Phuket - BUying goods in Thailand, and living there

jay78 · #1 05-02-2006, 20:39

Im thinking of going to Thailand for a long break with the misses. If we like it we might try coming back for a few years.

Ithere much to do for a couple? Also im very intrested in buying some goods from the markets etc, do they have decent clothes etc there, i know theres loads of fakes but are there decent ones?

I was told on another forum of the MBK market in Bangkok which sells real products, are the prices alot cheaper than here in England?

As for food, going out drinking etc, is this as cheap as ive been lead to believe.

Please add anything else you like about the place..

Thanks

jimholio · #2 05-02-2006, 21:06

Only been to a few places in BKK but.

MBK (Cheap) (Yes ALOT cheaper then England)
Pantip Plaza <- Computer and electronics (Cheap to Medium)
Central (Medium to Expensive)
Emporium <- (Expensive)

For markets ive only been to Pratunam market, and Patpong night market. Pratunam is about 10x cheaper or so, can buy t-shirts for 80-100bath or so. (And no haggeling needed here as everything got pricetags except the stalls outside)

Frode10 · #3 05-02-2006, 21:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by jay78

do they have decent clothes etc there, i know theres loads of fakes but are there decent ones?

Don't think that all clothes have a poor quality because they are fakes.
I still have clothes

I bought for nothing the first time I went to LOS in -97, washed at least 1000 times, and they are still in a very good shape.

1997??? Oh, I really think it's time for me to buy some new clothes.

Frode

steve@thaib · #4 06-02-2006, 00:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frode10

Don't think that all clothes have a poor quality because they are fakes.
I still have clothes

I bought for nothing the first time I went to LOS in -97, washed at least 1000 times, and they are still in a very good shape.

1997??? Oh, I really think it's time for me to buy some new clothes.

Frode

Agree 100%, I still have a couple of T shirts from 97.

I always wonder if they are fakes, maybe they are back door stock from the real (sweatshop) factories?

andy50 · #5 06-02-2006, 02:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve@thaib

Agree 100%, I still have a couple of T shirts from 97.

I always wonder if they are fakes, maybe they are back door stock from the real (sweatshop) factories?

i have some tee shirts (lacoste fakes from 1987 !i bought them in bkk the one and only time ive been there (bkk that is--couln,t stand the place btw!)
as for going to thailand to live well you can,t work there unless you can teach languages or open a bar so you will need plenty of dosh-- where will you live--which part?if you go up north its chep to live it varys depending on where you settle

swiftdave · #6 06-02-2006, 02:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve@thaib

Agree 100%, I still have a couple of T shirts from 97.

I always wonder if they are fakes, maybe they are back door stock from the real (sweatshop) factories?

Interesting distinction. If a factory in China is commissioned by Nike to manufacture 100,000 shoes for the US market and they crank off an extra 1,000,000 or so, are they fakes? Is the definition of fake the fact that Nike didn't get a cut?

If you download a song and the Artist doesn't get a royalty is it a fake?

timothy · #7 06-02-2006, 03:38

good call swifty.

you can tell the diff between fake and real trainers quite easily i think.

jay78 · #8 06-02-2006, 04:29

Thanks for your comments guys, but theres really no need to be rude.

Anyway i was just asking as if and when i do decided to live out in Thailand for a while i'll need some decent products at good prices that i can export.

andy50 · #9 06-02-2006, 04:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by jay78

Thanks for your comments guys, but theres really no need to be rude.

Anyway i was just asking as if and when i do decided to live out in Thailand for a while i'll need some decent products at good prices that i can export.

btw no ones being "rude to you "
ahh to export---
to support your living expences--
rent/expenditure etc -etc
it aint going to happen my freind-
-its all been tryed before , again and again --if it was that simple we would all be there, doing that very thing !
try the dominican repubic--

jay78 · #10 06-02-2006, 05:10

What makes you think its not possible??

Im sure i could make a good go of it. Do you mean the hassle of sending through customs etc??

Rizzamabob · #11 06-02-2006, 05:27

Go to MBK, all the t-shirts i got there for 100bht have been washed 2-3 times and are all still perfect, bloody bargain if i must say. Also go up to one of the top floors and look for a sunglasses stall, they are all 200bht, but the quality is good, they still haven't broken.

andy50 · #12 06-02-2006, 05:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by jay78

What makes you think its not possible??

Im sure i could make a good go of it. Do you mean the hassle of sending through customs etc??

no!! the kick backs that you have to give ,to "oil" all of the peoples palms --and thats only the first step
this will eat into any profit that you expect to make

Frode10 · #13 06-02-2006, 06:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by jay78

Thanks for your comments guys, but theres really no need to be rude.

Anyway i was just asking as if and when i do decided to live out in Thailand for a while i'll need some decent products at good prices that i can export.

You should have been more specify about what you want to do in LOS in your first post. I didn't read a thing about export (or was it import) when I read your post, so how can the BM's know. Speaking for myself I thought you and wify wanted to go to LOS for a couple of month's and needed some advice where to shop souvenirs.

I became a member in February 2005 and waited a long time before I jumped into this forum, I was a little bit afraid that they (BM's) would eat me alive.

So I learned the rules before I did my first dive. And so fare so good!

But I wish you good luck in the exportbusiness (or was it import?).

Frode

stevem · #14 06-02-2006, 06:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by jay78

Thanks for your comments guys, but theres really no need to be rude.

Anyway i was just asking as if and when i do decided to live out in Thailand for a while i'll need some decent products at good prices that i can export.

I dont know about the UK, but if you where to bring commerical quantities of copy goods into Australia, you would be nabbed pretty damn quick.

erik1 · #15 06-02-2006, 09:37

What is MBK?

Rizzamabob · #16 06-02-2006, 11:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by erik1

What is MBK?

Huge Complex, like a mall, basically sells nearly everything and has like 4-5 levels.. Its right near a sky train stop, if i remember correctly its the end of the Siam line, something stadium...

steve@thaib · #17 06-02-2006, 15:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by swiftdave

Interesting distinction. If a factory in China is commissioned by Nike to manufacture 100,000 shoes for the US market and they crank off an extra 1,000,000 or so, are they fakes? Is the definition of fake the fact that Nike didn't get a cut?

If you download a song and the Artist doesn't get a royalty is it a fake?

I don't think the would be fakes, no. Nike might see it differently but if they are the same product from the same factory at 1\50th of the price they are a bargain, not a fake.

steve@thaib · #18 06-02-2006, 15:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by jay78

What makes you think its not possible??

Im sure i could make a good go of it. Do you mean the hassle of sending through customs etc??

I've tried it, and whilst you may well find a way to make it pay it is not very easy.

You don't say what sort of thing you are thinking about importing (someone else brought up fakes), but you won't be able to import dodgy branded clothes etc, Thai customs won't send it and even if they do UK customs would not clear it.

I imported a crate, 1 cubic metre, by sea and found that by the time I got my gear from Thailand the cost had pretty much doubled. I think you would have to do it on a very big scale to make it worthwhile.

IRISH JONNY · #19 06-02-2006, 16:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve@thaib

Agree 100%, I still have a couple of T shirts from 97.

I always wonder if they are fakes, maybe they are back door stock from the real (sweatshop) factories?

I WAS TALKING TO ONE OF MY MATES........HE SELLS FOOTY SHIRTS IN PATONG......HE HAS ORIGINALS SHIRTS FOR GOOD PRICE.........
HE TOLD ME THAT GANGS ROB THE SWEAT SHOPS IN BKK AND SELL THEM TO THE STALL HANDLERS IN PHT.........

faultytowers · #20 06-02-2006, 18:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by timothy

you can tell the diff between fake and real trainers quite easily i think.

I bought a pair of "Cats"(Caterpillar) trainers in Patong about 4 years ago, on my next trip I saw one of my mates had an identical pair , we checked and everything was the same , style , quality and even labels.
There was only one difference , mine had cost about 30% of what he paid in the U.K.

steve@thaib · #21 06-02-2006, 18:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by faultytowers

I bought a pair of "Cats"(Caterpillar) trainers in Patong about 4 years ago, on my next trip I saw one of my mates had an identical pair , we checked and everything was the same , style , quality and even labels.
There was only one difference , mine had cost about 30% of what he paid in the U.K.

That's the point; not fake just cheaper. A lot of things are snide copies but clothing maybe not, as IJ says there are ways these things get out of the factories other than the conventional method!

IRISH JONNY · #22 06-02-2006, 18:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve@thaib

That's the point; not fake just cheaper. A lot of things are snide copies but clothing maybe not, as IJ says there are ways these things get out of the factories other than the conventional method!

AND WE ARE THE BOYS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS.......555555555.........IJ

steve@thaib · #23 06-02-2006, 18:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by IRISH JONNY

AND WE ARE THE BOYS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS.......555555555.........IJ

Yeah, shame on us.....

Allybabba22 · #24 06-02-2006, 19:08

Have to disagree boys, Everything I seen in Phuket, Pattaya and Bkk (Stalls) were all fakes, And I have looked through a lot of them, All the T-shirts, Shorts, Jerseys, Jeans, Runners were all clearly fakes..... I love my labels and the quality is not the same in the stuff you get in Los.....