Buriram Expats

Buriram Province - General Category => COMMUNITY BLOGS => Topic started by: Ahab on September 23, 2012, 02:28:54 AM

Title: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Ahab on September 23, 2012, 02:28:54 AM
I will be moving to a small village in Thailand for retirement. I am thinking that things like large sized shoes will be almost impossible to buy in Thailand. What other things should I consider bringing with me. Appreciate any suggestions. swordfight swordfight
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Italiantony on September 23, 2012, 07:06:44 AM
I will be moving to a small village in Thailand for retirement. I am thinking that things like large sized shoes will be almost impossible to buy in Thailand. What other things should I consider bringing with me. Appreciate any suggestions. swordfight swordfight
A large Bank Account. moneysmile
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: nookiebear on September 23, 2012, 08:24:27 AM
Grass Paint is quite scarce nowadays
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Ahab on September 23, 2012, 11:30:31 AM
I will be moving to a small village in Thailand for retirement. I am thinking that things like large sized shoes will be almost impossible to buy in Thailand. What other things should I consider bringing with me. Appreciate any suggestions. swordfight swordfight
A large Bank Account. moneysmile

Reasonably large bank account, check.  Plus a U.S. Navy retirement check every month.
Good input but I was kind of looking for things that are hard to get in Thailand.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Ahab on September 23, 2012, 11:31:13 AM
Grass Paint is quite scarce nowadays

Grass paint?
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: dundeemk6 on September 23, 2012, 12:10:10 PM
Ahab, if you are a handy man and want to keep yourself busy up here - boredom is worst complain along the expat community - bring your own tools of your trade/hobby - even basic gardening tools are a disappointment here.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Ahab on September 23, 2012, 12:57:43 PM
Ahab, if you are a handy man and want to keep yourself busy up here - boredom is worst complain along the expat community - bring your own tools of your trade/hobby - even basic gardening tools are a disappointment here.
Thanks for the suggestion. I will probably have to thin out my collection. All of my power tools are 120VAC so I will leave them behind, but all the air and hand tools will be shipped I guess. I was also thinking of getting a good quality set of wood chisels and a nice hand plane.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: davu on September 25, 2012, 04:48:43 PM
I even had difficulties finding nails here (alright now!) ... all sorts of things that you would not imagine could be difficult to get hold of.. take as many chisels, files, masonry tools,hand planes... anything that is involved with a pride of being a workman is missing here, is very difficult to find. I spent a couple of hours in Chiang Mai yesterday looking for a coffee grinder (beside the point , I know) and eventually, Eureka! a  ฿3450.- Krupps model, I just want a simple  ฿600.- one, so I thought to hell with that...
I am thinking of rewiring my house with European standard electrical plugs and sockets, fed up with plugs just falling out of the socket and no earthing.
You will find more or less everything you are looking for here, but it will generally involve an expensive trip to an obscure shop in Bangkok.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: finnomick on September 25, 2012, 08:47:13 PM
Ahab, take all the above into account but shop around if you have the time to source what you want. I guess a lot of people will just go straight to HomePro or whoever any pay the advertised price which is usually a bit inflated. I wanted a simple 4 inch buffing pad for polishing aluminium on the bike. I'd used up all the pads I'd brought from the UK so I set off in search for replacements. My local builders yard had some 6 inch diameter and 1 inch thick pads for 250 baht. Too big, so their suggestion was to cut them down to size. I was in Pattaya last week, so I went to Nu-tools on Sukhumvit Road -- they usually have everything and sure enough, there were the 4 inch buffing pads, but 400 baht each. Jen had to administer smelling salts. So, last call to KIng Tools on Thepprasit Road. Yes the man said, I've got what you want. Take your pick, the cheaper ones are 25 baht each, and the better ones 30 baht each ! Lucky for me I was in Pattaya, but even better, I had taken the trouble to find out where to get what I needed when I lived down there. I'm now a happy chappy polishing away to my heart's content. Most expats have been through a similar experience so it's always worthwhile asking before taking the plunge. Advice is given freely, it's up to you if you use it or not.


Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Ahab on September 25, 2012, 09:17:24 PM
Ahab, take all the above into account but shop around if you have the time to source what you want. I guess a lot of people will just go straight to HomePro or whoever any pay the advertised price which is usually a bit inflated. I wanted a simple 4 inch buffing pad for polishing aluminium on the bike. I'd used up all the pads I'd brought from the UK so I set off in search for replacements. My local builders yard had some 6 inch diameter and 1 inch thick pads for 250 baht. Too big, so their suggestion was to cut them down to size. I was in Pattaya last week, so I went to Nu-tools on Sukhumvit Road -- they usually have everything and sure enough, there were the 4 inch buffing pads, but 400 baht each. Jen had to administer smelling salts. So, last call to KIng Tools on Thepprasit Road. Yes the man said, I've got what you want. Take your pick, the cheaper ones are 25 baht each, and the better ones 30 baht each ! Lucky for me I was in Pattaya, but even better, I had taken the trouble to find out where to get what I needed when I lived down there. I'm now a happy chappy polishing away to my heart's content. Most expats have been through a similar experience so it's always worthwhile asking before taking the plunge. Advice is given freely, it's up to you if you use it or not.

Thanks for the thoughts. I will figure it out as I go once I get there. It is a big step selling all your belongings and moving to another country. Ready for the plunge.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: toffo on September 25, 2012, 09:19:35 PM
condoms XL  of course
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Prakhonchai Nick on September 26, 2012, 03:30:48 AM
condoms XL  of course

Durian flavoured ones can be quite off-putting!
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Ahab on September 26, 2012, 04:49:27 AM
condoms XL  of course

Durian flavoured ones can be quite off-putting!

Or perhaps not in Issan.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: finnomick on September 26, 2012, 09:18:02 AM
Why sell all your stuff ? If you've got a lot of gear, why not look into shipping a container. I started to sell off my stuff and when it came to my toolbox ( priorities well and truly in place ) it was worth more than the total cost of packing and shipping so I stopped selling things off and put it all into a container. A friend of mine has just done the same thing from the UK and is very pleased he's done so. Now he doesn't have to buy much for his new house.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Prakhonchai Nick on September 26, 2012, 09:23:18 AM
Why sell all your stuff ? If you've got a lot of gear, why not look into shipping a container. I started to sell off my stuff and when it came to my toolbox ( priorities well and truly in place ) it was worth more than the total cost of packing and shipping so I stopped selling things off and put it all into a container. A friend of mine has just done the same thing from the UK and is very pleased he's done so. Now he doesn't have to buy much for his new house.

If the goods are shipped to Thailand in your wife's name as "secondhand goods" the import tax situation is more favourable, and you may well get away without paying any tax.

Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: finnomick on September 26, 2012, 09:36:48 AM
Why sell all your stuff ? If you've got a lot of gear, why not look into shipping a container. I started to sell off my stuff and when it came to my toolbox ( priorities well and truly in place ) it was worth more than the total cost of packing and shipping so I stopped selling things off and put it all into a container. A friend of mine has just done the same thing from the UK and is very pleased he's done so. Now he doesn't have to buy much for his new house.

If the goods are shipped to Thailand in your wife's name as "secondhand goods" the import tax situation is more favourable, and you may well get away without paying any tax.



Exactly PN., for some reason the shipper in the UK put my  then girlfriend's  name on the paperwork and address labels. I didn't pay any tax although I did submit my passport for customs and excise to clear the container. They also wrote in my passport the major electrical goods of which you are only allowed one of each item, i.e. television, washing machine etc. Don't ask me why, but on the shipping manifest they had listed a television AND a portable television but they were not deemed to be similar items. And don't forget an item that has been posted on this forum before, there is also a 5,000 baht ' no-need-to-open-container-for-examination-purposes ' option too..... 
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Ahab on September 26, 2012, 09:59:03 AM
Why sell all your stuff ? If you've got a lot of gear, why not look into shipping a container. I started to sell off my stuff and when it came to my toolbox ( priorities well and truly in place ) it was worth more than the total cost of packing and shipping so I stopped selling things off and put it all into a container. A friend of mine has just done the same thing from the UK and is very pleased he's done so. Now he doesn't have to buy much for his new house.

If the goods are shipped to Thailand in your wife's name as "secondhand goods" the import tax situation is more favourable, and you may well get away without paying any tax.

Great information, much appreciated.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: finnomick on September 26, 2012, 06:59:46 PM
.....and I'm positive you'll be able to find a 220v - 110v dropper, it'll just be a matter of sourcing one either here or ' back home '. I have a 12v dc - 230v ac invertor which I use in the pick-up and can operate up to 300w. Cost me about 40 pounds but i've seen them for sale here.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Starman on September 27, 2012, 07:29:32 AM
To be fair to Buriram, it is not all doom and gloom. There are many  shops near to the fresh, morning market that stock an abundance of things. Many different brands to choose from.

Nails? By the ton.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: finnomick on September 27, 2012, 10:24:53 AM
To be fair to Buriram, it is not all doom and gloom. There are many  shops near to the fresh, morning market that stock an abundance of things. Many different brands to choose from.

Nails? By the ton.

Just out of interest and necessity, have you ever seen galvanised staples there ? The ones I'm after are for fixing barbed wire to wooden posts.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Ahab on September 27, 2012, 11:04:07 AM
To be fair to Buriram, it is not all doom and gloom. There are many  shops near to the fresh, morning market that stock an abundance of things. Many different brands to choose from.

Nails? By the ton.

Just out of interest and necessity, have you ever seen galvanised staples there ? The ones I'm after are for fixing barbed wire to wooden posts.

For an air nailer or hammer?
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: finnomick on September 27, 2012, 01:56:35 PM
To be fair to Buriram, it is not all doom and gloom. There are many  shops near to the fresh, morning market that stock an abundance of things. Many different brands to choose from.

Nails? By the ton.

Just out of interest and necessity, have you ever seen galvanised staples there ? The ones I'm after are for fixing barbed wire to wooden posts.

For an air nailer or hammer?


Just for use with a hammer, and about 1" long ( that's 2.5cm to the rest of the world )
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: davu on September 27, 2012, 07:08:42 PM
couldn't find any myself. I had to draw one so I could her 'mai mi'.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Prakhonchai Nick on September 27, 2012, 07:55:52 PM
To be fair to Buriram, it is not all doom and gloom. There are many  shops near to the fresh, morning market that stock an abundance of things. Many different brands to choose from.

Nails? By the ton.

Just out of interest and necessity, have you ever seen galvanised staples there ? The ones I'm after are for fixing barbed wire to wooden posts.

For an air nailer or hammer?


Just for use with a hammer, and about 1" long ( that's 2.5cm to the rest of the world )

Its 1". and always will be. Thais work in inches for nails.  Be proud of the fact that we have not totally capitulated to Europe
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: TBWG on September 27, 2012, 08:17:04 PM
In answer to your question, I had to bring galvanised staples from UK as I was unable to source any in Thailand.

Doe's not mean to say they don't have them in Thailand but I could not track any down!


TBWG buriram_united sawadi
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: mxyzptlk on September 27, 2012, 08:28:40 PM
If anyone ever finds any of these in or around Buriram / Korat please let me know....
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: davu on September 28, 2012, 07:39:22 AM
I had to make a drawing to explain what I was looking for and I think they thought I was quite mad.
Haven't found any yet and am wondering if a bent nail with the head nipped off would be worthwhile ..
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: nookiebear on September 28, 2012, 07:49:22 AM
Strange such an item sparks so much interest
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Starman on September 28, 2012, 08:04:43 AM
I will go an have a look when I am passing.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: BillH52 on September 28, 2012, 10:07:56 AM
Plain and simple - slip joint pliers; decent quality.  Took me 2 months to find them in Thailand.  Found every other kind of pliers you could imagine; some I'd never seen before.  Little things like that can be very frustrating.

The 220-110v step down is a great suggestion.  Have my eye on a model now in the U.S. for our next winter in Thailand.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: CO-CO on September 28, 2012, 07:40:33 PM
To be fair to Buriram, it is not all doom and gloom. There are many  shops near to the fresh, morning market that stock an abundance of things. Many different brands to choose from.

Nails? By the ton.

Just out of interest and necessity, have you ever seen galvanised staples there ? The ones I'm after are for fixing barbed wire to wooden posts.

For an air nailer or hammer?


Just for use with a hammer, and about 1" long ( that's 2.5cm to the rest of the world )

Its 1". and always will be. Thais work in inches for nails.  Be proud of the fact that we have not totally capitulated to Europe


Luddite - the sooner you are metricated the better.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Prakhonchai Nick on September 28, 2012, 08:15:12 PM
There is little point in being totally metricated in Thailand, since nails are always bought using inches as a measurement (yet sold by the kilo), whilst PVC pipe and metal rebar are measured in HUN (pronounced hoon), and if you try and buy in either inches or millimetres, you will likely as not receive blank stares.

And don't even try and understand Thailands 6 hour clock, with its mong chao's; bai; thum and ti, which becomes even more difficult when some folk insist there is Thai 8 hour clock system! swordfight

Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: CO-CO on September 28, 2012, 09:09:04 PM
There is little point in being totally metricated in Thailand, since nails are always bought using inches as a measurement (yet sold by the kilo), whilst PVC pipe and metal rebar are measured in HUN (pronounced hoon), and if you try and buy in either inches or millimetres, you will likely as not receive blank stares.

And don't even try and understand Thailands 6 hour clock, with its mong chao's; bai; thum and ti, which becomes even more difficult when some folk insist there is Thai 8 hour clock system! swordfight


It's worse than that Sherlock:-


Clock time

There are no less than three systems for telling time in Thailand. The easiest of the three is the 24-hour official clock, encountered primarily in bus and railway schedules. To create an official time, simply affix naalikaa นาฬิกา to the number of hours, so that e.g. kao naalikaa is 9AM (09:00) and sip-saam naalikaa is 1PM (13:00).

Things get a little more difficult in the 12-hour common clock. As in the West, the number of the hour runs from 1 to 12, but instead of just AM and PM, the day is divided into four sections (ตอน ton):

    เช้า cháo (morning), from 6 AM to noon
    บ่าย bàai (afternoon), from noon to 4 PM
    เย็น yen (evening), from 4 PM to 6 PM
    คืน khuen (night), from 6 PM to 11 PM

A 12-hour time is thus composed from the hour, the word mong โมง and the correct ton ตอน. As exceptions, the word bàai comes before mong (not after); 1PM is just bàai moong with no number; and there are special words for noon and midnight. Some examples:

one o'clock AM
    ตีหนึ่ง (tii nueng')
two o'clock AM
    ตีสอง (tii sǒng)
three o'clock AM
    ตีสาม (tii säam)
four o'clock AM
    ตีสี่ (tii sìi)
five o'clock AM
    ตีห้า (tii hâ)
six o'clock AM
    หกโมงเช้า (hòk mong cháo)
seven o'clock AM
    เจ็ดโมงเช้า (jèt mong cháo)
eight o'clock AM
    แปดโมงเช้า (pàet mong cháo)
nine o'clock AM
    เก้าโมงเช้า (kâo mong cháo)
ten o'clock AM
    สิบโมงเช้า (sìp mong cháo)
eleven o'clock AM
    สิบเอ็ดโมงเช้า (sìp et mong cháo)
noon
    เที่ยง (thîang) or เที่ยงวัน (thîang wan)
one o'clock PM
    บ่ายโมง (bàai mong)
two o'clock PM
    บ่ายสองโมง (bàai sǒng mong)
three o'clock PM
    บ่ายสามโมง (bàai säam mong)
four o'clock PM
    สี่โมงเย็น (sìi mong yen')
five o'clock PM
    ห้าโมงเย็น (hâa mong yen')
six o'clock PM
    หกโมงเย็น (hòk' mong yen')
seven o'clock PM
    หนึ่งทุ่ม (nueng' thum')
eight o'clock PM
    สองทุ่ม (sǒng thum')
nine o'clock PM
    สามทุ่ม (säam thum)'
ten o'clock PM
    สี่ทุ่ม (sìi thum')
eleven o'clock PM
    ห้าทุ่ม (hâ thum')
midnight
    เที่ยงคืน (thîang khuen) or สองยาม (sǒng yaam)
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: mxyzptlk on September 28, 2012, 09:22:25 PM
My world was controlled by the clock for 53 years in the UK rat race and then I came to live in Thailand. Although I still wear a watch, I eat, drink, sleep etc as the situation demands. I'm quite at home drinking whisky & beer before 7am....I get up when it's light and go to bed when it's dark.... Having said that, in my quest to speak Thai, my current aim is to learn the days, months & times of day, so thanks for the list of times above CoCo
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: BillH52 on September 29, 2012, 01:45:54 AM
There is little point in being totally metricated in Thailand, since nails are always bought using inches as a measurement (yet sold by the kilo), whilst PVC pipe and metal rebar are measured in HUN (pronounced hoon), and if you try and buy in either inches or millimetres, you will likely as not receive blank stares.

And don't even try and understand Thailands 6 hour clock, with its mong chao's; bai; thum and ti, which becomes even more difficult when some folk insist there is Thai 8 hour clock system! swordfight


It's worse than that Sherlock:-


Clock time

There are no less than three systems for telling time in Thailand. The easiest of the three is the 24-hour official clock, encountered primarily in bus and railway schedules. To create an official time, simply affix naalikaa นาฬิกา to the number of hours, so that e.g. kao naalikaa is 9AM (09:00) and sip-saam naalikaa is 1PM (13:00).

Things get a little more difficult in the 12-hour common clock. As in the West, the number of the hour runs from 1 to 12, but instead of just AM and PM, the day is divided into four sections (ตอน ton):

    เช้า cháo (morning), from 6 AM to noon
    บ่าย bàai (afternoon), from noon to 4 PM
    เย็น yen (evening), from 4 PM to 6 PM
    คืน khuen (night), from 6 PM to 11 PM

A 12-hour time is thus composed from the hour, the word mong โมง and the correct ton ตอน. As exceptions, the word bàai comes before mong (not after); 1PM is just bàai moong with no number; and there are special words for noon and midnight. Some examples:

one o'clock AM
    ตีหนึ่ง (tii nueng')
two o'clock AM
    ตีสอง (tii sǒng)
three o'clock AM
    ตีสาม (tii säam)
four o'clock AM
    ตีสี่ (tii sìi)
five o'clock AM
    ตีห้า (tii hâ)
six o'clock AM
    หกโมงเช้า (hòk mong cháo)
seven o'clock AM
    เจ็ดโมงเช้า (jèt mong cháo)
eight o'clock AM
    แปดโมงเช้า (pàet mong cháo)
nine o'clock AM
    เก้าโมงเช้า (kâo mong cháo)
ten o'clock AM
    สิบโมงเช้า (sìp mong cháo)
eleven o'clock AM
    สิบเอ็ดโมงเช้า (sìp et mong cháo)
noon
    เที่ยง (thîang) or เที่ยงวัน (thîang wan)
one o'clock PM
    บ่ายโมง (bàai mong)
two o'clock PM
    บ่ายสองโมง (bàai sǒng mong)
three o'clock PM
    บ่ายสามโมง (bàai säam mong)
four o'clock PM
    สี่โมงเย็น (sìi mong yen')
five o'clock PM
    ห้าโมงเย็น (hâa mong yen')
six o'clock PM
    หกโมงเย็น (hòk' mong yen')
seven o'clock PM
    หนึ่งทุ่ม (nueng' thum')
eight o'clock PM
    สองทุ่ม (sǒng thum')
nine o'clock PM
    สามทุ่ม (säam thum)'
ten o'clock PM
    สี่ทุ่ม (sìi thum')
eleven o'clock PM
    ห้าทุ่ม (hâ thum')
midnight
    เที่ยงคืน (thîang khuen) or สองยาม (sǒng yaam)

My system is easier yet; I use a wrist watch. 
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Prakhonchai Nick on September 29, 2012, 04:04:19 AM



Clock time

There are no less than three systems for telling time in Thailand. The easiest of the three is the 24-hour official clock,

Things get a little more difficult in the 12-hour common clock. As in the West, the number of the hour runs from 1 to 12, but instead of just AM and PM, the day is divided into four sections (ตอน ton):

   

And the 3rd one, CoCo is............................?

The easiest of the 3 may well be the 24 hour clock, for scholars, but I doubt the ordinary man in the street in the UK would understand it any more than the millions of rural Thais.

Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: davu on September 29, 2012, 08:40:30 AM
I just realised that what I thought was going to be a 5 meters plank was in fact a 5 Ells plank. (Ell -elbow, about 50cm but measured with a tape). Felt a bit foolish but also enlightened.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: nookiebear on September 30, 2012, 08:11:38 AM
Grass Paint is quite scarce nowadays

Grass paint?
I actually bumped into Sunderland Peter who is the Buriram main distributor yesterday ,whilst having a couple of beers  I asked about how 'sales' were going............He replied out of the 3 shades,Grass Green ,Green Grass & Greener than Grass,Greener than Grass outsells the other 2 by about 10 to 1,Americans & Germans being his main customers!!
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Prakhonchai Nick on September 30, 2012, 08:19:30 AM
Grass Paint is quite scarce nowadays

Grass paint?
I actually bumped into Sunderland Peter who is the Buriram main distributor yesterday ,whilst having a couple of beers  I asked about how 'sales' were going............He replied out of the 3 shades,Grass Green ,Green Grass & Greener than Grass,Greener than Grass outsells the other 2 by about 10 to 1,Americans & Germans being his main customers!!

Does one have to have grass in the first place Nookie, or can the grass paint be applied direct to the earth?

I believe CoCo is considering a major turfing project
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: CO-CO on September 30, 2012, 10:43:18 AM
Grass Paint is quite scarce nowadays

Grass paint?
I actually bumped into Sunderland Peter who is the Buriram main distributor yesterday ,whilst having a couple of beers  I asked about how 'sales' were going............He replied out of the 3 shades,Grass Green ,Green Grass & Greener than Grass,Greener than Grass outsells the other 2 by about 10 to 1,Americans & Germans being his main customers!!

Does one have to have grass in the first place Nookie, or can the grass paint be applied direct to the earth?

I believe CoCo is considering a major turfing project


Have abandoned the turfing project having seen tou twat around with your Heath Robinson mower !

May go for cement and the grass paint.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: nookiebear on September 30, 2012, 11:25:15 AM
Grass Paint is quite scarce nowadays

Grass paint?
I actually bumped into Sunderland Peter who is the Buriram main distributor yesterday ,whilst having a couple of beers  I asked about how 'sales' were going............He replied out of the 3 shades,Grass Green ,Green Grass & Greener than Grass,Greener than Grass outsells the other 2 by about 10 to 1,Americans & Germans being his main customers!!

Does one have to have grass in the first place Nookie, or can the grass paint be applied direct to the earth?

I believe CoCo is considering a major turfing project


Have abandoned the turfing project having seen tou twat around with your Heath Robinson mower !

May go for cement and the grass paint.
Make sure you get the right 'shade'
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Tosj on October 08, 2012, 03:38:17 AM
Why sell all your stuff ? If you've got a lot of gear, why not look into shipping a container. I started to sell off my stuff and when it came to my toolbox ( priorities well and truly in place ) it was worth more than the total cost of packing and shipping so I stopped selling things off and put it all into a container. A friend of mine has just done the same thing from the UK and is very pleased he's done so. Now he doesn't have to buy much for his new house.

If the goods are shipped to Thailand in your wife's name as "secondhand goods" the import tax situation is more favourable, and you may well get away without paying any tax.

Would this also work if you send over a container filled with my complete house furniture and all my work tools? I have a lot of electric tools, enough to start a workshop, metal /wood working. Or do they make a different between hobby and professional tools?
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: davu on October 08, 2012, 07:03:20 AM
Bring as much as you can. I discovered a Makita that looked identical to what I had back home, the price should have warned me: it burnt out pretty soon, no guarantee. Also, the running around looking for stuff can be pretty daunting.
Good question about hobby/professional tools though. I don't think that they do differentiate here, they sell what the average Thai wants: cheap.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: finnomick on October 08, 2012, 07:27:11 PM
Why sell all your stuff ? If you've got a lot of gear, why not look into shipping a container. I started to sell off my stuff and when it came to my toolbox ( priorities well and truly in place ) it was worth more than the total cost of packing and shipping so I stopped selling things off and put it all into a container. A friend of mine has just done the same thing from the UK and is very pleased he's done so. Now he doesn't have to buy much for his new house.

If the goods are shipped to Thailand in your wife's name as "secondhand goods" the import tax situation is more favourable, and you may well get away without paying any tax.

Would this also work if you send over a container filled with my complete house furniture and all my work tools? I have a lot of electric tools, enough to start a workshop, metal /wood working. Or do they make a different between hobby and professional tools?

I brought literally everything over with me that was in my house, garage and garden shed ( yes, the removal men queried that too ). The only things I could not put in were car polishes etc that are petrolium based i.e. Autoglym products etc. This peeved me somewhat because I had gallons of the stuff and it's very expensive. Apparently, the internal temperature of the container whilst on board ship can go up to 50 degrees C, hence the  restrictions but I don't know how you go about shipping a car or motorbike in a container as a personal import. I was involved in transport for many years all over the UK and Europe and if we carried vehicles, they always had to have a full tank as opposed to an empty one when shipped, vapour being more combustable than fluid but I'd not like to test this theory.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Admin on October 08, 2012, 07:58:47 PM
Why sell all your stuff ? If you've got a lot of gear, why not look into shipping a container. I started to sell off my stuff and when it came to my toolbox ( priorities well and truly in place ) it was worth more than the total cost of packing and shipping so I stopped selling things off and put it all into a container. A friend of mine has just done the same thing from the UK and is very pleased he's done so. Now he doesn't have to buy much for his new house.

If the goods are shipped to Thailand in your wife's name as "secondhand goods" the import tax situation is more favourable, and you may well get away without paying any tax.

Would this also work if you send over a container filled with my complete house furniture and all my work tools? I have a lot of electric tools, enough to start a workshop, metal /wood working. Or do they make a different between hobby and professional tools?

I brought literally everything over with me that was in my house, garage and garden shed ( yes, the removal men queried that too ). The only things I could not put in were car polishes etc that are petrolium based i.e. Autoglym products etc. This peeved me somewhat because I had gallons of the stuff and it's very expensive. Apparently, the internal temperature of the container whilst on board ship can go up to 50 degrees C, hence the  restrictions but I don't know how you go about shipping a car or motorbike in a container as a personal import. I was involved in transport for many years all over the UK and Europe and if we carried vehicles, they always had to have a full tank as opposed to an empty one when shipped, vapour being more combustable than fluid but I'd not like to test this theory.
The car battery is also considered to be 'Dangerous goods' so I think when car is being shipped they remove the battery as well.

You can import anything you like but need special documentation for it + higher rates for the shipping so for personal use, usually its not worth it and you better buy it locally. sawadi
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: urleft on October 08, 2012, 09:49:30 PM
All this good advice, but what works for you?

What I mean is what do you use daily, is it available in the LOS for a reasonable price?


For example, I have 3 basic hot sauces I use:  Tabasco (availble in Buriram), and Panola extra hot (not available), and the Beast (not available and to get in the US).  Plus I have been using Red Close Up tooth paste (have not seen).  So I brought a case of Panola and 8 tubes of toothpaste with me.  Plus I brought a lot of Kraft BBQ sauce, while availabe it is 3-4 times the price in the states.     

So my recommendation is to determine what you really need, decide if it that specific product is available in Buriram, if not (or if too over priced) bring lots with you. 

Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Ahab on October 08, 2012, 11:31:38 PM
All this good advice, but what works for you?

What I mean is what do you use daily, is it available in the LOS for a reasonable price?


For example, I have 3 basic hot sauces I use:  Tabasco (availble in Buriram), and Panola extra hot (not available), and the Beast (not available and to get in the US).  Plus I have been using Red Close Up tooth paste (have not seen).  So I brought a case of Panola and 8 tubes of toothpaste with me.  Plus I brought a lot of Kraft BBQ sauce, while availabe it is 3-4 times the price in the states.     

So my recommendation is to determine what you really need, decide if it that specific product is available in Buriram, if not (or if too over priced) bring lots with you.

Thanks for the post. I will most likely just make my own BBQ sauce from scratch (plenty of recipes on a google search).  Although I do like a good hot sauce (especially Tabasco for cooking), I can probably get by with prik nam pla, or some other local style hot sauce. I am sure I will miss something once I am there that I wish I had brought with.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Alan on October 09, 2012, 12:23:26 AM
What you can't get you may miss or you may learn to do without. If your intending to come to Thailand and live the life you do back home then it could become frustrating. Maybe your looking at this from the wrong end Ahab. Bring money and health and the rest will fall into place I am sure. All the best.
Title: Re: Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there
Post by: Ahab on October 09, 2012, 12:34:48 AM
What you can't get you may miss or you may learn to do without. If your intending to come to Thailand and live the life you do back home then it could become frustrating. Maybe your looking at this from the wrong end Ahab. Bring money and health and the rest will fall into place I am sure. All the best.
Words of wisdom, Alan.

One of the reasons that I am moving to Thailand is that it is different from Hawaii. I will probably pack some of my extensive tool collection, and some of my fishing equipment. The wife will probably want a couple of items also, but we will not be bringing a lot with us.

Thanks for the post.