Shopping The Cheapest Originals In Bangkok

Today’s shopping trip starts just before 7:00, with the malls in Bangkok closing at 10:00. I have only three hours to buy everything on my long list, so I start at MBK and plan to visit three spots before moving to another mall. The festive season is busy, with people buying gifts and working through their own long lists.

The exchange rate today is $1 is 31.44 Thai Baht. The Thai Baht is very strong at the moment; it was almost 34 or 35 before, but today it is 31.44. I start on the second floor, go up to the third floor, and later come back down to the ground floor. MBK is huge, so the floor and zone matter when you are looking for original promotional items, good copies, or sale prices.

MBK Factory Store Outlet Deals

My first stop is the third floor, Zone A, where the factory store has 60% sales. I have made many visits to this section, and people often ask whether these items are original. Yes, they are original and they come from the outlet. You will not find the latest collection, but that is fine when the price is right.

One item is marked at 1,200 Thai Baht, then reduced to 595. There are promotional items on one side and last-chance items on the other. If you find something here, the prices are very affordable.

One item is 870 Thai Baht after being 2,900. Another is 800, and a Nike item that was 5,000 is now 3,000. Most of the products are made in Vietnam, with some made in China. One item is size 40. The same item is available in black and red, while the one I bought is white, and the price changes with the colour as well as the collection.

This one is 1,250 Baht. Okay. 600 Baht. The total comes to 3,240 Thai Baht. I have bought what I wanted from the outlet, and these are original items, although they are not from the latest collection.

MBK Sale Floor Travel Bags and Bargains

Next I go to the sales section on the ground floor. It is 7:20 now. This area sells travel bags, so I look for something small enough for domestic flights that can also hold my cameras and a laptop.

One bag looks good for a laptop, but it is heavy. Another is 1,890 Thai Baht, with good quality and a reasonable weight. Some others are 1,799, but they are heavy. One empty bag weighs 3 kilograms, which is too much when the domestic-flight limit is 7 kilograms. For that reason, I do not think it is a good idea.

There are also jackets at 690 Thai Baht, along with other sale items at 150 and 290. These are not brands, but they give an idea of the prices. If you find something nice, buy it, because after an hour you may not find it again. The collection can be completely different the next day.

MBK Copy Items and Bargaining Prices

After looking at the sale items, I compare them with the copy products. One item is 390 Thai Baht and is clearly a copy. I also see good-quality T-shirts at 200 Thai Baht. The vendors sell copy bags, watches, and other branded-looking items, and the shops that had been closed for six or seven months are open again.

This is a section where you need very good bargaining skills. The prices can be crazy, so know what you are buying and how much the original costs. You should not pay more than 10 to 15% of the original price for a copy. If you are buying copy items for more than that, you are wasting your money.

We have good coffee bags. They have good coffee bags and Rolex. The vendors are on both sides, and the section is so crowded that it feels like it needs a traffic police officer. There are lots of bags with brands, but they are all copies. This update shows what happened to MBK after the shops reopened.

Siam Center Latest Collection Prices

Now I am inside Siam Center, where the latest collection is on sale at 50%. The prices are between 3,000 and 6,000 Thai Baht, and there is nothing below 3,500 Thai Baht in this area. Even with the sales, the items are still more than 3,000.

One T-shirt costs 3,400 Thai Baht. I bought the same black T-shirt from the outlet for 650 Thai Baht, while this one is 4,000. The difference is clear between the outlet and the latest collection.

From Siam Center I head to CentralWorld. After visiting MBK and Siam Center, you can walk from one mall to the next without taking any transportation.

CentralWorld Original Brands and Outlet Prices

At the front of CentralWorld, the festive decoration is beautiful and there are many people taking pictures beside the artificial snow. It never snows in Bangkok, so people are happy to take pictures. The crowd and decorations also give me an idea of Bangkok besides the prices and shopping.

Inside CentralWorld, the famous brands are original. If there is a 50% discount, you may find good prices. I see items marked at 7,290 and 5,000 Thai Baht, along with beautiful pieces from the latest collection. The prices show the difference between outlet goods and original latest-collection items.

There are colourful American Tourister bags at around 3,000 Thai Baht. I prefer to pay 3,000 for one of these rather than buy something copied, although the colours are unusual.

CentralWorld Outlet Section C and Wedding Outfit Shopping

At last I reach the third floor, Section C. If you want to check the outlet section at CentralWorld, this is where you go. There is a latest collection as well as an outlet, with many sports items at affordable prices.

I am looking for an original Byron T-shirt. The price is 3,000 Thai Baht, while the copy is 300 Thai Baht. That is the difference between the original and the copy. The equation remains the same: do not pay more than 10 to 15% of the original price for a copy.

There are also Victoria Nox travel bags. One costs 18,500 Thai Baht, another is 24,000, and the large one is 32,000. I think you buy one for a long time, but if you travel often, luggage handling can be rough. Paying more than 45,000 Thai Baht for a travel bag is more than enough.

I have a wedding next week, so I look at a pink T-shirt. The colour is nice, the size is perfect, and it costs 1,290 Thai Baht. Another item is 990. The sizes are good, including slim fit and free size, but I do not see many large sizes. There are kids’, men’s, and women’s sections for the whole family.

Back on the ground floor, there is a large Christmas-decoration section. I am not buying anything there because we already bought our Christmas-tree decoration from Chinatown, Yaowarat. There is a big collection, including items at 480 and 398 Thai Baht.

That gives me an idea of the festive-season prices for original items, promotional items, new arrivals, sales items, and copies at MBK, Siam Center, and CentralWorld.