Could you share these gold sellers? thank you.
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Thailand:
Only 92.5%, no 24K that I could fine. Maybe if I tried the Chinese in Bangkok but haven’t been there.
Laos:
Everything is 24K. Talat Sao Shopping Mall, also called the Morning Market in Vientiane. It is a big building and everything is inside. Maybe about 50 shops all selling gold next to each other. There are big shops and small shops. If I were you, I would wait until you notice a bigger shop with lots of girls working and there are a lot of customers there as your less likely to get ripped off. That’s a tread you’ll notice I do in Asia, go to the bigger names and stores with lots of customers. The only place in country where I would buy gold. Silver was super expensive and hard to fine. Unless you like collecting as there was a lot of Tiger tongues. Workmanship was $20. I forgot the names and booth numbers of the stores I like. Has unique chains that I really liked for cheap. The place to buy chains.
Cambodia:
Almost the same as Laos, same prices, everything 24k. Workmanship was $20. Central Market, Phnom Penh is the place to be. Not much different from laos. Has unique chains that I really liked for cheap. The place to buy chains.
Vietnam:
In Vietnam there are different family run places but Vietnamese are professionals at ripping foreigners off. Do NOT buy from anyone other than these two major brands: SJC (Saigon Jewelry Company)
SJC and PNJ
Trang Sức Cao Cấp PNJ | Cty Cổ Phần Vàng Bạc Đá Quý Phú Nhuận .
You can find these locations big and small through the country. I only buy from the major big locations. I have seen smaller shops display these logos and I still wouldn’t go there. I just stick to the headquarters I think in HCMC. The first time I was there the lady who helped me was real sweet. The second time the girl was a typical upper class *****. Either way, they are professional and will not rip you off. Jewelry is a bit more than Cambodia or Laos and hardly any 24k. But they did have 24k coins and bars.
Vietnam is the place to buy small bars. Vietnam is unique as SJC has cool looking coins and shapes with different pictures or styles. All are small, under an oz. Comes cased and unclosed. You can buy standard bars here as well but I found that the unique ovals, circles and cool designs were cheaper than the standard gram bars of any size.
Myanmur:
Weint Sein, Yangon, Myanmar. Just put that in google and it will come up. Really, any Weint Sein in the country is fine. I also was at the location in Mandalay. Also, any store on the street Maha Bandula from Phone Gyi street to Thein Phyu Road will be fine. I visited about 15 to get a feel for prices. I bargained hard that that store and I only got the price down a bit because it was a brand store. The mom and pop shops are better at bargaining but the prices were a tad higher. The place to buy chains and random nuggets. This was also unique that I liked. They will cut up bars to any size nugget you want. I never seen this before. If you want a certain amount hacked off a bar, they will do it. Just random chucks of nuggets. Pretty cool. Weint Sein was very professional and had a HUGE selection. 24k but mostly 22k and 23k.
China:
China is interesting. Usually everything in China is expensive, except labor! Never buy things of quality in China. But I found gold to not be much more than Vietnam. You can go to most banks without having an account and buy gold. Having an account made things a bit easier but you’re not required to have one. Bring your passport. China is a communist police state. You can’t crap without communist permission. They don’t have it there for you to look at, just fake plastic bars. But the standard sizes are priced good and it will arrive in a few days. Really only works if your living there or visiting one spot a long time. Bank of China and ICBC I know sell gold and I visited. Other banks may or may not. There are a ton of banks in China. You could go to gold stores. The prices are a bit higher but the selection is HUGE. The jewelry is usually not 24k, I forgot what it was. But you can buy gold bars and coins and government coins. The selection of small grams is small. Here you will mostly see higher end retail stuff that sells as gifts in China. So, most things are ornamental and you will pay high prices for the designs. But the designs are amazing! China is good for bullion ONLY at major banks if you have the time. China is the best if you want ornamental and have the money for really unique designs.
These places I personally visited and bought gold or would have if I had the money on me at the moment. This is not from the net but from me physically being there. Again, I say if you’re looking for any silver in any amount or gold in kilo bars, Government coins, or bullion an oz or more, there is no cheaper place than in America, that I know of. Don't come to Asia. I heard silver is hot in Japan but never been. Whatever you buy, get a receipt on store letterhead that says everything you bought and price. The big stores will do this automatically. You can always sell it back to them if you have this.
The only advantage of buying in southeast Asia is gram bars and jewelry. I like 24k gold chains. You can’t get 24k outside of Southeast Asia that I know of, definitely not in America without special order. The nice thing about Southeast Asia, take a picture of a design from the west that will cost your first born, in Southeast Asia they will custom make it for almost nothing. All gold jewelry in Southeast Asia is quoted by the weight times the world spot price plus workmanship. This is where the real value comes in. Depending on the piece, workmanship will cost about $20 to $50 or $100 depending on the complexity of the design. So, you can see it’s a huge savings compared to the west. I don’t care for anything super special so I get the standard designs which I like and I only pay $20 over spot.
Banks in HK and Singapore no longer sell to non-account holders, I tried. HK, Singapore and Malaysian companies are waaaay too much. Don't waste a trip. Also, there is nothing unique. Well, Malaysia does make unique stuff but it’s expensive and it still looks too much like are western bars.
