Hard to get or expensive items

[RAI C.]

In terms of items maybe not very available (certain foods/spices) or a bit pricey (electronics) in Ecuador, what is the feasibility of making trips to surrounding countries to retrieve such items? Or are Ecuadorian customs considerations too stringent to make this a feasible alternative?

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Customs regulations are not the issue. Even if you could locate the hard-to-find items you describe it seems highly impractical to travel all the way to another country to purchase them. And even if they were cheaper, with travel costs to and from those other countries you would spend more than you’d save on electronics.

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Those of us who live in Cotacachi sometimes drive 2 hours north to the border with Colombia for shopping. I’ve only done this once… and we went not for shopping but for sightseeing of a beautiful church on the border. As for buying, while we did go to the shopping area, we didn’t need anything, so we didn’t buy anything except maybe some garlic powder. We were not stopped going or coming across the border and didn’t even have to show ID, although I’m sure we would have if we’d gone farther into Colombia. So you may be able to get electronics in from Colombia or you may have to pay a duty… Most people just buy in Ecuador. TVs and computers seem to be the really pricey items. Expats bring computers from the States (computers purchased here will have Spanish-language keyboards) and buy TVs here and just pay the higher price. We only have one TV… and we don’t watch TV nearly as much as we did in the States. It’s not all that interesting these days… 🙂

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