Buying Camera Gear in Thailand

It can be a difficult business finding yourself abroad and needing camera gear, not knowing the best places to go, or how to avoid being ripped off.

Buying gear in the UK is easy with plenty of options for new and used gear. When I moved to Thailand, I made the mistake of thinking that the situation would be the same. As they say, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

If find yourself needing gear, hopefully these tips can help.

These are just based on my personal experiences, so take a look online at a few sources and do some reconnaisance.

I will update this post after each visit to Bangkok to try and keep it up to date with any changes or anything new.

Bangkok is king

Like most things in Thailand, Bangkok rules when it comes to shopping for camera gear. Outside of Bangkok, your choices are limited to Big Camera (or if you can find one, World Camera). Big Camera is the main photo retailer across Thailand, but I find their prices to be on the high side. Thailand has a high rate of import tax, so you’ll find most new gear is more expensive than in the UK or US, but if you are in Bangkok, then there are other options. Plus, about 99% of all used retailers are based in Bangkok, so definitely the best place to go.

Speaking Thai is a big help

There are sellers who speak some English, but not many, but if you can’t speak Thai, you can still point and smile and they will usually get the jist, it’s just hard to haggle. If you know someone who can speak Thai, drag them along.

Beware the Farang tax

It’s common practice in Thailand for some sellers to charge higher prices for Westerners than to locals. They call this the Farang tax, and though most Thai’s think it’s wrong, it still happens. Just be aware that if there are no prices displayed, you are likely to get charged more. Again, if you have a local friend who can do the negotiating for you, they’ll probably get you a better price.

This doesn’t go for all sellers though, and you’ll find there are some that are real photo enthusiasts who are happy to find you what you’re looking for and won’t charge the farang tax. Talk to the sellers and you’ll soon get a feel for the ones who are fair and the ones who are not. Again, Thai friends are really good at figuring out who the good ones are. (Google reviews are also helpful).

My recommendations

By no means are these the only recommendations, these are just based on my experiences so far.

Fortune Town Mall

Located at the Rama 9 MRT station, this is by far the best place for new and used gear. You’ll find almost everything you want here (including a smallrig shop, tripods, bags, lenses, filters, etc). They are all located on the same floor (2F) and are clearly signposted from the ground floor. You will also find small vendors selling a lot of electrical stuff. Shout-out to W@p Telecom who sorted me out with a replacement power-brick for my laptop).

For new gear I found that Zoom was a good retailer. Some English, but not much, so keep things simple. There is also room to negotiate too. What impressed me was that they fitted a screen protector to the rear LCD screen of my camera. They opened each of the boxes and let me test the gear to make sure I was happy (I think this is pretty standard with Thai retailers anyway, but don’t quote me on that).

For used gear my favourite was Camera Exchange. (You can also find them on Facebook as Camera Plus). I found them to be really good to deal with. The gear was fairly priced and in great condition and the customer experience was really good. They speak some English and I was able to buy a couple of lenses and pay without any language barrier getting in the way. I found a problem with one item I bought from them online and they handled it without any fuss, asking what I was looking for and offering suggestions. They are real enthusiasts and know their stuff and you’ll get no farang tax. I go there every time I’m in Bangkok.

(Update for 2024: The owners of Camera Plus has also opened Snapshot, which does camera gear rentals. So if you only need to rent gear, they’ve got you covered.)

Mega Plaza

Mega Plaza is either the most amazing multi story bazaar in the world, or it is the living embodiement of Hell on Earth.

Located close to the Sam Yot MRT station, Mega Plaza is full of toys, phones and gadgets. Camera sellers are again all located together on the fifth floor. It’s a mixed bag, but there are film cameras, digital cameras, compacts and lenses galore. There are even a couple of large format field cameras. It has practically everything and the prices range all over the place, so look round everything, and try to remember the places you liked, because it’s easy to get lost up there. Some of the smaller sellers look a little disinterested, but sometimes these have the best prices. FotoXcite has a good reputation, and like Camera Plus, they won’t bug you unless you start talking to them. Again, they seem to be enthusiasts and know their stuff. There are sellers here that will charge you more for being a farang though, so be aware.

FotoFile at the MBK Mall

The MBK mall is one that gets mentioned often online, but I found it a bit of a let down. MBK gets mentioned mainly for FotoFile on floor 1, but I’m not sure if it’s still there (didn’t get chance to look on my last visit in 2025, so can’t confirm).

There is a Big Camera on floor 5, but the highlight is FotoFile, which you can find on Floor 5, Zone B. This is a large shop and they have a good range of Canon and Nikon cameras to try, (some Sony and Fujifilm too). There is a large Nikon display showcasing a wide range of film cameras and lenses. Very friendly and helpful staff as well.

The MBK centre is about 450 metres from the Siam BTS station, opposite Siam Discovery.

Gear availability

Another thing I discovered was that buying certain brands was much easier than others. Sony and Canon can be found in almost all the sellers at Fortune Town and Mega Plaza. Nikon a little bit less. Panasonic, Olympus and Fujifilm is harder to find. Just something else to be aware of.

facebook Marketplace

facebook marketplace is probably the best place to buy used gear online. You’ll see most of the used sellers listing here too (FotoXCite and Camers Plus will have a lot of their stock listed here). You can find bargains here, for example, I found a very nice X-E2 for well under half the price they are selling for on UK eBay, so it is possible to gear up for less if buying used.

This isn’t a complete list of places to shop for camera gear, but after a few experiences, these are the places I prefer to visit. If you find yourself in Thailand, and in need of photography gear, then hopefully this serves as a useful start. Enjoy.