Where can I buy cheap import electronics in Seattle?

January 11, 2011 9:34 AM

Recommend places to shop for cheap import electronics in Seattle. Think knockoff ipads, android tablets, unlocked smartphones, and other geeky gadgets straight off the boat from China...The kinda stuff you can get at sites like www.chinavasion.com
posted by stenseng to shopping (3 answers total)

Might try poking around the various little electronic stores in the International District and Little Saigon. (I can't think of any specific stores, however).
posted by spinifex23 at 10:24 AM on January 11, 2011

In Vancouver tons of people resell that stuff at flea markets and the summer night markets. Does Seattle have anything similar?
posted by cgg at 10:40 AM on January 11, 2011

Fry's might have some cheap Chinese trinket gadgets. K-Mart briefly sold some crappy, cheap Android tablets and almost everybody who bought one returned it, because they were junk. I can't imagine anybody being able to keep a storefront open selling that stuff.

A) The margins will be really low, making importation difficult to justify; B) selling counterfeit or near-counterfeit products is more legal trouble than it's worth; C) the people who want this stuff already know how to get it online.

I live in the Seattle area too and I've never heard of any place that sold chinavasion/dealextreme style stuff. You might be able to find something at a flea market, where overhead, customer support, and sketchy wares aren't problems.
posted by zjacreman at 10:49 AM on January 11, 2011