Where to shop - where are the bargains - hard to find items.......

OK here are some for the north coast (Sosua/Cabarete area)

Super Pola:
On Wed for veggies all are 35% off and some 50% off.

Tuesday some meats are on sale and  you can get chicken (some parts and occasionally whole chickens) for between 22 and 32 pesos a pound. depending on the sale that week.  Some beef, pork and fish is also on sale at usually  20% discount or more.  We also use the local produce trucks that drive around for some veggies and fruits.

Household goods either la Sirena in Puerto plata but many times at super discount store in Sosua Abajo.  Great lawn mower and small engine repair in town here also.

Electronics we usually get on line at a much cheaper price for a better quality product even with the shipping.  We recently bought a juicer at 50% off the normal price (Amazon) and shipped it here.  Still ended up 25% cheaper than buying a lesser quality one here.  We also recently shipped a BBQ in and with the shipping it was still 35% cheaper than the exact same model here.

I am sure there is more and will post those when I think of them.

Clothes we buy on line or when we make one of our infrequent trips back to the states.  Besides all we wear here are shorts, t-shirts and flip flops (most days barefoot)

Bob K

How does ebay work with the mail system there? My wife loves ebay here in the states, but on our visit over there they lead us to believe that mail service was the pits and private accounts were quite expensive. What are your thoughts?

You use a private shipping company here like CPS.  You have your stuff sent to their warehouse in Florida and then they forward it on to you.  I costs about $4 a pound for air shipping  but a bit of a break on heaver items shipped by boat.

We use this system all the time and for most products works out cheaper than buying here.  Another example to above: we shipped a 32 in flat screen LED TV for a  price of $179 USD + shipping. It came out to abut $220 with the shipping.  Same TV here was nearly $400US.

Bob K

What about a car Bob?

The key to shipping things in that you have bought off ebay or other online vendors -  you need to stay under US 200 (including tax) OR you will be charged tax and duty here.  AND you want to make sure it does not weigh a lot.  CPS charges by the pound for shipping packages.  So keep that in mind.

Vehicles -  La Vega and Moca are the hotspots for buying vehicles.  Keep in mind dealers here LIE - if a car is imported get a Carfax report and have it checked out by a mechanic.

There are also great deals to be found online. There are several online sites www.corotos.com.dowww.mercadolibre.com   I am sure there are more.

Timing is everything too - for example great sales before mothers day and fathers day here.  BUT not great sales before Christmas!

You are right on the moher's day sales.

CPS like all charge by the pound but the per pound rate is lower for heavier items coming via boat.

Cars yes check car fax.  Some of the best deals are from other expats who are either leaving of upgrading their car.  Especially if bought new or they shipped it in. Check the local supermarket bulletin boards and the  local papers. Word of mouth also works.

Bob K

Hello, we are moving to Sosua in 6 weeks!  Have learned a lot from your posts!  Thanks so much.  Just wondering how to go about buying fresh seafood in the area?

Usually from the guy on the street with fresh fish every morning.

Also Pola has a decent collection of fish on most days.


Bob K

I need to add WELCOME to the forum.  Please feel free to ask questions about living here on the north coast.

Bob K

Its definitely better to buy a car from a gringo. That's your best shot at buying a car that has been taken care of. If you buy from a local you have no idea what you are getting AND they have not done a thing for maintenance on the car. They won't do oil changes, rotate the tires or change them when they are bald, change fluids, nothing. They will drive it till something falls apart or it stops running. Pathetic, really.

With that said, I bought a used car from a local mechanic LOL.

Another possibility is you buy a lightly used car from a rich local. Like a 4-6 year old fancy car. The richer people will trade up at that point and sell what they have. It's a better shot at getting a car that might have been maintained to some extent.

As far as buying anything locally, well, it sounds good on paper, but I'd rather buy whatever I can on Ebay, Amazon or anywhere else in the USA and ship it in via courier like Montero Shipping.

I wrote a blog post on buying ANYTHING in the DR. You can read it if you want to cry with laughter

In terms of Viveres ( Plantain, batata, maiz, yautia, auyama, etc) fruits and species, I rather buy them while on the road and pass by one of these little kiosk in the street or highway in the small towns. This way I support the farmers directly or those more in need, I get them for a fraction of the cost, and fresh. And believe me, you can find almost everything throughout the road in the countryside here.

For any other articles, I prefer Supermercado El Nacional, La Cadena, or Jumbo. Second hand articles I simply don't buy them as I'll be contributing with the thief Cartels here. Have to admit that following the specials is not my thing , I let La Empleada take care of it.

Thank you,  where does this fish guy hang out?

You can find the fish guy most mornings at about 9am on the main highway where the Mulata Road enters the highway.

Bob K

I really love the roasted sweet potato you can buy on the highway. Best I ever had! Also love the cashews and peanuts too.

Cashews road side are terrific.  The sweet potatoe (Batata) are ok but don't measure up to a good old US (orange colored) sweet potato.

Bob K

The cashews and the roasted batata are good no doubt, I just stopped buying them due to hygienic concerns.

see Gary at Spankys in sosua to buy a vehicle of any type. From Canada.  more than 20 years in the DR.   Knows where to get anything.  Tell him that I sent you.  Very helpful place, lots of ex-pats hang there.  Good luck.