SnowMonkey

Hey guys,

So, I might be a bit off-topic here (sorry if that's the case!), but I couldn’t really find anywhere else to ask. I'm kind of a globetrotter – and I mean, a LOT of traveling. My girlfriend's a pro athlete, which means we're pretty much touring the world. Just since the start of 2024, we've hit Australia, Romania, Austria, Mexico, the USA, and Colombia. She's training and competing, and I'm the supportive partner, but also a guy with quite a bit of free time on his hands. During our stay in Australia, something hit me.

Figuring out what’s worth buying in one country versus another can be tricky, especially with all the exchange rates and price differences. I'm really curious if you guys have any tips, advice, or stories about:

- Types of stuff that's usually cheaper or just better quality outside of wherever you're from.
- Your own tales of snagging awesome deals in certain countries.
- Any general pointers for spotting great buys no matter where you are.
- Cool tools or apps you use to check out prices or help decide what to buy when you're abroad.

It feels like we’re always just missing out on buying something we need for cheaper, and it's starting to drive me a bit nuts! 😅

Cheers for any help you can throw my way!

Sheikh Yerbooty

Cigarettes are cheaper in Sweden than Denmark, but nowhere have I found them cheaper than in a Middle East duty free shop.
Beer is cheaper in Germany than Denmark, but the best beers are from Belgium.
Weed is cheap in Morocco.

red star

Welcome to FT.
Forget about your FOMO. If you are not from a country with a strange tax or duty regime there is not much to gain any more in times of the internet.
Certainly you can find something here and there for a lower price or with better quality but you need to consider the whole case. If the savings are worth the effort it is usually something more expensive and then you will be hit by duties if you want to stay on the legal side (which I strongly suggest). If cheeper, the effort to go and buy it, schlepp it around, carry it in your baggage all the way home or even paying for additional bags is way to big for my taste.
There certainly are a very few exceptions to that rule (duty free tobacco and sometimes alcohol have been already mentioned) but then she is an pro athlete so this might be not on the list anyway.
Just enjoy all the traveling.

chollie

With the usual caveat about knowing your stuff or reputable dealers, rubies in Myanmar.

Heyden

If you don't know your stuff then that great deal might not turn out so great. A friend of mine was very proud of the deal he scored in Hong Kong on a Rolex watch until he needed it serviced and it was found to be a very high quality fake. I've seen the watch and unless you are familiar with Rolex it would be very hard to distinguish from the real thing.

Local artwork is even more fraught with risk. What you think is local might be from miles away.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/worl...ndigenous-art/

OccasionalFlyerPerson

I'm in Indonesia now, and most things are cheap.The tricky bit is that some goods are priced for the local market, and quality suffers to achieve the price. There's a (I believe Malaysian) chain called 'Mr DIY' who sells products typically of good quality for reasonable prices. I like their vegetable peelers, and want to buy a few to take back to the UK.

Probably my biggest bargain ever was a modern comfortable coach journey in Iran from Qom to Isfahan, which cost me about £1.80.

StartinSanDiego

I even find that there is a huge variation in price, with the biggest difference being which tourist or somewhat less touristed area that you're visiting.

I saw some stunning hand painted Italian sea-themed pottery, artfully displayed in a lovely sea side restaurant in the Almafi Coast. I wanted it, but passed due to the pricing. Much later in the trip, I saw the same style of pottery for about 1/3 of the price.
I bought a beaded necklace for $10USD at the Masai Mara park, only to see it later for $85.
The Rugs in Turkey have a price range of about 500%, maybe more.
Leather in Morocco, same.
Hand carved items and baskets in Africa... huge price range!

moondog

When this thread first started, I didn't bother commenting because I agree with you (for pretty much any product you can imagine, there's a way to find it online delivered to you for a modest premium).

Exceptions do exist (e.g. special edition whiskeys that are only offered in 3 or 4 airports, antique furniture that is too large/heavy to transport for less than its value), but they are kind of ho hum.

However, it has occurred to me that a considerable portion of the stereotypical (for the past 50 years) Chinese fake fashion goods (all grades) don't make their way out of Asia, or when they do end up in random China towns around the globe, their prices are already 5-10x Guangzhou/HK/Saigon prices.

So, if you wanted to wear a different Hermes tie everyday for the next year, you could do so for under a hundred bucks.

I have zero interest in fakes (or even their real counterparts in most cases) myself, but when friends who are into that stuff visit me in China, I point them in the right direction, and often accompany them.

Honestly, a lot of people really get off on the fake market experience (i.e often the most memorable part of their trips).

bwiadca

The cheapest beer is in Czech Republic. Bottle of beer is actually cheaper then bottle of water. Go figure.
As for the Belgium beers, I think it's matter of personal taste. I wouldn't even put them in the top 10 best beers.