Getting A Laptop With The Low U.S. Dollar 1039
An anonymous reader submits "I am heading to the U.S. pretty soon and am keen to take advantage of the low US$ to buy a laptop. The differences in prices are astounding - on dell.com (US) you pay $2049 for a Precision M60 - in the UK this costs 1620.33UKP, or $2999. That is a fair difference! It makes it cheaper for me to fly to the US to buy it and carry it home than it is for me to buy it in the UK. Now, that said, it isn't particularly easy to find a place to buy a laptop from, since most of the places don't ship to the UK (or it takes weeks) and it is difficult to get stuff delivered to your hotel ... any suggestions of how I can get a good laptop in the New York area when I am only there for 4 days?"
Easy answer (Score:5, Informative)
Step 2 is order your laptop and have it sent to your brand new address. You are going to want expedited shipping here - probably next day shipping because it might take a few days for them to ship it.
Step 3, pick up your cheap laptop when it arrives and consider the difference as... profit!
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Easy answer (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Funny)
You'll get it in four years.
Re:Easy answer (Score:3, Informative)
it took a week and a half for my 8600 to ship to the shipping plant.
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Easy answer (Score:4, Funny)
Surely you mean a walk to the pseudo-democratic Taiwan or the communist party-controlled China (located north-east of Tibet) where the things are actually built? That walk should take considerably less time.
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah... It's just that Dell's putting new cover sheets on all sales receipts now...
Didn't you get the memo?
Re:Easy answer (Score:4, Informative)
except that it takes as much as a month to get a laptop shipped from Dell, but nice try...
On some occasions even longer... A friend of mine's family ordered a Dell, and Dell kept pushing the shipping date further back from the original week. After about 3 months of waiting, and still no Dell, they canceled the order and got a computer from someone else, who shipped them a computer in a few days (which wasn't problemless either, but that's another somewhat happier story).
Granted however, it wasn't a laptop, but sometimes it can take absurdly long for a computer to get to you.
Dell screws up, I profit (Score:4, Interesting)
I never recieved a shipping notice.
Unfortunately, this was all very close to finals and I was busting my ass writing a compiler. I didn't exactly have to time to screw with these guys and occassionally I checked the website. Still, every single time I checked it was in waiting.
Finally, finals were over and I decided I had better get this going. My order is still in limbo and the service rep says it got lost in the system. However, all my rebates and deals had passed now. The rep said I could build a whole new laptop, but there weren't any great specials now.
Immediately, I threated to get a toshiba. I already owned a toshiba, but at the time the Dell was cheaper then an equally stacked Toshiba. So, I chatted a bit about the toshiba model I wanted and went over the reasons I liked the Dell.
The rep finally started discouting everything and tossed in special after special. I couldn't get the model of cdrw I wanted, so they split the cost difference of the faster one. (Hell the original combo drive was free.... so I only paid 50$ more.
All in all, I don't recall paying anymore and I got a better laptop.
Sure, I had to wait a while, but I wasnt really in a hurry.
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Funny)
My name is Dr. Bongo Bongo Dworkin and I am the Minister of Laptops in Nigeria. Owing to recent civil war we have recently discovered TWO MILLION laptop computers that have been secretly deposited in warehouse that only I have the keys to.
Etc etc...
counteroffer (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Informative)
Step 4 (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Step 4 (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Step 4 (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Step 4 (Score:3, Informative)
Customs can insist on seeing a receipt for anything you bring back into the country. The easiest way to piss them off and encourage them to use this rule to the full is to play difficult with them.
Chris
Re:Step 4 (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Step 4 (Score:4, Interesting)
That being said, I hope your plane ticket is less than the $900 difference in price, else you're not actually saving any money. That, and you'll never be able to get any kind of tech support or warranty work for it.
So-called "grey market" products can be a pain to take care of; my girlfriend's Fujitsu laptop turned out to be a Japan-only release, which made replacing something as simple as her power cord in the US a real pain in the butt. For one, none of the inventory numbers matched up on the replacement parts.
Thank goodness I have a Mac. Worldwide support, no matter what. Only the usual run-around, instead of a special one.
Just carry it on board (Score:4, Funny)
If you know anyone with the same laptop, you could ask them if you can clone their hard drive before you leave to go to the US (back in the W98 days I use to make cloned HDD backups using some Powerquest or Quarterdeck program), then when you buy your laptop you make some ghost image backup of the new Dell default install on the HDD & put it on a CD, & then install the clone. Then if on the odd chance that customs challengers you on the laptop, you can show that all those pre-trip dates on the HDD. Even better ask for a copy of your mate's receipt & stuff it in the back of your wallet & cover it up with old train tickets & supermarket receipts, then you can say "actually I haven't cleaned out my wallet since then, so I've probably still got the receipt"
Or while you're in the US you could buy a pair of official looking overalls & then have some sort of 'quarentine' marking put on it. Then you get some bong water from someone & stick it in one of those little spray things that people use to spray their indoor ferns. Then you can walk along as people are queuing up to book their luggage in, & spray the stuff along the luggage, like ailines use to have to do on flights coming into Oz about 20 years ago. Then hopefully customs in London will be destracted by their dogs going crazy with half the luggage coming through.
I use to bring professional Nikon cameras & Sony Camcorders (like the DCR-VX2000) into Sydney from abroad just by carring then in as luggage & never got pulled up by customs. Mind you'd I'd always pre declare some Asian wood carving so I'd go through quarentine instead, where they paid less attention to synthetic & mineral based products. I'm not sure you can pull the same stunt at Heathrow.
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Interesting)
shout DAMNIT as you realise that the power adaptor does not work so you need a new plug adaptor (cheap but inconvienient).
Step 5...
shout DAMNIT even louder when you try to type something and discover that the punctuation keys are completely different on a US keyboard to a UK keyboard. You can get round this with mappings but it is very annoying (not $1000 annoying but annoying nonetheless). If you were not aware of this already, then be aware as you will need to re-learn a few keys, and it can be very annoying if you are switching between US-UK computers/keyboards.
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Funny)
Step 6
cry as you come back into the UK and pay 2.5% tax on electronic goods, and then 17.5% VAT on top of that to the boys in customs and excise. Best not look too guilty if you walk through the green 'nothing to declare' area (or say it was a gift or something, I am unfamiliar with the law in this respect).
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously, I'm not trolling here. How could they tell by a cursory examination whether you had this with you when you left home?
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, because they really do care that much...
Here's a genuine conversation from the days of 128bit SSL being US only, at Philadelphia airport:
"Did you pack your own bags today, Sir?"
"No, my work packed it for me."
"Have you been with your bags at all times, since they were packed?"
"No, they were sitting around an office building all day."
"And what's in the bags, Sir?"
"This laptop. It has 128 bit encryption on it. It's currently regarded as a US military secret and can't be exported to anywhere else in the world."
"Well I don't know anything about that."
"It means it's illegal to take it out of the U.S."
"Sir, you're causing a scene. Please move along."
"But it's illega-"
"Please move along."
Granted, that was in the days before nail clippers and breast milk became terrorist weapons.
Re:Easy answer (Score:4, Informative)
They don't. In the UK at least, the onus is on the traveller to prove you left home with the laptop; a purchase receipt or a valuation are accepted.
In reality, though, I'd like to think that having a UK power adapter and/or some signs of wear on the hardware would be sufficient proof.
Well, if I were UK customs... (Score:4, Interesting)
...I'd be a little suspicious when looking at a keyboard with a dollar sign instead of a pounds sign, American punctuation layout, etc, etc.
Pity "export LANG=en_GB" doesn't affect the hardware. :-)
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Informative)
I agree totally on the mappings bit. Pain in the ass to use certain keys "
Re:Easy answer (Score:5, Interesting)
No, the best way is to have it sent to the hotel where you'll be staying. Assuming you will be at a reputable international brand (Hilton, Sheraton, etc) and not one marked 'men only' in Harlem. Big hotels have recieving departments where shipments are logged and accounted for. Just call the concierge or bell captain and tell them you're arriving on the x-th and are expecting a package delivered a few days (or whatever) before you arrive. This gives you time to account for backorders and other delays in shipping.
Why?? (Score:4, Informative)
Gateway Stores [gateway.com]
Circuit City [circuitcity.com]
Dell Direct Stores [dell.com]
Or if your feeling artistic:
Apple Stores [apple.com]
Re:Why?? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Why?? (Score:5, Informative)
Sales tax & return policy... (Score:4, Insightful)
Place for a laptop in NYC (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Place for a laptop in NYC (Score:3, Informative)
Apple Store! (Score:5, Informative)
Try the Apple Store in Soho. [apple.com] They'll have great laptops.
<tongue_in_cheek>Don't forget to declare your new laptop to customs [hmce.gov.uk], though--if you don't, you'll be a damned, dirty tax cheat. Nobody likes a damned, dirty tax cheat.</tongue_in_cheek>
(Oh, bear in mind--you'll be stuck with a US QWERTY keyboard. No Euro key or Pound key, among other things--you'll need to remap and remember...)
Re:Apple Store! (Score:3, Funny)
You can buy keyboard stickers [kidglove.co.uk] to label keys.
Re:Apple Store! (Score:5, Funny)
- Chris
No they don't (Score:3, Informative)
My two powerbooks have Irish keyboards, the Swedish G5s i've used have swedish keyboards, and the '' symbol is where it belongs, over the number 2.
Re:Apple Store! (Score:5, Funny)
And who in the UK needs a Euro key anyway? Filthy contiental imported crap....
Re:Apple Store! (Score:5, Interesting)
Eeeeeexcellent. </mrburns> (Score:5, Funny)
First the keyboards, then the language! Before long, we'll have them speaking English in the UK! Mwahahahaha!
Re:Apple Store! (Score:3, Informative)
For the Pound key, use option-# (Get it? Option-Pound?).
Apple has supported the euro symbol since the introduction of Mac OS 8.5 in October 1998. See here. [apple.com]
Re:Apple Store! (Score:4, Informative)
Yes, but since you suggested the Apple Store, it's wise to point out that Mac laptops give you really easy keyboard shortcuts for the "special characters" and you can even open a little picture of the keyboard on your screen that shows you which modifier keys do what, as you type! (in case you forget how to get umlauts, for instance)
So, Alt-3 gives you a pound symbol, and Alt-Shift-2 gives you a euro. No remapping required.
Re:Apple Store! (Score:5, Interesting)
Actually, although I'm a Brit living in Europe, I slightly prefer the US keyboard layout. I'm a programmer, mainly in C++ and Perl, so I use $ a lot more than the pound currency sign.
The real disaster is the Swiss keyboard. A bunch of characters you would never want to use (and I don't mean accents, I mean stuff like the paragraph sign and the degree sign) are really easy to type while essential characters like [ and { are odd contortions and ~ is a real challenge (as in, ask 10 Swiss-keyboard users how to type it and over half won't be able to answer even after 5 minutes experimentation).
But if the original poster wants a UK keyboard, you can buy keyboards separately in Europe for something in the region of $15, negligible in comparison with the saving on the rest of the system.
A Few Apple Store Hints (Score:5, Informative)
1) Call the Apple Store ahead of time and make sure that they will have exactly what you want set aside for you when you arrive.
2) Purchase a UK power adapter from a UK Apple dealer before you go. The day before you leave the US for home, ship all the manuals and paperwork back to the UK, along with the US power adapter. Take nothing but the laptop and a UK power adapter in your bag through customs.
3) Call your credit card company beforehand and make sure that they will clear your charge for the purchase.
4) When you get back to the UK, look into buying a UK keyboard for your PowerBook. IIRC, the key faces can be detached and replaced from the notebook fairly easily.
Order early (Score:5, Insightful)
Many retail establishments can offer mechandise on the spot here, thought not always the same level of customization that Dell offers.
Reminder... (Score:5, Funny)
That in the USA we have different voltages, frequencies and plug shapes for power than you do in the UK.
Also, we drive on the right; you should catch the hang of it quickly if you cross your hands before putting them onto the keyboard.
Uh, CompUSA? (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously, unless you're hung up on Dell, any computer store will fall over themselves selling you a laptop.
Or am I missing a US/UK difference here? Does the UK just not have these kind of "walk in and buy it" type shops?
For anyone NOT going to the US... (Score:5, Interesting)
It goes without saying I'm not affiliated with them in any way, just an extremely happy customer. The inicial cost might appear steep but it's offset by your first major spend, really.
You will have to add at least VAT (Score:3, Informative)
Re:You will have to add at least VAT (Score:5, Informative)
You show up at the airport after your four days in New York, lugging a laptop and carrying bag. Just like probably 25% of the other passengers flying that day. How do they know you just purchased this laptop last night? Couldn't you just say "Yup, headed home from my business trip" or something? Or do they make you declare everything you have on you before entering the country? Seriously curious here.
Re:You will have to add at least VAT (Score:3, Informative)
If you don't have proof of purchase, they have their own price list for the most common things that people carry (which is, obviously, marked-up a lot).
And the customs officers really like to go through the baggage of people arriving from th
Re:You will have to add at least VAT (Score:5, Informative)
You are required by law to tell them.
If they even begin to think that you didn't tell them about something you ought to have, they can pull you aside and search you and your baggage. They have zero sense of humour about this kind of thing. They have every reason to want to catch you, since the fines are much higher than the taxes, and they look good catching smugglers. It's their job.
If they ask you, and you lie, you can be easily caught. They will look at the data plate on the laptop and see the country of origin is the US. They will notice how new it looks and ask you to prove when you bought it, or when you brought it into the country and paid the VAT on it (you better have an accompanying entry stamp in your passport). They can also trace the serial number and determine when it was manufactured and sold.
This is why it is a good idea to register any foreign made products prior to leaving your home country. The US has a form for this; I assume the UK has one, too.
I can attest to the lack of humor. I was re-entering Australia after a two-day side-trip over to New Zealand. I had two food items in my bag -- a bag of US chocolate candy that had already cleared Oz quarantine where I had been told it was no problem, and a bag of Oz-produced, Oz-purchased chocolate easter bunnies. I didn't report either one. They have an X-ray machine that detects chocolate. :-( They were not amused.
The person who mentioned "personal item" if the computer is used while overseas is wrong. This exemption is for people who have resided abroad, not just visited. Governments, especially the US, are quite nit-picky about the difference. It is intended for people who have lived overseas and in the normal course of living have bought things like clothing and furniture to use while residing overseas, but want to bring them back home.
Re:You will have to add at least VAT (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:You will have to add at least VAT (Score:5, Funny)
Turns out he was smuggling wheel barrows.
Meet me in the park at 5 pm, bring cash (Score:5, Funny)
Watch out for Taxes (Score:3, Informative)
Also depending on the value - and your opinion of smuggling of course - you might have to declare the laptop as a foriegn purchase on returning to England. In that case you might have to play duties on the laptop.
I would hate for all of your "profit" to be eaten up in random taxes - so find out what taxes, duties, shipping, etc. you will end up paying. As I recall England has a VAT tax rather than a sales tax - might be where much of the 900 dollar difference lies
Re:Watch out for Taxes (Score:3, Interesting)
You just carry your laptop in a laptop case and tell the guy that it's your work laptop.
Re:Watch out for Taxes (Score:3, Informative)
Be sure to "customize" it a little bit, put a different background than default, put a few prop files around, make it look like it's not factory bare hdd. Sometimes customs makes you boot it, so it better not look like its brand spankin' new (i.e. no "first time" wizards and that).
Re:Watch out for Taxes (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Watch out for Taxes (Score:4, Informative)
The UK VAT is uniform across the entire country. The US has no national sales tax -- a sales tax (if any) is applied by each state. So the additional tax could be 0% to ~ 8.5%.
Hence it makes sense not to include on a list price or web page. But note that services like Pricegrabber do, if you punch in a shipping postal code, try to calculate and include the applicable sales tax for you
If you declare it (Score:3, Informative)
Times Square (Score:4, Funny)
OMFG...... (Score:5, Funny)
People are coming here to exploit our weak currency!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Re:OMFG...... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:OMFG...... (Score:4, Funny)
North Americans like crossing the border with their Southern neighbor because despite the high crime rate and poverty, prices for medicines and electrical goods are cheaper.
Canadians like crossing the border with their Southern neighbor because despite the high crime rate and poverty, prices for medicines and electrical goods are cheaper.
Re:OMFG...... (Score:3, Interesting)
Er, yeah, coz all non-Americans are stupid... (Score:5, Insightful)
But you don't! I found visiting the US highly confusing because I'd expect to pay the price on the tag, instead of the quoted price plus some awkward percentage that varied from place to place... You never know quite what you're going to have to pay.
Instead, here in the UK everyone quotes the price you actually pay, including VAT! (They have to, by law.) After all, that's the most important thing at the checkout. You can work out how much of that goes to the government if you want to, but that's hardly a major concern when you make a purchase.
VAT is hardly exploitation. It's not as if we don't know it's happening. Look on it as a public contribution to ensuring our country is run reasonably well and that it looks after its people. After all, you generally get what you pay for -- if you don't pay much, then you get a country that doesn't look after its people very well, as the US has found...
(Oh, and please don't call all other governments 'socialistic'. It doesn't do much either for international relations, or for your image here.)
Find your local Costco (Score:3, Informative)
I believe that Costco [costco.com] sells Dells now...here's their computers & peripherals page [costco.com]. There are a few of these stores in the NYC area. Go to their site and find a retailer closest to you. It's far easier than doing it mail-order (with your specific case in mind). You'll also (unfortunately) need to get a membership there which will cost you about $75 -- unless you've got a friend in the area with a membership or are really crafty.
Re:Find your local Costco (Score:3, Informative)
Times Square (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Times Square (Score:5, Funny)
Export Restrictions? (Score:5, Informative)
From Dell's shopping cart:
Export Intent
I WILL NOT export this order outside the United States.
I WILL export this order outside the United States.
The export of any product and software purchased from Dell must be made in accordance with all relevant laws of the United States, including and without limitation, the U.S. Export Administration Regulations. This may require that you obtain a formal export license or make certain declarations to the United States Government regarding product(s) to be exported, their destination or their end-use.
Ship-To Prohibitions: Please be informed that your designated ship to address must reflect the address of the ultimate end-user. Dell will not process any order which specifies an address of a freight forwarder, warehouse, distribution center, airport, hotel or PO box.
Re:Export Restrictions? (Score:4, Funny)
Intent To Export
You noted you will be exporting this order outside the United States. Please complete the following information to continue checkout.
Product End-User Information
First Name MI Last Name
Country
-List of Countries-
Intended Use
In what country will the product be used?
-List of Countries-
This product is for use in
Home
Commercial
Government/Civilian
Government/Military
Will the product be used in connection with weapons of mass destruction, i.e. nuclear applications, missile technology, or chemical or biological weapons purposes?
Yes
No
Is the product to be used to upgrade an existing system?
Yes
No
Good hotels do this (Score:5, Interesting)
I can't imagine a decent NYC hotel not doing this; as a long-time business traveler, it's a perk you expect and is quite common.
VAT & taxes (Score:3, Informative)
J&R (Score:5, Informative)
You can start by taking a look at their selection on their web site here [jandr.com]. You'll pay the relevant sales taxes for New York (under 10%) but you'll get a much better deal than the Dell you are looking at.
Of course it's totally you to you whether you declare the thing when you arrive back in the UK and pay the relevant UK taxes.
John.
IBM eBay Store (Score:3, Informative)
Heavily discounted new laptopts, directly from IBM. Usually 35 bucks for next day air.
They set up this site to clear old stock, old as in 3-6 mos.
There's also the IBM Ebay Global financing eBay (seach the eBay stores section) store, they do all refurbs. That's were I got my X22 almost 2 years ago, still runnning without any problems.
Disclaimer: Thinkpads are my favorite laptops.
Good Luck.
J&R, Best Buy (Score:3, Informative)
J&R is a good place both for new & refurb units, I'd definitely go there. The other big chains (Best Buy, CompUSA, etc) might be worth a visit, but J&R will price match any local competitors.
If you're also looking for a camera, be sure to hit B&H Photo & Video [bhphotovideo.com]. They have the most amazing conveyor system for moving things around the store, it's worth it to stop by just to see that!
HM Customs and Excise. (Score:5, Interesting)
I had that experience coming back to the UK during a break in working in the US, and the SOB's saw my newish Apple 5300, and whisked me off to a cash machine (ATM) to pay 300 quid (450 dollars). Which for a research assistant was a lot of money. Mofo's. They know their stuff, and the guy who got me (I wasnt hiding it btw, just wasnt declaring it either), said it is something very common to happen.
Anyway, I got the last laugh as their delaying me in the middle of a British Airways transfer from the international flight to a domestic one ending up costing BA a 2 hour security related work stoppage and a 737 sitting at its gate for 2 hours while they argued about who would take my dangerous transferred luggage off... apparently around a million quid.
Winton
Getting it past customs... (Score:4, Informative)
After you've bought your laptop, install the software and copy over some of your documents. If possible swap the backdrop to a picture of your kids or Mum or something like that. Change the regional settings to match the UK.
Then throw away all the packaging, CDs US power lead etc before you leave the hotel. Just keep the kind of things you'd normally take with you on a trip.
When you go through UK customs, it's not that likely you'll be stopped. If you do get stopped, the UK power supply and the fact that you've got lots of crap installed already will make it look like you just took your laptop with you anyway.
Lovely.
Er. I didn't say that.
Re:Getting it past customs... (Score:5, Insightful)
As a former Best Buy employee... (Score:4, Interesting)
As a former Best Buy employee, I've seen this happen a lot.
It happened mostly during the holidays. People are visiting relatives in the states, and they're taking advantage of after-Thanksgiving sales and such.
Let me first say, the pricing has very little to do with the 'weak US dollar'. It's just simply cheaper to buy things like computers here. How many computer manufacturers are based in England, compared to the USA?
Basically, they'd give us the same reasons you are. They'd typically buy a machine for $2000 which would cost $3000 or more in England/wherever they were from. They'd buy a notebook bag and pack it all up and leave the box and everything at the store, so it looked normal when they went back through the airport.
We actually had some repeat customers every year, and they would buy more than 1 laptop, and sell them when they got home!
Re:As a former Best Buy employee... (Score:5, Informative)
He wants to buy it now because his money is in GBP. Right now that 2000$ USD laptop will only cost him 1082 GBP. 1 year ago it would have cost him 1280 GBP. It's 200 GBP cheaper now than a year ago for HIM (NOT for you, with USD as your base).
The cost difference is only part of it. Look at the international money scene: The US dollar is DIEING. HORRIBLY. No one wants the greenback. It will recover (we all hope), but for now it means getting stuff from the US can be REALLY cheap, even cheaper than usualy.
http://finance.yahoo.com/m5?s=USD&t=GBP&a=2000&
http://finance.yahoo.com/m5?s=USD&t=AUD&a=2000&
Imagine if those were stock charts... they'd be firing the board of directors!
Re:As a former Best Buy employee... (Score:4, Funny)
It is official; International Monetary Fund confirms: the US dollar is dying
One more crippling bombshell hit the already beleaguered US dollar community when IMF confirmed that US dollar market share has dropped yet again, now down to less than a fraction of 1 percent of all people. Coming on the heels of a recent IMF survey which plainly states that US dollar has lost more market share, this news serves to reinforce what we've known all along. The US dollar is collapsing in complete disarray, as fittingly exemplified by failing dead last in the recent Money Magazine comprehensive currency test.
You don't need to be a Kreskin to predict US dollar's future. The hand writing is on the wall: the US dollar faces a bleak future. In fact there won't be any future at all for the US dollar because the US dollar is dying. Things are looking very bad for the US dollar. As many of us are already aware, the US dollar continues to lose market share. Red ink flows like a river of blood.
All major surveys show that the US dollar has steadily declined in market share. The US dollar is very sick and its long term survival prospects are very dim. If the US dollar is to survive at all it will be among dilettante numismatists. The US dollar continues to decay. Nothing short of a miracle could save it at this point in time. For all practical purposes, the US dollar is dead.
Fact: The US dollar is dying
About Duty (Score:3, Informative)
Just did this with an iBook, works great (Score:4, Informative)
Customs was not even a theoretical problem in my case, as there are no duties for importing computers to Germany. If you bought your iBook in a U.S. state that doesn't have sales tax [yes, my European children, there are whole states in the U.S. where there is no VAT. Remember this when your politicians try to tell you why your national sales tax has to be raised to 18 percent], you might have to pay a certain amount so they are satisfied you paid at least some sort of tax to somebody. This is the Einfuhrumsatzsteuer and German customs describes the details here [www.zoll.de]. In my case, the Euro was high enough that it was still well worth it.
Other advice: Go on Apple's website (come on, you don't really want a loud, heavy, ugly Dell, do you), find a store in easy distance of where you are going to be, and email or call a few weeks ahead. IBooks are currently assembled in Taiwan, and take five to ten days if you want anything but the standard model (larger harddrive, for example). Remember, too, that America might have the most advanced stock market on the planet, but its bank system still hasn't gotten beyond the stage of sending little slips of paper around by mail: Most Americans have trouble understanding how an EC card even works, and happily go throught an 18th Century ritual called "balancing the check book" [newsforge.com] once every few days without complaint. You will have to pay cash (don't worry, these amounts in cash are not considered unusual in the U.S.), or better, get yourself a credit card.
German readers will want to take a look at this article about importing iBooks from the consumer test group Stiftung Warentest [www.test.de]. Note that there are some minor mistakes in there, however, like the need for an adapter for the plug.
In my case, there was no question that it was worth it: In fact, I could have probably flown there and back just to pick up the computer, and still saved money. And best thing: With 220 volts, my iBook is twice as fast as it was in the States. No, really. The trouble is, it sends my fingerprints to Donald Rumsfeld every time I touch the escape button...
Getting A Laptop With The Low Mexican Pesetas (Score:4, Funny)
I'm from Belgium and am planning to be in Tijuana later this month. I will be there for about four hours.
My employer would very much like it if I could get our company a good grid of either IBM eServes or Apple Xserve RAIDS. The Mexican peseta is cheaper than ever.
I was chosen for this assignment because I speak pretty good Mexican. I've been listening to the US president's speaches in Mexican and I can follow along pretty good.
Anyway, my question is: are there any good/big IBM/Apple outlets in Tijuana? Are there any Apple Stores there? If so, how many?
We'd like to buy somewhere between 64 and 96 units. We run an illegal gambling establishment outside Antwerp. We need to save this money if at all possible.
Slashdot, please help!
Re:hehehe... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Difficult? (Score:5, Informative)
A few years ago I bought my Canon Digital Elph from buy.com [buy.com] and had it shipped to the New Orleans hotel where I would be staying. The front desk handed me the package when I checked in.
That capability may have changed due to the rampant fraud in the intervening years. Today most sellers will only ship if the address is OK with your credit card, but you could make a call and arrange that.
I tried doing the same trick when I bought some sandals at the last minute and had them shipped to the el-cheapo motel I would be staying. I asked the front desk each day if the package had arrived. No. The seller shipped after I checked out.
The amazing end of the story was that my package was still stored at the motel when stopped to check when I returned the following year. I wasn't even staying at that motel that year.
Re:Difficult? (Score:3, Interesting)
Your best bet: check out the duty free shops at JFK airport. See if any of them sell laptops. If so, buying one there will save the sales tax, and the customs fees.
Re:Duty? Not if it is personal effects... (Score:5, Interesting)
It's something I'm interested in. Especially since the Dell Dimension XPS isn't available in the UK.
Not true... (Score:3, Informative)
Carrying it through yourself you have an allowance (which is more than the shipped import allowance), but it's no more than 200 IIRC.
Re:Duty? (Score:5, Interesting)
For all the rest of you suggesting claiming innocence if you are stopped, HM Custom & Excise have access to VERY comprehensive databases. If they suspect you just bought it, they will check up. I highly recommend if you are stopped that you tell the truth and dont attempt to conceal the fact you bought it. They will question you if they find a laptop in yoru baggage, and it will be childs play to find out that it was just purchased. You will then be subject to a much larger penalty.
See my posting below. The office who stopped me, actually ended up entertaining me with lots of stories about guys who deliberately "tattered" their laptops with sticky tape and the like to attempt to make it look used. Trouble is those things come with serial numbers. They are also on the look out for high end guitars as well apparently there's a brisk trade in Gibsen's etc.
Sure, try to go through the green channel with an innocent face, but if you are stopped, and asked, tell them you bought it in the US.
Winton
Re:Duty? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Don't EVER F*ck With Customs (Score:4, Funny)
Yeah, that's going to happen.
"So...you've got *one* undeclared laptop...maybe you've got a *second* one wedged *up your ass*. Bend over, sir, we're going to have to take a look."
Even customs officials can lose their jobs.