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Pratunam Market,
located at the intersection of New Petchburi & Rajdamri Road is the largest
wholesale/retail garments hub in Bangkok with ready-to-wear garments, made to order suits,
jeans, and designer clothes. There are numerous department stores, malls and shopping centers
that often have close-outs, final sales or clearances at very good prices but you must price-shop
and inspect all your goods for inferior quality.
Bargaining can be done in just about every
type shop except for department stores that usually have fixed prices.
Prices
as a general rule, vary according to the location of the vendor.
Those located nearest to
entertainment spots, like Patpong, are amongst the most
expensive because the vendors pay more rent and all venders pay a kick-back to the police for their
stalls or space. As you get farther away
from the tourist spots, the cheaper the goods can be purchased.
Warning: Use great caution when purchasing gems or jewelry. Street people, the tuk-tuk and taxi
drivers are often paid great commissions for introducing potential buyers
to jewelry shops. Insist on a clear official receipt with detailed information for your
purchases. If you hear the word “guarantee”, do not expect it to mean anything in most
places as there are often high profit margins with little chance of getting any money back
if the customer feels he has been overcharged or received less than the standard he was
expecting. The term “factory” makes people think they are buying something direct from the producer
at much cheaper prices than they could buy elsewhere. Sorry, do not assume this,
because you'd be 100% wrong. Usually the prices are higher at these
factories, whether, it be jewelry, an umbrella factory, etc.
Examine Your Goods The Louis Vitton purse that was on display in the
window may not be the one packed in your shopping bag. Copies often have
multiple grades of the same style bag.
Tailor Shops are on every corner you do not see a 7-11 and eventhough there are
some great deals available, “Buyer Beware”. People unfamiliar with
fabrics are often duped into believing they are getting something they are not. For
instance, you may be shown quality fabrics in the tailor’s showroom but your suit
may arrive with a different grade or even a cheap imitation of the fabric you
originally selected. Anytime you order clothing from a tailor shop be sure to
have him cut a piece of the material you have selected (2” x 2” swatch)
that you can take
home. When your clothing is cut and ready for you to pick-up, you
can then compare the fabrics. Also, many times it is not Silk you are getting so
check the threads of any silk garment as the silk thread will burn and smell
like burnt meat. Also, when burned true Thai Silk will not disappear into ash
like man-made fabrics, but it will be powdery and form little sweat-like beads
and will not disintegrate. 99% of the shirts sold as silk at tailor shops are a
small percentage of silk, if any, and blended with other materials. We endorse few companies and in
the case of tailor shops there are so many we would "Not Recommend" that we feel your best bet is just to use common
sense and remember you generally get what you pay for as $49US suits are just a hook for you to upgrade and spend more money in
the shop. Tailors that sit in a hotel lobby are often no different than the one's you see scattered on the streets, they
just charge more. Amongst a million tailors on Sukhumvit Road that are mostly rip-off specialists,
few have their own seamstress or tailors
doing the cutting as your suit goes with dozens of others to a central tailor (sweat shop) where workers are paid very cheap wages to create your shirt or
suit. In many shops the roll of fabric may say “Made in Italy”, ya! sure ...they are actually fabrics made in
Thailand, however, they are often good quality. OK, If the tailor shows you a fabric that says
“Armani” and tells you it is the real thing, then you can be assured it's time to walk out. RUN, would be better.
The tuk-tuk, taxi, or nice tour guide make a hefty commission, usually 30% of your purchase price
for bringing you to the tailors, or the restaurant, as a rule. So, if you are escorted to any retailer you best know it now; that you
are paying more.
If you are on a tour bus or come with a tour guide to buy souvenirs or gifts ... well, sorry to say, you generally pay the most
because all tour guides get a commission.
WHAT TO BUY
THAI SILK
is known to be one of the best silks in the world and Bangkok silk shops
have a great variety available in solid colors, patterns or brochade in light and heavy
weights. You can buy Thai silk by the yard, usually 40 in. wide with German and Swiss dyes, so it is color-fast.
Thai silk is woven in lightweight, medium weight and heavy weight grades. The ply of thread used in weaving it determines the weight
of a given piece of silk. For example, lightweight is generally one ply, which means single strands of silk are woven together to make
the cloth. The lightweight variety is often used for ladies blouses, summer dresses and men's dress shirts. A blouse and skirt
combination uses about 5.5 yards of silk, while men's shirts use 2.5 to 3 yards.
Just remember, the advertised or displayed silk in tailor shops is usually only a cheap blend of silk.
THAI COTTON
is fast becoming as popular as Thai silk. Products of hand-looms, very often quite artistic designs, are still
manufactured in most
rural districts and are on sale in Bangkok. It is a soft durable fabric that is ideal for dresses, shirts,
and upholstery.
WOOD PRODUCTS offer decorations, such as; vases in many shapes and sizes and
a host of
of carved figures. There's beautiful handmade furniture and lamps that
retailers can ship back to your home. The humidity, at your destination, can effect wooden figures and
furniture so it is wise to investigate whether your pieces have been sprayed at
the factory to protect them from cracking.
Many
gift shops sell figurines, a man-made product that is dark brown in color,
often signs say and advertise it as water
buffalo bone
or fish bone that is NOT TRUE. It is
nothing but a poured resin or plastic
mold. It is heavy & often very shiny usually made into figures
of buddhas, vases, elephants or decoratives from 1” to 18”, It
is often attractive, but don’t be fooled, it is not wood or bone.
COUNTERFEIT ITEMS flourish in Thailand as Bangkok is
the capital of fake goods. Pontip Plaza, the computer center, is the cities #1 source for boot-leg software,
DVD and
mp3.
Watches
can be found on every corner. Assembled in China and shipped to
Thailand, there are Japanese movement and Swiss quality fakes
of most the popular major brands. Usually, the popular entertainment areas (where the
sellers pay higher rents) offer only the cheapest Japanese copies at
high prices, so it is best to shop around. Swiss copies are harder
to find and demand a higher price because they
are better replicas from the sweep of the hand to the type of crystal.
Places that sell
handbags
have huge markups and there is often 3 or 4 different grades of copies of the
same bag (If you only talk about the cheapest price, they will surely
show you the quality bag and switch it for the cheaper quality
bag when the bargaining and sale is complete. So, first ask if what
they are showing you is their best quality bag …then you can
haggle over the price for that particular bag...don't let her take
it out of your sight ...or it WILL BE SWITCHED.
Polo shirts. There are many brands of shirts, both
in knit and cotton. A Polo shirt may say Polo or it may say Ralph
Lauren, but for the seller's protection, rarely will it have both names on
the label (as on the original). Shirts that are knit often are
itchy and must be hung to dry. Shirts, whether they are knit or
cotton, short or long-sleeve copies should cost no more than
170 baht each. TheSilk Robes
that are reversible, with a design on each side, should cost no more than 550 baht in adult size.
There's tons of Tennis Shoe
knock-offs and often they are almost as comfortable as the
original. They may not be as durable or last as long as original
Nikes or Adidas but
the price is a bargain. If the seller says he
sells only genuine products, you should not be suckered into
paying high prices unless purchased at a major department store or
an international franchise type shop in a
mall where the price usually will reflect they are original.
Often prices of any goods are double, triple, or more, what vendor expects
to get paid unless he finds a sucker. So figure on paying no more than 50% of the asking price.
For instance, I purchased 2 small 1 ½" buddhas at Chatuchak market for 20 baht
each and later wanted to pick-up another one while walking around town. The
cheapest price I could find 1 for was 80 baht from a vendor that probably
purchased his supply also from Chatuchak Market.
We suggest you do your own shopping, without the assistance of
strangers, taxi drivers, or
other nice people that approach you on street corners and recommend places
to go shopping. Like-items can be found many places, allowing you the
opportunity to find the same item elsewhere. After haggling, always say the
price is too high, thank them, and walk away. The vendor will probably call you back
to offer even a sweeter deal. If not, use his last offer as a price "more than you want
to pay" at the next seller of the same item. Another words, you know
the last guy offered to sell the item at 400 baht, so, do not offer
more than 380 or so for the same item at a new vendor, but if you
make an offer, you should
be prepared to pay that price
or the vender may become very upset.
CUSTOMS:
Some countries are less strict than others regarding fake goods
purchased and brought or sent home and make sure you know the customs limits for
purchased items and which items that may be prohibited to bring back to your
home. For example, persons from the US are not allowed to bring in Ivory, many
different types of animal skins, such as, leopard or bear skins or stuffed
crocodiles. The only exception is if the skin has been made into a piece of
clothing, such as, shoes, however, you may have problems with a full length
leopard skin coat. Drugs: be very careful bringing in any drug without a proper prescription,
including Viagra. Even-though many Asian
countries allow you to purchase drugs at a pharmacy ...do not bring them home
without a prescription if they are a controlled or prescribed substance in your native country. |
