Where is the best place to aquire cheap electronics in korea?

[foreverJ]

The cool thing about HP laptops bought in Korea, is that you don't need to have an English OS installed (which could take from between an hour and a day or 2,) it gives you the language option on startup.

[minx]

Any1 in Incheon want to buy a Notebook Laptop HP mini 210-1008TU=
black, 250gig HD,
bluetooth,wireless
1 gig RAM, 3 cell battery,
10.1 inch,
webcam, built in microphone,
1.22kgs,
geuine windows 7 starter,
5-1 digital media reader,
3x USB ports, VGA port

only had it for 3 months, and only used it for 1 month so its in great condition, comes with bag, charger and mouse (if you are a girl also incl. a mouse pad).

Its worth 550 000 in the shops but im selling it for only 420 000won (to pay off a now urgent loan)

[LisaM]

Are samsung laptops reliable?? Or would LG be better quality?? These seem to be the main brands here.

[joseph921]

Looks like my notebook might be toast.  If i have to buy a new notebook, should i just order it from back home or buy one in Korea?

The problem with buying one from korea is i dont think they have any OS in english and i'll have to use a little adapter plug when i bring it back home.

Any recommendations? 

[Davey]

Are samsung laptops reliable?? Or would LG be better quality?? These seem to be the main brands here.

they're both good. can't really go wrong with either.

[Morticae]

I wanted a gaming notebook and Korea doesn't have much to offer in that niche category. Furthermore, the prices are A LOT higher than back home for the niche I was looking at.

So I ordered it from back home and had it shipped here, no problems. I didn't pay any customs fees. The reseller who shipped it to me helped me out. He marked the package as warranty repair service, and valued it at a low amount (I think $400 or $500, I forget). I also had it shipped to my school thinking it might give me another slight edge to avoid the wrath of customs. In the end, it worked out fine.

I think you can use this calculator to determine how much you'd have to pay http://english.customs.go.kr/kcsweb/user.tdf?a=user.tariff.TariffApp&c=2001&mc=ENGLISH_PERSONAL_TRAVELERS_090 I think it might be 10% for computers.

[confusedsafferinkorea]

I find it so strange just how expensive computers/laptops are here. They are made here yet in most home country's they are much cheaper. I brought mine with me and never had regrets and I think you must follow the advice and get one from home or on the net if you can.

[epinephrine9]

Since you're buying a notebook, I doubt that this advice holds, but I went down to Yongsan Electronics Market, to one of their stalls there and had a computer built for me on the spot. I came in with the specs that I wanted, and in a couple of hours, they had a computer built. It was a desktop though, and it cost a bit less than it would have in the States for the same build. Transportation was, of course, a pain, but I got it home and the Windows installed was in English. (I think that's because the Asian version of Windows 7 has English as one of its normal options.)

I did notice that standard notebooks did cost a bit more expensive than in the States there, but if you bring in a quote from online, you can probably barter. (If you went through that trouble though, then why wouldn't you just order online anyway?) I bartered a bit on various parts of my desktop beyond the price they quoted me for originally, and feel I got a decent deal.

[kawaiikitty]

I bought two from here, I suggest buying from home.

[AcidTeacher]

Getting a shiny new laptop sent from your home country is quite tricky.   One of the women in my apt ordered a laptop from the US and had it shipped to a friend who was stationed at Yongsang Army Base.   Unfortunately, it got stolen.   

Last spring one of my friends ordered a new laptop through Apple's US website and had it shipped to his parents' address.   A few weeks later his mom and his sister "delivered" it to him.   That's a safer bet.

Last March I bought an LG laptop because my 2002 emachines laptop died on me and I got sick and tired of going to smoke-filled net cafes to check my emails.     Also I do a bit of lesson planning from home.   The plus side of buying an LG or a Samsung computer in Korea is that there are customer service centers everywhere.   

Unlike the US, when you buy an LG computer here, they don't give you the separate systems disk and reboot disks like they do in the US.   All the backup stuff is on the internal D:/ drive.

[be the ball]

from home

[siamagoo]

Concerning that "little adapter plug" - most power cables seem to come in two parts. The end that plugs into the computer and has the bulky adapter is specific to the computer model, but the end that plugs into the wall seems to come in only a few varieties - whether your computer is Korean or American. I bought a Korean one when I came here (ordered it through my school), and it's worked with both my laptops. At only 8000 won, it's completely worth it to not have to bother with that "little adapter plug".

If you get a computer from home, I strongly recomend buying the Korean wall-half, and if you buy a computer here, you probably can buy an American wall-half when you get home (although I've never tried it myself).

I'm speaking from personal experience, not well-researched knowledge, so please, someone correct me if I'm wrong about any of this.

[idoltry]

I would like to buy a desktop computer, and I want to know what to expect when I go shopping. Are computers typically more expensive in Korea than in America?

[Castielle]

I'm not really familiar with American prices, but it's definitely cheaper than in South Africa. So if I had to say I would say it's about the same or cheaper than in America. Any particular reason you want to buy a desktop and not a laptop? Any specific brands you are looking for?

[portlandzach]

underpowered and overpriced from what i have seen....then again, there could be some deals out there....

[kcjohn7]

You'll get better answers than from me, but just to get an answer to you quickly.... form what I see/hear:

Laptops are more here than in America.
Desktops from a name brand are slightly more.
Desktops, custom built are cheaper.

[gilbert.a.h]

YES!!! They are super expensive. And I disagree that custom built desktops are cheaper. I think they only are if they are not using current processors. I've seen a lot of cheap desktops that have intel atom processors here, and those are designed for netbooks. So they aren't really desktops!!!

[gatman]

Computers are more expensive in Korea. You will still be able to find reasonably priced desktop and laptop computers, particularly in Seoul. The reason why most consumer electronics are more expensive in Korea is because they change hands more often, which results in more markups. In the States and Canada big box stores such as Future Shop and Best Buy order direct from the manufacturer, receive deals because they buy in bulk and make profit on services and warranties. When all is said and done, you won't pay a considerably higher price but you may won't to avoid the hassle of owning a system with a Korean warranty. You also have to make sure that you are getting exactly what is advertised, I have had friends who were told they were buying HD monitor, which in the end were not.

[ovid]

I'm sure they're cheaper in the US if you were to just go to a shop and buy a computer (ie. Best Buy vs. LG store).  If you were to build a computer, it's easier and a little cheaper in Korea (processors are a pain, but you can usually find good video cards, motherboards, memory, etc).

If you had the option of doing either one, I'd say go with a US computer desktop or laptop.  If you plan to stay in Korea and don't need a laptop, get a custom one done with specs you want at Yongsan or Gangbyeon or any of the technomarts around Seoul.  A decent desktop (not gaming), shouldn't cost more than 300,000 won sans the monitor (which runs maybe 40K if you can get a good discount)

[idoltry]

I'm not really familiar with American prices, but it's definitely cheaper than in South Africa. So if I had to say I would say it's about the same or cheaper than in America. Any particular reason you want to buy a desktop and not a laptop? Any specific brands you are looking for?

Desktop computers seem to be faster than laptop computers, unless you want to pay a lot of money. This would be better for me, because I want to be able to edit family videos together.

I'm sure they're cheaper in the US if you were to just go to a shop and buy a computer (ie. Best Buy vs. LG store).  If you were to build a computer, it's easier and a little cheaper in Korea (processors are a pain, but you can usually find good video cards, motherboards, memory, etc).

If you had the option of doing either one, I'd say go with a US computer desktop or laptop.  If you plan to stay in Korea and don't need a laptop, get a custom one done with specs you want at Yongsan or Gangbyeon or any of the technomarts around Seoul.  A decent desktop (not gaming), shouldn't cost more than 300,000 won sans the monitor (which runs maybe 40K if you can get a good discount)

If I wanted a desktop computer around 700,000 won that is fast and can edit videos, then how would I go about building a custom computer?