards.
My wife and lived overseas and travelled through a few parts of Asia -- we found that we were really BAD bargainers: we live in the US, and don't normally negotiate on the cost of daily purchases, whereas it's the normal routine in most Asian countries. I was amazed to find that even the cab drivers in Thailand negotiated the fare! |
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12/06/2004 08:53:09 AM · #3 |
Hmm...well I'm asian, my family that's there are natives so I imagine if there's bargaining to be done they've done it before...thanks for the advice!
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12/06/2004 10:22:56 AM · #4 |
I went to taiwan, Hong Kong and China last year and I found that good Nikon equipment is not cheaper at all there, maybe just a tiny bit. But adding the shipping cost comes to having exactly the same price as it is here...
I am not sure about Canon equipment, but most Nikon equipment is manufactured in Japan, only Taiwan/China/HK manufactured stuff is cheaper there... |
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02/12/2005 10:26:23 AM · #5 |
I lived in China for 2 years. Overall, there is only a marginal price difference for consumer electronics products. I bought two Kodak Easyshares with docking stations while I was there and they were only about 5%-10% cheaper than the lowest price in the US...and that's with a Chinese employee doing the negotiation!
The reason is simple...despite the fact that many of these goods are manufactured in China the market for such products is limited to the Chinese upper class, Non-Chinese residents and tourists. They aren't selling Canon Rebels to the average Chinese citizen (yet).
And Hong Kong isn't really China...not in the economic sense. Hong Kong is a terrible place for shopping if you're looking for bargains. Labor, real estate and the cost of living in Hong Kong eclipse mainland China and therefore it is not a place to go shopping for deals (unless your a first time tourist who refuses to accept reality and desperately wants to believe that crappy string of pearls you spent $600.00 on are real.)
Same with Taiwan. Taiwan isn't quite as expensive as Hong Kong but it is close! Taiwan's labor force have significantly higher wages than mainland China. The cost of living is higher. Taxes are higher. Therefore, prices on consumer goods is higher.
Mainland China is your best bet for deals. But, for international brands the price is only slightly lower. And for local brands, most are cheap junk (with the exception being products made by Haier. There are also several quality Chinese manufacturers of TV's and DVD players).
Locally made cameras that are inexpensive and high quality do not yet exist.
Go to China to buy clothing, commoditized (is that word?) consumer goods and locally made crafts. |
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