[Artyom]

This thread aims at gathering the information about what to shop from overseas while traveling.
I tried searching for a dedicated thread but couldn't find one so thought of creating it for the benefit of other members.
Like me there would be others who have not traveled abroad and when they do shopping is always in mind.
Below are the points which we wish to cover through this thread:-

1.Name of the country you are traveling/traveled?
2.What are the commodities worth buying from there (For Example Electronics from US or Chocolates from Switzerland etc.)
3. How much price difference to expect when compared to India?
4.Difference in Quality (If Any)
5.Mode of Payment.
6.Any points to keep in mind with respect to Customs.
7.Best Practices to carry them without getting flagged by Customs(Legally)
8.Tax Refunds(If Applicable)
9.Suggestions on buying stuff from Airport Duty Free shops.
10.Using Credit cards issued in India for shopping abroad (Which/Where)
11. Preferred modes of payment Abroad.
12. Any specific places to shop while Abroad to get the best deals?

What you shop overseas depends a lot on your requirements and liking but we aim at creating a central thread which can be used as a reference for members to save their time and effort.
Since there are lot of members who are frequent fliers they can share their thoughts and suggestions on how to make the shopping experience overseas a memorable one.
While I understand everyone cannot contribute to all the 12 questions so whatever contribution can be made is appreciated.

[Sebring]

I buy my helmets abroad. That's my only indulgence. Picked up a new Arai open face from Singapore. It's not exactly cheap but then considering the ban in India it's worth it. I won't compromise on safety. My previous one is from Australia, but my friend mentioned that Thailand is a dream spot for biking accessories. He picked up an Arai at a considerable discount just a month back.

[GTO]

Used to shop abroad a lot earlier, primarily clothes, footwear, electronics, chocolates etc. But thanks to India being such a huge growth market, every brand has set up shop out here. And honestly, you get anything & everything in India. When I walked into a Nike Store in California on my last USA trip, I saw a lot of the same stuff that I'd seen at Nike Bandra / Palladium.

In the last 5 years, I've bought just a few things from abroad. More a rarity than a regular affair.

1. Macbook 16. Was significantly cheaper in the USA, have a buddy who is an Apple employee (so further employee discounts), I was getting fast delivery and Apple's warranty is worldwide. So no fuss.

2. Watches & designer bags from London Airport Duty-Free. These are big ticket items, and one gets a significant pricing advantage. What's more, you can email the airport shop in advance, let them know of the watch / bag you want, and they'll keep it ready for whenever you are passing through the airport.

3. Some accessories & badges for the Thar (Jeep Wrangler stuff) that weren't available in India.

4. Duty-free stuff. But that too, only because a lot of it is cheaper + authenticity guaranteed. E.g. perfumes. Dangerous to buy them on Amazon India due to fakes.

I reiterate, the joy of shopping abroad isn't like before. We get almost everything in India now.

[PPS]

Just bought iPhone 14 Pro last week from Singapore. Significantly cheaper to buy from abroad, price difference of around 30k+ ! Dubai is another place where its cheaper.

My last memory of shopping in USA is from 10yrs ago. Usually used to buy a lot of clothes back then. Shoes had a lot more variety out there. But I think we get most of the range here now.

I also buy a lot of chocolates & perfumes when at Duty Free. Not because they're cheaper but due to the variety offered. Certain watch brands are cheaper to buy from abroad.

I remember when we went to Dubai more than 2 decades back. We had bought along a microwave, tv (still working), music system & some other electronics. My Video Camera was bought from Singapore. Nothing much used to be available in India back then. But now most things are available in India thankfully!

[bharanidharang]

Originally Posted by Sebring

I buy my helmets abroad. That's my only indulgence. Picked up a new Arai open face from Singapore. It's not exactly cheap but then considering the ban in India it's worth it. I won't compromise on safety. My previous one is from Australia, but my friend mentioned that Thailand is a dream spot for biking accessories. He picked up an Arai at a considerable discount just a month back.

That's a good option. Never thought of buying helmet abroad considering the size of the packages. Do you bring it as checked-in or hand luggage ? Do customs create issue ?

[Tvk1991]

Few years back I used to buy all apple laptops and phones in the US.
But since I have decided to buy not the flag ship phone/laptop in Apple anymore,
I buy it from India. I buy it in my business name and claim depreciation.

If you are planning to buy their recently launched <1year apple iPhone/laptop its better to buy it in the US.

Other items I buy are spares for my old Mercedes w124 from the US and Europe. I pre-order to my friends house and ask them to get it or carry with me when travelling. These are small items like brake pads, gaskets and relays.

Last year I was in Australia during Black Friday, I purchased 5 adult Nike shoes and 2 children Nike shoes for AU 250$. I have now made it a point to plan my business trip abroad if possible closer to Black Friday.

Best way to carry it is to dispose of the boxes in the country of purchase and to remove the stickers and tags on them.

The best time to purchase anything abroad is during the sale season like Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

[Jeroen]

Over the years it varies. But on the whole I have found the USA best for all Apple kit. Also clothes!

Last time I bought camera kit was in Singapore and at the time it made quite a difference.
Hong Kong used to be cheap for watches too. One caveat on both Singapore and Hongkong when it comes to camera’s, they did not come with an international warranty!

It all depends on the nation you are travelling towards, but you might want to check the restriction. Usually, as soon as you have to declare them any price difference is gone. You can risk it of course.

Jeroen

[Sebring]

Originally Posted by bharanidharang

That's a good option. Never thought of buying helmet abroad considering the size of the packages. Do you bring it as checked-in or hand luggage ? Do customs create issue ?

Hand carry or in check-in - either way, I had no issues whatsoever.

[Artyom]

Thanks guys for the responses. Ill go next with my set questions I have .
My parents are traveling to Canada for 3 Months (October-Jan,24) to meet my Masi( Mothers Elder Sister) and incidentally I realized its the time of the year when we have Black Friday,Cyber Monday, Christmas, New Year sales.
Multiple chances to grab some good deals in tech or in general.
Below are the queries I have :-

1. What should I buy from there which is worth the purchase? Any categories you would suggest specifically?
2. In Tech stuff what should be a must buy as the deals will be really good?
3.Since there are multiple instances like (Black Friday,Cyber Monday, Christmas, New Year) which instance is the best to buy what? Like buy Tech during Cyber Monday and Shoes on Christmas and bags on new Year sale
4. I am planning to lend my parents my 2 credit cards which have a 0% markup fees so that its easy on the pocket.
5. From the Apple ecosystem is it worth to get the Iphone 15 since it will be launched by that time?

[vb-saan]

Most our regular shopping (clothes, gadgets etc.) are mostly done locally here in Singapore. Our shopping abroad nowadays are limited to occasional luxury brand purchases. The outlet malls in US and Europe often have some good deals running. In my recent trip to Europe we bought 3 pair of shoes for around EUR 1200 (SGD 1800). And for we got a VAT refund of EUR 110 (SGD 165). The same brand/line of shoes cost around SGD 1700 here in Singapore – for just one pair! Similar deals can be found for European branded bags, sunglasses etc. And always remember to get the VAT refund form from the store.

In US outlet malls often have real good deals on American mid-range brands like Coach, Michael Kors etc., and also on other local brands like Nike, Levis etc. A small tip on luxury brand shopping in the US – always check the price on the brand’s website. We checked a bag in one of the store in Rodeo Drive, LA and the sales person said currently no discount running. When we stepped out of the shop, I casually checked their website to see if there are any other offers, and the same bag was listed with a $300 discount, and even better – there was an option to pick up from the store. Made the payment online, and in 5 mins stepped back in the store and picked up the bag. The deals could be even better during holiday seasons.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

It all depends on the nation you are travelling towards, but you might want to check the restriction. Usually, as soon as you have to declare them any price difference is gone. You can risk it of course.

This is true. Here in Singapore, residents are supposed to declare any valuable goods imported. Each traveler has an allowance for SGD 500, above which GST is supposed to be paid. So I did a declaration this time, and with 3 of us returning, the calculated GST to be paid was around SGD 65 (EUR 43), reasonable when compared to actual price of buying the same directly from a store here.

[subraiyr]

Originally Posted by Artyom

Thanks guys for the responses. Ill go next with my set questions I have .
1. What should I buy from there which is worth the purchase? Any categories you would suggest specifically?
2. In Tech stuff what should be a must buy as the deals will be really good?
3.Since there are multiple instances like (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, New Year) which instance is the best to buy what? Like buy Tech during Cyber Monday and Shoes on Christmas and bags on new Year sale
4. I am planning to lend my parents my 2 credit cards which have a 0% markup fees so that its easy on the pocket.
5. From the Apple ecosystem is it worth to get the Iphone 15 since it will be launched by that time?

Having traveled across the globe, spent time in US and UK during my travels, I have come to grips with shopping abroad. Some of the more tough to get items in India is what I would look for

1. Lego - We don't seem to get the latest sets especially the technique ones. For me any sets from Lego is great. The Lego stores are some of the most fun places to visit. Same with toys as well. Some of them are brilliant to touch and feel

2. Electronics - especially the Apple ecosystem and assorted accessories. Other IT accessories - simple things like keyboards and mouse are definitely cheaper. Also, HiFi gear as well. iPhone 15 is sure to be on the list, although not sure how easy/difficult it is going to be with wait times

3. I would stay away from regular clothes. Somehow i feel for our country, shops like Cottonworld has real good quality cotton clothes. Designer boots maybe something you can look for. Also, some of the uncommon purchases - hiking gears, driving/riding gear

4. Stuff for infants is also something you can look for

[IshaanIan]

Most of my favourite childhood toys came from the US including a Lego Dirtcrusher RC. I haven’t seen a decent collection of toys in any shop atleast in Hyderabad.

When it comes to helmets, buying them abroad is best as well also my football shoes I order from unisport as they have a wider collection and ship to India within 2 weeks with 0 customs charges.

[thanixravindran]

I am a poor shopper in both domestic and international. My international shopping is limited to micro fiber cloths and dangling perfume cards However below is my observation based on my wife's shopping -

1. If you are into sportswear or sports items and travelling to Germany, do check out Adidas factory outlet in Nuremberg outskirts (Erlangen) with good variety and nice discounts.

2. Not a regular shopping but if you are visiting Cambodia (Angor wat), please check out the canvas paintings rather than buying machine produced souvenirs. It takes so much time for the painters (sometimes months) to complete the painting. At 50 to 100 USD, I loved the artisanship of those canvas paintings. Tip: Don't buy it in the main street but check out the lesser known temple complexes in the outskirts of Angkor wat.

[na_agrawal]

USA - Bought a Alienware 17 R3 + 17" Vindicator backpack back in 2016. It set me back by 89k both including. Costs in India were around 1.65L both combined. Now sold.

Also got a CK One EDT. 125mL if I remember correctly. It was around 5-6k. Back then, it wasn't even available in India.

In 2018, got 2 nos. of Logitech G633 Artemis spectrum headsets. Paid around 11k for both. In India they were well over 9k each. One of them is still working. The other went kaput last year.

Dubai - In 2021, Bought a gold chain of around 9gms. Got it approx 3k cheaper than India. (as compared with Tanishq).

- This is very recent. Less than a year. Got myself a GoPro Hero 10 along with GoPro The handler floating stick and a lexar 128GB high speed SD card. All inclusive, it was around 35k, whereas in India it would be around 55k.

Canada - Got a Logitech G pro X headset in a black Friday sale. Paid a little less than 8.5k. It costs around 14k in India. Bought it last month.

PS - Also bought a Alienware AW610M gaming mouse back in 2019. My manager went on a business trip and I didn't even spare him. XD. It was around 7-8k in India. Paid around 5.5k in INR. Ordered from Dell USA website. It was one pathetic mouse and didn't even last for 2 years.

-NA

[TallBoy]

Apart from the usual suspects like electronics and perfumes, one of my favorite overseas shopping categories is distance running gear - sneakers, dri-fit socks, hydration belts, gels to name a few. What we get here is either very limited in options, low on quality or priced exorbitantly high.

With sneakers, I always suggest going one model backward. If say Asics released the Kayano 30, shop around for online deals on Kayano 29 and you will most likely find very good deals.