Just found out that I need to be in Hong Kong tomorrow. What do I need to buy there? I mean, what is more easily available or cheaper or just better in Hong Kong than Taipei? Not looking for expensive stuff, just stuff I miss or can’t get in Taipei.
Thanks for any suggestions or ideas.
I’ve heard that even legitimate DVDs are much cheaper in HK, but I don’t know for sure because I haven’t been there in ages – since before DVDs came out.
I used to always pick up some basmati rice on my trips there.
It use to be that things were cheaper in HK than in Taipei. Now most everything is about the same price. Taiwan has either lowered their prices or HK has upped theres.
Hong Kong is nothing special in terms of shopping any more. In Taipei we now have Taipei 101, Breeze Center (With Tokyo Hands), Core Pacific Living Mall (One of the largest in Asia), huge Mitsukoshi which just goes on and on.
Really even in terms of electronics and mobile phones, Taiwan is the same as HK in terms of selection and prices. No need to go to shop in HK, go there for the authentic HK food instead of the shopping. Umm…we have pretty danr good HK food too. Anyway, I reccommend the Zen Dimsum restaurant in Pacific Place mall.
[quote]Zen Dimsum restaurant in Pacific Place mall.
[/quote]
Pacific Place Mall???
Well, maybe one can find more western style stuff there? like bras without stuffing? but i guess you guys don’t know about that…
[quote=“Mucha (Muzha) Man”][quote]Zen Dimsum restaurant in Pacific Place mall.
[/quote]
Pacific Place Mall???[/quote]Never heard of the place? Ever ate at that restaurant? Don’t knock it til you try it. I use to live and work in Hong Kong and tried many dim sum places. This is a good one.
[quote=“mesheel”]Well, maybe one can find more western style stuff there? like bras without stuffing? but I guess you guys don’t know about that…[/quote]I guess we are to assume that you are not a Taiwan lady but a western lady with big breasts. I don’t think that HK ladies breasts are any larger than than Taiwan lady’s breasts, but is it true there a lot of foreigners and foreign things, like big fat asses to go with those big fatty flabby breasts. Heheheeh…sorry I couldn’t resist. Maybe you could pick up a shaver for your legs since western ladies are more hairy too. Hahahaha…Opps…please so sorry…
well, i wouldn’t consider my breasts to be big, but more like normal by western standards. If I where a bra with stuffing, I’d not only stick out of the crowd here for being a foreigner, but also for having huge breasts. I’d like to remain a low level “adoua” and choose not to wear the bras they sell here.
But hey, this is supposed to be about things to buy in HK not about mesheel’s breasts!
Yummy deli food here:
Olivers Delicatessen ( Central)
Address: Shop 233, Prince’s Building
10 Chater Road
Central, Hong Kong
Phone: 2810 7710
Computer software in English, if you want that. (if I was richer at the moment, I’d ask you to pick me up something).
Brian
And Lane Crawford department store in Pacific Place - it makes SOGO look like the night market it is.
Brands of upper-end products are very costly in Taiwan. I’ve been told HK is quite a good place to look for deals on designer goods, if you’re into that sort of thing. Having done a good bit of shopping at the Living Mall, department stores, etc, I can believe it. Few places here sell high-quality clothes, and if you want them, you will be paying at very high mark-ups. I haven’t had a chance recently to check out prices in HK, but I’d say it’s worth a go if you want to shop for clothes, bags, accessories, etc.
I’m a fan of eating lunch or dinner at one of those grubby Indian restaurants in the Chungking Mansions.
There are some Chinese antique stores in Central. I remember picking up a calendar from the Cultural Revolution era that was really from 1975, unlike all those knockoffs you get in the mainland.
[quote=“Gubo”]Brands of upper-end products are very costly in Taiwan. I’ve been told HK is quite a good place to look for deals on designer goods, if you’re into that sort of thing. Having done a good bit of shopping at the Living Mall, department stores, etc, I can believe it. Few places here sell high-quality clothes, and if you want them, you will be paying at very high mark-ups. I haven’t had a chance recently to check out prices in HK, but I’d say it’s worth a go if you want to shop for clothes, bags, accessories, etc.[/quote]I agree, but it is not all high-end brands, it is brand by brand, as some distributors in Taiwan do have fair prices. Beware of blindly trusting HK shop keepers and their prices, still check the price in Taiwan before you buy in HK.
Oh, definitely! You need to have a good idea how much you’d spend on a certain brand here, and then go to HK armed with that info. I wouldn’t trust a HK shop to provide an ounce of honest commentary on anything they sold.
There are some small electronic things that you can still buy more cheaply in HK than here, but the list is shrinking. In particular, standard CD Discmans are very highly priced here. I brought one back from the States and then saw the identical model here for some 40-50% more than I paid. The same went for other models. Anyway, a trip to Mong Kok is always fun for a stroll about.
But yeah, all in all, the shine is off HK, and its previous rep as a shopping mecca has faded in recent years. Still, I would like to take a wander around its department stores to compare the current state of prices with Taiwan prices.
If you need a halfway reasonably-priced hotel on short notice, check out my post in the travel forum from two weeks ago.
You can get Laphroaig for about NT$1000 per litre in the airport duty-free shops. I think it’s more expensive in HK itself, and it’s WAY more expensive here in Taipei.
Also, you might want to get your boyfriend some western-sized condoms.
digital cameras i find have been cheaper (or easier to bargain for) in HK. I think Taiwan still has a higher price due to import tax (or whatever excuse the merchant gives).
Well, thanks for all that info and tips. guess I’ll just shop around a little and see how much it has changed since i was last there several years ago…
finding a hotel was difficult. anybody knows dorsett garden on nangjing rd.?
booking a ticket this morning for tomorrow morning was surprisingly easy. many thanks to jeannie at interlink!
[quote]Mucha (Muzha) (Muzha) Man wrote:
Pacific Place Mall???
Hobart wrote:
Never heard of the place? Ever ate at that restaurant? Don’t knock it til you try it. I use to live and work in Hong Kong and tried many dim sum places. This is a good one.[/quote]
Uh, I was just wondering where the mall is.
Actually, I have found that internet shopping American sites offers some of the the best bargains anywhere in the world, many times even cheaper than Japan for Japanese electronics, which I think is still cheaper than HK for Japanese made things. However, HK does have a lot of Made in China goods that is harder to get in Taiwan, like cheap lectronic appliances, however, there prices aren’t always as cheap as the USA.