I’m moving from FL. to Yi Lan in June. I need to buy a washer, dryer, refrigerator and dishwasher. Where should I look? 
RT Mart, B&Q, Geant, and IKEA. Nothing to it. Good luck. 
In Taipei you can get Sears Kenmore through a dealer across the road from Taipei 101 on the south side; Costco has imported heavy duty Whirlpools. Other outlets like RTMart carry locally made Whirlpools produced under license (I assume) with a 3-year warranty I think, a bit longer than others; and everyone sells a variety of local brands like National, and Japanese ones.
I assume Yilan will have some local stores carrying roughly the same lineup, but perhaps without the choice of Kenmore and the import Whirlpools, but I could be wrong.
I reccommend Zhueng Guo Dien Tzu. It has several stores in Yilan and good service -they are trained to answer questions fully and follow up on client satisfaction. www.elifemall.com.tw
COSTCO is very realiable and responsible with their items, though service might be slow since you’ll be moving to Yilan.
Personally, I usually buy Panasonic -made in Taiwan or Japan- and local Kolin. Cheap, reliable. The Japanese Mitsubishi is also a bit cheaper and equally good.
On the other hand, you can start by buying up mostly used stuff from other expats from starters, and trade up as you go.
Since I have to buy so many things, I need to find the ones that are less costly but dependable. Which are the best choices for new items?
I don’t know how to find used appliances in YiLan. Any suggestions?
The website that was provided is only in Chinese so I can’t read it.
Do you know of anyone in YiLan who is a native speaker of English and over the age of 45? I have a husband. I’m just looking for others to talk to.
Most people air dry their clothes, so you probably won’t need to buy a dryer.
[quote=“Icon”]I reccommend Zhueng Guo Dien Tzu. It has several stores in Yilan and good service -they are trained to answer questions fully and follow up on client satisfaction. www.elifemall.com.tw
[/quote]
They’re not cheap though.
One method is to look for the people who repair them, and ask if they have any used ones for sale. Sometimes a customer, upon hearing the repair price, will decide to buy new. The repair guys sometimes cart the old one away, repair it and resell it.
If you’re on a tight budget, then yeah, buying used then upgrading later is good. I bought a used fridge for $3000, and used it for 6+ years with only one or two minor repairs; when the compressor went, I bought a new one for about $14,000. Similar story with the washer.
As for the website being in Chinese, one of the facts of life here is that you’ll need to end up asking local friends to help you use such websites now and then. Language exchange is a great way to meet friends once you get there. Just put up some A4 signs around town and you’ll get calls.
Quan Guo Dian Zi (全國電子) might not be cheap but they got a lot of stuff and sometimes things on offer.
Same should apply for other chain stores of the same kind, assuming they have a branch in Yilan. I would just walk around town and check those shops out, compare the prices and then go back to buy where it’s the cheapest. You could also try to bargain if you buy the all the items from one shop (make sure to include delivery).
My suggestion is not the bottom price, but at least the OP won’t have any regrets. And they take credit cards.
An idea to get yourself started would be to look for expats moving out/going home and buy the lot. I got a great deal when I rented a Japanese style house from a Japanese student that was going home: she left the whole kit and kaboole for me at a reasonable price (I still have most of teh stuff, from a wok to a solid fan). Your coming means someone at the school is leaving -assuming you are a teacher-, that’s a place to start. Taiwanted and other similar websites -in English- can help you find what you are looking for.
Usually, apartments for rent here will have the basics, like gas burner, water heater, and the smoke ventilator thinghy. Maybe they will have a washer and fridge, but that is unlikely -and if you are like me, you may be a little sensitive to using other people’s laundromat/washing machine.
Anyway, it is better to recruit a local friend to go apartment hunting. You can treat them to a nice meal/shopping spree/free English lesson combo. My Taiwanese friends are masters in the art of haggling prices.
What is an A4 sign? Where would you put them?
What is the OP?
Yes, I am an ESL teacher with 20 years of experience, 5 in Taipei in the 80’s and 15 years since in Florida. My husband and I are relocating to Yi Lan because he is Taiwanese and his parents still live there. His father had a stroke and he (as the oldest son), has to take care of him. He is there now but I am in Florida trying to get things ready to move. I will be looking for part-time teaching jobs or tutoring. He speaks and reads Chinese but he has no computer there. He also has no car.
His parents still live in the 19th century. They don’t have a dryer.
When I lived in Taipei, in the 80’s, I had a dryer as did most if not all of the people I know.
We will be living in a town house owned by his father…rent free.
These are some of the factors that affect my situation.
Thanks for your suggestions. I welcome any others.
[quote=“chater”]What is an A4 sign? Where would you put them?
What is the OP?[/quote]
Sorry! 
A4 is a standard paper size for copiers and printers; I just meant you could type up a sign and print copies out on a regular sheet of paper and put them up on bulletin boards around town.
OP is the original poster or original post which began a thread. It’s a very common reference in chat rooms nowadays.
If your hubby is Taiwanese and his parents are in Yilan then they should be able to answer your questions better than we can, since 99.9% of us don’t live in Yilan. Have him ask his relatives and neighbors.
Oh, there’s nothing 19th century about not having a dryer if you live in a warm, sunny place. I would characterize it as frugal and good for the environment. 
I’ve never had a dryer here (I don’t think air con is necessary either. Or TV. :p). Sure, there are a few rainy weeks or cold ones where a dryer might work better, but they’re in the minority, and just hanging the clothes up and putting a fan or dehumidifier blowing on them works fine. If it’s winter, you can use a fan with a heater and warm the house a bit at the same time.
Now I remember A4. Thanks.
His parents are the epitomy of frugal. They work, buy food, eat and sleep. I don’t think they have bought anything other than food for the last 20 years and they discourage anyone from buying anything for them. (In spite of that their daughter buys clothes and things for them…including an A/C unit. But, she lives in Taipei as do his brother and other sister.) The parents probably wouldn’t know where to buy anything. That was the source of the 19th century comment.
It is my understanding that it rains most of the time in Yi-Lan. Also, I am partially disabled and it is difficult for me to hang clothes. Hence the interest in the dryer.
Since it is difficult for me to walk very far, I have to plan out where I’m going and go there directly.
Thanks for the info.