Maximizing Your Money in Singapore—or Anywhere for That Matter

Posted on June 17th, 2008. Written by Rico.

Taking advantage of the apparently low prices Singapore is (rightfully or not) known for, we bought ourselves a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS3. Read on to see how we picked the product, and enjoyed a final selling price of P9,000 for the camera, a case, and a 4GB Kingston SD memory card.

1. Set a Budget. It helps to set a limit to how much you’re willing to spend, so that you can automatically disqualify items that are “out of your league” so to speak. Also, you wouldn’t want to wreck your finances with a purchase that’s beyond your means right?
2. Research. We scouted out nearby malls (Singapore has a ton of them, and some even extend underground!) and listed what was available, including their prices. We then went online and Googled for reviews from authoritative sources. DigitalCameraReview.com convinced us that the DMC-FS3 represented the best value for our money.
3. Haggle With Proof. Haggling with something to back you up is very effective. Basically, we visited the shop with the second lowest price, showed them that a competitor was undercutting them and asked if they could go even lower. The salesman we talked to immediately did so, not wanting to miss out on a sale.
4. Verify Before Paying. We’ve heard that some stores in Singapore (especially in Sim Lim Square) give customers faulty, incomplete, or even non-functional products after they pay. Make sure everything’s in the box before you fork over the cash.

Getting the most value for your money takes a little more patience, so it may not be for everyone. We understand that some buyers want to have something as soon as possible, and won’t mind paying a little more to save time.

Still, not all of us can enjoy such a luxury, so we hope our tips prove helpful to you. They’ve proven quite effective for us here in Singapore.