Shopping on St Thomas

[Red State Sam]

Does anyone have any info about buying electronics on St. Thomas? How good are the deals?

[nhraformula00]

Bought a new digital camera there because it did 1080 video also besides picturs, for 150$. Came home and Best Buy had them on sale for 120$ Now the store i bought it from said he could not go any lower in price.:eek:

[beachbum53]

You'll need to know the prices for the things you're interested in before leaving home. Then, once you're in St. Thomas, you can compare prices and determine if something is a good deal or not. Don't make any major purchases strictly on a whim. The other thing to ask yourself is, what if there is something wrong with the item and you need to return it for an exchange or a refund? It'll be a lot easier to do at your local Best Buy (or other local retailer) than if it's something you bought in St. Thomas. Also, beware of knock-offs, and reconditioned items. Ask about a warranty, and how you would go about getting an exchange or refund if there is a problem. Remember, a well-informed shopper is a well-armed shopper.

[zqvol]

Don't forget when buying in St. Thomas that you do not pay any sales tax, and normally the stores throw in $30 - $50 worth of accessories, so factor that in when comparing prices, and if you don't like the price walk away.

[aidansaunt2004]

We were in St. Thomas in September and we had heard about these "great sales". I've very knowledgeable when it comes to pricing.

 

We looked at cameras, tablets, laptops and even cosmetics. We never saw anything that was evenly priced with Best Buy for example. Everything was more expensive.

 

I looked at an eyeshadow palette that I can purchase at Sephora for around $35. It was $45!

 

I have yet to find a deal while on a cruise.

[mikel24m]

I feel the same ,you can find some deals but you need to be educated on prices back at home.Myself I buy a watch every cruise onboard and they prices are great plus no tax.I bought a citizen ecodrive the last cruise for 40% off plus 7% sales tax.47% off is a good deal.This wasnt a closeout .Brand new model,I think list was $650 I paid under $400

[zqvol]

We were in St. Thomas in September and we had heard about these "great sales". I've very knowledgeable when it comes to pricing.

 

We looked at cameras, tablets, laptops and even cosmetics. We never saw anything that was evenly priced with Best Buy for example. Everything was more expensive.

 

I looked at an eyeshadow palette that I can purchase at Sephora for around $35. It was $45!

 

I have yet to find a deal while on a cruise.

 

 

Very interesting. I always beat best Buy prices by 10 -20% + the sales tax savings on St. Thomas. The real key is that you have to be buying higher end cameras and watches to save anything more than the sales tax, but even then that is between 6 and 10%.

[BSQ]

I find I have to work way too hard to get a great price while shopping in St. Thomas. Since I negotiate retail prices for a living, it was really just too much like work for me.

 

I was worn out after negotiating price on a watch. Did I get a killer deal? Yes. Was it worth it? Probably. Did I enjoy it? Absolutely not.

 

I do agree with the previous poster, there are better deals on higher end items. Every day stuff, it's not that much of a savings. Just depends on what and how much you are planning to buy.

[vacation_junkie]

Does anyone have any info about buying electronics on St. Thomas? How good are the deals?

 

We were VERY disappointed in the lack of deals. No real savings versus what you can buy back at home.

[Red State Sam]

Thanks for some great info. Will definitely consider sales tax since ours is 9 3/4! (No state income tax though).

[Ms411]

I think it depends on where you live and what stores are in your area.

 

If you live in a metropolitan area where there's lots of retail competition, you might not find better deals in the Caribbean.

 

But, if you live outside the US or in a rural area, you might not have access to many "big box" stores and their guaranteed, low pricing.

 

I've found that no matter where you go, timing is everything when it comes to getting a deal, and you have to have a general idea as to whether the item is fairly priced.

[Loucat]

Everything in St. Thomas is imported. With the price of fuel; the past bargains may not be the same as in past years.

[rickcop44]

We were in St. Thomas in September and we had heard about these "great sales". I've very knowledgeable when it comes to pricing.

 

We looked at cameras, tablets, laptops and even cosmetics. We never saw anything that was evenly priced with Best Buy for example. Everything was more expensive.

 

I looked at an eyeshadow palette that I can purchase at Sephora for around $35. It was $45!

 

I have yet to find a deal while on a cruise.

 

Gotta say I'm surprised with your findings. My wife and I have been to St. Thomas five times with number six coming up next week. We ALWAYS find great deals on everything. I bought my daughter's Christmas present at Boolchand's in St. Thomas. She wanted the Bose Wave Music System. In the states, that system will run between $400 and $450. I got it for $300 and they offered to ship it to her home for free.

 

I bought my 1:1 lens for my Olympus digital SLR at Royal Caribbean Electronics. In the states, a quality 1:1 lens costs about $250 (Best Buy). And by quality, I mean a lens made by a company like Zuiko, Olympus, etc. It cost me $130 at Royal Caribbean (Zuiko) and the salesperson tossed in two 8 gb memory cards for my camera.

 

We have bought countless pieces of jewelry in St. Thomas, from gold chains to rings to necklaces to bracelets. Every piece we've purchased has always appraised well above what we paid for it (we get everything appraised at home, not in St. Thomas). And my deal of the century? Others have read about it already, but one more time. My wife wanted a diamond bracelet in a store in St. Thomas. They wanted $2100 for it. After an hour or so of haggling, we had them down to $1100. We started to leave the store and as we turned, the sales person asked me what it would take to sell me the bracelet. I pointed to a Citizen Eco Drive Sky Hawk watch I wanted and told him if he'd thrown in the watch, we had a deal. He did. A new Sky Hawk model JY0040-59L begins at about $500 in the states.

 

Good deals? We see them all the time and take advantage of them. And don't forget - not duty, no sales tax. Also, the overwhelming majority of stores in St. Thomas, especially those not on the cruise lines' "recommended" list, will negotiate virtually anything. In fact, they love to haggle. Trust me - they're still making a profit, but then, you're saving a ton of cash at the same time.