Buying a phone from America

Dangermouse99

Hi, I'm heading out to America around the 10th November 2011 and was wondering if I would save much money if I bought a phone out there. iPhone or whatever really, would like a decent handset at a reasonable price.

diamonds

Yup a iTurd is much cheaper stateside on prepaid, unlock request on purchase for me took 2 days to release from network, but dont travel through customs with reciepts or , proof its new as you may get a unhealthy bill for VAT, thats not legal advise as you are evading tax if you claim the tax back in the USA on its purchase and avoid it in customs, thats a crime in UK ! Legally (spits) UK or USA must get the VAT/purchase tax (spits again).

It's usually cheaper not to claim the USA tax relief on item, as Her Maj Customs and Exise rort you if caught at airport, or worse - caught later after customs it is a criminal offence of tax evasion, in short treason on Elizabeth to deny her Kingdom monies her Kingdom have implemented as legal.

Dangermouse99

Apart from the iPhone are there any other phones people can recommend? Anyone gone stateside recently and can advise please?

macman

Unless it has a worldwide warranty, you'll be stuffed if it develops a fault back in the UK.
With the import duty and VAT added, it's rarely worth it (and of course you'll need to buy a UK charger to suit as well).

Yolina

If you're going to buy a phone in the US, make sure it also covers the frequency bands for Europe (most should do but...) The US use GSM 850MHz and 1900MHz, over here it's 900MHz and 1800MHz. You also need 2100MHz UMTS for 3G data to work here.. Won't be such a bargain otherwise and as already mentioned warranty might be an issue and of course VAT and what-have-you.

gjchester

diamonds wrote: »

Yup a iTurd is much cheaper stateside on prepaid, unlock request on purchase for me took 2 days to release from network, but dont travel through customs with reciepts or , proof its new as you may get a unhealthy bill for VAT, thats not legal advise as you are evading tax if you claim the tax back in the USA on its purchase and avoid it in customs, thats a crime in UK ! Legally (spits) UK or USA must get the VAT/purchase tax (spits again).

Minor point but if you are stopped then the onus is on you to prove it's been bought in the UK and tax already paid, not HMRC to prove it was not.

If you get stopped and can't prove it's UK bought you'll be charged VAT and Duty and possbily fined, and if you can later send them copies of UK reciepts they will refund you.

It's not as people comonnly believe the other way around.

Remember that most US states charge taxs (%age varies from state to state) on top of the sticker price too, unlike the UK where the sticker price includes VAT so it's not always the bargain it seems.


An iphone 4 would be about £40-50 cheaper depending on the state and the taxes, not sure it's worth the risk and hassle to be honest..

gjchester

Dangermouse99 wrote: »

Apart from the iPhone are there any other phones people can recommend? Anyone gone stateside recently and can advise please?

Iphone is probably the only really easily obtainable phone. Almost all US deals rely on multi year contracts, they don't really do Sim Free to any great extent.

gjchester

Yolina wrote: »

If you're going to buy a phone in the US, make sure it also covers the frequency bands for Europe (most should do but...) The US use GSM 850MHz and 1900MHz, over here it's 900MHz and 1800MHz. You also need 2100MHz UMTS for 3G data to work here.. Won't be such a bargain otherwise and as already mentioned warranty might be an issue and of course VAT and what-have-you.

And to ensure you don't buy a CDMA variant that certainly won't work here. Needs to be GSM...

Apple warranty is worldwide, VAT is another matter, the OP probably won't be stopped but I wouldn't suggest it as an option.

Generally speaking the savings to be made only work out in the few tens of pounds on most items after you add US sales taxes.

Yolina

Forgot about the CMDA phones. They're some kind of sealed unit and don't take a sim card?! (or some such weird thing) I think these are for use on Verizon and another network (can't remember which though)

gjchester

Yolina wrote: »

Forgot about the CMDA phones. They're some kind of sealed unit and don't take a sim card?! (or some such weird thing) I think these are for use on Verizon and another network (can't remember which though)

Your right but the OP still needs to check when buying...

diamonds

gjchester wrote: »

Minor point but if you are stopped then the onus is on you to prove it's been bought in the UK and tax already paid, not HMRC to prove it was not.

If you get stopped and can't prove it's UK bought you'll be charged VAT and Duty and possbily fined, and if you can later send them copies of UK reciepts they will refund you.

It's not as people comonnly believe the other way around.

Remember that most US states charge taxs (%age varies from state to state) on top of the sticker price too, unlike the UK where the sticker price includes VAT so it's not always the bargain it seems.




An iphone 4 would be about £40-50 cheaper depending on the state and the taxes, not sure it's worth the risk and hassle to be honest..

They can cease at a iphone at customs if you cant prove or cant pay the VAT, and a call to Apple to see where/network purchased and activated after a fax from HMCR to validate authority is all it takes. oh and a jobsworth.

You will need a 2100mhz compatable iphone, Europe 3G iphones are 2100 compatable dunno if USA ones are ?, my AU 3GS is 850/2100 and works on 2100 3G, cant wait for who buys 800mhz spectrum here, in AU Telstra NextG 850 3G poo pooed on all the AU 2100mhz networks I tried it with.