# Wish Asia uses same voltage as North America



## Beijing08 (Jul 19, 2010)

I'm in China currently and Eheim 2215 classic canister cost merely $80 tax inc.
Everything else is so cheap, all sorts of HOB filters are around $5 each. Not to mention Rummynose tetras are like $0.20 each and arrowanas (foot long) are $150. Makes me wanna cry when I go to BA next time.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

$80 plus a transformer and it will still be cheaper than Canadian prices


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## Joeee (Apr 3, 2010)

I heard turtles are also about $0.60 (BA's price - $45) in China.

You should definitely bring a few 2217s back with some transformers.


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## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

I feel the same way when I came back from China, Hong Kong & Japan when I go to the lfs here I just look and find it hard to buy any fishy. For example the soft shell turtles were 3 for $10HKD which equal to $1.35CAD for 3. Here the lfs sell them any where from $20 to $30CAD each Another example were the 12" to 14" kois and they were only $6CAD each and here you are looking at $100 to $300CAD each and the quality of the kois were better too in HK Also the shrimps are very cheap over there too


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## Joeee (Apr 3, 2010)

dl88dl said:


> I feel the same way when I came back from China, Hong Kong & Japan when I go to the lfs here I just look and find it hard to buy any fishy. For example the soft shell turtles were 3 for $10HKD which equal to $1.35CAD for 3. Here the lfs sell them any where from $20 to $30CAD each Another example were the 12" to 14" kois and they were only $6CAD each and here you are looking at $100 to $300CAD each and the quality of the kois were better too in HK Also the shrimps are very cheap over there too


Maybe we should set something up? It doesn't sound hard to make much of a profit off of this, unless shipping is some ridiculous amount. I've seen on Aquabid some people had $15 and the cost of shipping would often be more than the betta its self.

Turtles are illegal to import to Canada unless you're an educational institution but as far as fish go, it's fair game.

How much are tanks there?


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## penpal (Feb 20, 2009)

I was in Hong Kong this summer and everything is so cheap its not even fair. Prices are so low because most people don't have space for aquariums and competition is so high. Just on one street there is 40+ fish stores ranging from specializing in discus to plants and everything in between. I saw some bags of flourite for $60 which is like 8 dollars in Canadian, I so wanted to bring some back. I don't remember seeing any large tanks because most people don't have room for them, but I did see smaller tanks, 15ish gallons i say going for around $10 bucks and if you bargain you can probably get them to throw in a light and filter. Also you can get tanks custom made which most people do relatively cheap.

If you were just shipping equipment it you might be able to make some money but then all the voltage is different and who would buy it. Livestock probably wouldn't be worth it if you want it to get here before they die. You'd also need someone who knows their stuff there to pick species out and pack them etc,etc. Even if you do it on a large scale the profits probably wouldn't be worth your time.


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## Beijing08 (Jul 19, 2010)

PenPal is right.

If it could happen, it would've happened already.
There wouldn't be such a thing as an "LFS" anymore, it would be OFS (overseas fish store) LOL!!!!

just to throw in another fact, sulawesi shrimps (cardinals, in particular) are $7 each, just found out today. I'm guessing there are less middlemen when importing to China or any other Asian country than coming over to North America. Who knows how much BA's stockists charge... 
After all, China is closer to Malaysia and Singapore and Japan etc.
ADA has its own headquarter in Beijing, specializing in, obviously, ADA stuff.

To quote above on the soil (flourite) it's illegal to bring soil or any kind of substrate into the country...unless of course you don't mention it to the customs hahaha 
was gonna ship over some Aquasoil II, but didn't wanna risk it.


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## penpal (Feb 20, 2009)

lol, I was just gonna put it in my luggage, uh 4 bags of it, but then my luggage would weigh like 70lbs and that might be a bit suspicious...


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## bigfishy (Jun 19, 2009)

That is not all true, for the exotic fish, they still cost a lot...


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## penpal (Feb 20, 2009)

Well yea I know great show quality fish could fetch up to tens of thousands of dollars, as well as quality shrimps would cost quite a bit. But the more everyday stuff like sw clowns fishes and tangs are like 2 dollars Canadian each and you get to net your own :O.


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## Beijing08 (Jul 19, 2010)

Joeee said:


> I heard turtles are also about $0.60 (BA's price - $45) in China.
> 
> You should definitely bring a few 2217s back with some transformers.


hohoho easier said than done, it's like 5 kg for one of those, according to our international regulations, luggage can't exceed 23kg, meaning I'd have to discard everything else  Guess it's worth it if people are willing to pay 140+ for it, otherwise nah hehehe


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## Holidays (Apr 18, 2010)

Ya that would be good, I could have used my nintendo game console when I first move out here back in 91. the dissimilarity robs my childhood joy


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

Darkblade48 said:


> $80 plus a transformer and it will still be cheaper than Canadian prices


That's right.
This item should help.


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## Beijing08 (Jul 19, 2010)

igor.kanshyn said:


> That's right.
> This item should help.


Good stuff Igor


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

What is the power voltage in Hong Kong? I assume it is 220 volts? 

In which case that item won't work, as you need to convert UP from 110 to 220 rather than down. The only solution would be to wire up a dedicated electrical outlet from your service panel.


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## Beijing08 (Jul 19, 2010)

Correction...the 2217 (600) actually costs more, what I saw was the 2215 (or 350) and was so excited that I posted this thread immediately.

as for the voltage converter, the voltage in China is 220, which means we'll need a converter to convert our voltage (110) to 220v. So...input for the converter should be 110, and output (which goes into the appliance) should be 220.
Therefore,
input 110
output 220


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## Beijing08 (Jul 19, 2010)

igor.kanshyn said:


> That's right.
> This item should help.


Is that the one you're using for your small clip on on your 5.5g? haha


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## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

Beijing08 said:


> Correction...the 2217 (600) actually costs more, what I saw was the 2215 (or 350) and was so excited that I posted this thread immediately.
> 
> as for the voltage converter, the voltage in China is 220, which means we'll need a converter to convert our voltage (110) to 220v. So...input for the converter should be 110, and output (which goes into the appliance) should be 220.
> Therefore,
> ...


How safe is the voltage converter using it 7/24 365/year


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## Beijing08 (Jul 19, 2010)

dl88dl said:


> How safe is the voltage converter using it 7/24 365/year


I would say they're very safe, since Igor has been using one for his lamp. I mean, they certainly wouldn't have any fire hazards or similar types of defects. If you end up paying for one over $20 in Canada, they're evidently made in China. Also, in China, my family uses some appliances from Canada which requires the opposite conversion and so far it's been good. I guess these things will have to come from personal opinions and experiences as there are no guarantees.


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## bigfishy (Jun 19, 2009)

Beijing08 said:


> Correction...the 2217 (600) actually costs more, what I saw was the 2215 (or 350) and was so excited that I posted this thread immediately.
> 
> as for the voltage converter, the voltage in China is 220, which means we'll need a converter to convert our voltage (110) to 220v. So...input for the converter should be 110, and output (which goes into the appliance) should be 220.
> Therefore,
> ...


Just curious, how much did it goes for? $1000?


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## Beijing08 (Jul 19, 2010)

Do you mean rmb 1000 yuan? the $ sign is kinda misleading haha
well before shipping and without media it's roughly 750 yuan.
btw, they don't seem to have the clips you're looking for, Alex. I'll keep trying!


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

Beijing08 said:


> Is that the one you're using for your small clip on on your 5.5g? haha


No, I use another device, it's like this one. It costs me ~$19 
At that time it was only an option.

Now there is better choice on eBay 

Pay attention on device's consumption. 50W is good for small devices, but you can't plug hairdryer, iron, kettle, etc. in it.


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

dl88dl said:


> How safe is the voltage converter using it 7/24 365/year


It should be safe if you use it right.
Do not overload it with devices that need more that 50W and do not put your fingers in it


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## jamesren (Aug 27, 2008)

Beijing08 said:


> PenPal is right.
> 
> just to throw in another fact, sulawesi shrimps (cardinals, in particular) are $7 each, just found out today. I'm guessing there are less middlemen when importing to China or any other Asian country than coming over to North America. Who knows how much BA's stockists charge...


You mean $7 CAD for cardinals? or YUAN?


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## Beijing08 (Jul 19, 2010)

jamesren said:


> You mean $7 CAD for cardinals? or YUAN?


around 50 YUAN James
which is roughly 7 dollars.


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