What did you wish you bought back home thats expensive in Malaysia

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Hi

I have been having a think about what I could have bought back home, thats much more expensive here. Or items that I could buy back home that are not available here.

Hopefully this subject will help people to save some money by buying back home and bringing it with them when they move here.
(I Hope this is not too confusing)

Things I wish I bought when I was back home:

Integrated coffee machine for the kitchen (Uk price is less than half Malaysian price)
Top of the range electric toothbrush (Cheaper in the UK)
Decent electric mens razor (Cheaper in the UK)
Integrated fridge for the kitchen (not available here?)
High end home cinema sound system (much cheaper in the UK)
High end HD projector (cheaper in the UK)
Designer clothes (cheaper in the UK)
Flip down kitchen TV (not available here?)
Curtains (Cheaper in the UK)
High quality bedding (Cheaper in the UK)

There are many more that I'll add as we go along and hopefully some of you will add things as well.

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Just returned from the UK.
brought back...
2packs x Organic cheddar from Sainsbury's
4 x 500g bags of nuts from Holland & Barrett (buy 1 get 2nd half price (total £15.71)
2 x 360g bags of KP original peanuts (£2 from poundland)
2packs x organic low salt vegetable stock cubes from H & B (total £2.09)
Most of this was chosen because of better quality compared to what I can find here or on price, or both. (Cant stand Malaysian peanuts-full of MSG & Tong Garden packs are full of air!!)
I only brought back edible stuff this time because I plan to return to the UK permanently in September. I would have brought more foodstuffs but was right up to the baggage allowance! (very tempted to pack some pork bangers but thought better of it)

What I bought in the UK before, to use here, in the past was...
Electric hand blender/mixer. Around £10 I think from Tesco. (nothing cheap and functional found here - only expensive branded ones)
Disposable razors & foam (why is decent shaving foam so expensive here?)
Electric toothbrush - huge range in UK and much lower prices than found in Malaysia
Various packets of sauce mixes. Small kitchen tools difficult to find here (not a bad choice in ACE but a lot imported from the USA and a bit expensive, though decent quality).
Books from Amazon (UK) are cheaper- e.g 'xxx for Dummies'  (Usually American version in Malaysia & not discounted)
Vitamin pills and other health products especially if you buy store own brands.
Blood pressure monitors - wider range and bigger discounts in the UK
Diabetes management - blood glucose meters can be had for free in the UK via some web sites but test strips (if available for your model) are just a little cheaper in Malaysia at the current exchange rate so it may pay to buy a meter here and know you can get the test strips for the model. (Carrefour in house pharmacy is cheapest and ask for a discount)

Jusco and Cold Storage are probably good for expat stuff but of course anything out of the ordinary or imported will be priced accordingly. Some own brand foods are fine from Carrefour. Tesco here is a big disappointment. Even the ones in Thailand are better and nicer to shop in. Village Grocer in Bangsar - good. Jaya Grocer in Jaya 33 (PJ) - good. 

Oh yes. Nail brushes. (so? I like clean nails!!) Nowhere but nowhere did I find these on sale in Malaysia. No store had a clue what I was talking about so I bought one in Superdrug for around £1 & brought it over.

If anyone wants health checks, blood tests, scans, then dont have them done in the UK unless its on the NHS. Much much cheaper in Malaysia. Go to one of the local polyclinics for routine blood tests or most of the hospitals do a comprehensive health check for RM600 or so. Well worth it for peace of mind.

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Brought back mostly edible stuffs: (from Canada)
coffee beans - French Vanilla and Hazelnut
varieties of nuts for baking
dried cranberries and blue berries
herbal capsules/tablets, glucosamine, MSN
Maple syrup, real Jello, cooking herbs
balsamic and lobster oil
gardening things
can opener, wine bottle tops, silicon kitchen tools
bath towels, electric tooth brush heads
a couple real leather wallets
sports underwear & socks
surveillance set
(shipped) bbq stove (4 elements...)

Next trip will be similar stuffs I think. Will look for a good mail box inlet attachment.

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Thanks Thermos!

I totally agree about Tesco being a let down here, I too noticed the difference between the quality of Tesco in Thailand and here in Malaysia.

Other things that people should buy in their own country are

Coffee beans
Branded beauty products
Top end modem/routers (comparing UK prices to Malaysia)
Internal Blu-ray player for PC
Books (totally agree with Thermos about buying from Amazon)
All types of cables especially HMDI and speaker cables
LCD/LED TVs
Crystal ware
Branded DIY tools and equipment
LED strip light adapters and regulators (LED strips are cheap here adapters are 2.5 times the price of Europe!)

I'll keep thinking!

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Ha!

Coffee beans #1 on the list - great minds think alike BB!



AND... another thing to buy from home and bring with you if you are moving over here is WALLPAPER!!! its ridiculously expensive here, 5 times the UK price per roll (excatly the same make, quality and pattern)

AND... to all you ladies out there that are into beauty products. One of the best rated anti wrinkle creams in the world is Strivectin SD, you can buy a boxed set in the UK with a standard sized free Strivectin Eye cream for 1/3rd of the price sold in Malaysia!!

Here is the link: http://www.salonskincare.co.uk/product_info.php/manufacturers_id/15/products_id/6823?osCsid=t8rdtkk4i6hgkrccquulnlc2n5 - ladies in the know will see how cheap this is!

Anyone reading thats coming over here for a visit and have friends here, you can really help them out by asking if their are any small items that are missed from home! - I know that its obvious but too often people forget.

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Oops - compu connection went funny n couldn't connect and so replied again ...sorry, but I don't know how to delete the msg below:-[

Last trip (from Canada) brought back:
yes, coffee beans!
Maple syrup, balsamic vinigar and lobster oil
dried cranberries and blue berries & different types of nuts for baking, real Jello (equiv of Robertson)
dryer sheets, vacuum wine bottle tops, small kitchengadgets 
elec tooth brush heads, bath towels/sheets
sports underwear & socks,tennis rackets, sports shoes
couple of good leather wallets
bbq accessories, gardening things
herbal capsules, glucosamine etc
suivallence set, DIY tools, keyless entry locks

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Branded or designer clothes...
Clarkes / Hush Puppies / or any other branded shoes

Raid TKMaxx or TXMaxx or M&S or Maceys or Bloomingdales or Harvey Nicholls!

Buy as much as you can and if you don't use them sell it all on Mudah.com.my

I have ordered a T-Shirt saying "I just Facebooked your Mum!" - if you see this around Gurney in the next couple of months then you know its me!

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hi,

I had the same problem as Thermos with nail brushes. They're needed for grease & paint removal after working on the boat or car. I picked up several in Singapore. Also went to Carrefour in Singapore for packs of Expresso Coffee.

I agree that Tesco in Malaysia (I use the Ipoh one) is geared towards competition with Malaysia's version of Giant, Billion, The Store, & Econsave, and it's all run-of-the-mill stuff that's found everywhere - in 7/11 and any other corner store. When I first visited Tesco I thought it would have a much bigger range of products but no luck, it's counter after counter selling frozen chips, and various frozen chicken bits. Oh well, at least it's got air-con and wider aisles.

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Hi Corporateangel,

We are just about to furnish our new home so your point re curtains is very pertinent for us.

Are you referring to the cost of good quality material or the making up of the curtains?

Thank for the heads up on Wallpaper - Laura Ashley here I come!

any views on the larger kitchen appliances - ovens/dishwashers?

jac

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We must be lucky as our local Tesco Extra on Jln Ipoh (Selayang) has a pretty wide range of just about everything, bulk catering, TV's , DIY stuff, gardening etc. ...but NO VEGIMITE.  For linen we bought cloth inexpensively and paid a few RM to have them sown into fitted sheets, pillow  cases, curtains, cushion covers etc. Cloth is cheap and so is local labour...so we use it. I agree that any health products, cosmetics, shaving gear, decent footwear etc is stupidly priced...so is booze, but that's another story.
Cheers
Tink

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All types of cables especially HMDI and speaker cables

HDMI cable was to cost $50aud in Australia, got one a couple of weeks ago in Gama (penang) for $10aud

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Pork Scratchings!!!!! Delightful with a pint of beer.

Whenever I go back (which isn't often), I bring a load back with me, and friend visiting get a similar order! I have never seen such in Malaysia & the Thai version just does not compare!!

Shoes for the boys. Difficult to get size 12 or 13 in Asia!

A 'magnetic' window cleaner, for those inaccessible outside panes! A small size can be purchased here, but is very expensive for what it is!

More later, but a great thread CA as we will be visiting the UK next month!

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so is booze, but that's another story.

Depends what you want and where you are.

In KK we could buy tsiang tao and san miguel beer for around 2.75 ringit

Almost everywhere seems to have the Malaysian vodka for around 20 ringit a 700ml (hasn't killed me yet  )

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Digital camera

The 3 models I had picked out to buy in either Malaysia, Singapore or Vietnam I could buy a fair bit cheaper in Australia

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I am interested in buying the iPhone4, but will it work in Malaysia when I return???