Phone Stalls, Top Floor Market Village

[Big Boy]

I've always been suspicious of these shops, and their pricing policy. Normally the only thing I've looked at is phone cases, and they come in at about 10x the price you can buy them for on Lazada.

The cables on both my dashcams are becoming a little worn with the sunlight. I said to Mrs BB when I got to MV this morning I was going to replace them. Please remember at this point, a fully inclusive dashcam, window holder and connection cable can be purchased from Lazada for about 400฿ or less.

I simply chose a stall that had dashcams on sale and asked. The guy disappeared, and came back with one cable. He handed it to me and said 450฿. I handed it back saying I could buy a brand new camera set for less. He immediately said 350฿. I don't play the barter game, and even if he'd offered it for 10฿ at this stage, I wouldn't have been interested. I said thank you and moved on.

I now have 2 cables due by Friday on their way from Lazada at an inclusive cost of 134฿ including 38฿ delivery.

People tell me they have to charge so much to cover their rent. My answer to that is if the rent is so expensive, why did they go into business in the first instance, positioning themselves alongside a couple of dozen stalls selling the same products?

[thecolonel]

I've always been suspicious of these shops, and their pricing policy. Normally the only thing I've looked at is phone cases, and they come in at about 10x the price you can buy them for on Lazada.

The cables on both my dashcams are becoming a little worn with the sunlight. I said to Mrs BB when I got to MV this morning I was going to replace them. Please remember at this point, a fully inclusive dashcam, window holder and connection cable can be purchased from Lazada for about 400฿ or less.

I simply chose a stall that had dashcams on sale and asked. The guy disappeared, and came back with one cable. He handed it to me and said 450฿. I handed it back saying I could buy a brand new camera set for less. He immediately said 350฿. I don't play the barter game, and even if he'd offered it for 10฿ at this stage, I wouldn't have been interested. I said thank you and moved on.

I now have 2 cables due by Friday on their way from Lazada at an inclusive cost of 134฿ including 38฿ delivery.

People tell me they have to charge so much to cover their rent. My answer to that is if the rent is so expensive, why did they go into business in the first instance, positioning themselves alongside a couple of dozen stalls selling the same products?

They do ask high prices and expect to barter. If you don't like that policy that's fair enough it's not for you. But they can't(and won't) compete with Lazada. I've pointed this out to them myself re prices for earphones. They probably buy from Lazada and hope to turn a profit.

They're better value for repairs although from what I can see one guy and his 2 colleagues have cornered the market there. Others just don't seem to get any. Sorry can't remember name. He's the guy at the end of a row facing Banana. At the Phetkasem Rd end of kiosk run. Usually 2 or 3 men behind counter. Everyone goes to him. He's replaced the battery in my phone a couple of times for 140 baht a time.

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[Big Boy]

Unfortunately I don't barter, so will either pay the asked price, or look elsewhere.

I don't mind a little mark-up for the convenience, but the mark-up needs to be realistic. 96฿ (minus delivery charge) compared to 900฿ is too steep for this pensioner. That is a mark-up of over double the locally inflated Thai minimum wage for a day's work, and the seller on Lazada will be selling for a profit.

To pay would only encourage further greed.

[STEVE G]

^It's possible they were just trying to rip you off but on the other hand, connection cables do come in a vast range of qualities and it could be that the one they were trying to sell you was worth that much.
For a cable I wanted, I went in a large French electronic shop and the range went from two to twenty euros so basically 80 to 800bt.

[Big Boy]

I'm certainly no expert, but the quality didn't look that special. Of course, the Lazada cables may not work either.

[caller]

For a 2 metre phone charging cable, for my bedside, I now only buy branded names at appropriate locations, or directly from places like Power Mall. I seemed to be forever going through cheap cables, that it became a false economy.

[Big Boy]

I agree, and my son has bought some from the Phone Stalls with similar results. You seem to need something half decent, especially if plugging into the mains.

The cables I've chosen from Lazada will hopefully be up to scratch, when you consider the cost of a complete Lazada camera package. Both cameras have come from Lazada and have given me good life. If they don't work, there is little to lose, and I'll still buy a complete camera package as cheap as the cable he tried to sell me.

[buksida]

MV is full of tourists so I suspect the phone stalls buy stuff on Laz, then hike the prices for unsuspecting farangs who wouldn't be ordering online if they didn't live here. We've walked away from them many times when quoted something silly for something that costs a fraction of the price online. Even physical phones are a good 25% cheaper online than in MV, though be sure to get them from the official stores.

Its good to have that choice now. Years ago, we didn't and were forced to pay the premiums (either that or go to Bangkok and get the real prices for tech).

[STEVE G]

I think they largely survive catering to the non-technically minded customers who need to talk to someone.
If my partner needed a charging cable, she wouldn't have a clue about connector standards so would head for one of those stalls with the phone.
My stepson would know and order off Lazada.

[huahin4ever]

MV is full of tourists so I suspect the phone stalls buy stuff on Laz, then hike the prices for unsuspecting farangs who wouldn't be ordering online if they didn't live here. We've walked away from them many times when quoted something silly for something that costs a fraction of the price online. Even physical phones are a good 25% cheaper online than in MV, though be sure to get them from the official stores.

Its good to have that choice now. Years ago, we didn't and were forced to pay the premiums (either that or go to Bangkok and get the real prices for tech).

I don't completely agree with this. Especially for phones. When Samsung for example, releases their new phones the price in MV is more or less the same as all over Thailand. As a matter of fact Samsung on Lazada is more often more expensive than other shops.

For phones which has been a while in the market and maybe not the top of line stuff I cannot say, because when I buy a new one I buy the latest and it then lasts me for several years without becoming slow and stuffed as the cheaper ones tend to.

YNWA

[Big Boy]

The beasties have arrived in extra quick time. I'm on a road trip in 30 minutes time - I will test and report back tomorrow.

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[buksida]

I don't completely agree with this. Especially for phones. When Samsung for example, releases their new phones the price in MV is more or less the same as all over Thailand. As a matter of fact Samsung on Lazada is more often more expensive than other shops.

For phones which has been a while in the market and maybe not the top of line stuff I cannot say, because when I buy a new one I buy the latest and it then lasts me for several years without becoming slow and stuffed as the cheaper ones tend to.

Just my experiences with my last two phone purchases, which were substantially cheaper online for the identical device (no, I don't buy the top-of-the-range 25K ones or the latest models because I don't need them, and a phone usually lasts me three years). However, we know everyone's experiences here differ wildly.

[PeteC]

The "beasties" above look like they have to be used with a car cigarette lighter type receptacle?

[Dannie Boy]

The "beasties" above look like they have to be used with a car cigarette lighter type receptacle?

Most dashcams offer an option to hardwire them in or to use a 12v cigarette type outlet - pros and cons for both, but both work (normally).

[Big Boy]

Yes, the beasts are connected via cigar lighter sockets.

Test complete - the wires seem to be more robust (stronger than the originals). However, the test has proved that I didn't need 2 new leads - I needed 1 lead and 1 camera.

Will sort a new camera in the morning.