Buying online from the US?

campers

Anybody got advice/experience of buying online from the US?

I'm looking at the Acer Ferrari 1004WTMi.
Would cost €2k here; but with the exchange rate etc it's c. €1400 from the US.

- What's the situation RE power cables?
- DVD region codes?
- Windows localisation: EN-US to EN-UK?
- And the "free" upgrade to Vista which most are offering now.

Finally, how likely am I to get caught for VAT at this end?
I heard it was almost guaranteed with the likes of FedEx/UPS; but what about bog standard EMS?

thanks

Creamy Goodness

you are very likely to get "caught" for vat with ems never mind fedex/ups. you're not really getting "caught" as such as you have to pay it.

:: you'll need a voltage convertor for the power lead americans use 110v we use 220v.
:: DVD region will be region 1, we use region 2.
:: windows will be set to EN-US. as will the keyboard (american keyboards are really annoying).
:: the free upgrade to vista depends on the manufacturer.

Ruu_Old

Power cables are not normally an issue, all you need is a an Irish plug into the AC adaptor.

Europe is Region 2 I believe, US is region 1. You will have to get it region hacked, which is possible in a couple of ways. Either by a firmware upgrade or some software does the trick. VLC Media player skips the region check so it shouldn't be a problem.

The regional settings can be changed in Control Panel, as can the keyboards but can be a bit frustrating with certain keys.
Not sure about the Vista upgrade question so I won't advise you on it.

Just be prepared to pay duty, thats all I'll say and you are fairly likely to be hit. Where are you purchasing it from, if you don't mind me asking?

Tom Dunne

campers wrote:

Anybody got advice/experience of buying online from the US?

I'm looking at the Acer Ferrari 1004WTMi.
Would cost €2k here; but with the exchange rate etc it's c. €1400 from the US.

Yes, but factor in the VAT and import duty and it won't be that much cheaper.

campers wrote:

- What's the situation RE power cables?

Power won't be an issue, all laptops come with dual voltage power supplies. You will need a plug convertor to change from US plug shape to Irish plugs (€3-€5 in most electrical shops).

campers wrote:

- DVD region codes?

You can change region codes up to 5 times, after the 5th time it is locked (so you can leave it on region 2 if you want).

campers wrote:

- Windows localisation: EN-US to EN-UK?

I personally don't think it is an issue.

campers wrote:

- And the "free" upgrade to Vista which most are offering now.

I imagine you would be ok on this one.

campers wrote:

Finally, how likely am I to get caught for VAT at this end?
I heard it was almost guaranteed with the likes of FedEx/UPS; but what about bog standard EMS?

Very likely.

The other factor is what if something goes wrong? Do you have to return it to the US? Is it even covered under warranty outside the US?

Also, when I lived in the US, I had serious trouble trying to order from many sites - they wouldn't accept a credit card issued outside the US, even though the delivery address was in the US. In the end, I had to get a friend with a US issued credit card to purchase it for me.

Overall, I think it is far more hassle than it is worth.

ianwalsh2

I wouldn't buy anything from America. I know this isn't a laptop, but years ago, I bought an MP3 player on ebay from america. This was when 20gb ipods were around 450 euro. Anyhoo thought I was getting a great deal with this 20gb mp3 for around 300 yoyo. Until I was charged another 80 euro for VAT. So if that rate of VAT is the same as for a laptop you'll be charged roughly e375 extra. And the customs will almost certainly catch it.

And have you taken the postage cost into account? I suppose you'll still be making a small saving, but is it woth the hassle? I don fink so.

Gary ITR

I just bought a guitar from the states, it was in Ireland 4 days after being shipped, then customs had it for two weeks and charged me a fortune in VAT and customs duty. So be prepared to be caught out that way, personally I wouldn't be bothered

seraphimvc

say....my own experience....(extremely low volume voice)...i bought an ipod from US through ebay...very good prize...about the VAT issue...i simply solve it by:

ask to have an agreement with the seller that he stated that the whole parcel as a 'gift' when he post...no custom duty...no any addition fees.....;)

just remember good boy dont do this kinda stuff....

Tom Dunne

seraphimvc wrote:

ask to have an agreement with the seller that he stated that the whole parcel as a 'gift' when he post...no custom duty...no any addition fees.....;)

I can see it now. The scene - Customs Central, at a secret location in downtown Dublin:

Customs person #1: "Oh look, this large, electrical item from outside the EU is a gift"
Customs person #2: "Oh in that case we must not charge VAT or import duty on it"
Customs person #1: "And off it goes to the recipient. Oh look, another large electrical item that is a gift"
Customs person #2: "Remember the rule, if the honest people mark it as a gift, it must be a gift"
Customs person #1: "Oh, all these lucky, lucky people receiving gifts"
Customs person #2: "Yes, they are so lucky"

seraphimvc

funny.....:D

but i never try that frequently....nor on any big parcel postage...just an advice after all...:o

Tom Dunne

seraphimvc wrote:

...just an advice after all...:o

I know, I apologise.

It's actually a very common misconception that if you write "gift" on an item, that customs (or courier) people are somehow tricked into not charging you VAT or import duty.

On something small,yes, like a DVD, or maybe an mp3 player. But something the size of a laptop? I would be extremely surprised if it worked.

jimmycrackcorm

I found a U.S. site before that delivered laptops to the UK because all that would be charged was £39 in import duty.

I was looking at an HP and asked about the warranty. They stated that it was covered by HP worldwide Warranty and the only disadvantage was going to be having a U.S. keyboard.

Also consider that you could have the €600 savings towards a break to the states to buy it there in person.

stevejazzx

Just a hypothetical but what woudl happen if you lived in the US and then moved back home and had a friend send on some of your stuff..including laptop etc? Is there some other kind of stamp available for this to make it vat exempt?

Smellyirishman

stevejazzx wrote:

Just a hypothetical but what woudl happen if you lived in the US and then moved back home and had a friend send on some of your stuff..including laptop etc? Is there some other kind of stamp available for this to make it vat exempt?

Again, marking it as a gift or writing "forgotten holiday items" or some such, will generally get your parcel through. But for larger parcels you may not get away with it (have only tried it with smaller items myself).

Tom Dunne

I did that myself, when I moved back from the US. I had a shipment of, erm, stuff, that were accompanied by proof that I lived in the US. Customs wanted a full inventory and let the whole shipment through in a matter of days without any VAT or duty. AFAIK, you actually have to ship the stuff to yourself, you can't move home and then have somebody send stuff to you (oh, how I wish that were the case!). You also have to prove you lived in the country for a period of time so your stuff won't be liable for VAT or duty.

Of course my laptop wasn't in the shipment, but I did have some electrical items in it.

Smellyirishman

^^or that^^ .

campers

Ok, I think I might ditch that for an idea... given the onslaught of negativity!

Plan #2 is to make use of a Polish mate, to buy an Asus W7J from Poland for about €1,600.

He can then arrange to get it forwarded back to IRL.