WTF kind of reasoning is that? This can be dismissed with basic high school economics and a little bit of reflection.
Just because HK has a major sea port doesn't mean that it magically becomes a market for all sorts of goods that may or may not pass through here.
Whether goods are available in a market are determined largely by demand (size) and the nature of the supply side of things. HK has a tiny market (7 million people vs 300 million in the US ), and an absolutely minuscule market for Western-styled goods (assuming that westerns <1% of the local population). And the supply side for most goods is an oligopoly (small number of players controlling product availability).
I'm sure that I'm mixing up different economic issues here, but even then it should obvious enough that product availability in HK is likely to be low, and prices are likely to be high. Which is exactly what we see in the market, and from repeated threads asking "where can I buy product X?"
Last edited by jgl; 12-07-2012 at 10:23 AM.
Why not exactly? High school debating skills would require some kind of justification hereJust because HK has a major sea port doesn't mean that it magically becomes a market for all sorts of goods that may or may not pass through here.
Again, very interesting analysis but light on evidence. Supply and Demand is one factor, cost of living is another - I propose that the supposed difference in cost between OS and HK is not enough to justify lugging fish in your baggageWhether goods are available in a market are determined largely by demand (size) and the nature of the supply side of things. HK has a tiny market (7 million people vs 300 million in the US ), and an absolutely minuscule market for Western-styled goods (assuming that westerns <1% of the local population). And the supply side for most goods is an oligopoly (small number of players controlling product availability).
JW, in this day and age of internet shopping, you can probably get everything just by sitting in your living room and a few clicks later will have what you want. But not everyone wants to shop like that. There is still a place for brinks and mortar stores. If someone is already in the West and are familiar with the offerings of the bricks and mortar establishments there, and are travelling back to HK, the incremental cost of bringing back is much lower than having to ship here. Plus, there are many places that will not even ship to HK and one has to use a forwarding service, so adds to the complication. This is notwithstanding jgl's argument over the oligopoly and miniscule expat pop'n that limits the availability of such products.
On to my specific example - it is not even debatable re. smoked salmon, not even close. I brought up the Vancouver airport specifically because a lot of NA travellers have to transit through Vancouver, and if you are a smoked salmon fan or know someone that is, then this is a great gift. And it's flat packed so fits easily in carryons.
The guy jgl has some serious issues. Really incredible that he reviews all posts by a participant then cites them then throws down hard personal attacks. Tier 1 loser!
I see the mod has erased them. Someone should erase his face.
Last edited by HKNumberOne; 12-07-2012 at 11:10 AM.
right, i think i was more coming at it from my own experience of shopping in HK supermarkets where the variety of international products is huge - it isn't just the expats who are creating demand for specialty international goods but the locals also. the prices also in the cases where i have compared local to HK cost have always had HK cheaper but of course that is going to vary depending on the example.
Last edited by jw1701; 12-07-2012 at 11:16 AM.