Purchasing Electronic Goods, Singapore

The consumer electronics floors of Sim Lim Square (floors 1 to 3) can be attractive but be aware of the con men there. They usually don't display the price and will jack up the price for tourists. Sometimes they may show you a product that you wanted, and then tell you negative things about it which may not be true - eg I know of one case where they connected a camcorder to a TV screen using an defective cable and then showed the same thing with another (more expensive camera) but with a good cable, making you believe that the cheaper camera had inferior video quality. When this was pointed out, they got angry. Be prepared for rude behaviour if you decide to walk away.

For a list of shops officially blacklisted by the Singapore Tourism Board, go here -> http://www.visitsingapore.com/sections/3a/0,1138,460,00.html

Unique Suggestions: Best thing is to do your research first. Always find out the market price of the product you are intrested in from other places (such as Funan IT mall or Harvey Norman), so you can have an idea of how to it costs. In most cases you can bargain with the people there and bring it down from the market price, but make sure you get them to agree on the final price - sometimes the price they would quote would not include GST, or they may leave out things like the battery which you have to buy separately from them (probably at a higher price).

Fun Alternatives: Mustaffa Center (aka Serangoon Plaza) - Prices there are generally lower than most other places and they are quite willing to entertain you to try out the product or have a look at as many as you would like without being scorned. If you still choose not to buy it, you can just walk away, no hard feelings. There's also a GST counter there so you can get your paperwork done within the premises.