Shopping shopping?? Myanmar/Tachilek market

[Peta]

Hi!

Going on a trip up north soon to visit friends. We plan to have fun traveling around a bit, including going over Myanmar Border for some shopping at Tachilek market.

Can anyone give me an idea of prices for dvds, handbags, etc?

Quite excited because i not have much opportunity for shopping and buying nice things, so just trying to work out budget for my trip!

Thanks!

[Thetyim]

Don't get your expectations up to much.
Most of the goods on sale are cheap quality.
Clothes being the exception.

The prices in Tachilek are not much better than the prices in Mai Sai so it is not really worth paying to cross the bridge.
The Tachilek crowd are very skilled tricksters.
Check the contents of any box you buy and don't let them wrap anything.

[DrAndy]

Originally Posted by Peta

give me an idea of prices for dvds, handbags

as Thetyim said, the prices are not any different on either side, they all come from the same factories by the look of them!

the prices will be down to your bargaining skills anyway

[Peta]

Ah ok. Thanks both. I am quite good at bargaining, but wasnt sure what price they may throw at me at first. So was hoping to get a bit of an idea.

They will probably think i am Thai at first anyway, so hopefully wont have a crazy starting price to begin with!

[9999]

In Tachilek DVD's are 35 THB each for standard English movies (20 THB for Thai dubbed movies with less fancy packaging). Buying a box set is charged at 35 THB per DVD, but I have managed to bargain down to 30 THB for 10+ (maybe I suck at bargaining and you can get cheaper). I stick to the big DVD stores and disagree that the quality is poor. I've found it overall to be superior to the fakes sold here in Chiang Mai for 80 THB or so, though I have bought 2 duds out of a total of about 100 DVD's. The duds just wouldn't play and appear blank on my PC, so good idea to check, you can test them on DVD players in the stores. Also, the language and subtitle options on the back of the cover aren't always what they actually have. I've bought stuff in Mandarin that says it has English subs, but instead had Thai (no mention of Thai in the packaging). If you want DVD's, Tachilek shits all over Mae Sai. The major stores are run professionally and don't try to price gouge. The price is what is is with a little flexibility.

As for other stuff, I havn't bought much. Some clothes I bought for about the same price you'd expect in the markets around Chiang Mai, but the quality in Tachilek seems superior. Also some good Burmese wood stuff. For example, I bought a nice set of wooden drink coasters and box for 50 THB (staring price 200). Chinese Green Tea also good, I got a packet of stuff that is 300 THB at CM Wararot for 120 THB and exactly the same. My missus buys cream for her sister with a skin disease for about 1/4 the price in CM. She also spotted some umbrellas that were great quality, and bought 20 of the at 50 THB a piece. Her mother sold them in a Lamphun local market for 200 THB each and sold out quickly.

Sure, you can probably find everything you want in Mae Sai for the same or a little more, but Mae Sai is not much itself, I don't see why anyone would go there other than for the purpose of crossing the border. Tachilek is cool, great market and even has casinos if you're game.