music Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Hi, I think there's no problem hand carrying a laptop into the country but what is the duty rate on laptop computers shipped to Thailand? Has anyone tried this and what kind of delay at customs was incurred? Thanks. Also, could anyone recommend an authorized Apple dealer in BKK? It seems they are all the same in terms of prices so post-sales support is my focus. The person who would be using the laptop has little or no Macintosh experience. This place looks promising: http://www.eits.co.th/index.php Cheers, Jo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narmada Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Sorry, double-posted by mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narmada Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 If I'm not badly mistaken, customs duty on computers was abolished about 2-3 years ago to make Thailand a more IT-based nation. That would also explain the very low prices one gets these days at Panthip, hardly more than one would pay in Singapore. However, when you import large quantities of laptops into Thailand, I would expect you have to pay 'tea money' so that the shipment gets cleared in a reasonable amount of time. The harbour authorities are notoriously corrupt (well, just like all the rest of them). :roll: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ammy Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 well, i was planning to buy G5 in Singapore or HK earlier last year because it would be cheaper to get them there compared to the prices here in BKK... but thinking it would be too risky to take in the country or even shipped it in as i have checked with customs and the process would take probably at least a week or something and during the time, your product has to be in their detention area and i would never ever trust any of my stuff to be with them... eventually, i bought it in Pantip on the 3rd floor Unificon shop... it was cheaper comparing to the authorized shop in Siam Discovery (4th floor) as 2unique said... but i got so many problems with it... first of all, the screen had got a few spots that didnt seem to work... like the white dots that didnt turn to the same colour like the rest... can obviously see it when running the screen saver (and they said this is normal quality from Apple industry?? how the hell its normal if i paid about 100k for it!!!), mouse and keyboard bluetooth didnt work properly bla bla... had to come back there for like 3-5 times so i guess calculating the cost that travel backed to there would probably be the same cost as buying it in their authorized shop in Siam Discovery... so my suggestion is to buy in their authorized shop in Siam Discovery better... for the service but the price might be slightly different. kaunitz 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narmada Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 well, i was planning to buy G5 in Singapore or HK earlier last year because it would be cheaper to get them there compared to the prices here in BKK... but thinking it would be too risky to take in the country or even shipped it in as i have checked with customs and the process would take probably at least a week or something and during the time, your product has to be in their detention area and i would never ever trust any of my stuff to be with them... eventually, i bought it in Pantip on the 3rd floor Unificon shop... it was cheaper comparing to the authorized shop in Siam Discovery (4th floor) as 2unique said... but i got so many problems with it... first of all, the screen had got a few spots that didnt seem to work... like the white dots that didnt turn to the same colour like the rest... can obviously see it when running the screen saver (and they said this is normal quality from Apple industry?? how the hell its normal if i paid about 100k for it!!!), mouse and keyboard bluetooth didnt work properly bla bla... had to come back there for like 3-5 times so i guess calculating the cost that travel backed to there would probably be the same cost as buying it in their authorized shop in Siam Discovery... so my suggestion is to buy in their authorized shop in Siam Discovery better... for the service but the price might be slightly different. Panthip certainly has some dodgy shops, same as MBK if you go for mobile phones there. Some genuine parts may have been exchanged for second-rate or second-hand junk. I've never had a problem at Global Solutions in Panthip, reliable and well-priced. I must have bought four laptops there, no problems ever. So I don't even try other shops now. Advertisement over, here comes the pay-check ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
music Posted January 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Thanks everybody for your tips and suggestions. Unfortunately I just came back from BKK couple weeks ago so I won't be out that way until July at the earliest - unless some multi-national corporation offers me an expat position. Looks like I'm gonna have to wire the money over and hope a dealer can set up the laptop. Ammy, did you eventually get the Unification outlet to fix your system to your satisfaction? Narmada, that is one kick ass sunset image! 2unique, that Apple dealer in Siam Discovery is run by copperwired.co.th? how have you been bro'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeAussieGuy Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 AFter 6 Sony Vaios and a 1000 years with Microsoft I have had enough of Windows. I am moving to the new Intel based Apple G5. I have been to Siam Apple shop and the people there are great, friendly and helpful. I have bought lots for my i Pod so that's all I can vouch for, but I am on the list for the G5 when it gets in and they took the time to go through the differences of OS X. I have carried notebooks in and out of Thailand for years and never been stopped, and from I understand there is no more duty anyway. Depending on what you want, I still think Fortune is better than Pantip. In Pantip I have heard of so many people buying fake equipment, or being told after purchase by service departments chips or mother boards are not original and are removed to sell as new spare parts being replaced my OEM parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
music Posted January 26, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 MikeAussieGuy, thanks for your recommendation and welcome to the lighter side of personal computing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narmada Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 Narmada, that is one kick ass sunset image! ... unfortunately not taken by me, but it was one of those pics on my Windows prog. I bet my Nikon F100 that the photographer had a graded red-violet filter on the lens. I've taken a fair number of 'sexed-up' sunset pics myself. Always better than the real thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeusbheld Posted April 5, 2006 Report Share Posted April 5, 2006 i bought my new ipod at a mac shop in the 3rd floor of panthip. the price was a bit better than other mac shops (including siam discovery) in bkk, and i have 2 broken i pods i will be dropping off there for service. i think it's called 'mini mac' or something, it's in the middle, not off to the side. there is an "apple center" here in bkk, i dont know the exact location. they accept apple products for service, but like apple, they don't respond much to email. the shop at panthip appears to be a sattelite of the main "apple center." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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