A little reseach help from all you forriners

[Liar]

I make a living as a freelance journalist. Mostly for various magazines, writing guides, reviews, human-interrest pieces, stuff like that.

I just got a job from a "gadget geek" magazine. You know, one that writes about all the bigass flatscreen TV's, iPhones, X-boxes, vacuuming robots, MP3 players, surround systems... and is read by young men with too big wallets and no (or tolerant, or equally geeky) girlfriends.

The article is about shopping for cool tech toys abroad (What does stuff cost in other countries? Can you get, for instance, a MacBook cheaper in Japan or in the US than back home?). Something i know absolutely nothing about. And frankly I don't know where to begin to look. (other than possibly for MacBooks)

But then I thought hey, all you guys actually LIVE abroad. So I thought I'd ask y'all foreign peeps:

Do you know any good price comparing website for where you live? (or somewhere else that you know of) One where I can search for a specific product, and see what it costs in different stores. I know of several sites like that here in Sweden, so I assume there might be similar sites all over the world.

 

[DesertPirate]

Try pricegrabber.com or pricewatch.com

hope that helps

 

[McKenna]

amazon.com ?

 

[Liar]

Try pricegrabber.com or pricewatch.com

hope that helps

That be exactly it. Thanks.

This is for the US market, I presume?

 

[neonlyte]

I make a living as a freelance journalist. Mostly for various magazines, writing guides, reviews, human-interrest pieces, stuff like that.

I just got a job from a "gadget geek" magazine. You know, one that writes about all the bigass flatscreen TV's, iPhones, X-boxes, vacuuming robots, MP3 players, surround systems... and is read by young men with too big wallets and no (or tolerant, or equally geeky) girlfriends.

The article is about shopping for cool tech toys abroad (What does stuff cost in other countries? Can you get, for instance, a MacBook cheaper in Japan or in the US than back home?). Something i know absolutely nothing about. And frankly I don't know where to begin to look. (other than possibly for MacBooks)

But then I thought hey, all you guys actually LIVE abroad. So I thought I'd ask y'all foreign peeps:

Do you know any good price comparing website for where you live? (or somewhere else that you know of) One where I can search for a specific product, and see what it costs in different stores. I know of several sites like that here in Sweden, so I assume there might be similar sites all over the world.

Try searching the Carrefour supermarket chain, they operate in Europe, Africa, China and South America. You ought be able to find comparable goods in different national markets and they certainly sell some of the consumer goods you're talking about at discount prices. But not Macs. I can tell you UK Macs are more expensive than USA macs, www.apple.com has a 'Store' button on the menu bar and a drop down menu at the bottom right of the 'store' page for entering country of purchase, you can obtain comparative prices through that.

 

[DesertPirate]

That be exactly it. Thanks.

This is for the US market, I presume?

As far as I know, it is

If they ask for a ZIP (postal) code use 27265 for
High Point, NC

 

[The_Fool]

www.nextag.com


www.bizrate.com


www.shopper.com

 

[keeblercrumb]

It is a big planet and there are, no doubt, high tech deals out there..... Here are a couple tips based on my, in some cases, dated experience.

1. The US Dollar has been hammered as I am sure you are aware. But even tho these goods are pretty much manufactured overseas... (another whole topic), the necessity to remain competitive forces manufacturers to absorb the loss caused by their more valuable local currency... so prices are somewhat artificially low in the US.

2. Many places in the world (Europe, Russia, etc.) have VAT in lieu of the sales and other taxes utilized in the US.... While VAT refunds are available for tourists with some limits, online pricing would, I assume reflect this tax which is substantial (16% plus...) putting these goods at a price disadvantage to the US.

3. Certain SE Asian countries (Singapore, etc.) offer high tech goods at truly bargain prices (again, except for the currency "hit") but it is truly "caveat emptor" has the Japanese companies use these outlets to dump unsuccessful and/or second quality goods.....

4. My basic advice is to do what I do.... I wait until I am back the US where I buy everything High tech..... preferably in a non-sales tax state such as my own home state of Delaware.....

5. The only items that do not fit this strategy are cell phones in all their various incarnations.... US phones are "locked" which restricts the buyer to a specific service vendor... The rest of the world (the places I work and live) uses "un-locked" phones which allow you to buy the phone and choose the service vendor SIM card you desire.... Moving about internationally, I certainly prefer this option. I have been told you may get phones "un-locked" in the US but I have no direct knowledge of how or where...

-KC

 

[neonlyte]

5. The only items that do not fit this strategy are cell phones in all their various incarnations.... US phones are "locked" which restricts the buyer to a specific service vendor... The rest of the world (the places I work and live) uses "un-locked" phones which allow you to buy the phone and choose the service vendor SIM card you desire.... Moving about internationally, I certainly prefer this option. I have been told you may get phones "un-locked" in the US but I have no direct knowledge of how or where...

-KC

I bought a US phone while visiting last year. I got it unlocked in a high street store in the UK for £10. The phone cost me 49.99$+tax, the same unlocked phone in UK was priced £189.99, or around £50 locked into the T Mobile service.

 

[CrazyCatGuy]

I can only speak for China, since it's the country i visit most. The prices for electronics there is stupidly low, unless, that is, you're getting a legitimately branded item (ie Apple, Motorola, etc etc), in which case it's a hit or miss... sometimes you can find identical items for cheaper (Motorola PEBL cellphone that my girlfriend bought), or horrendously more expensive (Logitech mouse/keyboard, Apple stuff).

Certain items made by asian companies may appear in the Chinese market earlier, and most times cheaper than elsewhere, but if you don't care about what company made it, you can find knockoffs (sometimes very very good quality knockoffs) at rediculously low prices.

Also, prices in China are usually negotiable (tho this happens much less in large department stores), so the sticker price is rarely what you actually have to pay.

 

[rachlou]

www.kelkoo.co.uk works for me here in the UK.

 

[Chantilyvamp]

Another thing you have to take into consideration when buying high tech items in the states is if you are having it shipped to you or whether you pick it up while you are there.

From experience if you are having it shipped then the company will put the value of the package on the outside or if you had it insured. Minus a bit of time around christmas here in the uk (I think they get a little more lax then) you stand the chance of having to pay extra tax before the post man will give you the package. From what my postman said its anything over the value of £30 but they sometimes let it slide to £50 before they bother making you pay.

When I sent my wedding dress from the US the year we moved it had to have the value put on the customs slip for the insurance. I was charged £100 by te postal service for customs fees. About the same happened (varied dollar amounts though) for the hard drives we sent back in the mail.

 

[SensualCealy]

Maybe Rob can help with this one in Canada, I think its called Consumers Report, lists all makes and models and compares their capabilities-I think.
C

 

[Handprints]

Most of Asia does its electronic shopping in Hong Kong (including the Japanese). In Europe, London's Tottenham Court Road electronics shops are still the best for price, although you can sometimes get a number of Japanese goods of dubious provenance in Moscow for really low prices.

 

[galaxygoddess]

do remember to look up the exchange rate for the various countries. just hearing "it costs this in our currency" means nothing. Because last I read, a dollar here, is 100 yen there >.>

not saying you didn't know this, but I'm just saying

 

[Nirvanadragones]

www.pricecomparison.co.uk

www.activeshopper.com

www.ciao.co.uk

www.pricecomparison.com

www.pricesupermarket.com

I'm in the UK, and I use these, especially the top 3, often.

 

[Liar]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I've got a bunch of experts locally for info on the customs issues, exchange rates, import tariffs, legalitites and stuff. But what nobody seems to be able to tell me is what stuff actually cost to buy in different countries.

I got a handful of leads from you though. So kudos.

East Asia is still a blind spot. Handprints, CatGuy, do you have any examples of pricing, or know where I can look for those?

 

[Edward Teach]

Check the web for:

Crutchfield's
Circuit City

 

[Handprints]

East Asia is still a blind spot. Handprints, CatGuy, do you have any examples of pricing, or know where I can look for those?

Baidu for China.

 

[Liar]

Cool. Now I just gotta brush up on my Chinese