Catshanghai

There is always a lot of discussion on the ShanghaiExpat forum about the best places to buy electronics and IT goods in this city. Some people like to go and haggle at the electronics markets at Hong Kong Plaza and Xuijiahui whereas I know folks who are worried about buying poor quality counterfeits. Given that Best Buy has just opened its first store in Shanghai, I thought it would be a good idea to do a little price comparison on a range of common branded electronics items that you will find at outlets throughout Shanghai. Consumers don’t just buy things for the price. I will also look at merchandising and service issues that may sway your buying decisions. If you are a cheap skate like me, then it’s a good idea to do your research in advance before going to look for an honest, decent outlet that is going to to sell you a gadget at a good price.

I am going to do this research over a few weeks and publish my findings as I go along, but here is a list of gadgets or electronics goods that I am going to compare.

1. 80gb Ipod Video
2. Mac Book with 2gb Ram
3. Lenovo Thinkpad X Series Laptop With 2gb Ram
4. San Disk 1 gb USB thumb drive
5. Sanyo Xacti HD1a Camcorder
6. Hitachi 120gb Portable USB2 Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
7. Palm Treo 750 Smartphone - Windows Mobile Edition
8. Nokia N800 Internet Tablet
9. Logitech Quickcam Pro 5000 Webcam
10. Nokia N70 Cellphone

I might add another couple of items later. I hope investigating these prices does not make me go crazy and buy lots of gadgets that I don’t need, although I am in the market for a smartphone to write blog posts on the road.

Links:
shanghaiexpat.com