Live in the Philippines

Live in the Philippines helps expats with visas, moving and other services regarding the Philippines.

Shopping for towels?

Shopping / by

Shopping for towels?  It sure seems like a very esoteric topic for LiP, but don’t worry, it will have relevance, just read on.

You see, when we moved to the Philippines in May of 2000, we brought plenty of towels with us, in addition to all of our personal/household items.  As a matter of fact, we had two freight containers full of stuff – a 40′ container and a 20′ container, so, as you can tell, we had a lot of stuff.

After about 5 or 6 years living here, though, you get to where there is stiff that you need.  Things like towels and other household items wear out.  Clothes go out of style, don’t fit you any more, or are worn out and need to be replaced.  Just about anything in life needs replacing from time to time.

Towels are just an example of what I want to talk about today.  You see, with a lot of items that are for everyday use, like towels, it is extremely difficult to find quality items in the Philippines.  Let’s talk towels, OK?

When we got to the point where we needed to purchase some new towels for household use, we found that there just were no decent qualty towels available!  It sounds like such a simple item, but when we would buy a towel or two to try out, we didn’t like them.  You see, we never could find any towels that would absorb water!  They all just kind of smeared the water around, but didn’t soak it up!  Soaking up water is kind of a prerequisite for a good towel, don’t you think?

As we looked at other kinds of products, we always found that decent quality products just weren’t available here.  It was funny, because the Philippines produces things like clothing, towels and other textile type goods.  If you are in the USA or other first world countries, such products from the Philippines were generally top quality stuff, not cheapy stuff.  But, if you bought them here in the Philippines, they simply were terrible quality.  Why?

Well, the more we checked into this, we found that for goods produced in the Philippines, the good ones are exclusively sent overseas for export products to make money for the Philippines!  You live here and want to buy the good quality stuff yourself?  Too bad, bucko!

When it came to towels, though, we found a solution!  Feyma and I, one day, saw a US surplus goods store, and we were kind of intrigued, and decided to go in and check the place out.  All the stuff they sold was used stuff from the USA – clothing, shoes, all kinds of odds and ends.  As we shopped around, we found a stack of towels!  These were big beach sized towels, and they looked very nice.  Seemed brand new almost.  P150 each!  Cheap!  We bought a bunch of them.  Took them home and tried them out, and they were great, so we went back and bought all of them that they had!  That was a couple years ago, and we are still using those towels, and loving them.

Towels are a pretty simple thing, but it just points out that when you live somewhere like the Philippines, finding decent quality goods is not always easy to do!  Sometimes you must resort to unsual methods of obtaining stuff, like buying it in a surplus store.  And, when you find something that you need, and it is of decent quality… you need to stock up, becuase it might be years before you find anything like that again!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hi Bob,

    Shopping for cars…A little bit related question… can you bring a car/SUV/auto vehicle from the States to the Phil? What are the Phil regulations?

  2. Bob,

    Proof of how badly US towels are wanted in the Philippines are contents of Balikbayan Boxes. Just ask anybody who has sent, received them (balikbayan boxes) – they're sure to have had a couple of them Canon towels in there! 🙂

    Have a nice day!

  3. Bob
    "Nako" you threw mw a curve ball with that off the wall topic. From the sounds of it when you made the moove there was no turning back. 2 freight containers I dont think I own that much stuff,"maybe".

  4. hi bob,

    my family in the philippines prefer the smaller and lighter type of towels that are available in the Philippines. The reason being is it is not heavy when you wash them by hands. Many filipinos that i know, including my family can't afford a washing machine – so they'd rather use the smaller ones. Funny how my tiny mother can use a hand towel to dry herself off.

    janet

  6. hi mia,

    i know what you're talking about. I just sent my sister a couple of towels in the bbbox. They're not new though but still in good shape compared to what they have over there. She actually only uses them for "special occassions" haha.. She has a washing machine so shouldn't have a problem washing them by hands.

    janet

  8. Hi Gerry – There is no problem bringing a car in – as long as you don't mind paying the 100% import tax! Because the import tax is so high, it's best to just buy the car here! 😆

  10. Hi Neal – I like to throw in a curve ball every now and then to keep you guys on your toes! Don't want you getting lazy, you know! 😉

    Yep, we came here to stay!

  13. Hi Janet – When we moved here, Feyma had towels that were "special occasion" towels too. After a while, though, we said "forget about that" and used them! 😆

  14. Hi Bob – All I can say is that it's a good thing they don't treat the beer, ruhm and basi the same way they do their high quality towels! 😉

    (There he goes again with that beer talk! 😆 )

  15. Hey Paul – That's true, they keep the good stuff here when it comes to the beer and rhum! I'm not familiar with basi – not sure what that is! 😆

  17. Only the "finest wine" made from sugar cane (something like fermented and distilled molases that are a short step away from vinegar!) 🙂

  19. Hi Paul – Ah, that sounds like what we call "tuba" down south. Except tuba doesn't come from sugar cane, it comes from coconut trees. Tuba, like basi is just a step away from being vinegar.

  20. Hi Neal,

    Thanks for the info… I went to the Customs website and is really hard to find information and definitely not user-friendly. This is somewhat related to what Bob mentioned in his earlier topic regarding government tourism website. It is better to just ask Bob! I got my answer pronto. 🙂

  22. Gerry,
    I think you can be exempt from the import tax if you are a Philipine citizen returning to the Philippines to live/retire. I think that's why Neal said he put the Motorcycle in his wife's name. Even if you don't have a filipina for a wife, some of the retirement Visas include tax incentives. I haven't done this yet but that was one reason my wife reclaimed her Philippine citizenship.

    Either way, I agree with Bob when it comes to big items like a car. You will probably save a lot of grief by buying it there.(cost, taxes, maintenance, parts, etc.)
    Mark C.

  23. Hi Mark C, – When we moved here we had a resident visa which includes tax incentives. These tax incentives are for household and personal goods. Vehicles are not included in those incentives though. The Philippines is very strict about this, as it is a protection of the Philippine auto assembly industry.

  24. Morning Bob,
    You must be a terrible packer or else you had an outrageous amount of stuff! Towels are a bit of a pet hate of mine too. I can't understand why anyone would make one that is water-repellant, but they do. A lot of them are too bulky and fluffy and made from the wrong fabric. I still have a few old, rough textured cotton ones in the closet that my parents had when I was a kid 40 years ago. They are half the size of the big fluffy ones you can buy but dry you in seconds. And in the Philippines that is what you need given the tropical humidity. In regards to the beer and spirits – buy or make yourselves a still! It's solved all my problems!

  25. bob , speeking of shopping, can u tell me if the home depot is in davao yet? there is supposed to be two stores in manila. thanks.

  26. hi bob,

    hahaha, it reminds me of my wrist watch, I buy my wrist watch online from one company in the states and payed almost $200 for it, the watch is not available in the philippines and when I got it, I was totally dismayed because on the back of it, it says "Made in the philippines".

  27. cotton terry cloth bath sheets are so good ..I took a couple with me and they are still there ..wasn't aloud to bring them back with me 🙂 🙂 ..Phil n Jess

  28. Hi AussieLee – My packing skills are of no consequence… because we hired a professional packing company to do the packing, and believe me, they did a very good job of it. Yeah, we had a lot of stuff.

    Yes, I believe that most of the towels here are made from the wrong fabric, and are actually water repellent rather than absorbent! Strange!

  32. and i am guessing large sized sox too huh 😉 am starting to pack hmmm need to cushion some stuff with towels too 🙂

  33. Hi Tommy – How did you guess? 😆 For those who don't know, Tommy is getting ready to come to the Philippines, and he is carrying some stuff over for me with him. My oldest son wears size 13 shoes, and you cannot buy socks that large here, so that is one of the things Tommy is bringing for us. Thank you so much, Tommy. We appreciate the effort. 😀

  34. You brought up a sore subject. I never did find a decent desk chair there. Bought two and they lasted 2-3 months max before they fell apart. I'm still debating bringing a good one I have but it needs worked on. I suspect it would be cheap to get it fixed there though. It costs a lot to send a pallet sized box but its cheaper than that many BBBoxes and will fit the chair.

    We actually did find some good cotton towels in Davao. Don't remember which store it was but they were expensive so we only got two.

  35. Hi John – I used to be of the opinion that bringing too much stuff with you is a waste of money. However, I have come around to the opinion that on certain goods, like your chair, quality products are simply unavailable here, and you should bring it.

  36. The first time I went toe pi I stayed in a hotel and they had two small towels. I told them the next day to leave me six towels. The night we got married we moved to a bigger room. Ater we got settled in there was a knock at the door. House keeping==here are your six towels sir!!!

    We looked all over Tacloban for good towels on two dif. trips and found nothing but towels that loooked like they were made from old flour bags. My mother in law keeps the two big towels there for our vist and also bath robes-one pink and one blue. This blog hit very close to home for me.

  37. Hi don – Ha ha… sometimes it is surprising the articles that touch people in a certain way. It seems that a number of people were touched by this one, including you! Yes, I can't understand why it is hard to buy a decent bath towel in the Philippines, but for some reason it just is! Certainly seems strange, because quality textile goods that are available overseas are often made here!

  38. Bob – I’ve seen drug store type tobacco in Cebu (Captain Black etc.) Me? Give up smoking? hahahahahaha You’re funny.

    John H. – Growing tobacco is not the hard part, but if you want it to taste anywhere near good there’s the drying, aging, casing, etc. Well beyond the means of a backyard gardener. The climate and soil in Davao is not quite right… if only I could get a few hectares of land on Mt. Apo… that volcanic soil would be perfect. But not to worry I found a website that will ship tobacco to the Philippines.

  39. I think I backed myself into a corner lately because cigarettes are so expensive now in the states I am kicking the habit… down from 1.5-2 packs a day to around 6 sticks. but I have rediscovered the pleasure of smoking a pipe… that's going to present problems when I come home because it's not like I can pop in the local tobacconist and get a few tins of Peterson's. Guess I will be bringing a few tins with me.

  40. Hi brspiritus – I don't think I've ever seen pipe tobacco in the Philippines. Maybe in Manila?

    Best bet might be to stop smoking all together! 😀

  41. The first time I went to the pi I bought new docker cloths and the shirts were very good–made in the pi. I have just lost some weight and dug though my closet and the shirts that I bought in 1993 still look like new and the tags are still in them–made in the philippines. I will wear them the next time I go back for a vist. My relatives will think I couldn't afford new cloths. Probly not a bad idea!!! hahaha

  42. Hey B.R. Have you got a garden? Have you considered growing your own? I think all the stuff about tobacco being so bad for you is from the chemicals they use. If I used it I would sure look into growing my own.

  44. Hi Bob.
    The picture brought back memories from the 70ties when I worked at Thule Air Force base in greenland. Nice Canon`s and even the colours are the same. O boy how I mis those. Happy drying to you.

  46. Hello Manong Bob, belated happy easter! I always sleep in the dark, but with a clock radio. You can tell the time without turning the light on because it is red LED. When I was in PI, I always want to know the time whenever I wake up at night. So I thought I'd buy one and just leave it to my brother in PI . No one seems to sell them in Cebu? we went to SM and Gaisano Cebu looking for one. The salesman didn't know what I was talking about! One even looked confused, I think he just said "no ma'm we don't have that" just to get away from me!

    Can you tell me if you can buy clock radios in PI? It's cheap enough here in Oz, but I would then have to buy an adapter plug because we use the 3 prong angled plugs and power points.

    Another item is shoes. I wear size 7 Aussie shoes. Only my toes will go inside a size 7 shoes at the Bogo Gaisano. When I asked for a bigger size, was told "sorry ma'am that's the biggest we have". Are Filipino shoe sizing different? Lucky my daughter didn't ask for a pair – she wears size 8!

  47. Hi Dans, what is the brand of watch you bought? I'm looking at buying online a Police Watch and a Smith & Wesson watch, both with matching sunglasses for my brother as a present. Hope they're not made in PI as bro is particularly fond of anything made in US or UK.

  48. Christine: You need to be careful shipping clocks and devices with clocks here. Why? Well, voltage is normally not the problem…. And besides, many devices are dual voltage. However, the RP electric is normally 240v (like most of the world), but 60 hz frequency (like in the States), so devices with clocks in them are inaccurate, if they work at all, unless powered through an inverter (more hassle than it's worth, normally).At SM or the big stores in Manila, there was a decent selection of clocks, though the prices were a bit high, and many were normal quality standard for electronics in the RP. (I went through this when we moved from Abu Dhabi last year… They run 240v, 50 hz there and all our clocks would not work). This difference will also impact things that regularly cycle (Like a water heater or fridge), so those devices are best bought here.

  49. Gerry
    At the website I linked you to click on the FAQ section on the right then go to the second page.
    Bob is right on, anyone can import a NEW vehicle and pay big import fees. There are restrictions on who can import a used vehicle, you still pay fees but it seems the fees are based on the depreciated value of the vehicle.

  50. Hi Christine – Asa ka? Gimingaw ako sa imo! You know… I don't recall ever seeing a clock radio in the stores here! I never really looked for one, so I might have missed it, though.

    On shoe sizes – the Philippines uses a number of different sizing systems – US, Aussie, European!

  51. Thanks for the advice John. I never even thought of voltage differences. Typical female, buy and plug! 🙂 So can anyone tell me if someone in Cebu stocks them? After John's info, I probably will not buy one now. I would really like one for PI though. It's just one of those quirky things that I must have a clock radio so I can see the time in the dark!

    Sige panginabuhi Manong Bob, para maka-bayad sa Phil. ticket sa Hunyo, he, he. I've been reading some of your old topics. My, I've missed out on a lot, didn't I? Can you explain more about shoe sizing?

    Also mangayo kug pasaylo Manong Bob sa akong kumedya tungod sa imong pitaka. Here in the west, we joke about anything and never think it could bring harm, provided it is not rude that may offend people. In the Phil. it's a different story, labi na gapuyo ka sa lugar nga ilado kaayo nga manguha ug puti. I'll never do it again.
    🙁 🙁

  55. Hi brspiritus – Ha ha… well, at least you have two sources for pipe tobacco then!

    Maybe we can get some land on Mt. Apo or Mt. Matutum. You grow tobacco and I'll grow coffee! 😉

  56. Bob: You inspired me to check… Full size Ralph Lauren, from US, in sealed pkg, for only 500p. I bought it, so I'll let you know if it ends up being the real thing. Perhaps a new source for you!

  57. Hi Christine,

    My fiancee and I had the same problem- the clock radio. I've seen them at two places here in Manila.

    1) SM Appliances. It actually was a "buy a stereo and get an alarm clock for free" promotion. Nowhere in the store could you purchase the actual alarm clock.

    2) A place called "electronics boutique" in Park Square- Makati. I'm not sure if they have a branch in Cebu. They only had ONE model though- again, showing how rare they are here.

    We actually ended up buying one from an Indian export store back in Canada since the voltage was correct, and brought it over here. It was a frustrating experience to try and find one here (to say the least). Hope you have better luck than we did!

  58. Funny how a story about towels is very relevant in relation to living in the Pines. One of the very first things I did when I got to the Pines was to buy a few bath towels. We went to Gaisano and I saw a stack of bath towels for about 114 piso. I thought you beaut, feels good, good size, good price, good colour selection ripper!! My partner said not good don't buy, well I bought them anyway.
    Got home had a badth and used my new navy blue towel. A few minutes later my partner said that my skin looked sick! I looked in the mirror and found out the blue dye had stained my skin and I truly looked like blue death lol. Oh by the way, only after quite a few washes does my bath towel soak up the water.
    Another thing I found out, if there is a product like clothes shoes and some appliances that you are happy with buy a few of them, as I have never found that product sold in the same store again.

  59. Thanks for the info Jon. I'm not going anywhere near Manila, so that's out of the question. I doubt Electronics Boutique has a branch in Cebu. Basically we went to stores at SM mall that are likely to sell them, even hardware stores – no luck. So they are rare. I've since checked ebay US. There are lots available but the postage to Australia is a killer!

    The alternative is to just buy an LED clock. You can pick them at US ebay for US$5, free postage. But with the LED, I imagine batteries won't last long. Might have to go back to Ebay US even if postage is high, as they are more reliable than Ebay Philippines. I've bought lots of stuff from Ebay US Ebay UK and all received them OK, not even registered.

  60. Manong Bob, 2 questions;
    1) I want to give my brother my Acer Laptop. Again I will have to use an adaptor plug. But will I have problems with voltage too? Bro. will probably not worry too much about the laptop clock running behind. Am I likely to get whacked with import duties? laptop is 2 years old.

    2) I also bought brother a set of kitchen knives, complete with case. Would this be allowed in PI? I will pack them in checked in luggage. I would rather know now, rather than PI customs confiscate them. Knives are still in box.

  62. Excellent choice of subject matter Bob.

    I'm curious…do you or your friends ever take a junket to Hong Kong or other nearby countries and go shopping? I wonde if the quality and selection in those places might be better.

  63. hi bob,

    Don't get me wrong bob, I patronize product from the philippines, as a matter of fact i always buy anything made from p.i.

    the thing with this watch is, it's a microsoft watch, you just point the watch in front of your screen and it can download all data from your scheduler, contact directory, memo.. etc..etc..

    what really makes me dismayed about it is, why on earth this kind of watch is not available in the pines? the brand name is Timex Datawatch, i also found out that the assembly plant is in cebu.

  64. Hi, you can get good danish tobacco at SM dept store. Inside the dept store, not the supermarket. Am not sure which dept, but could be around where the Filipiniana section where they sell Phil crafts. My brother smokes a pipe, so I know that's where he buys them.

  65. Hi Christine,
    Why Ebay US,i thought you were in OZ,what about Ebay OZ.

    In answer to a previous question you asked, Knives.
    There are many restrictions by airlines regarding knives of any kind.
    Its best to check online with the airlines to understand their requirements,security is very strict these days.

    regards Chas.

  68. Hi Boss – Oh yes… I forgot to mention about the towels that turn you the same color of the towel when you dry yourself! Another one is when little pieces of the cloth come off from the towel all over your body! Talk about cheap! 😯

  70. Hi David S. – To be honest, I've been in the Philippines for 9 years now and never left the country! So… I haven't been on any shopping junkets, at least yet! 😉

  71. Hi dans – I believe that Timex now makes all of their products in the Philippines. That Timex plant in the MEPSA Zone in Cebu was one of the first businesses in MEPSA. It is certainly strange that stuff made here can't be bought here!

  77. I wouldn't dream of taking knives to cabin. I might just send it with my Balikbayan box to be sure.

    Ebay does not sell clock radios for PI or US. There's the voltage difference to begin with, then the plug. We use the 3 pin angled plug here. So Ebay Oz, sells clock radios for well, Aussies! 🙂

  80. Christine,

    Search Google for eBay fraud and be prepared for a harsh reality.

    In contrast, the developers of Sulit just received the 2009 Peoples' Choice Award for E-Services.

    Speaking from personal experience, I found a VOIP phone vendor using Sulit (after scouring supplier sites (i.e. Tradekey and Alibaba). The vendor was Pinoy but the shipment arrived from Guangdong, China without a hitch.

    Although I now buy electronics direct from the supplier in Guangdong, I've never been scammed by a Filipino/a using Sulit.

    Junior

  81. I stand corrected, there are scammers in Sulit.com, not the website.

    I was addicted to Ebay. Especially when my insomnia strikes, hence the clock radio. I keep tab of how many hours I'd been awake. My bank balance used to get decimated by Ebay before day break. LIP has cured me! Manong Bob, ikaw diay tong sige ug outbid nako? No wonder sige lang kug ka-purdoy sa Ebay, he,he, 🙂

  82. Hi Junior – I think that there are scammers on every site, unfortunately. Christine has been luck on eBay, and you've been lucky on Sulit. I have always had good luck on eBay myself.

  83. SM? I should have thought of that because they sell all the Philippine cigars there (some of which are not bad). I'll have to check it out when I get back but I'll tell you, SM is a long couple of jeepney rides from Buhangin. Thanks a million for the tip.

  84. I like sulit.com it has a lot to offer …I look for everything on it including towels …Phil n Jess