Anyone with experience of buying electronics from Asia?

[Rizza]

A friend and I are planning a short trip to one of the Asian countries to buy a few gadgets and check out the possibility of establishing a supply chain to the UK. We are considering Japan, Hongkong, Taiwan and either of North or South Korea. We're hoping to have a good time as well if time and opportunity permits, but it's essential to minimise costs as much as possible.

At the moment we're leaning towards HK, being an ex-British colony, but a few people have suggested better bargains can be found in Taiwan. Can anyone with trading experience in any of these countries advise me of which they think is best for my purpose and why?

I'll also appreciate any useful information, weblinks, general advice or contacts that anyone has.

Thanks in advance.

Rizza

[Bristol Pete]

Singapore? Had a day there and seemed to be electronics central!

[DJT75]

Originally Posted by Rizza

A friend and I are planning a short trip to one of the Asian countries to buy a few gadgets and check out the possibility of establishing a supply chain to the UK. We are considering Japan, Hongkong, Taiwan and either of North or South Korea. We're hoping to have a good time as well if time and opportunity permits, but it's essential to minimise costs as much as possible.

At the moment we're leaning towards HK, being an ex-British colony, but a few people have suggested better bargains can be found in Taiwan. Can anyone with trading experience in any of these countries advise me of which they think is best for my purpose and why?

I'll also appreciate any useful information, weblinks, general advice or contacts that anyone has.

Thanks in advance.

Rizza

On buying from trade to resell I haven't got a clue, sorry, but buying from retail outlets - be unbelievably careful & never buy the cheapest price quoted...

I was in Singapore with work last January. I have a CANON IXUS 400 Camera (bought it when they first came out cos it was the best of the bunch for size/screen etc)....Never really thought about replacing it cos i don't really use it much but out there I noticed Canon had bought out a replacement model - half the size, weight & twice the screen size...

Started looking around comparing prices thinking I could stick my 400 on ebay which would pay for half this new one when i got home. I ended up in this famous 6 story electronics mall (name escapes me) - nearly every store in this place stocked these cameras & the prices ranged from the normal £300 to £120......Thinking this was a little weird I went in to one of the more expensive stores & asked why such a huge difference from store to store?

The geezer pulled out a folder full of newspaper cuttings explaining what some of the retailers (the ones without certificates in the windows) were up to. He then showed me his Canon model in detail & told me to go check the same in various other cheaper stores.

Basically these cowboys are buying in from Canon & stripping down the cameras. Not only are they replacing decent quality memory cards, batteries etc with cheaper versions but actual mechanics of the camera, lens - everything.. So you basically think you're buying a £300 camera but you're not...It would be easy to question the memory card, battery but you're blind to the rest (except the lens which looked slightly different but if you didn't know??) All the parts they sell on to repairers or return to Canon as faulty goods & pocket the profits...

I then found some of the more expensive ones were also doing this in an attempt to look like the good guys & so rather than paying £120 for crap, people were paying top dollar for the same crap..

I decided I couldn't trust any of them, even the guy that showed me everything & came home empty handed. IXUS 400 still going strong...

[BananaTiger]

Holy smokes DJT75, that's a bit of an eye-opener. I thought Singapore was quite good for electronics but with your story I'm a bit hesitant to buy there again. Having said that, I'm sure it would be alot more effort to strip camera's bare and replace stuff like lenses. I can't see how they could make a decent profit from it all.

[shahedz]

Originally Posted by DJT75

I ended up in this famous 6 story electronics mall (name escapes me) - ...

do you mean orchid tower? i was told in sinagpre they make replicas as well

[shahedz]

had a bit of a nightmare in singapore, my mate also bought a camera, and you immediatly the price shot up as soon as we spoke and they figured we were tourists, also they promise you a product after haggling for ages, then try to charge you for it, (they claim someone has gone to the warehouse product) , but in reality they dont have the product in stock and will try and sell you something else instaed- i was warned on these forums about this scam so was a bit wiser. also they haggle a price- not including tax because they claim you can claim it all back at the airport. so in reality what they take out your card is with tax included leaving it to you to claim the tax back. Try China brilliant for electronics and dirt cheap!

[Ayub]

Ello, your best bet is China. Most equipment in H/K are from China. They also have "suppliers" who are in Hull who are middle men for the guys in China who take the order and can arrange del any where in the uk ( wholesale only)

A very brief story.

We wanted a container full of cases we were quaoted £3 more than going ourself on a set. We know H/K QUITE WELL AND CHINA too so we are going to go over. Most are made in the same factory and are badged diferently.Depending on the amount you are going to be "importing" its worth thinking about the hull contact.

If you want further info i can get you their name etc.


http://www.alibaba.com/
Is a good place to start

[Rizza]

Thanks for all the advice, the story of the stripped out camera is a real eye-opener.

Based on feedback so far, I've narrowed my choice to singapore and China, I don't intend to buy items as complex as camera's but still I have to be on the lookout for fakes etc. I'm looking more at a mobile phones, USB pens, memory cards, and other simple items...

No-one's mentioned HongKong though, is it relatively more expensive? Anyone with experience there, and can anyone tell me more about china? I'm also trying to gather information from the internet, so links to any useful sites will be appreciated.

Thanks a lot for your responses.

Rizza

Ayub, Thanks a lot for that link, I'll probably PM you later for more info. I want to visit the country as well for the adventure, so I'll definitely still travel out. China's edging it now.

[Ayub]

Do you kno whats really not in this country / lacking..... silver/metalic trunks. a bit like the houdini kind of trunk. Get yourself set up and your onto a nice little earner Rodders

[Ayub]

now that i have read ure post. China is your option. i would trawl ali baba abd see what u can come up with.

[jabgatan]

Hi,
Try

www.globalsources.com
www.hkenterprise.com

Former gives you global including S.E. Asia region suppliers and goods.
Later gives you HK sources.

If you are after small quantity electronics or computer gagets and mobile phone related products, ShenZhen in China is best choice. You can get in there via HK by train but you need to apply for visa ( it is cheaper to do it here I think )

Trip of at least a couple of weeks should be allowed for you to get round the Hua Chiang Bei Lu where they have got retail / wholesale complex for every item you need.

It is a steep learning curve but it would well worth it if you really put you mind and effort to it.

Best regards

[DJT75]

Originally Posted by shahedz

do you mean orchid tower? i was told in sinagpre they make replicas as well

Nah, that's where the professional ladies hang out...Orchid Road is where all the big stores are but it's more fashion than electronics....

The mall is called Lim Sim..

[fencer90]

Yes 30 years importing electronic components..............
Japan is OK Taiwan is OK Korea is OK Singapore is OK ...........China is a bloody nightmare, forgeries , refurbs , pulls , Companies that disappear just after your TT hits never to be seen again , its the wild west all over again only worse. Do not be lulled by Hong Kong companies either, most are now owned by the creeps up in Shenzen and Guangdong . Stay away from china unless you see them packing them container personally with the stuff they showed you as a sample.
If you want to see what happens in China ,two sites to look at,WWW.Erai.com
WWW.brokerforum.com, both are trade sites where you will see the vitriol about Chinese companies and the way they do business.(both these sites have free trials.)
Most of the manufacturers in The far east are only interested in volume ie a container load , unless its high value , e.g 1k of Intel quad cores or 10k of Flash or Dram
Shipping can be expensive and UPS FEDEX AND DHL are the best bet for reliability and security , just be careful who you give your account number to as our chinese friends have a habit of shipping things against your numbers to third parties. Also remember there is duty and VAT to pay on all this stuff coming into the EU and customs want the cash as soon as it hits the airport or port , unless you have a deferment , which requires cast iron bank guarantees. Also in 30 years I only ever got credit out of one far eastern supplier , most want cash up front . To start doing this needs wads of cash.
For suppliers have a look at http://www.globalsources.com/gsol/HO.../ASOL/HOME.jsp
This is a kind of industry bible for new suppliers but be careful flashy ads don't make an honest and reliable supplier.