Electronics shopping Bali
Electronic city stocks a range of household brands
Bali is deservedly famous for its heritage of wonderful art and handicrafts but less well known as a shopping destination for modern gadgets and electronics. It cannot really compete with cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong or Bangkok for variety but compares very favourably on price. The best bargains around are for mobile phones where there is a virtually limitless choice and a basic model can be had for just rp150,000. Digital cameras and portable DVD players are also good value.
The best bet for audio equipment, computers, cameras and the like is to head to the island capital of Denpasar. There is a wide range of electronics suppliers here and, as it is not a major tourist centre, prices are much lower than everywhere else in Bali. There are many small outlets selling locally made and brand name goods at prices which are among the cheapest in the region.
Before committing yourself always consider shipping or excess baggage charges for bulky items and whether an international warranty is offered. Most products come with English language instruction booklets. In some of the smaller outlets, any preloaded software that comes with a new desktop computer or laptop may not be original.
Many places welcome bargaining and small discounts are often given. Bali Makmur (Jalan Teuku Umar, Denpasar, Tel: +62 (0)361 228431, open daily 10:00 to 18:00) is worth a browse for brand name cameras, mobile phones and an extensive range of computer peripherals. This main high street has a number of other options with official distributors of brand name goods from companies such as Samsung, Panasonic and Sony.
Save yourself a little foot slogging on hot and humid streets and head straight to the RIMO Centre on Jalan Diponegoro in central Denpasar. This is a three storey electronics mall with over 100 outlets specialising in HiFi, computers, cellular equipment and digital cameras. There is a wide range of goods on offer and fierce competition keeps prices low.
Camera parts are easy to find here
It is worth shopping around as some places have a strict fixed price policy while others happily encourage bargaining. There are also places that repair and service computer equipment and unlock mobile phones to accept Indonesian SIM cards. This is generally the first place in Bali to offer the very latest products on the market. MP3 players and video cameras are particularly good value here.
Denpasar’s large department stores are also worth investigating for electronics goods. The best of the bunch are Tiara and the Ramayana Centre which both have large audio visual sections displaying mainly brand name goods. There are also a few second hand electronics stores in central Denpasar located on busy Jalan Teuku Umar. Unsurprisingly the range is likely to be pretty limited but prices are very cheap.
Elsewhere in Bali the choice is very limited and the very few electronics shops based in the tourist areas are expensive by comparison. The one exception is Electronic City (Discovery Mall, Kuta) which is a vast branch of Indonesia’s largest electronics retailer. There is an excellent range of digital cameras, TVs, stereo and phones here at fairly decent prices. They also offer extended international warrantees.
Throughout the Kuta and Legian area there are literally hundreds of small kiosks selling new and used mobile phones and computer equipment and accessories and is a fairly good option if you value convenience over price. Almost as abundant are the ubiquitous DVD shops that do a roaring trade selling new release Hollywood movies and pirated computer software for just rp7000 a disc.
