Retiring in a Thai village, what should I bring that is difficult to buy there

[Ahab]

I will be moving to a small village in Thailand for retirement. I am thinking that things like large sized shoes will be almost impossible to buy in Thailand. What other things should I consider bringing with me. Appreciate any suggestions.

[Italiantony]

I will be moving to a small village in Thailand for retirement. I am thinking that things like large sized shoes will be almost impossible to buy in Thailand. What other things should I consider bringing with me. Appreciate any suggestions.

A large Bank Account.

[nookiebear]

Grass Paint is quite scarce nowadays

[Ahab]

I will be moving to a small village in Thailand for retirement. I am thinking that things like large sized shoes will be almost impossible to buy in Thailand. What other things should I consider bringing with me. Appreciate any suggestions.

A large Bank Account.

Reasonably large bank account, check.  Plus a U.S. Navy retirement check every month.
Good input but I was kind of looking for things that are hard to get in Thailand.

[Ahab]

Grass Paint is quite scarce nowadays

Grass paint?

[dundeemk6]

Ahab, if you are a handy man and want to keep yourself busy up here - boredom is worst complain along the expat community - bring your own tools of your trade/hobby - even basic gardening tools are a disappointment here.

[Ahab]

Ahab, if you are a handy man and want to keep yourself busy up here - boredom is worst complain along the expat community - bring your own tools of your trade/hobby - even basic gardening tools are a disappointment here.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will probably have to thin out my collection. All of my power tools are 120VAC so I will leave them behind, but all the air and hand tools will be shipped I guess. I was also thinking of getting a good quality set of wood chisels and a nice hand plane.

[davu]

I even had difficulties finding nails here (alright now!) ... all sorts of things that you would not imagine could be difficult to get hold of.. take as many chisels, files, masonry tools,hand planes... anything that is involved with a pride of being a workman is missing here, is very difficult to find. I spent a couple of hours in Chiang Mai yesterday looking for a coffee grinder (beside the point , I know) and eventually, Eureka! a  ฿3450.- Krupps model, I just want a simple  ฿600.- one, so I thought to hell with that...
I am thinking of rewiring my house with European standard electrical plugs and sockets, fed up with plugs just falling out of the socket and no earthing.
You will find more or less everything you are looking for here, but it will generally involve an expensive trip to an obscure shop in Bangkok.

[finnomick]

Ahab, take all the above into account but shop around if you have the time to source what you want. I guess a lot of people will just go straight to HomePro or whoever any pay the advertised price which is usually a bit inflated. I wanted a simple 4 inch buffing pad for polishing aluminium on the bike. I'd used up all the pads I'd brought from the UK so I set off in search for replacements. My local builders yard had some 6 inch diameter and 1 inch thick pads for 250 baht. Too big, so their suggestion was to cut them down to size. I was in Pattaya last week, so I went to Nu-tools on Sukhumvit Road -- they usually have everything and sure enough, there were the 4 inch buffing pads, but 400 baht each. Jen had to administer smelling salts. So, last call to KIng Tools on Thepprasit Road. Yes the man said, I've got what you want. Take your pick, the cheaper ones are 25 baht each, and the better ones 30 baht each ! Lucky for me I was in Pattaya, but even better, I had taken the trouble to find out where to get what I needed when I lived down there. I'm now a happy chappy polishing away to my heart's content. Most expats have been through a similar experience so it's always worthwhile asking before taking the plunge. Advice is given freely, it's up to you if you use it or not.

[Ahab]

Ahab, take all the above into account but shop around if you have the time to source what you want. I guess a lot of people will just go straight to HomePro or whoever any pay the advertised price which is usually a bit inflated. I wanted a simple 4 inch buffing pad for polishing aluminium on the bike. I'd used up all the pads I'd brought from the UK so I set off in search for replacements. My local builders yard had some 6 inch diameter and 1 inch thick pads for 250 baht. Too big, so their suggestion was to cut them down to size. I was in Pattaya last week, so I went to Nu-tools on Sukhumvit Road -- they usually have everything and sure enough, there were the 4 inch buffing pads, but 400 baht each. Jen had to administer smelling salts. So, last call to KIng Tools on Thepprasit Road. Yes the man said, I've got what you want. Take your pick, the cheaper ones are 25 baht each, and the better ones 30 baht each ! Lucky for me I was in Pattaya, but even better, I had taken the trouble to find out where to get what I needed when I lived down there. I'm now a happy chappy polishing away to my heart's content. Most expats have been through a similar experience so it's always worthwhile asking before taking the plunge. Advice is given freely, it's up to you if you use it or not.

Thanks for the thoughts. I will figure it out as I go once I get there. It is a big step selling all your belongings and moving to another country. Ready for the plunge.

[toffo]

condoms XL  of course

[Prakhonchai Nick]

condoms XL  of course

Durian flavoured ones can be quite off-putting!

[Ahab]

condoms XL  of course

Durian flavoured ones can be quite off-putting!

Or perhaps not in Issan.

[finnomick]

Why sell all your stuff ? If you've got a lot of gear, why not look into shipping a container. I started to sell off my stuff and when it came to my toolbox ( priorities well and truly in place ) it was worth more than the total cost of packing and shipping so I stopped selling things off and put it all into a container. A friend of mine has just done the same thing from the UK and is very pleased he's done so. Now he doesn't have to buy much for his new house.

[Prakhonchai Nick]

Why sell all your stuff ? If you've got a lot of gear, why not look into shipping a container. I started to sell off my stuff and when it came to my toolbox ( priorities well and truly in place ) it was worth more than the total cost of packing and shipping so I stopped selling things off and put it all into a container. A friend of mine has just done the same thing from the UK and is very pleased he's done so. Now he doesn't have to buy much for his new house.

If the goods are shipped to Thailand in your wife's name as "secondhand goods" the import tax situation is more favourable, and you may well get away without paying any tax.