PNH Duty Free Cigarette Prices

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ash333
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PNH Duty Free Cigarette Prices

Post by ash333 »

Does anyone remember what cigarettes cost in Phnom Penh duty free?
A friend of mine is flying to the UK from Phnom Penh shortly and will bring me some. He's got a couple of stops en route, just trying to figure out where will be cheapest.
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Re: PNH Duty Free Cigarette Prices

Post by Username Taken »

Different brands are different prices. Might help if you name your preferred poison.
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Re: PNH Duty Free Cigarette Prices

Post by ExPenhMan »

I recall something like US$23/carton for my brand, Mevius; a very similar price for the Marlboros. This was in early 2019 at a PNH duty-free shop after getting stamped INTO Cambodia. I didn't buy there because I knew I could get them cheaper downtown: about a $1.50 a pack at the time.

There's a couple of vendors at the Central Market (Tsar Tmei) selling cartons of various brands. Still, I guess even US$23 is far cheaper than ciggies in the UK, or any other western country.
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Re: PNH Duty Free Cigarette Prices

Post by Doc67 »

The central market vendors have sleeves (10 packs) of many brands, starting from about $10.

Duty Free doesn't mean profit free and many of these airport shops pay crippling rents to be there and have to get it back somehow. For genuine products such as cosmetics, after shave etc they are possibly good value, but be sure you know your prices.

As for ciggies, they are so cheap here they are effectively duty free.
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Re: PNH Duty Free Cigarette Prices

Post by armchairlawyer »

Doc67 wrote: Sun Jan 23, 2022 9:54 am The central market vendors have sleeves (10 packs) of many brands, starting from about $10.

Duty Free doesn't mean profit free and many of these airport shops pay crippling rents to be there and have to get it back somehow. For genuine products such as cosmetics, after shave etc they are possibly good value, but be sure you know your prices.

As for ciggies, they are so cheap here they are effectively duty free.
Yes, there are two vendors at the SW corner of Central Market. Cheaper than any duty free shop I would say, certainly cheaper than PNH. And AFAIK, genuine products.
I was talking to a Golden Virginia tobacco smoker who buys from the Central Market and from a shop on 172. The two products are noticeably different, priced about the same, $23 for 250g. He has compared both with genuine GV from BKK airport and he reckons the CM stuff is genuine and the 172 stuff is fake but he actually usually buys it because he prefers the taste. I had a look at both and the fake one did look better quality!
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Re: PNH Duty Free Cigarette Prices

Post by PSD-Kiwi »

Cheaper to buy outside, duty-free prices are higher.
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Re: PNH Duty Free Cigarette Prices

Post by Anchor Moy »

armchairlawyer wrote: Sun Jan 23, 2022 11:44 am
Doc67 wrote: Sun Jan 23, 2022 9:54 am The central market vendors have sleeves (10 packs) of many brands, starting from about $10.

Duty Free doesn't mean profit free and many of these airport shops pay crippling rents to be there and have to get it back somehow. For genuine products such as cosmetics, after shave etc they are possibly good value, but be sure you know your prices.

As for ciggies, they are so cheap here they are effectively duty free.
Yes, there are two vendors at the SW corner of Central Market. Cheaper than any duty free shop I would say, certainly cheaper than PNH. And AFAIK, genuine products.
I was talking to a Golden Virginia tobacco smoker who buys from the Central Market and from a shop on 172. The two products are noticeably different, priced about the same, $23 for 250g. He has compared both with genuine GV from BKK airport and he reckons the CM stuff is genuine and the 172 stuff is fake but he actually usually buys it because he prefers the taste. I had a look at both and the fake one did look better quality!
My experience has been the opposite - fake cigarettes at CM* and proper cigs at Navy Shop on 172. $12.50 a carton.
After an "indepth investigation" into the fake cigarettes at CM, I discovered that they were selling two variants of the same brand. You ask for Malboro Light - seller pulls out a packet (that is real), then you say how much for a carton ? $12.50. Then they reach under the counter and give you a carton of "fakes". And I noticed this because they were a really shit smoke.
:dm:
Finally, after further investigation at CM, I found out that you could actually buy a carton of "fakes" for $10, and the real smokes were $12.50 - except that the vendor was selling the fake cigs for $12.50. There was a way to tell the difference from the packet - you had to check the name and country of manufacture, but don't remember the details.
Anyway, all this was a long time ago when $2.50 per carton seemed like a lot of difference, I was buying cigarettes to resell, and I had time on my hands. These days I would just go to Lucky Drink on Monivong or Navy Shop on 172.
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Re: PNH Duty Free Cigarette Prices

Post by ExPenhMan »

Anchor Moy wrote: Sun Jan 23, 2022 3:23 pm
armchairlawyer wrote: Sun Jan 23, 2022 11:44 am
Doc67 wrote: Sun Jan 23, 2022 9:54 am The central market vendors have sleeves (10 packs) of many brands, starting from about $10.

Duty Free doesn't mean profit free and many of these airport shops pay crippling rents to be there and have to get it back somehow. For genuine products such as cosmetics, after shave etc they are possibly good value, but be sure you know your prices.

As for ciggies, they are so cheap here they are effectively duty free.
Yes, there are two vendors at the SW corner of Central Market. Cheaper than any duty free shop I would say, certainly cheaper than PNH. And AFAIK, genuine products.
I was talking to a Golden Virginia tobacco smoker who buys from the Central Market and from a shop on 172. The two products are noticeably different, priced about the same, $23 for 250g. He has compared both with genuine GV from BKK airport and he reckons the CM stuff is genuine and the 172 stuff is fake but he actually usually buys it because he prefers the taste. I had a look at both and the fake one did look better quality!
My experience has been the opposite - fake cigarettes at CM* and proper cigs at Navy Shop on 172. $12.50 a carton.
After an "indepth investigation" into the fake cigarettes at CM, I discovered that they were selling two variants of the same brand. You ask for Malboro Light - seller pulls out a packet (that is real), then you say how much for a carton ? $12.50. Then they reach under the counter and give you a carton of "fakes". And I noticed this because they were a really shit smoke.
:dm:
Finally, after further investigation at CM, I found out that you could actually buy a carton of "fakes" for $10, and the real smokes were $12.50 - except that the vendor was selling the fake cigs for $12.50. There was a way to tell the difference from the packet - you had to check the name and country of manufacture, but don't remember the details.
Anyway, all this was a long time ago when $2.50 per carton seemed like a lot of difference, I was buying cigarettes to resell, and I had time on my hands. These days I would just go to Lucky Drink on Monivong or Navy Shop on 172.
Here in Thailand, Camel (Yellow and Blue) and Mevius (Original, Sky Blue and Wind Blue -- the latter unavailable for 2 years now) are made in the Philippines by Japan Tobacco Int. I'm fairly sure the Marlboros (I don't like them) are made there too. Most Marlboro smokers I know are not all that keen on Filipino Marlies.

Prices just went up (yet again) a couple of months ago. Camels are 72 baht/US$2.25 a pack, which is considered cheap here and Mevius runs 160 baht/US$5. I switched to Camel Blues (60 bt) from Mevius (150) at the previous price gouging, saving 90 baht/US$3a pack!
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Re: PNH Duty Free Cigarette Prices

Post by AndyKK »

I buy a brand called Cocopalm, they match the taste and strength of Benson & Hedges or Regal. A sleave of 10 packs are @$3.10, or 13.000rial in the city.
Always "hope" but never "expect".
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