buying a Macbook

blackswan2

Hi there,

My daughter's laptop is broken and she has savings from working and wants a Macbook. She is in the upper sixth form, 18 soon, and has an NUS card which she thinks provides a 15% discount on a Macbook, although I wonder if that only applies to further education students ( although she is going through the UCCA process etc at present). Anyone know?

We're in NY in a couple of weeks ( ) to celebrate 3 big birthdays (18/16/50 !) in the family and wondering if I I'd be likely to buy one significantly cheaper there?

Thanks.

SidP

You should bear in mind you'll have to pay VAT and customs duty when bringing it back to the UK. You should also confirm the warranty covers you in the UK.

May be better for your daughter to take advantage of her student or higher education discount. Depending in the institution, it can be substantial. Also, the AppleCare is a steal on the higher education discount but must be purchased at the same time as the MacBook.

Also, wait until after 6pm BST on October 22nd, as Apple's announced an event for that date and time that may affect buying decisions.

thescouselander

See if you can buy it in the airport on your way out of the UK. That way you should get a good discount and no customs charges to worry about. The shop can hold it for you so you can collect the item at the airport when you arrive back in the UK. I've done this a couple of times and saved quite a lot.

I wouldn't advise buying the computer in the US for the reasons in the post above.

Mr_Toad

thescouselander wrote: »

See if you can buy it in the airport on your way out of the UK. That way you should get a good discount and no customs charges to worry about. The shop can hold it for you so you can collect the item at the airport when you arrive back in the UK. I've done this a couple of times and saved quite a lot.

I wouldn't advise buying the computer in the US for the reasons in the post above.

Good advice but it's worth checking if this option is actually cheaper than using the student discount.

InsideInsurance

There is higher education and further education discounts available, university discounts are bigger than 6th form college.

If you google, it isnt hard to get into the education store to see what the prices are with the discount.

macman

US purchase will have a US charger and a US keyboard. With the import duty and VAT added, how much will you really save?

almillar

As a very rough guide, 10% for Education Store, and 14% for Further Education Store, doesn't apply to everything though.

diable

macman wrote: »

US purchase will have a US charger and a US keyboard. With the import duty and VAT added, how much will you really save?

Ditch the box and no one knows, adapter for the charger costs a few quid on eBay.

Mr_Toad

diable wrote: »

Ditch the box and no one knows, adapter for the charger costs a few quid on eBay.

The serial number will tell them where it came from.

Coraline

You can order Macs from the apple website and choose from a dozen or so languages for the keyboard configuration, including British English.

Like Diablo mentioned put the laptop in a case, maybe some stickers and carry it in your hand luggage.

Order it online and have someone receive it for you in New York so it's there when you arrive and use it for the couple weeks you're there and bob's your uncle.

I did the same thing before I moved here from the states, but a month before I left.

SidP

Before going through the rigmarole of evading tax and customs duties, I urge you to consider the considerable savings to be made if you get AppleCare through the education discount - you save over £100 on that alone, and gain two additional years' peace of mind. That's a legal theft for you!