Panthip Plaza, Bangkok

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Pantip Plaza is an indoor IT shopping mall located on New Phetchaburi Road in Ratchathewi district, Bangkok, Thailand. The sale of counterfeit software and DVDs are some reasons behind this mall's success and notoriety. Pantip Plaza is open daily from 10 AM to 9 PM. The stores within the plaza are free to operate their own hours. However, by 7:30 PM to 8 PM, many of the stores are already closing down. There are hundreds of small shops specializing in computer hardware, software and accessories, including parts, repair, modifications, networking, second hand, laptops, Macintosh and peripherals. Pantip has restaurants on the ground floors. Food courts on the mezzanine level and second floor offer a wide selection of Thai cuisine, desserts and drinks. General price range for foods is between 30 baht to 40 baht, desserts 15 baht.

What to buy: Computer hardware, software and accessories, including parts, repair, modifications, networking, second hand, laptops, Macintosh and peripherals.

You will find small shops selling every imaginable Hollywood movie and PS2 game that you can think of. When I was there in March 2004, I already managed to obtain the latest Lord of the Rings DVD. Each pirated DVD costs only 150 Baht (US$4) and you can bargain for a further discount if you order 5 or more items. The irony of it is that there is a banner displayed in the shopping center encouraging people to report any infringement of intellectual property and copyrighted material to the Thai authorities! The vendors will take your orders from the catalogue and ask you to come back half an hour later. Go for a drink or a meal and by the time you come back, you have your DVDs ready. The DVDs work in Singapore but if you are from another country, do check that your DVD player is comptable.

What to buy: DVDs, PC games, PS2 games.

What to pay: 150 Baht per item, negotiable if you buy 5 or more.

6 floors of, motherboards, video cards, spy cameras, musical intruments, computer memory, digital cameras and basically anything else you can imagine that beeps or flashes in the middle of the night.

What to buy: Phantip Plaza is good for PC equipment.

What to pay: Items were about 30% cheaper than Australia after a good 10 minute haggle
Never pay the asking price as it is always inflated for the richer less aware traveller

Actually , it is nice to visit and we may get lots of hardwares & softwares we want. Nothing makes me so special there cauz I've been to so many places like that before . Anyway , I'm pleased to visit and buy something i want there .

What to buy: But , I can't find the hardware (Spy Camera or Spy Pen) there . I want that kind of hardware a lot . Now , I'm currently in Bangkok and wanna try for that product while I'm here . But I didn't find such hardwares there unfortunately . I may be careless for not seeing that products cauz tons of products make me tricks . :P So , could you plz tell me where can i get that kind of products in Bangkok ? Thanks in advance . Bye

What to pay: around 0 - 200 $

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All electronic stuff under one roof

What to buy: dvd's, X-box, PS2 games, nintendo's, computers, digital cameras... you name it you'll find it here. Be prepared to spend a few hours here.

What to pay: cheap, hagle of course... and do not buy on the first place, you will find cheaper around the corner and if not say the guy just before was cheaper, they'll match the prices.

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There are so many computer and electronic shops all congregate inside this one mall that if you can find the parts or items that you want here, you will not find it anywhere else in Thailand! Just kidding... but seriously you will find the stuffs that you want here. Both hardware and software....

One place that I can recommend visiting if you are at all into technology is Pantip Plaza on New Phetchaburi Road in Ratchathewi.

The plaza is open from around 10am until 8-9pm every day. Each shops sets its own hours so it's best not to go right at opening or closing times.

Most of the stores I visited did business on a cash basis, no credit cards taken. But don't worry if you start getting low on funds, there are several ATMs in the plaza! Using cash means that vendors normally do not charge VAT...and you probably won't get a detailed receipt either.

What to buy: Pantip is a computer/technology geek's dream come true. The plaza doesn't look like much from the outside but once you step inside it's like coming into a technology wonderland. There are five stories of computer hardware, software, electronics, and accessory shops at very affordable prices.

If you need quick computer repairs or upgrades, Pantip is also the place to go as the shops have good service and great prices!

Pantip is sometimes the object of police raids as some stores do sell counterfiet software and Playstation games.

What to pay: You can normally save aroun $50-100 off normal retail prices on electronics and computer accessories but you really should know what you are going to buy and research the prices before going shopping.

The prices are slightly negotiable but you won't get most shops to budge much off the price because they are already discounted. To get an idea of retail prices, you can go to the top floor and look in Data IT...then go downstairs to the other smaller shops and check for discounts :)

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This will be my Shopping Tips on Pantip Plaza

Staying in the Center of the Pratunam Area and at the Petchaburi Road. I have to see Pantip Plaza as I haven't been there in my previous visits to bangkok. The Pantip Plaza is touted to be the main IT and electronic Hub of Bangkok and part of it's popularity (or notoriety as some will say) is that they also sell assorted counterfeit and pirated and jail break DVD Movies, PC Programs like Microsoft Office or Windows 7 and other assorted PC and Xbox 360 Games and a lot more counterfeit stuff and the stalls here have no pretense in selling these items (no attempt to hide them) hehehe. Aside from the counterfeit stuffs, they also sell legitimate electronics and mobile phones and smart phones and even appliances for the home. there is also some restaurants and a mini food court in the comples and a large selection of street food outside,

open daily from 10 AM to 9 PM.

What to buy: computer hardware, software, both pirated and legitimate accessories and other tech-related gadgets. mp3 ringing tones, jailbreak programs for Iphone, assorted pirated applications and computer programs, Pirated DVD's and Downloadable games and apps, the new 64 gigabyte SD and Micro SD Cards and a lot more.

What to pay: haggling is expected as the prices of the goods here, even the counterfeit ones are negotiable.

DVD Shop on the ground floor: This is a low quality bootleg shop owned or managed by crazy chinese woman. Actually even after you get burned buying your 200bht DVD or CD she tries to take it form you and won't give you the item. Also should have known better byt got a CD form them totally VIRUS INFECTED. Tried to let them know in a nice way that their merchandise ha a virus and she blew up at u and told us dirty farang get out of Thailand. However she is quite happy to take that Farang money.

If you are a traveller with any common sense STAY AWAY form this place you will get burned on basically anything you buy here. If you want reputable electronics go to the Airport Shopping Centre, Tescos or Robinsons. At least you can return things if they aren't right or exchange them PANTIP IS DODGY AS! I believe anyone posting good things about this place must own a shop here because it is good for nothing!

What to buy: Nothing worthwhile

What to pay: A fortune on garbage

Imagine a five story high shopping mall selling nothing but computer hardware and software!

This is Pantip Plaza and it's an absolutely amazing place. There must literally be 500 small shops (plus a few big ones) selling motherboards, processors, accessories, original and bootleg software for PC and Mac, VCD, MP3, DVDs. As you might imagine in such a cutthroat environment, the prices are very competitive! If you're building a computer, you could pick up the pieces here for a song.

If you're after software or dvds, you can flip through a book of titles, pay the person and five minutes later it appears for you to pick up. It's a copy of course, though original software is also very cheap. The days that this will continue are likely to be numbered.

Not surprisingly with all the copying, blank computer media is everywhere. You can pick up a drum of blanks for half the price it would cost in elsewhere.

The place also contains cash machines and a food court.

What to pay: Software 150-200 baht per CD (€3-5)
MP3 CD 100 baht (€2.50)
DVDs 200 baht (€5)