Hi,
From my experience, if you go to buy a modern mainstream electronic item/gadget at the type of shop in Singapore that has price tags and does not bargain, it will be significantly more expensive than US prices at similar shops. This is even true of prices listed on regional manufacturer web sites.
For example, take the new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V digital camera. It is a mainstream non-professional consumer item that was announced by Sony in January 2010.
Here are the prices on 7 regional versions of the Sony online store from around the world:
Code: Select all
Country Currency|Local Price|SGD Price|USD Price|Price Rank|Price Diff (%)| Price Diff (USD)
USA USD 349.99 480.96 349.99 1 0% 0
Hong Kong HKD 2990 529.94 385.10 2 10% 35
Singapore SGD 649 649.00 471.62 3 35% 122
Japan JPY 44800 652.56 474.21 4 35% 124
UK GBP 329 686.35 499.72 5 43% 150
South Korea KRW 564000 696.18 505.91 6 45% 156
Australia AUD 629 792.51 578.37 7 65% 228
As you can see, Singapore prices for this item are 35% higher than US prices. I also checked a few official Sony shops in Singapore, which have the exact same price.
My dream is to find a shop in Singapore that would sell this camera and other gadgets (new, unopened in the box) for much closer to the US price, and for that shop to have price tags and sell it for this cheaper price without any bargaining.
Anyone know of such a shop?
Thanks
References:
USA
Hong Kong
Singapore
Japan
UK
South Korea
Australia