Great 'Buy now from the US' Hunt.

WishI'dReadSooner

poggle99 wrote:

I've seen a few messages on here about DVDs that mention the region 1 problem, but not the PAL vs NTSC question.

I have a multi-region DVD player, but my TV is not NTSC-compatible (relatively old, small and basic!).

Does anyone know if this is a problem? Can anyone confirm that they have successfully bought and played back Region 1 DVDs on their PAL TV?

There are a series of kids' DVDs that aren't available in Region 2 that I'd like to order but didn't want to throw my money away....

Cheers,

Rachael

It's not your TV that is the problem. It depends on the DVD player you have as to which DVD's you can play.
Our OLD (20yr) Sony TV would only show NTSC in B/W when shown through our high cost 5;1 Sony DVD player. We picked up a cheapie DVD player that was multiregion & would play NTSC or PAL (under £30) & we can now see all region films perfectly be they NTSC or PAL.
Hope this helps

Art_2

g60jet wrote:

here are MY USA buying tips.

From Places like Amazon some items such as ipod are not available to send to uk addresses due to distribution rights. HOWEVER if you see the link under the amazon price for "xx new and used", you will often find another person/trader selling them through amazon. They may well ship to the UK, but try and send it as a gift, which is my next tip

When buying from amazon in the USA or such like, if its above £15 or so, always get it shipped as a gift. For example. amazon provide a cheap gift wrapping service for a few quid, which is worth it. basically importing stuff from the US is taxable for import tax. but not on gifts. so a few quid on amazon can save you a fortune. the gift wrap service is cheaper than the handling charge that the post office put on the tax amount. worth knowing.

Same applies for ebay as above get the seller to send it as a gift. Technically it needs to be sent to someone other than yourself (could be at the same addres i guess), otherwise it could be classed a fraud or something.

Sorry you are wrong on this. All items imported from abroad are subject to the appropriate tax and VAT.

Sending something marked as a gift does not mean it won't be caught by Customs and Excise. It is possible that they could turn a blind eye to certain items marked as gifts but officially they should charge on them.

I know people who use this ploy and actually get away with it on many occasions but sometimes they are asked to pay up.

I think the reason some get away with it is that C&E don't inspect everything that enters the country but only inspect a random sample and it is these items that eventually get charged.

BTW, the limit before VAT is payable is £18 and not £15.
Every little helps.

Regards,
Art.

keepittight

Go to https://www.fatwallet.com its full of forums and similar to MSE with links to cheap places to buy. They do an excellent search for sale items.

boltonangel

hi

i've seen the friends scene it board game on the US amazon, but was wondering if the dvd will play on my cheapy dvd player.

does anyone know?

fama

Art wrote:

Sorry you are wrong on this. All items imported from abroad are subject to the appropriate tax and VAT.

Sending something marked as a gift does not mean it won't be caught by Customs and Excise. It is possible that they could turn a blind eye to certain items marked as gifts but officially they should charge on them.

I know people who use this ploy and actually get away with it on many occasions but sometimes they are asked to pay up.

I think the reason some get away with it is that C&E don't inspect everything that enters the country but only inspect a random sample and it is these items that eventually get charged.

BTW, the limit before VAT is payable is £18 and not £15.
Every little helps.

Regards,
Art.

THE limit for genuine gifts is higher?£30.

Art_2

fama wrote:

THE limit for genuine gifts is higher?£30.

No, not if you read the Customs & Excise rules.

Regards,
Art.

knithappens

Just read inthis months Asda Magazine, that if you purchase from the USA Walmart, they will honour a refund at any Asda Walmart here in the UK, you just have to present your receipt, of course you get the refund in Pounds (right now with the pound and the dollar maybe they have clued themselves up to cashing in) BUt still good, as i shop alot at Wlamart when i visit, just good to know if something is faulty i can return it here.

The exact wording was
" If you,ve been Christmas shopping in the US, You'll be pleased to hear that Asda will give a full refund on any general merchandise bought at Wla*Mart in the US within six months of the date of purchase should you need one (excluding food). Just hand ouver the receipt and you''ll receieve your refund in pounds."

stoneman

UltraCheap wrote:

And, if you are going to fly over to the states, then you might as well pre-order a Dell Laptop while you are at it, https://www.dell.com, the prices are far better the the UK website. Why should the same computer be **twice** the price in the UK?

Be sure to get your order in about 3-4 weeks before you plan to travel, and arrange a safe delivery address (friend or family).

Remember, there is no "£" sign on U.S. laptops

Snugster

boltonangel wrote:

hi

i've seen the friends scene it board game on the US amazon, but was wondering if the dvd will play on my cheapy dvd player.

does anyone know?

Sorry don't know, but a friend has just bought it from Argos;

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3695694.htm

Don't think with shipping & VAT added to the Amazon price you'd save much money.

janeym8

lilmrsmullen wrote:

Just read inthis months Asda Magazine, that if you purchase from the USA Walmart, they will honour a refund at any Asda Walmart here in the UK, you just have to present your receipt, of course you get the refund in Pounds (right now with the pound and the dollar maybe they have clued themselves up to cashing in) BUt still good, as i shop alot at Wlamart when i visit, just good to know if something is faulty i can return it here.

The exact wording was
" If you,ve been Christmas shopping in the US, You'll be pleased to hear that Asda will give a full refund on any general merchandise bought at Wla*Mart in the US within six months of the date of purchase should you need one (excluding food). Just hand ouver the receipt and you''ll receieve your refund in pounds."

THIS MUST BE NEW AS WE HAVE 3 LOCAL-ISH ASDAS AROUND HERE AND ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO WENT TO RETURN SOMETHING TO ONE THAT I HAD BOUGHT IN ANOTHER AND THEY WOULDNT REFUND AS THEIR PARTICULAR STORE DIDNT STOCK THE ITEM I WAS RETURNING SO GOOD TO KNOW SPECIALLY AS I LOVE ASDA AND HAD A FEW GOOD SHOPPING EXPERIENCES IN WALMART WHEN ON HOLIDAY AND AM GOING BACK TO USA NEXT MONTH-WATCH OUT WALMART LOL


JANEY XXX