Anyone ever bought any gear over in Asia? I don't mean from a website over there, I mean physically being over there. Are the reels, lures, etc. any cheaper than you can get them for in the U.S.? I ask because I know a lot of the rods and tackle seems to come from that part of the world. My sister is getting ready to head over to Thailand, and I have a big birthday coming up, so gift ideas are on my mind right now. If anyone has any experience with this, I'd love to know.
fish'nchipper
I bought an Ambassaduer 7000 and several lures in Singapore. At the time the price was right. Shimano is outsourcing more of its reels to Malaysia and several of the Penns are now made in China. Look for some of the near water, small tackle shops. They won't have a lot of stock or a big selection but chances are they will get you a pretty good price. As long as you don't load up on the stuff, you won't have any problems not declaring it at customs.
I lived in Taiwan from 1999-2002 and worked extensively in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. During that time, I visited quite a number of fishing stores (some big department stores and some hole-in-the-wall places) but do not think I actually bought anything. For all the brand names (Penn, Shimano, etc), the cost was roughly what you would find at a store here in the US (but there was more room for negotiation). Thailand was a little cheaper than Taiwan but still not cheaper than you could find something on eBay or one of the other US Internet retailers.
I did not really look at any of the "local" brand reels while I was there. However, based on all the other stuff I bought, I really did not find the local stuff that much cheaper (and in many cases it was actually more expensive!!!). The three situations where this does not apply is stuff bought at trade-shows (one of my co-workers got a high-end mountain bike for about 1/3 the cost of the same bike in the US), greymarket stuff (typically about 20% cheaper but maybe more) or if you have a local do the negotiating for you (discount might be 0%-20%+). I guess a 4th way to get a deal is to buy something directly from the factory in VERY large quantaties ($5k+ minimum for most of the manufacturers I used to deal with) but don't think that will apply in this situation.
The other thing you have to think about is potentially having to pay customs duties when you bring something back into the US. Probably not an issue for lures but I am not sure the US customs agent will just let a big, shiny Penn Senator II through without some money changing hands.
I am not saying that great deals can't be found, but they are harder to find than you might think.
Julian
I did not really look at any of the "local" brand reels while I was there. However, based on all the other stuff I bought, I really did not find the local stuff that much cheaper (and in many cases it was actually more expensive!!!). The three situations where this does not apply is stuff bought at trade-shows (one of my co-workers got a high-end mountain bike for about 1/3 the cost of the same bike in the US), greymarket stuff (typically about 20% cheaper but maybe more) or if you have a local do the negotiating for you (discount might be 0%-20%+). I guess a 4th way to get a deal is to buy something directly from the factory in VERY large quantaties ($5k+ minimum for most of the manufacturers I used to deal with) but don't think that will apply in this situation.
The other thing you have to think about is potentially having to pay customs duties when you bring something back into the US. Probably not an issue for lures but I am not sure the US customs agent will just let a big, shiny Penn Senator II through without some money changing hands.
I am not saying that great deals can't be found, but they are harder to find than you might think.
Julian
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