Best place to buy keitais? Traveling Asia for 3 months
I will be traveling to Vietnam (Hồ Chí Minh/Saigon, Bėnh Mỹ) Thailand (Bangkok), Cambodia (Phnom Penh), Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan (Taipei, Kaosiung) in a few months. (Is it sad that I'm almost most excited for the mobile phone prospects? ) I was wondering if any of you could recommend some local shops/markets in any of the countries/cities I'm visiting that are good spots to get keitais (and non-authentic "keitais" like SH7218U as well ^^)? I will be staying in Asia for 3 months, so plenty of time to find places I hope XD. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Visit 先達 (Sin Tat/Sincere Podium) on Argyle Street (street no. 83, it's a mall that is right next to the large Broadway electronics chain with many stalls selling mobile phones).
Well compared to HK of course it is Even Japan is expensive compared to HK for keitais for some reason Way cheaper than fleabay and the like of course.
Thanks for the shop suggestions! And I'm excited to try all the food! XD.
Originally Posted by yamanote
Well compared to HK of course it is Even Japan is expensive compared to HK for keitais for some reason Way cheaper than fleabay and the like of course.
Thanks for the shop suggestions! And I'm excited to try all the food! XD.
Is it just best to buy them all from HK then?
I would say yes, but I've never been to Thailand or Vietnam so I don't know what keitais cost there.
Just be sure to run the IMEI through the SoftBank or docomo IMEI checker if you ever plan on using it in Japan. The link to the imei check page is in one of the stickies.
Ah okay, I'll be staying in Vietnam at a friend's house while I'm not traveling to other places, so I'll check stores around there/Thailand before I head to HK. Thanks for the tip yamanote, I'll look up the IMEI checker right now (:
Ah okay, I'll be staying in Vietnam at a friend's house while I'm not traveling to other places, so I'll check stores around there/Thailand before I head to HK. Thanks for the tip yamanote, I'll look up the IMEI checker right now (:
Both SoftBank and docomo IMEI check websites are linked to in that thread.
Even if it shows up as restricted (an X on the SoftBank website, not sure what it is for docomo) it won't affect usability outside Japan. It's only if you plan on using the phone on the SoftBank network for calls/SMSes that the restriction affects functionality. Still, best to get one without restrictions.
I never would have thought HK would be cheaper than Japan....but I guess that can make sense for some models since some of them are manufactured in other countries. Really sucks though that Made in Japan is going bye bye due to the recession
I never would have thought HK would be cheaper than Japan....but I guess that can make sense for some models since some of them are manufactured in other countries. Really sucks though that Made in Japan is going bye bye due to the recession
I found it odd too. Don't they have to buy the phones from Japan, even if it were made in China? Unless they're getting the devices via nefarious means, but most new keitais I've bought in HK weren't restricted.
Comparing prices between keitai places in HK and white-ROM shops in Tokyo I've found that prices in the white-ROM stores are higher, even for used units.
) I was wondering if any of you could recommend some local shops/markets in any of the countries/cities I'm visiting that are good spots to get keitais (and non-authentic "keitais" like SH7218U as well ^^)? I will be staying in Asia for 3 months, so plenty of time to find places I hope XD. Any help is greatly appreciated.
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Originally Posted by yamanote
Even Japan is expensive compared to HK for keitais for some reason 
Way cheaper than fleabay and the like of course.
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