is it worth the hassle to order from amazon.com (usa)

martin57

Hi folks,

A family member wants to order the following from amazon.com I take it that's in USA.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CE590Z0/ref=amb_link_387471622_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=right-2&pf_rd_r=0JPNW1SBXTAEHNEHEZWQ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1650439922&pf_rd_i=7586088011

She says that she will be paying by CC and will be able to get the item for approx. $240 as further discounts will apply.

I told her to be wary as probably VAT and handling duties may apply, though I am not certain what amount they would be on $240.

Any advice gratefully appreciated and will be passed on as personally speaking I am not too keen on the idea, but its her money.

Thanks
Martin57

kwikbreaks

VAT + handling + possibly import duty too.

You may not get caught out for the charges but if you do they'll probably wipe out any saving and you may have warranty problems too if needed.

===

I checked on http://www.dutycalculator.com/ and that says there is no import duty on tablet PCs. I think it's Parcelforce who do the handling. Last time I got stung on an import it was about £12 handling but I think it is value related - check their website or google.

paddyrg

Beware - the other discounts may not actually apply, and taking a RRP$500 home for $240 seems unlikely, that's probably below manufacture cost, so someone is subsidising it, and subsidies might be locked to geographies. For instance there may be a mail-in coupon that requires a cheque to be posted to a US address, there may be discounts tied to recurrent billing like with Amazon Prime or other shopping clubs, so likely you'll actually pay the $420 it's listed at (and try to claw some back), then pay international postage, vat and fees. VAT alone would wipe out most savings. Add to that the limited cover/lack of international warranty and you could be disappointed at the savings for the hassle.

It'll be easier to tell if your daughter(?) can show which other discounts take it down to $240, she may be right, or she may hit the problems most redemption schemes put in their terms to dissuade people from taking them up!

Andy_L

£52 vat
Delivery as I doubt the free shipping includes international shipping
£8 handling for Royal Mail to do the customs processing for you

That's about £350 + P&P

PC world will sell you one for £380 with £50 cash back and an (unspecified size) memory card, although its worth checking that its the same spec

As Paddyrg says how certain is she to get the discounts?

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptops-netbooks/ipad-tablets-and-ereaders/tablets/sony-xperia-tablet-z-10-1-full-hd-wifi-tablet-16-gb-21313382-pdt.html?gclid=CNiLoKn98roCFaXnwgodEScAHg&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~~~Exact&mc!!!!!gg_goog_7904&s_kwcid=AL!3391!3!28126444220!!!g!60594927595!&ef_id=UluyxgAAAR3p6e3G:20131120084735:s#longDesc

Andy_L

Quick check of P&P & Amazon won't ship it to the UK. That may be because I've got a .co.uk account or just a blanket ban

ballyblack

Simple answer

you will get this message when you check out;

We are not able to ship this item to your default shipping address