Going to Singapore, anything good to buy there?
What to buy in Singapore?
acinod on 07/06/2014 - 20:31
Comments
- 1
- 2
Jumbo's Chili Crab
for like $50 when I had it last year…
That whole area is a ripoff but tourist go there anyway lolmy thoughts exactly,
jumbo chill crab and durian if you are up for it.
eat plenty and you shall prosper like a fatty
Just remember to give a wide berth to Forum Seafood Restaurant on Boat Quay which charged a family of 4 S$1,186.20 for a meal.
Electronic products, there's a multi-storey shopping mall on the edge of Little India which sells little else.
Mustafa Centre? It is worth a visit for the experience alone, but does have a stock of Japanese and Koren electronics not readily available in AU.
Most stores selling cheap eBay junk at a huge markup. Worth a look, but don't buy!
I agree, I went there last year, nothing worthwhile.
The mall is called Sim Lim Square on the border if Bugis & Little India. There also Funan Centre near City Hall area. My pref is Funan - less hectic.
better avoid Sim Lim Square well known for scam
If you're looking for camera gear, I've found that shops in Sim Lim Square tends to be pushy. However, if you go all the way to the top there's a great camera shop called Orient Photo that's no BS. Everyone there knows their stuff and are photographers themselves.
I like John 3:16 for cameras (http://www.john316photo.com/John_3_16_Photo_Supplies/Home.ht…) I'd suggest asking them for a price first and then comparing it to other places in Funan.
Cathay Photo which is across the road at Peninsula Plaza (#01-11/14 Peninsula Plaza), is pretty good too.
I've not heard good things about Sim Lim. Unless you know exactly what you're looking for, what it looks like and how much it should cost roughly.. I'd avoid it.
Personally I'd stay away from Orient Photo due to some bad experiences.
I find TK foto as having the best prices and the sales staff.
Next few on the list Cathay Photo, decent staff and sometimes decent prices.I used to go to Alan Photo, but their prices are no longer competitive.
Look at Clubsnap forum for some indicative prices.
What happened at Orient Photo? Curious to hear what they did badly.
Cathay Photo seems too upscale and professional, while I like to look at their pro lineup I don't think their prices were competitive.
I've also bought from MS Color in Ang Mo Kio and they were OK in price (didn't manage to haggle down too much even though I spent $3000) but I felt that Orient Photo were better as the staff were great to talk shop with.
Prices in Sim Lim tend to be higher on the ground floors, explore the higher levels for bargains
sim lim centre
Nothing, everything is a rip off.
I agree. Everything in Singapore was very expensive. I only bought food!
agree ….
although you can pick up some bargins in Funan in there centre showcase area, but it depends whats going to.
I did buy a travel adapter at Funan. It was overpriced Asus laptops (I.e. more expensive than AU) in the Centre showcase when I was there.
I found electronics and IT to be broadly in line with Aussie pricing, and gaming devices more expensive compare to what we find on ozbargain. Used to be cheaper ten years ago but now difference is negligible- i prefer safety of Australian consumer law and warranties and a gst refund too. That being said funan and sim lim are interesting places to walk around- it's like if all the MSYs and IT stores off staticice lived in one building
Couldn't agree more, enjoyed the food when I was there, everything else is expensive
Agreed. Although there were some sales on when I was there in November 13 so I grabbed a shirt at Paul Smith!
Highly recommend the Zoo as well.
nothing. everything over there is overpriced…
Mobile phones. You can buy genuine Xiaomi phones there and the new ASUS Zenfone 4/5/6 phablets.
Spicy Food…yum
If you're in to collectibles, head to China Square Central on a Sunday. The mall turns in to a flea market so you can find some rarer items or bargain a bit harder :)
Basically nothing if you are familiar with online products here - cheaper and convenience. I shopped a lot but came empty handed apart from ladies shoes and collectibles. Keep receipt if shopped for >SG$100 in single transaction for 5%(?) GST refund on departure.
Make sure you let the seller know you plan to claim GST Back as you need a special receipt.
Breakfast- the most important meal of the day
2 soft boiled eggs, Coconut jam toast and local coffee for less than an Aussie dollar :P
That stuff is delish.
I really miss the Singaporean style hainan chicken rice. Nobody does it really well here in Australia, the best I've had hainan chicken was from the food court in Chatswood Mandarin Centre.
try temasek in parra or kreta ayer in kingsford..wont be as cheap .. but certainly many places that make it good..
in sing Maxwell centre is the choice for most people..
try an app called I eat hawker.
Yo scrimshaw.. check this list of reviews out: http://www.streetfood.com.au/search/label/hainanese%20chicke…
Perhaps one tickles your fancy?
Good find.
I've been to Alice's Makan (Thornleigh, before they closed and moved). Had no idea they had a new joint in CBD.
Sam's Singapore Laksa House on the other hand is fairly ordinary. I had their chicken rice, Laksa, and Nasi Lemak. Didn't taste very authentic but I would rate their Nasi Lemak as fairly decent.
But my recommendation for great Hainan chicken is still East West Gourmet. They also do very good fried salmon with noodle soup.
I use to visit my daughters in Singapore every year. Sorry to say here nothing you can i from there. We all have what they have. What for carry things burdens your traveling way.
Say what?
You use google translate this?
Google Translate
Singlish => English.Nope, couldn't find this option.
I think he's saying we have everything that they have there, further what's the point in carrying more luggage/weight, it's only another burden. Also he no longer visits his daughters.
You could be right, but how could you be sure? I mean really?
He no longer visits his daughters annually
Inadvertent or otherwise, it is poetry.
What for carry things burdens your traveling way.
I agree, Tas. hehe
Don't forget to grab your free S$40 voucher on your way back, if you haven't already.. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/139975
Do not buy electronics from Sim Lim Square, eg. camcorder,cameras,phones etc.
Infamous for ripping tourists off. PC products at the higher floors are fine though.
Been there, done that.
As careful as I was after being forewarned, my excitement at the bargain price got the better of me.
About to walk out with my prize and the guy called me back saying "Hey, you want the microphone too? $20 more!"
Not much I could do as I had my flight to catch. I cussed him and left as I knew I didn't absolutely need it.
That was quite a few years ago but it still goes on it seems."Not much I could do as I had my flight to catch"
..eerrrr… leave? To go catch your flight maybe?!
You go to Singapore for the experience. Food, bustling shopping malls, their well known tourist attractions, the weather (7C outside right now, would love a bit of 30C and humid). When I went there I enjoyed the great food and pretty low prices but didn't really bring any souvenirs or other items back. We have the same electronics and luxury goods available here that they do there. Anything you buy had better have an international warranty or your bargain may turn out to be rather pricey.
Take a short trip over to Malaysia to do your shopping.
Nothing's particularly cheap any more. I'll put my 2c in the 'souvenirs and food' pile, Singapore has some of the best food in the world.
Eat and don't stop eating.
Then buy a sarong because your pants are too tight.
That will let you eat more.Some electronics bargains can be found here and there, but be wary of the scam comments above. The first couple of levels of Sim Lim Square are pretty notorious with their "unlocking" fees.
Also note that it may be a developed country, but the shopping is firmly rooted in developing Asia - barter for everything, and know how much an item costs and how much you are willing to pay etc. If you don't play by the rules, you are going to be ripped off, no doubt about it. It's a really easy trap to fall into because the shops look a lot nicer than markets/street sellers in oher parts of Asia.
Know what you want to buy (and how much it costs), don't let them up-sell you something else.
Check the contents of the box, so that you won't have to buy included accessories.Here are the top (complaints) tenants at SLS
http://www.case.org.sg/consumer_guides_consumeralerts.aspxand some guides
http://www.case.org.sg/consumer_guides.aspxI think that it's cheaper and easier to buy online :)
Durians
cheaper to get in oriental shop than in singapore.
Depending on the quality. You can get durians for $2 each (very small but taste ok). They are fresh instead of frozen ones from oriental shop here. Head to geylang for durians and you might see other interesting things too
singapore got durians from malaysia and thailand….rarely produced themselves :(
Agree with heading to Geylang. You wanted a bargain?
went to singapore few months ago, nothing is cheap there anymore.
even the food are expensive. Few occasions the singaporeans friends actually ask me to buy electronic stuff that are on special here to ship it to singapore for them.maybe you could get watch there….. i think it's tax free compare to Australia, again, they might inflate the price for you when they see you. (no offence here intended)
Whats the booze cost in bars hotels in Sin.? like beer & wine.
About $15 SGP for a Pint. Pack your own beer if you're flying to Singapore.
I actually found alcohol to be cheaper there but only in restaraunts. Bars were quite expensive.
as long as they do not add other stuff on it…. (water etc)
you can get like 8 bottles of Dom for $2k
Not chewing-gum.
And definitely not illegal drugs.
don't bother. msy/umart is cheaper for pc stuff
Chicken rice!
not all is nice, you need to know where to get, else it's worse and expensive. too tourist orientated not authentic
1/ Spirits at Changi Airport Duty Free are very cheap. If you're into Scotch, they have a good selection at the Terminal 2 that they'll let you sample if you ask nicely.
2/ Clothes from Uniqlo. Great quality basics and a damn sight cheaper than in Australia (closer to Japan prices).
3/ Other clothing brands you can't get in Australia.
as an ex-singaporean who can now only tolerate going back for no more than a week…
i recommend a tourist mentality, i.e. look up places to eat and places to visit. mainly short term consumption items.
everything else there is pretty comparable where prices are concerned, so not as big a bargain shop as it used to be.
you get more variety and the forex advantage at your disposal.
Been to Singapore and other Asian cities quite a few times. I love visiting Singapore for the food and experience. It is a great city to go around and visit attractions. But in terms of buying things, you are unlikely to save money. The only reason I would buy things in Singapore is because they are not available in Australia, e.g. high-end rice cookers, or just-released camera's.
In my experience, it's often cheaper to buy technology from eBay power-sellers than in-person from the very place the item is shipped from. But the food in Singapore is top-notch, and cheaper than Australia.Frankly, the only redeeming quality Singapore has is being strict with public cleanliness. Malaysia does almost everything better.
The stories I can tell…when I was there with my family and traveling around in the hotel shuttle bus we would play "spot the litter". scores were pretty low.
TGW tea is cheaper in Singapore than you'll find in Australia.
I only know David Jones sells TWG tea here and it's well above the prices you'll find in Singapore.TWG stands for The Wellness Group and the number 1837 on it's logo does not represent the year they were established, but rather just a number to make it seem like they have around for ages. TWG was really only established a few years ago, and i have to say branded/packaged quite well to make people think they come from a long heritage. I personally prefer T2 over TWG anyday.
Best advice you could ever give anyone going to Singapore for a shopping trip, is to spend $50 on cheap return air tickets to KL (Kuala Lumpur) and then any major city in Vietnam, where they should go and do any actual shopping.
Gold
Durians…
If you like durian then you must try: Musang King and D24.
Musang King is a more smoother, sweeter and creamy textured durian.
D24 is less sweeter but has a more concentrated durian aroma.where to get meh? geylang?
best durian at geylang la, just stay at joo chiat cheap and dirty
just drive to North South Highway in Malaysia and get the RM10 Musang King eat all you can eat……… just make sure you don't get hit by 100km/hr car or 190km/hr BMW mad driver
Football shirt…
Scored a wallaby Kooga shirt for $20
Cigarettes! Paid less than $30 (duty free) for a carton.
P.S. I can feel the freedom haters hating!Quite a few Duty free around the world now enforce the 50 cigarettes for Australian Travellers, so flying in you won't be able to buy them.
Some duty free now sell smaller cartons e.g. 3 packs which total 50 ciggies.
I remember when they didn't have the 50 rule, you could bring as many. Back then, they were like $10 a carton lol.
Uniqlo and HnM are also cheaper
agreed with this. and you get GST receipts for claiming tax back at airport.
GST rebate is not the full 7% but rather about 5% if i'm not wrong.
Thought it was full amount but either way, the automated system with the scanning of receipt barcodes by the touch screen kiosks is pretty cool… unless you're an unlucky person randomly selected to pull out the goods and show them. That could be a pain.
uniqlo and HnM are cheaper everywhere else in the world besides Australia….
Consumer Electronics?
Cameras are cheaper there by a long shot compared to Australia.Skin Care and Cosmetics are always cheaper than Australia.
Thanks for the link. Any other similar websites in Singapore / Malaysia?
DFS in Singapore is known for cheap alcohol, buy some when you leave.
Definitely alcohol. While your stock standard stuff is cheaper in duty free than Aussie duty free, it's the good stuff where you find the real bargains compared to Oz.
- 1
- 2
Clothes, shoes and makeup =)