I'm passing through SIN on the way to Australia for a well deserved holiday, and am thinking about picking up some things for my trip.

It seems that Singapore is legendary for shopping for electrical goods etc., and I'll have a four hour stopover. I'm looking to buy a nice SLR camera - is it worth me waiting until I get to Singapore, or is the hype untrue and would I be better off buying before I leave LON? I'd rather play it safe and get something at home than run the risk of arriving in SYD empty handed.

Thanks for the advice!

Buy elsewhere cheaper, the legend is over!

Singapore shopping isn't exactly the best deal on the planet, pricewise. However, and this is from a US-based perspective, I thought the selection was pretty cool. There were these cool headphones that adjust to your ear that aren't available in the US (except for a high-priced pair, Bang+Olufsen). However, if you are heading to Australia, Asian market products may also be available there. It's worth a look around..

[This message has been edited by izzik (edited 08-08-2001).]

Is anything open from 12midnight to 7am?

There is one big duty free shop and one perfume type shop open during those hours. All of the rest of the stores open at 7am, so if you are on the UA flight to NRT you've got about 15 minutes or so to make some quick purchases.

I believe the airport prices are not that low.

Even with duty free slogans all over - the better bets are at shopping malls that at times you could bargain.

Other Asian countries prove to be cheaper now with the opening of trade and the general weaker currency of the rest of the South East Asian nations.

If you wanted to buy electrical goods, it is advisable to buy outside the airport for example in the city. You can get your GST refund in the airport when you are leaving Singapore.