While the volume of made-in-China appliances making their way onto Taiwanese shelves is growing, consumer acceptance of the products is mixed.
"We started to import mainland-brand television sets last year and sales are not too bad," said Fiona Wang (王彤芳), public relations manager at RT-Mart Ltd (大潤發量販店), a domestic hypermart.
Sold under the brand name "Konca," the 20-inch Chinese TV sets retail for NT$3,500.
"Compared with other international brand names priced at between NT$6,000 and NT$7,000, Konca TVs are a steal," Wang said.
However, one market insider said lower prices are not the public's main priority when purchasing electronic appliances.
"Taiwanese consumers are very international-brand oriented when it comes to buying large electronic appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners and stereos," said Kao Chih-hua (
To avoid fallout from that trend, RT-Mart puts its emphasis on importing goods from China which tend to have less emphasis put on their brand names.
"Most of our appliances imported from China are small, low-tech products like hair dryers, toasters, irons and electric razors." Kao said.
According to the Board of Foreign Trade, even after Taiwan enters WTO, most of those products from China which are not currently allowed in the country, will remain banned.
These include refrigerators, washing machines, microwaves and television sets with screens larger than 21-inches.
Meanwhile, the real influx of electronic appliances is expected to come from foreign manufactures, said Catherine Tien (田竹英), spokeswoman for the Tsann Kuen Channel Business (燦坤電子通路), an appliance retailer with 80 stores.
Taiwanese consumers, while preferring Japanese brand names, are going to see mores choices from the US, Korea and European manufacturers, Tien said.
"In addition, products within the same category will have a greater variety of prices and models."
As for whether WTO entry will force prices down, even the retailers are unsure.
"Currently, wholesalers and retailers are watching market developments, and I believe the new pricing won't be seen until March next year," said Wu Hsing-chi (吳興智), executive manager at Daiichi Corp (泰一電器), an appliance retailer with stores nationwide.
According to Wu, consumers are keen to know when prices will fall.
"The consumers are ready to enjoy the benefits of WTO entry. We are just trying to figure out our strategy," Wu said.
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