Buying stuff in the States

Donger20

Hey Moneysavers,

I am going to the USA for a short holiday. As the pound is so strong against the pound I am hoping to pick up a few bargains while I am there. In particular I am after a laptop. Does anyone know places I should try or places to avoid out there. I guess I could also buy online, but which sites are best?

Thanks,

Donger

vanoonoo

just be careful that whatever you buy is compatible for use back here (eg powered items such as a laptop may need a special transformer, dvds need to be for the correct region for your dvd player and videos don't work at all on our standard system in the uk)

also be aware that should you get stopped at customs you may be charged import tax. in addition your warranty may not be valid should you have any problems.

taking those points into account - shop around, try places like walmart and staples for price comparisons and look in the local papers for coupons and sales when you are out there.

happy shopping

Salad_2

I've had a brief look into it. Most power supplies are okay, but you will need to change the plug. If you get a big brand like Hewlett Packard, you should get an international warranty, so you can take it to a repair centre here. Check these things though.

The keyboard will be US layout. You can change windows so everythings in the right place, but symbols will be on different keys eg @, "

wlf

You'll definitely save a lot of money buying a laptop (and most other things) over there.

I haven't seen a laptop in the last few years which doesn't have a dual voltage transformer so i can't see that being a problem. You will have to buy a plug adapter or a different cord for use in the UK though.

Yep the keyboard layout is sightly different (no pound symbol been the main one I think).

HP/Compaq and Toshiba have international warranties, Sony does not.

Import tax/VAT - just take it out of the box and bring it in in a laptop case or whatever. There's no way they can prove you didn't take it with you. And its not like you'd declare it is it?

I doubt you'll be able to buy online as you'll need a US delivery address and quite often a US issued credit card. You may however be able to check out a deal you could get in a store over there. Try bestbuy.com.

angelak_3

Be careful of warranties - not all are worldwide and the USA usually only give a 90 day warranty unlike the UK which gives a minimum of 1 year.

Angela