Buying a laptop from overseas EBAY seller

guygamps

Hi....

I am looking to buy a new laptop. After reading reviews, every laptop I decide I am interested in, seems to be cheaper in USA by about £200.

I am talking about new Laptops, from major sellers (EBAY shops) with 99.8% feedback or better, including shipping costs to UK

But what if I have a problem further down the line...

Are laptop warranties international? (most of the laptops I am looking at are Acer or Asus).

Will the UK service centres honour the warranties? any wisdom from the forum?

Thanks


GUY

scheming_gypsy

Warranties aren't usually transferable, you'll have to pay duty and VAT when it comes into the country and you'll need to buy a 240v power supply.

ChiefGrasscutter

It has often been stated in the press that buying this sort of thing from abroad is not a particularly good idea.

You will get stuffed for VAT and import duty when it comes into the UK plus some huge "handling fee" by whichever organisation does the importing paperwork in the UK.
If it goes wrong....well whatever is the case re the validity of the warranty you will certainly have to ship it back to the USA to have it fixed.
The UK based rep's of whichever firm it is won't touch it; after all why should they, if they do fix it then the costs of the repair under warranty will come out of their budget - but they never got the revenue in the first place from selling it!

zorro10

i think that the warranties are transferrable.

debitcardmayhem

SOGA is not applicable outside of Essex / Middlesex Warrants for arrest work from the USA/Europe aimed at the UK , but not vice-versa.
OK I am cynical but I would not buy via that route.

arrallas

Also, don't forget you will have a US keyboard, with no £ key etc. Not a massive problem, but an inconvenience nevertheless. Most laptops now come with a/c adapters that cover US and UK voltages, so that isn't an issue.

scheming_gypsy

arrallas wrote: »

Also, don't forget you will have a US keyboard, with no £ key etc. .

The £ key is the 3 key, so as long as you set the operating system up for UK English, shift and 3 will give the £ sign. You just won't have the picture.

macman

How much will you actually save, factoring in VAT, import duty ad handling charges?
And if it turns out to be a dud, you won't get any of those back from Paypal (assuming that you can get anything back at all).

scottishblondie

IMO it wouldn't be worth the hassle, for all the reasons previously stated.

neilwoods

Acer have a traveller warranty, which doesn't cover everything.

Asus has a global warranty, whicj i think does cover everything.

But as said, easier and cheaper to buy here after all the import duties and tax and postage

ada1988

Hey,i'd like to know how to do that,I always want a try but haven't.
does there any problem such as the Security and the language for the product.