Are E-products really more expensive in Korea?

Well are they? Mac computers generally are not... PC's are not... TV's?

Re: Are E-products really more expensive in Korea?

Yes all electronic's are more expensive...

My 40" Samsung tv that cost about 1.1mil was on sale at Best Buy back home for little over $500.  Video cards for computers, GTX680 costs 700,000-800k but back home costs $499.  I recently ordered a 16gb memory kit off amazon and had it shipped here cheaper than I could find in market or off any korean website.  Laptops are overpriced here also.  The list could go on and on...

Re: Are E-products really more expensive in Korea?

Hey,

I find that odd about your TV, mine was in the same price range here but when I checked it back home it was around the same price.

I have noticed sales generally SUCK here and that if you are used to buying electronics on sale, it is better in the U.S.

I don't know about the high end vid cards, but 1gb and 2gb onboard memory cards seem to be decent...

What 1gb mem-kit did you get?

Re: Are E-products really more expensive in Korea?

In terms of sales, yes!  Back home you can get tons of stuff on sale at places like Best Buy.

But if you price a brand new model of a particular electronic item that is not on sale (so, if you wanted to get the latest Mac Book, iPad, Playstation, etc.), at launch...the list retail price IS the same.

Just do the math with the sales taxes you'd pay back home, and then do the currency conversion.

But yes, for items that run a bit older, 6-12 months and are being replaced by a newer model, there are sales all the time back home.

I've noticed it's like pulling teeth to get proper discounts/sales here in Korea.

It also depends on where you're buying it from.

In the case of that rip-off artist who is selling the Mac book, notice how he quoted the retail price of the latest model at the Apple store in Korean won, and then proceeded to talk about how much he paid and quoted his asking price in USD.

It's a common ploy used by underhanded sellers on the KB.

Always confirm the current retail price of an item for yourself before listening to anyone quoting Ebay or any other source.  Best just to look online at the store that you would visit back home to make your purchases (e.g. Best Buy), and judge for yourself.

 

Re: Are E-products really more expensive in Korea?

For sure they are. I've been pricing out notebook computers for my wife but am going to wait until next month when we head home. The same samsung notebooks are 300-400 more than I can get them in Canada. My father just recently bought an 55" LG LED 3D TV from the future shop for 1100. Try and get that deal here. It would be at least double.

Re: Are E-products really more expensive in Korea?

I would like to ask a rhetorical question, why are Korean made products more expensive here than in Canada or the USA. The Korean people have been duped into thinking they are being patriotic when they buy Korean but the fact is they have been lied to and taken advantage of for decades by the rich companies here. Pretty sad, actually. Some may disagree but when you look at the taxes foreign companies pay here and what Korean ones do you see a very clear picture. Heck, my car is cheaper in Canada and it was made just up the road in Ulsan. Not having competition is never a good thing. Let's hope free trade comes in and makes Samsung and so on compete with other brands. The idea I can buy any Korean brand cheaper 10 zillion miles away from here is pretty bad.

Re: Are E-products really more expensive in Korea?

" why are Korean made products more expensive here than in Canada or the USA." 1. Koreans equate high price with quality. 2. Companies know they will buy Korean first.. (usually). 3. It used to be worse. A high VAT used to be added to the products. It's still there but at a lesser extent. I can buy a new Galaxy not on ebay and ship it to Korea for less than buying one here.

 

"Heck, my car is cheaper in Canada and it was made just up the road in Ulsan"

Are you sure about that? It's probably made in Alabama. 

Re: Are E-products really more expensive in Korea?

in some cases its called dumping   Dumping products in a market for little or no profit then in 

future raising the prices . But Koreans tend to like to buy korean products so the companies

rip off  their own people . Smart phones in Korea people pay for  but in usa u can have them for

a song   Some Koreans think that Chevy is a Korean Company . In usa Japanese cars are made in

usa plants in the south . So in some ways  its kinda an american car . ARE  these korean products

in korea usually made in korea or are they made in china vietnam or thailand .?Too boot many

Koreans will pay for the car in cash but most of the folks back inusa pay it off over 3 years lol

perhaps its time to think of koreans as rich and americans and canadians as poor  lol   

Re: Are E-products really more expensive in Korea?

Actually Robert,

Smartphones are almost all on contract now, I got my new one and all of my friends did as well for free. A Iphone 4s is free in Korea and costs $200 plus tax plus a two year contract.

As for cars, cash is no longer king in Korea. Most people do get loans thease days. I live in a highrise appartment and I am always seeing loan adverts... things are changing here to become a debt funded sociaty, if they have not already been so for some time.

 

Dumping is a great point, but then again when I went to get my TV they had some older models on sale, I could have bought a 47 inch LCD for around 580-650... but I opted for the 40 inch smart TV. I figured why buy old tech... I guess I am becoming Korean.

Re: Are E-products really more expensive in Korea?

here are some of the biggest rip offs in korea not in any order

1)Centrum vitamins  in usa 10 bones but in korea 27000   I always wondered why my boss

in korea would always ask me to buy some jumbo sized centrums for her when i went to usa

2)Pizza  In usa  has specails  everything you want for 10 bones  in korea near 25000  only costco

has good price for pizza and good taste

3)Starbucks in usa  house blend maybe 1.50   but here its 3500   and in usa    even if i ordered 

small worker gives me big glass

4)Hotel rooms 

Aveeno lotion  some places charge 18000 for small bottle