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Delak wrote:

Hello All,
I am in the process of moving to Lao from the US. I know that the voltage in Laos is 230V and was thinking of getting some transformers for some of my electrical I would be shipping down. However I was wondering if they might be cheaper to acquire in Lao or thailand?

Any experiences are welcome.

Thanks

Best to bring them with you. Have not come across them here at all and even if they were available the manufacture may be a bit dubious.

What electricals are you bringing over ??

Thanks Stumpy,
I was thinking of bringing tvs, microwaves, deep freezer and hair dryer,  hair trimmer, coffee maker etc.

Since I already have these items I did not want to go through the process of acquiring them all over again.

Thanks for your input!

Stumpy will know better than me, but I'd question the wisdom of the shipping costs, potential tax/duty and the headache over buying new.
Worth checking for problems before you ship?

I agree with Fred.
Shipping cost will be high, along with insurance and  the customs duty. Need insurance cover as goods have been known to arrive damaged.
You can buy all of what you want in Vientiane at shops or the talat sao [ morning market]  Best to go to the market for a look around first then get  a Lao friend or work colleague  to buy the goods for you. There tends to be 2 prices here, one for locals and a higher one for expats.
Some of the grocery shops frequented by expats allow them to advertise goods, cars motorbikes etc in their windows. People leaving often have a lot to sell before they head away.

I can't tell you prices for step-down transformers here, but you can get good quality, reasonably priced ones in the US, and it is easy to get everything from smaller units to bigger ones needed for high draw devices in the US. I do not know availability here. You may well have already arrived, in which case it would be useful if you tell people what you found re: transformer availability and prices.

If you will have duty exemptions and your employer provides a shipping allowance, transformers can be worthwhile. But you can probably buy pretty much anything you would want here, at the proper voltage. My wife and I have heavy duty transformers for some kitchen appliances that we brought from the US, rather than store them. Storage costs can add up over time. Your shipping allowance and duty exemptions are all things to factor into the decision.

I ended following the route of Iduvall. I had duty exemptions and shipping allowance through my employer so i took advantage of those and got a couple of transformers in the US for our appliances.

I am curious though and would be on the lookout for the transformer prices. I will report back when i get any useful info.

Many thanks all