Buying Laptop/I-pod in USA - Any pitfalls?

C_Ronaldo

Id love to have a relative in america so then i could buy stuff cheaper over there

isofa

Several companies offer a US mailbox service, so you can order, have it sent to the mailbox in the US, then they forward it to you to UK, think the big courier companies offer this, and many others too, one just off the top of my search was: http://www.myus.com
Similar services often covered in the Sunday broadsheets, in money saving articles.

eslick

on keyboards if you change the settings to UK you use it as a UK one. from what i have seen there are only a couple of keys marked differently and you soon get used to remebering where they are.

IamGeoff

I bought my 160GB ipod from Costco in Richmond, Virginia last year. Cost £175 compared to £225 here, and if any problems I can take it back to any Costco in the universe.

Marty_J

nej wrote: »

I've just ordered an Asus Eee Pc thingy to the place I'm staying at in Florida soon (4 days to go!!!). I got it from BHPhotoVideo in New York, who even have a UK number to call and place an order. They do say they don't normally deliver to Hotels/Resorts but they did for me. The Eee was about £300 instead of about £370 here.

Are you going to be paying VAT when you return? If so, you're not really going to be saving very much money.

Bob63

isofa wrote: »

Several companies offer a US mailbox service, so you can order, have it sent to the mailbox in the US, then they forward it to you to UK,

Two issues with this - 1) Credit card billing address is still in the UK. 2) Customs liability when goods are imported into the UK. You will definitely get hit for duty, VAT and courier handling charge.

Leopard

cheesy.mike wrote: »

Two issues with this - 1) Credit card billing address is still in the UK. 2) Customs liability when goods are imported into the UK. You will definitely get hit for duty, VAT and courier handling charge.

Some of these agencies, including the one to which isofa provided a link, will purchase items for you with their own credit card, to circumvent the problem to which you refer.

sturll

I bought a laptop in Florida and found only one single problem to date.

No pound sign £

Thats it. Everything else works a dream, just get a universal adapter for the plug and away you go.

Leopard

Its Serial Number, if ever checked by authorities, will reveal to where it was supplied and in which country.