USA Shopping

thebuzz

Not sure if this is the appropriate forum but basically just wondering would it be worthwhile holding out buying a tablet and maybe a couple of other electrical goods until a holiday in USA later in the year? Is there nearly always better deals over there once tax etc. has been added?

coylemj

In general terms and even if you're paying high sales tax (e.g. 8.875% in NYC), yes it is cheaper to buy tablets and most gadgets in the US.

For electrical items, you need to be wary of the voltage because mains powered domestic appliances like hair dryers you do not want to touch because the voltage here will fry them but most rechargable devices like digital cameras or tablets will come with multivoltage chargers which are capable of handling 100-240V, worst case you will need to buy an adapter when you come home. In general terms, avoid anything that involves heat because that will typically be 110V only and will not work in Ireland without a transformer.

If the gadget comes with nothing but a USB cable for charging and data transfer, there's nothing to worry about, they will work everywhere.

All Apple mains chargers can handle the Irish voltage so nothing to worry about there, you can buy the adapter here for Irish sockets or you can whip off the US plug when you come home and use an existing mains cable with a 'figure of eight' connector, you may have one lying around at home from an old VCR ......

Dave1442397

Keep an eye on sites like www.dealnews.com for info on sales, etc. There are always good sales on electronics around Thanksgiving and up to Christmas.