What with the Canadian Dollar being so high and everything, I've been thinking that before I head back to Canada (or Japan, or France, or wherever I'm headed), I should spend my Taiwanese Dollars here, rather than converting them into Cdn dollars to spend back home.
The question is, what is actually cheaper here in Taiwan than back in Canada? I've already grabbed a lap-top (which was cheaper, btw). I've noticed, too, that clothes are cheaper, as long as you don't shop at Idee or the like. But what about things like Cell phones? Currently i'm using a POS 5 year old Motorola, but am thinking of upgrading. Where's a good place to find a semi-used but new cellphone on the cheap?
And what about MP3 players? Looking around at the big chain stores I've found 2 G iPod Nanos for about 6,300 NT. Are there places in Taipei where you can find better deals? I'm not necessarily stuck on an Ipod, either. Are there quality Taiwanese brands like there are for computers? Im thinking of checking out the Taipex show for this one. Good idea? Badi idea?
How about contacts (you know, for your eyes)? I've heard that eyewear in general is cheap here. True? Not true?
Anything else I'm not mentioning here?
get the insect killing electric raquet. priceless.
i second the laser treatment. lots of good hi-quality places (look for referrals from friends and coworkers).
in terms of durable goods, I canât think of a lot. most of the cheap stuff is day-to-day things like food.
I did build me a SFF computer (Shuttle PC) before I left. Not sure about the price differential, not a lot probably (and I wasnât âtaxedâ).
Iâd be careful buying contacts here. I wasnât able to get them in the right size and they were not even able to order the right size. Of course the guy at the store told me that the size they had was close enough.
I ended up buying them online and paying through the nose for shipping.
I donât know if theyâre cheaper or not, but I do know Taiwan is one of the (or THE) worldâs leading manufacturers of bikes. I once met a guy from SF who was buying a really nice graphite racing bike here to send home. Iâve wondered if I should do the same before I leave.
Buy an induction cooker⌠available everywhere like Carryfour or whatever. They are VERY good for cooking on the go if you are into that kind of stuff. when I was in America no one sold any induction cooker, all they had was those buffet range with the round coil that looks like those mosquito incense, and it took gobs of electricity and doesnt really cook much of anything. Plus they are small enough you can fit them into luggages if you felt like cooking in a hotel room or whatever. They will not only boil stuff but can stir fry, fry, or whatever.
That is of course assuming you are going back to the US, no voltage incompatibilities there.
I got a really good bicycle at Giant for about half what I would have paid in Canada (even before adding in the exhorbitant Canadian consumption taxes).
Other things you could buy:
One of those old wooden baking molds one often sees, that way you could bake your own moon cakes when you get back home. Mmmmmmmmm⌠freshly baked moon cakes.
A florescent orange cooley hat.
But if you really want to blow your money, buy anything Hello Kitty.
But if you really want to blow your money, buy anything Hello Kitty.[/quote]
Yea⌠like a Hello Kitty Affinity squirers⌠available from Tony Music somewhere near the brown line MRT. They have other hello kitty guitars that costs around 30,000 and another Doramon guitar, for around the same priceâŚ
for that price I would buy a Fender Strat but they are cheaper back homeâŚ
If you want Japanese made Fenders however buy them here because they will not be available from anywhere in the US (a quick search in Guitar Center and Musicians Friend revealed nothing)
Tea. Lots of good quality tea, especially high mountain oolong, pu-er, and baozhong.
Iâd also buy some winter clothes at Guiesswein at the Living Mall. Not at all cheap but great Austrian-made winter wear that you canât buy in Canada. I have a number of their sweaters and jackets and they look as good as new 5 years on. Also, they make great kids clothes. The linen dresses I bought my nieces are terasured.
Clothes: The best clothing outlet by far is King Chueng, which is located behind Sogo. (levis, columbia, bigdog, northface, gap, speedo, Ralphlauren, etc. etc.) really bargain deals. To find, if you are standing in front of sogo, walk up Chunghsaio towards Dunhau. Make a left at the first main street (which is the plaza where Welcome/McDonalds etc is i think it is Da-an sec.1). walk down the street just a bit and you will notice a store on the right side corner with lots of cloths racks on the outside. There is a big blue sign that says: King Cheung. (the downstairs has winter clothes). I think this is better for people in Taipei though because clothes in the states are very cheap and more choices.
Bike, yeah, very cheap here. But i think size and max allowable bags allowed on a plane make it inconvenient to take. A good Giant or Merida or many other good brands can be had for about $12K. (-/++ depending on quality of components you want. 12K is the lowend of the good bikes i think).
Laptop, you mentioned youâre covered. for the record, you can find a good basic laptop here for around $18K~$20K +/-(1.4ghz/dvd/60gb/lan) Although in the states (and probably canada) you can get the same setup dell via mailorder for $389. (amazingly cheap). I think its because the new Vista OS requires higher end components, so many companies are trying to dump their older models.
MP3, Ive seen 512mb no-names going for $999 at 3C (the yellow computer store) and other places. I would suggest a device with SD memory. You can get one (without memory) for as little as $900. 2GB SD i think can be had for about $1800. Ipod nanos are nice though. I use a pocket pc which i think is more functional. (around 7-8K for the basic HP or + another $1500 and you can get an SD wireless card so you have a mp3 player and a wireless net browser, movie player/voice recorder, etc) Its hard to find an english version one here though so iâd wait on it, just get a decent mp3 +sd memory ~ it can always be used later.
Portable HDD - pick up a 60~100gb 3.5" with usb case for about $3000. Good for music collection (and laptop backup).
Digital Cameras are coming way down in price. I like the Casio Exilims the best. I have the first model that came out with built in mp3/video recorder, still works perfect after 5 years of use. One of the best toys that ive ever bought. I think a new 7megpix can be bought for around 9000. check 3C again, they always have sales (check apple newspaper every day for their ads)
Cell phones, cheap also, but be sure to get a tri-band. Taiwan uses the european standard for gsm. Not sure what canada uses.
Portable speaker system - for pc or ipod. Always useful. I have a nice sony portable electric/battery setup speaker system that i take everywhere, cost about $1600.
Most other computer stuff is dirt cheap in the states and probably Canada too.
Wasabe peanuts
My sister in upstate ny just has eye surgury. She told me the Lasik method is the best (i think thats the right spelling, you have to be careful because there are different methods, some with almost the same spelling ~ from what little i know about it). I think she paid about $2400 and got 3 year term for payoff, no money down. She said it was just amazing results almost immediately after the procedure was done. (the place was packed with customers)
I found the approximate address of this outlet store, itâs official name is King Cheu, incase anyone else needs to find it:
59 大ĺŽčˇŻä¸ćŽľ, Da-an District, ĺ°çŁ
Itâs a 5 minute walk from Zhongxiao Fuxing stop on the MRT.
What with the Canadian Dollar being so high and everything, I've been thinking that before I head back to Canada (or Japan, or France, or wherever I'm headed), I should spend my Taiwanese Dollars here, rather than converting them into Cdn dollars to spend back home.
The question is, what is actually cheaper here in Taiwan than back in Canada? I've already grabbed a lap-top (which was cheaper, btw). I've noticed, too, that clothes are cheaper, as long as you don't shop at Idee or the like. But what about things like Cell phones? Currently I'm using a POS 5 year old Motorola, but am thinking of upgrading. Where's a good place to find a semi-used but new cellphone on the cheap?
And what about MP3 players? Looking around at the big chain stores I've found 2 G iPod Nanos for about 6,300 NT. Are there places in Taipei where you can find better deals? I'm not necessarily stuck on an Ipod, either. Are there quality Taiwanese brands like there are for computers? Im thinking of checking out the Taipex show for this one. Good idea? Badi idea?
How about contacts (you know, for your eyes)? I've heard that eyewear in general is cheap here. True? Not true?
Anything else I'm not mentioning here?
Cheers,
Rob[/quote]
Sorry, but I really canât understand this obsession with buying things in different countries, or even doing shopping trips to different countries, just to save a bit of money. Just more stuff for you to schlep back to Canada ! Just go mate, and travel as light as possible, itâs easier for you. Things arenât that much cheaper in Taiwan. Laptops are not light. Bicycles - WTF ? If saving money is the most important thing for you then why donât you stay in Taiwan ? Itâs so cheap and convenient !
I strongly second the tea suggestion if youâve gotten used to drinking any it at all. When I first got here, I thought my first cup of Lipton was gonna tear my throat out! Like boiling tree bark to drink!
Other than that, why not get really smart and use that strong dollar to your advantage for real? I brought things with me when I left that I knew I could re-sell. Very every day Chinese things, like cheap 100 NT tea pots. I had a lot of them and sold them all here for a 10 times what I paid for them. Also popular were those writing practice papers with little cheap caligraphy brushes (that use water) and little key chains with like fifty different digital games on them.
Also loads of cheap kitschy gift items, the kind that come either in five-packs at the arts and crafts outlet or in bins at the night market. I do most of my smaller-item Christmas shopping each year in Taiwan and my family and friends love it (but then again they have a high tolerance for kitsch). But there are pretty much always new things available for low amounts of money that havenât yet hit the market in the West.
I bought a plaque (with my name on it in both Chinese and English) on the wall of a new buddist temple before dedication. The only foreigner on the wall of this particular temple and supposedly very auspicious for the temple.
I hope to tell kids and grandkids to go look for it someday.
Before I came to Taiwan, I was looking around for glasses. I was quitting my job, so I knew I only had a short period of time with insurance, so I was frantically looking for glasses, but couldnât find ANY that fit my criteria (extremely cute, and cheap).
All the cute frames were in the $300-$500 USD rangeâand thatâs just the frames! The lenses cost at least $100, then they try to sell you extra features⌠anyway.
Even with insurance, in the states, any cute glasses cost me at least $350. Donât get me wrong, it is quite possible to buy glasses for around $100 in the states, but theyâre probably gonna be fugly.
Came to Taiwanâimmediately found glasses I loved. Theyâre everywhere. And the best partâextremely cheap without insurance! Lenses+frames+free eye evaluation=$120 USD!!! (plus they happen to be the cutest frames Iâve seen in a while)
This is the most dramatic price difference Iâve found between US and Taiwan so far.
Do NOT take your cavities with you. Get them fixed in TAiwan. And cap any teeth in Taiwan. I got a tooth capped in the USA and it cost me 700 bucks and thats cuz my insurance company already paid the same or more. IN taiwan they can be as cheap as 200 bucks (or bout 500 for gold ones).
Usher speakers sell here for 40% of their price in the West. Usher is real deal high end audiophile kit, and it sells for a song here. usheraudio.com/ Its great to read reviews that say âthese speakers are the best thing under US$5000 and are a steal at $2800â then go over to Usher and score them for NT30000 a pair. Their line ranges from 4800NT up to 300000NT. Stick to the models that have lots of great reviews. Just keep it a bit quiet so we donât piss off their foreign distributors and they raise prices here.
I would also stop in Japan and use pricejapanâs âdeliver to your hotelâ service and pick up a camera or camcorder. Decent prices here (they bring them from Japan) but even better in Japan. For example, the Canon HF S10 or HF S11. Projectors and computers are cheaper in the USA though.
Having said that, what is the best way to ship all our stuff back out of here? DHL and FedEx are WAAAAAAY to expensive.
Thats a useful tip about the clothing store and hte induction burner - surprising that they are not available in the states since they are everywhere here.
I would suggest if youâre in the market for computer perihperials such as hard drives, RAM, USB drives, routers etc they are all cheaper here.
Dentists i can recommend Dr. Josephine Lay Chen ph: (02) 2914-2667
Address is 63 Pao-Chiao Rd, Xindian City, about a 5 minute walk from Qizhong MRT. She speaks english and service is coverd under the health insurance program.