Video HDTV purchase from Bangkok

Alright folks, back to reality with my new possesion. Summarizing my experience for fellow TE'ians like me who spend time on this thread to find details about how to bring a TV from Thailand to India. My experiences are limited to my own experience and research and the products I was interested in.

Some background, I own a 42" plasma and wanted to buy a LED TV purely for the heck of it and saving on electricity bills. Fate had some other plans for me. I had done extensive research courtesy this thread, here is the summary of my experience.

Shops:

Siam Square Mall Power Buy: This is just like our malls. Rates are negotiatble, but this is the best place to go and look at all TV's side by side and see their picture quality. The rates though are not worth wasting your time. But you do see brands like Toshiba, Panasonic, Sharp etc. that you wont find in other shops that I am about to mention. They had some LG 42" LCD for 15000 Baht, on further investigation turned out to be a dud with only one HDMI port.

Pantip Top Floor Shop IT City: This shop is reasonable with local Thai ppl. They have decent rates. I saw a LG TV in 42". Forgot the model number now as I left my paper in Bangkok with all TV models and prices. At this stage I was leaning towards LG as I wanted to keep my 42" size and not downgrade from 42" plasma to 40" LCD from Samsung. Again the rates are just ok. But its safe to shop here.

Pantip Basement Best Buy: This guy was selling Samsung UA40ES5000 for 16000 BAHT plus VAT refund (non negotiated, another shop on first floor selling same model for 15000 BAHT w/o VAT refund).

This guy also had an LG 47" LG 47LS4600 for 25900 Baht plus VAT refund of 7percent.. So effective price 24000 baht. This is when I started considering to upsize to 47" inches as opposed to 42". This guy also had Samsung UA46ES5000 for 25000 baht plus VAT refund.

There is a local nepali guy on the shop who speaks hindi. But the guy calling the shorts is local Thai. First price only and its fixed so dont waste your time negotiating. The rates are good. He said he will give warranty that I have to register online with Samsung. I knew it may/maynot be valid given that there is very little clarity on this forum about it.

The shopping experience on this shop is okeyish. I guess with so many Indians just window shopping these guys act pricey. But I liked his one rate policy and good rates.

Indra Square Indra Sound Shop: This shop is located on ground floor of Indira Square and is owned by some Indian, all seller speak hindi. He takes rupees, dollars and baht. It is flooded with Indians. This guy is an official reseller of Samsung. Gives VAT smart card, 2 bills one for VAT refund and other for you. Stamps the warranty card and claims that warranty is 100% valid in India. His prices for the same TV's are 1000 baht more than Best Buy. However the prices can be negotiated to be 500 baht more than Best Buy. Deals in mainly Samsung and Sony with a couple of LG's. I nearly closed the deal here for Samsung UA46ES5000 for 25,500 baht. He also mentioned flat rate of custom duty of Rs.2,500 for 46" TV's which was a lie.

However in back of my mind I knew that compared to my current Panasonic plasma I would loose out on the HDMI ports etc. So I was just upgrading my screen size and downgrading my elecrticity bills.

On my way out from Indra mall I saw a couple of guys taking TV's. Upon investigation I found that they had bought it from the famour Sardar Ji.

Nanak TV shop outside Indra Mall: This shop too flooded with Indians, mostly dealers than end users. This guy mainly deals in Sony but has 20% Samsung TVs too. I enquired about availability of Samsung UA46ES5000 he didnt have it in stock. Tried to cross sell me Sony LCD BX series for 20k BAHT for 46". I refused. Than he asked me if I could increase my budget. He offered Samsung UA46ES6220 at a very tempting price of 31500 after adjusting for VAT refund or thereabouts. With 4, 3D glasses. I never wanted 3D, but he said I could play 3D content via USB. Also the TV looked much sharper, had all the HDMI ports I wanted, had 400 hz motion flow and useless Smart features to brag about. The fact that with WIFI I could use my phone for bragging rights to control TV, was good too.

He clearly stated that Indra or any other dealers warranty is not valid in India. The shopping experience was okayish, he said he can take credit card, but later said he will charge 3% extra. However those things aside he gave me the best price for the TV that I could find.

So the journey that began by searching a 42" inch LG LED ended up with Samsung 46" Smart TV. Do factor in that the customs take into account Smart TV's and 40" inch is easier to clear than a 46".

- - - Updated - - -

Need help guys, if any of you can recommend where to buy a wallmount for Samsung 46" 6220 in Delhi. Also will Samsung guys come and do the install? How much will they charge, and how to log the case with them?
 
You can call Samsung customer care and they will install it at your place. Alternatively, when the technicians comes at your place, then ask him to do install it without bill and he will be happy to oblige and give a good deal.

techcheat said:
Alright folks, back to reality with my new possesion. Summarizing my experience for fellow TE'ians like me who spend time on this thread to find details about how to bring a TV from Thailand to India. My experiences are limited to my own experience and research and the products I was interested in.

Some background, I own a 42" plasma and wanted to buy a LED TV purely for the heck of it and saving on electricity bills. Fate had some other plans for me. I had done extensive research courtesy this thread, here is the summary of my experience.

Shops:

Siam Square Mall Power Buy: This is just like our malls. Rates are negotiatble, but this is the best place to go and look at all TV's side by side and see their picture quality. The rates though are not worth wasting your time. But you do see brands like Toshiba, Panasonic, Sharp etc. that you wont find in other shops that I am about to mention. They had some LG 42" LCD for 15000 Baht, on further investigation turned out to be a dud with only one HDMI port.

Pantip Top Floor Shop IT City: This shop is reasonable with local Thai ppl. They have decent rates. I saw a LG TV in 42". Forgot the model number now as I left my paper in Bangkok with all TV models and prices. At this stage I was leaning towards LG as I wanted to keep my 42" size and not downgrade from 42" plasma to 40" LCD from Samsung. Again the rates are just ok. But its safe to shop here.

Pantip Basement Best Buy: This guy was selling Samsung UA40ES5000 for 16000 BAHT plus VAT refund (non negotiated, another shop on first floor selling same model for 15000 BAHT w/o VAT refund).

This guy also had an LG 47" LG 47LS4600 for 25900 Baht plus VAT refund of 7percent.. So effective price 24000 baht. This is when I started considering to upsize to 47" inches as opposed to 42". This guy also had Samsung UA46ES5000 for 25000 baht plus VAT refund.

There is a local nepali guy on the shop who speaks hindi. But the guy calling the shorts is local Thai. First price only and its fixed so dont waste your time negotiating. The rates are good. He said he will give warranty that I have to register online with Samsung. I knew it may/maynot be valid given that there is very little clarity on this forum about it.

The shopping experience on this shop is okeyish. I guess with so many Indians just window shopping these guys act pricey. But I liked his one rate policy and good rates.

Indra Square Indra Sound Shop: This shop is located on ground floor of Indira Square and is owned by some Indian, all seller speak hindi. He takes rupees, dollars and baht. It is flooded with Indians. This guy is an official reseller of Samsung. Gives VAT smart card, 2 bills one for VAT refund and other for you. Stamps the warranty card and claims that warranty is 100% valid in India. His prices for the same TV's are 1000 baht more than Best Buy. However the prices can be negotiated to be 500 baht more than Best Buy. Deals in mainly Samsung and Sony with a couple of LG's. I nearly closed the deal here for Samsung UA46ES5000 for 25,500 baht. He also mentioned flat rate of custom duty of Rs.2,500 for 46" TV's which was a lie.

However in back of my mind I knew that compared to my current Panasonic plasma I would loose out on the HDMI ports etc. So I was just upgrading my screen size and downgrading my elecrticity bills.

On my way out from Indra mall I saw a couple of guys taking TV's. Upon investigation I found that they had bought it from the famour Sardar Ji.

Nanak TV shop outside Indra Mall: This shop too flooded with Indians, mostly dealers than end users. This guy mainly deals in Sony but has 20% Samsung TVs too. I enquired about availability of Samsung UA46ES5000 he didnt have it in stock. Tried to cross sell me Sony LCD BX series for 20k BAHT for 46". I refused. Than he asked me if I could increase my budget. He offered Samsung UA46ES6220 at a very tempting price of 31500 after adjusting for VAT refund or thereabouts. With 4, 3D glasses. I never wanted 3D, but he said I could play 3D content via USB. Also the TV looked much sharper, had all the HDMI ports I wanted, had 400 hz motion flow and useless Smart features to brag about. The fact that with WIFI I could use my phone for bragging rights to control TV, was good too.

He clearly stated that Indra or any other dealers warranty is not valid in India. The shopping experience was okayish, he said he can take credit card, but later said he will charge 3% extra. However those things aside he gave me the best price for the TV that I could find.

So the journey that began by searching a 42" inch LG LED ended up with Samsung 46" Smart TV. Do factor in that the customs take into account Smart TV's and 40" inch is easier to clear than a 46".

- - - Updated - - -

Need help guys, if any of you can recommend where to buy a wallmount for Samsung 46" 6220 in Delhi. Also will Samsung guys come and do the install? How much will they charge, and how to log the case with them?
Click to expand...
 
techcheat said:
Alright folks, back to reality with my new possesion. Summarizing my experience for fellow TE'ians like me who spend time on this thread to find details about how to bring a TV from Thailand to India. My experiences are limited to my own experience and research and the products I was interested in.
Click to expand...

Thanks buddy for the useful info.

* So finally, how much custom duty you paid? Officially/Unofficially ???

* What is the conversion rate you get at Indra Mall ? USD -> THB ? INR -> THB ? I am going today evening. Might consider carrying spare INR if conversion is as good as INR -> USD -> THB.

* Finally, what price you paid for your TV and from which shop?

Thanks. :)
 
prime said:
Thanks buddy for the useful info.

* So finally, how much custom duty you paid? Officially/Unofficially ???

* What is the conversion rate you get at Indra Mall ? USD -> THB ? INR -> THB ? I am going today evening. Might consider carrying spare INR if conversion is as good as INR -> USD -> THB.

* Finally, what price you paid for your TV and from which shop?

Thanks. :)
Click to expand...

I bought Samsung UA46ES6220 from Nanak @ 31800 Bahts. There is probably an element of gray involved as my TV box doesnt have serial number. That may have to do with him saving tax etc. However he assured me that Samsung India doesnt honor warranty of Thai TV's in India anyways and checked the TV in front of me. It was brand new and I checked its working in flawless condition.

Its best to carry dollars than INR or Baht. For dollar you will get an exchange rate of 31.2/4 bahts per dollar.

Nanak also told me that 46" TV's attract a duty of 5k and upwards depending on your negotiation and their valuation.

I have logged in a case with Samsung to TV install. They have asked for S/No on the box for the TV and that S/No is not there. They are saying its free install. But is it? They are saying that wallmount and install is free? Please advise.
 
@techcheat

Nice purchase mate and enjoy the stunning PQ of ES6220.Though price is tad higher then prices at Pantip and considering NO serial number but then did you got VAT bill as the bill will have serial number and your passport number ....if no VAT then price paid is very high considering 46Es6220 from Pantip plaza's IT city sells for 30K'ish THB.
@prime
Indian Custom Duty -
Below 35Krs = Nil
Above 35K rs = 35.05 % on amount exceeding 35Krs.

Wise advice - Buy a Red Label from IGI Duty Free and show off near Custom desk...total custom duty will fall to about 3-4Krs..
 
Last edited by a moderator:
jhononweed said:
techcheat

Nice purchase mate and enjoy the stunning PQ of ES6220.Though price is tad higher then prices at Pantip and considering NO serial number but then did you got VAT bill as the bill will have serial number and your passport number ....if no VAT then price paid is very high considering 46Es6220 from Pantip plaza's IT city sells for 30K'ish THB.
prime
Indian Custom Duty -
Below 35Krs = Nil
Above 35K rs = 35.05 % on amount exceeding 35Krs.

Wise advice - Buy a Red Label from IGI Duty Free and show off near Custom desk...total custom duty will fall to about 3-4Krs..
Click to expand...

I did get VAT refund and the price of 31,800 baht was after VAT refund. So I guess there is a serial number written somewhere, I can see a tax invoice number.

In any case I find it very hard to believe that you can find 46" 6220 for 30k as in PowerBuy, IT City it was anywhere between 34-38k. A guy at airport too had same TV that he had bought for 34k.

Indra Sound in Indra market was selling even UA46ES5000 for 26k. So its very hard to imagine them selling 46" 6220 for 30k. Although I didnt ask. But IIRC they were selling UA46ES5600 for 30k.

In any case, when we are talking about a TV costing 60-62k landed that retails at 85k in India gray, 1 or 2k doesnt matter. I will recommend going for the best deal.

Spoke to Samsung guys in the morning. They are coming for install tomorrow. Total cost including stand would be around 500-600 Rs.
 
@techcheat

Serial number is located at back of TV with panel version.
It's not about 1-2K it's about finding better price with authentic set's...IT city was selling 46ES6220 for 32799THB ( After30999THB VAT refund) and 40ES6220 for 28999THB 2 week back.

As you said their's no serial number so price paid for the set is higher compared to other set's.VAT refund is about 6% rather than 7% so price paid by you is ~33700THB ( Before VAT Refund )
Indra Sound always had higher priced for every model that was being sold in Pantip or near by.Pandey brothers give better deal in Pantip than Sardarji of Nanak and IT City gives freebies with almost all set's but then again all that matters is TV set and you being happy.

46ES6220 retails for 60-65K Rs in New Delhi grey market or even lesser if dealer is known.
Samsung Gives warranty in India if you have following :
1. Stamped warranty card with dealer name / stamp & full address.
2. Invoice or VAT bill ( Xerox ) along with above.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
jhononweed said:
techcheat

Serial number is located at back of TV with panel version.
It's not about 1-2K it's about finding better price with authentic set's...IT city was selling 46ES6220 for 32799THB ( After30999THB VAT refund) and 40ES6220 for 28999THB 2 week back.

As you said their's no serial number so price paid for the set is higher compared to other set's.VAT refund is about 6% rather than 7% so price paid by you is ~33700THB ( Before VAT Refund )
Indra Sound always had higher priced for every model that was being sold in Pantip or near by.Pandey brothers give better deal in Pantip than Sardarji of Nanak and IT City gives freebies with almost all set's but then again all that matters is TV set and you being happy.

46ES6220 retails for 60-65K Rs in New Delhi grey market or even lesser if dealer is known.
Samsung Gives warranty in India if you have following :
1. Stamped warranty card with dealer name / stamp & full address.
2. Invoice or VAT bill ( Xerox ) along with above.
Click to expand...

I have invoice and Xerox of the VAT bill. The set is yet unopened so dont know about the serial number.

In any case I never stated you cant find the same TV by 300 bahts cheaper in Bangkok , I just stated the price I bought it at. I would be really interested in buying 46 6220 at less than 60k in gray. I would even setup a thread for group buy in TE.

Please mention shop name, warranty details and prices for all models for other members here so that they make an educated decision. Cheers!
 
@techcheat
I have invoice and Xerox of the VAT bill. The set is yet unopened so dont know about the serial number.

In any case I never stated you cant find the same TV by 300 bahts cheaper in Bangkok , I just stated the price I bought it at. I would be really interested in buying 46 6220 at less than 60k in gray. I would even setup a thread for group buy in TE.

Please mention shop name, warranty details and prices for all models for other members here so that they make an educated decision. Cheers!
Click to expand...

Hmm conflicting lines to what you said earlier but anyways enjoy your new set and do calibrate it...

It's not about cheap but but getting genuine set ...as you only said about serial number that is not mentioned.

Grey market items don't have warranty ...as i said earlier finding a known dealer will lead to lower prices and walking through byline of Gaffar Market or Lajpat nagar will definitely amaze you if you are in Delhi .
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Quick Update: Got the TV installed from Samsung and they took the serial number etc. He mentioned that only certain international warranties are valid in India. Having said that, he reassured me that Samsung TV's/LED's have low failure rate.

Now the warranty part over, I must say comparing this TV with my Panasonic Plasma (42") that it replaced it like comparing night and day. The Panasonic seems very dated and bulky compared to this thin LED panel. The TV is a looker even when its off. Size wise I am a little dissapointed with 46" as its not a big upsize vis a vis the 42" it replaced. LG for this matter has bigger sizes with 42" and 47" panels as opposed to Samsung's 40" and 46". I regret not buying 55" :(

Having said that, I once read in a review that UA46ES6220 makes you see things that you didnt see in your older TV. And thats absolutely true. I can now see things on my TV that I didnt know existed. The picture quality is perfect out of the box. And with power consumption of 60 watts I can say good bye to my electricity bills that I used to get from my Pana Plasma. The black is so black in this TV that I seldom feel its off. I couldnt be more impressed with the picture quality.

It was fun to install apps from Samsung appstore on the TV. Though I would hardly use them. The internet browsing too is kind of slow, as unlike the ES6800 that comes with a dual core processor the ES6220 has a slower proccy. Since my PC is connected to my TV, I am dont with Smart features although they do give you bragging rights.

Finally saw a couple of 3D movies and was blown away with the 3D quality. Unlike a demo I had done at the store there was no flickering when watching 3D content at home. The picture looks so real that movies dont really look like movies. They look like serials or animation. Its really wierd how unreal these characters look in full HD.

Overall its well worth the money.
 
Hello Guys!

Going to Thailand in the last week this month and will buy an LED TV from there.
Please suggest a good LED tv under 22-24K Bahts and the best place to get the deal.

Thanks!
 
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