Is it cheaper in China?

[Jeanca21]

I want to buy a notebook, for my stay in BLCU so I can stay in touch with my family and friends. But I do not know if it is better to buy it in the USA or in China. Some friends have told me that buying electronics such as laptops are way more expensive, if we are comparing two same models. Please post your opinions and help me so I can made a wise decision!!

[stBLCU]

us cheaper.

[badr]

definitely buy it in the US. The deals you can get there are pretty much unrivaled worldwide except maybe for HK.

You are now able to get pretty powerful laptops with all the bells and whistles for under one grand but you'd be hard pressed to find the same deals in the mainland other than from shady brands or decent brands with outdated components. Also, you get the advantage of a genuine Windows copy on the PC side which is not always the case in China.

pretty much the same advice applies to Macs as they are quite a bit cheaper stateside, especially if you can get edu discounts.

[Hero Doug]

China has 1 billion people but their not all buying electronics, their just getting to that point now where more and more people can afford them.

The U.S on the other hand has 300 million people who more of less can all afford electronics. Just because of the sheer volume of electronics the U.S comsumers buy they are given great deals.

I even met one guy who claimed to buy electronics in the U.S. and sell them in other countries.

I recently saw Dell was running a deal on a Notebook computer for just under $700.

1.6G CPU

! Gig Ram

120 Gig HDD

Plus a bunch of other fancy stuff.

My friend bought a laptop (Sony Viao) here (which wasn't as good as listed above) it was about 10,000 RMB, about twice as much as the deal Dell was promoting on Yahoo.

[toygirl]

how about wireless? is it hard to find places to be able to pick up internet with my laptop? also, i have a webcam that i use often and wonder if the internet speed is going to be fast enough that i can make skype calls or use msn messenger and my webcam.

[adrianlondon]

You should be fine on both counts. Only thing to bear in mind is that Asians seem to like downloading things. Everything from music through short videos and TV shows to full length feature films in high quality. They then burn them to DVD, print out pretty covers, and never watch them.

So, if you share an internet line e.g. in a student dorm, expect it to be slow.

[Shiela]

Based on personal experience I would strongly suggest buying a laptop in your home country.

About a month ago, I bought a laptop from the electronics centre - Hailong (spelling?) in Beijing, Haidan district. Hailong is the supposedly discount electronics area in Beijing - i.e. where you can price bargain. After that experience I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy

I went 3 times (approx. 12 hours) because I couldn't take anymore of the hassle and hard sell that hits you as soon as you enter any of the buildings. The salesmen stand by the entrance to the buildings and try to shepherd you to their stands, whilst thrusting pamphlets (in Chinese) at you.

Buying electronic goods from this area is extremely hard work if :

(1) You don't have a definite idea of make, model and spec.

(2) A rough idea of price levels for laptops (in China) and what you can get for your money.

(3) You can't speak Mandarin, preferrable with Beijing accent - ie. they treated as local.

(4) You obviously don't look Chinese.

(5) You don't have the Chinese name for the brand you are after and/or the Mandarin for the jargon.

The selling process is also different. You go into one building to have a look around. Once you ask and are interested in seeing a certain model then you are escorted to another building, which could be 15 minutes walk away. Once there, they will try and sell you anything, not necessarily the model you asked for - for low and behold they're out of stock or this one is better.

If you decide to buy and you want to use a non-Chinese credit card then they will charge you another 4-6% commission depending on what you buy and value. However, you now need to go to another part of the building to pay. Oh yes, as a foreigner you will also need to take along your passport or resident's permit as proof.

Once this is done, then you need to go back to collect the laptop and have the operating system software loaded. Mine didn't come with MS office suite. Another thing, this will be in Chinese unless you specifically ask for English.

Other 'watch outs':

(1) They could lower the price but will also lower the spec without telling you.

(2) They will show you another laptop (usu. better) and tell you that the one they are selling you has the same look to it - not true, as better one has stickers for higher grade CPU etc.

(3) Try to sell the laptop without a battery included.

(4) Hard sell on the brand laptop they get the highest commission on.

(5) Check the guarantee duration and location.

At the end of the day, the price wasn't that cheap when compared to the UK, but certainly more hassle.

[Qcash3]

I agree with all of the above. I asked myself the same question before I left the states, except I answered it incorrectly. So, I naively arrived in Beijing expecting the electronics to be outrageously cheaper, and to my surprise they were alot more expensive than in the states. So my advice is to definitely buy whatever you need electronic wise before you leave.

[djwebb2004]

I think many/most of what is for sale in the shops, looking like brand new stock, are factory-refurbished stock. You will never know the difference. There are 2 palm stores in Kunming, and in the place where I bought a palm they are sitting there piecing things today and then putting them in "new" boxes. If you get the same price as in the US - ie a price that allows them a decent mark up already - you can be sure it is not a new product.

[venture160]

You also have to be careful in what you are buying. Its common knowledge that at computer stores they put shoddy parts into Dell frames and sell them at high prices. Check the serial numbers of the parts inside the laptop and make sure its brand new. I have 2-3 friends who have been gyped here.