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izanami
PopStar
Joined: Jan 27, 2004
Posts: 1037
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  Posted:
Feb 27, 2004 - 04:23 PM |
 
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| Post subject: What to bring to Shanghai? |
I'm relocating to Shanghai in a couple of weeks' time. Think it's time to start planning what to bring over. Here's a list of what I plan to bring. Comments?
1) Books: English fiction and reference material for work, travel guides on SH + China, chinese dictionary
2) Toiletries: Anti-pespirant, Neutrogena Deep & Clean cleanser, the usual stuff for ladies like my Clarins, Lancome, MAC
3) Clothes: some winter wear I already own and the usual stuff
4) Contact lenses.
5) my CD collection
6) a new laptop
7) an electronic Chinese-English dictionary
 some distinctively Singapore and interesting presents for nice local friends I make
Questions
1) Are the following easily available in SH? contact lens solution, cheap little packets of facial tissue paper, insect repellant
2) I'm highly allergic to mosquito bites. Does SH have a mosquito problem in summer?
3) Should I buy my hi-fi set in SH or Singapore if I want an international brand? |
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bond
Talker
Joined: Feb 18, 2003
Posts: 103
Location: Shanghai, China
Status: Offline
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Feb 27, 2004 - 04:39 PM |
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Contact lens solutions is about SGD13 I think in Sgp, but you can get them here for less than Sgd10. I found that you have to look for promotions or try to bargain. You should actually be able to get them around Rmb30-40 depending upon the brand (which is abt Sgd7).
Tissue paper... do you really want to bring them from singapore??? Plenty at supermarkets or even at Watson over here. Actually many companies gave away free.. yes FREE little packets of facial tissue paper as promotional item. Some restaurants also give them out for free.
Mosquito... there are a lot of mosquitos in the summer, but if the apartment where you live is at the higher floor, you should be ok. Otherwise, you have to prepare some insect repellant which should be available at supermarkets.
Hi Fi or any electronic items with Local brands are cheap here. But any foreign brands will be more expensive than buying it in Singapore I think. |
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izanami
PopStar
Joined: Jan 27, 2004
Posts: 1037
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Feb 27, 2004 - 06:27 PM |
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i asked about those tissue paper packets because in the US, I had to pay about SGD0.80 at least for each tiny packet. |
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Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.-- Brillat-Savarin |
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Filip
LoopKicker
Joined: Feb 03, 2004
Posts: 843
Status: Offline
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Feb 27, 2004 - 06:45 PM |
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You can also rip your cd collection to your new laptop in order to save space. |
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ping
Newbie
Joined: Feb 06, 2004
Posts: 8
Status: Offline
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Feb 28, 2004 - 01:38 AM |
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There are tons of cheap small pack of tissue paper in the supermarket.
Not sure what kind of reference material you wanna bring over. But in Shanghai, a lot of English professional books are sold at 8~12% of the price than those in the states. Very cheap although packed with some ugly cover. haha.
I brought travel guides before coming here and then found the local travel guides and maps are better with cheaper prices.
Bond is definitely right on the Hi-Fi. International brands such as B&W, Bose blah blah are MUCH more expensive here than those sold outside. Assume you have shipment allowance. It should be a better to bring them in. Otherwise, the tax and shipment factors may equalize the thing. I do feel quite a difference between local and intn'l brands.
In addition to these, if you like home theather thing, you can bring a projector in. The price is close to double what I need to pay in US. Just my 2 cents. |
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sonnybayarea
Seeker
Joined: Feb 16, 2004
Posts: 43
Location: Hong Kong
Status: Offline
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Mar 02, 2004 - 06:31 PM |
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hmm..wut good gifts would be good to bring over that is not found there? I know Shanghai is an international city but there's always something that is not readily available.
Umm, I"m asking from the persepctive of America but I'm sure we can find out what all the expats from their respective countries are craving  |
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jake2778
Barker
Joined: Jan 05, 2004
Posts: 137
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
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Mar 03, 2004 - 10:28 AM |
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deoderant, deoderant, deoderant.........Bring lots of it....Esp for the summer months when you just sweat your ass off during the day......It's hot....... |
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singaporeano
Reacher
Joined: Apr 23, 2003
Posts: 216
Location: Maoming Lu
Status: Offline
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Mar 03, 2004 - 07:01 PM |
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Just buy everything here darling. Things here are so much cheaper here compared to Singapore! Bring along your English books though. The collection here sucks big time! |
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izanami
PopStar
Joined: Jan 27, 2004
Posts: 1037
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Mar 03, 2004 - 10:59 PM |
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i am going to ship over LOTS of english books. However, I have this feeling that I probably will not be reading them much as I will be 1) stuck in the office 2) out at XTD/HHL/XJH (or are they all the same places?) 3) or struggling to improve my mandarin by reading chinese periodicals.( I asked my mainland Chinese colleague to discuss financial investments in mandarin w ith me the other day. I understood her, but felt absolutely helpless in replying coherently in mandarin. gee... )
i know i will miss my Borders and Kinokuniya like CRAZY. sigh. but i've heard they've wonderful chinese bookstores in Shanghai. That's really something to look forward to (when reading mandarin no longer becomes a task).
i was thinking of buying a light spring outerwear for work. but i'm thinking i probably can get a nice one in SH as opposed to the usual stuff in SG. I have been told that SH has good shopping/fashion. Zara, Mango? Or better stuff?
ok. I need a new lap top. I should get that in SG yah? This IT guy in my office told me that Chinese websites use a different programming code that causes problems for the computer. Is he making any sense here?
anyway, i should be finally going over to SH by first week of April after my orientation in SG & the approval of work permit application. guess it's gonna be raining cats/dogs huh. |
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Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.-- Brillat-Savarin |
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Andreas
Board Legend
Joined: Feb 27, 2004
Posts: 10162
Location: s/v Waratah
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Mar 03, 2004 - 11:57 PM |
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Just a few additional remarks here.
English books: I order most of my English books with Amazon. They ship to China, and I never missed a shipment. Otherwise I buy them in HK.
Buy your laptop with Dell here in China. You can even make your own customized configuration online (including the choice Chinese or English OS). Their distribution center is in Xiamen, and within 3 - 5 days you have your order at home. They have a very good service centre here in Shanghai, just like in all major cities.
Good luck !
Andreas |
_________________
Time is the very substance of life; its golden minutes are the only stones we have with which to build. That spiritual building, not made with hands. |
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bond
Talker
Joined: Feb 18, 2003
Posts: 103
Location: Shanghai, China
Status: Offline
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Mar 04, 2004 - 09:30 AM |
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Zara is not available in Shanghai. Mango is here, but the range and price are better in Sgp. For branded names, it will be cheaper in Sgp, but for daily wear you can buy them here at a cheaper price and the variety is good. You can even tailor made ur clothes at a very decent price.
Laptop... definitely buy them in SGP. You should be able to get them at least 20% cheaper or if u manage to get some promotional deals, you can even get them at almost half the price you pay here. Look at Sim Lim area for good bargains. Remember to make sure u get International Warranty which should include China. You might want to reconsider about buying Dell... You can check with the sellers about the brand and they will be able to tell you why you should not choose it. |
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Andreas
Board Legend
Joined: Feb 27, 2004
Posts: 10162
Location: s/v Waratah
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Mar 04, 2004 - 09:52 AM |
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A friend of mine bought a Toshiba laptop in Taiwan. Specifically asked for an international warranty that included China, which he got. Somebody forgot to tell China though, because once he got a problem with it here in Shanghai (within the warranty period of course), nobody wanted to touch it unless he paid for the repair. My point: theory and reality sometimes differ. |
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Time is the very substance of life; its golden minutes are the only stones we have with which to build. That spiritual building, not made with hands. |
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