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Getting A Laptop With The Low U.S. Dollar
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?"
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.
Mother is the best bet and don't let Satan draw you too fast.
Any good hotel (4 star and up, and good chain 3 stars) will sign for packages for you; just call the hotel, tell them you have a reservation, and ask how can you send a FedEx package to them for your personal delivery when you check-in. Get the name of the concierge/manager that gives you this information and ask for them by name on any follow-up calls. Give the info to Dell, make sure they put your name and "(Guest)" on the delivery and make it c/o of the person you have the name of, if possible. And don't forget to tip.
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.
The idea is to skip the duty.
You just carry your laptop in a laptop case and tell the guy that it's your work laptop.
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
Hey, be very careful, or Her Majesty's revenue collectors will nab you off the plane and charge you VAT on it.
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
Step 4...
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.
Warhammer forums
Actually, if you buy something greater than X value (don't remember what X is), you have to declare it and pay customs fees on it.
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.
God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
If the item has been used by the individual before returning to the UK, it is considered "personal effects". More details can be found here
It's something I'm interested in. Especially since the Dell Dimension XPS isn't available in the UK.
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!
There is no import duty on computers, however VAT at 17.5% is payable with an exemption on the first 145. It is fairly easy for a dishonest person to evade this but you are risking seizure of goods and possibly a gaol sentence if you do so.
Also, there is no way of claiming back the NY sales tax (~9%).
Even with this, you will still make a saving - my girlfriend bought a Mac back in 98 and even with the dollar quite strong she still saved quite a lot of money.
You also need to note that you will find it hard, if not impossible, to make any claims on the warranty, and you will not be covered under UK consumer protection should something go wrong.
If you combine the last paragraph, with the fact that you are buying a Dell laptop, you should think twice...
Cheers,
Nick
Those tards at the airport are checking for bombs, not to see where you bought your laptop. As long as it is not in the original shrinkwrap, you should be fine. Like customs has the time nor inclination to check whether your power adapter fits the local plug. On the one in one million chance you get questioned about your system, just have some random CDs with you and make sure they're in the same bag, also tweak the UI a bit, and if they ask about the keyboard just say you work for an American company and they provide the equipment (so it isn't localized).
Slashdot, always over-thinking everything. You guys would make such horrendous liars.
Uhh.... I think you are missing something that is very important-- we are free from the oppresive "VALUE ADDED TAX" that other countries have. Sure, we have sales tax, but we know what we pay and its pretty low considering what other countries pay. Socialistic governments have made paying taxes part of your purchase, so the consumer never realizes the government exploitation.
[FromTheMorning]
Why buy in the US when if your in NY for four days take a trip up to Canada and get it even cheaper! Save yourself about $100 more bucks.
Just a little sugestion.
Oh, bear in mind--you'll be stuck with a US QWERTY keyboard.
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.
I liked the idea of having the computer shipped to a friend in the states, and then going to visit the friend. It gets around various issues, and you get to visit your friend and take her or him out to dinner for the trouble.
That said, if you still want to buy it yourself, try J&R Music World in lower Manhattan.
For camera equipment, try B&H near Penn Station.
While you're in NYC, go to Katz's Deli and get some pastrami. Best in NY, and plenty of local color, too.
(Be aware that you may have trouble making a warranty claim on a US product outside the US.)
Have a nice trip!
The simplest way to go is to get a mailbox in New York via a company like The Mail Box
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.
No, it is not considered PERSONAL EFFECTS, UNLESS YOU HAVE OWNED FOR 6 MONTHS or so.
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
Just say you bought it for use in the USA. And then brought it back home. Then you pay no customs are you are allowed to buy tools for work abroad without paying UK sales tax. You just pay sales sax when you import for cumsumtion in the UK.
You will have to do the "make it look used" trick to your laptop. I guess it depends how badly you want it to look the part.
Obviously, the first thing to do is get very sticky fingers and make sure the keyboard key crud buildup looks "authentic". Add to this the "used"laptop bag, and you've got a good start.
Wipe down the case with a dirty, slightly sticky cloth. Then use your sticky fingers again. But don't be too obvious about it. You dont want to see streaks, but you want to get rid of the "new plastic" sheen - all over, if you can.
If you're feeling adventurous and don't care too much about looks - stick some old stickers on the case, maybe scuff an edge or corner a bit with some rough sandpaper. Stick on a sticky note or two inside, beside the keyboard. How about a coffee cup or soda can ring on the flat area by the keyboard?
If there are paper stick-ons (i.e. on the power supply or somewhere) the tear and roll the corner so it looks like you did a bad job of tearing it off. Hold a wet towel over the paper so it wrinkles, and let it dry. Then get it dirty/sticky and wipe that off. If there are strategic plastic bits you can snap off and keep somewhere so it looks like you lost a bit, then maybe do it. (Plastic cover of the metal lid hinge is a good one).
Don't forget the accompanying CD's and manual. Thumb a corner of the manual, open it wide so the back spine is wrinkled, etc. Roll the covers a bit - but don't overdo it. Make the CD envelopes look like they've been opened a few times and carried around in a laptop bag.
Be creative, but don't be too obvious. It's gotta look like you've had it for a while, but not like you played football (yours or ours) with it.
Above all, get rid of unecessary documentation. If it's receipts, or other important papers, mail them to yourself - but letter post, not as a parcel or something Customs might open.
Don't be like the maroons I heard of, who went shopping in Buffalo and came back to Canada. "Shopping all day - nothing to declare?" Customs Canada went through their car, wallets and purses, and found the receipts from the current trip, and the previous one! They still had last weekend's Visa slips in their possesion, and ended up paying double duty (duty plus equal penalty) for the total of both trips.!
If they get curious enough to check the serial number, you're screwed. Another hint is to buy some other stuff, so you can declare (or not, if just under your limit). However, I recall any Hearthrow arrivals I had were pretty much walk right thru without any stopping.
Nobody ever asks you about your laptop; they really could care less. They're more interested in people smuggling in plants and animals, since those actually have a serious, measurable impact.
;)
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.
"Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day; set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life
...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. :-)
You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
Same with my ThinkPads. Support in France, UK, Canada, USA, Bosnia, Italy, Germany, (those are countries my users have needed support in) all puchased in the US of A and covered 100% by based IBM warranty. But what you described as grey is a bit off the mark. The person buying the Dell wouldn't be a grey user, but your GF was.
Do you want to remove linux?
In argentina you get $25 per year, and the customs tax are around 50% for electronics, and CDs and books are free. So I went by car to Paraguay once and declared "a car stereo" (no serial nbr) along with my belongings. It was a useless 8-track i bought for $2. So I went to paraguay and got myself a new Pioneer car stereo with cassette player (it was 1989!) and threw the old one out the window. When I got to my country, the inspector said "you didn't forget to declare that car stereo, did you?" and i said "nope. here's the declaration stuff". The guy gave me a serious look and i just looked at him. He let me pass, not very convinced ;).
I ordered a laptop from dell a year ago. I waited and waited as parts were coming in.
I never recieved a shipping notice.
Unfortunately, this was all very close to finals and I was busting my ass writing a compiler. I didn't exactly have to time to screw with these guys and occassionally I checked the website. Still, every single time I checked it was in waiting.
Finally, finals were over and I decided I had better get this going. My order is still in limbo and the service rep says it got lost in the system. However, all my rebates and deals had passed now. The rep said I could build a whole new laptop, but there weren't any great specials now.
Immediately, I threated to get a toshiba. I already owned a toshiba, but at the time the Dell was cheaper then an equally stacked Toshiba. So, I chatted a bit about the toshiba model I wanted and went over the reasons I liked the Dell.
The rep finally started discouting everything and tossed in special after special. I couldn't get the model of cdrw I wanted, so they split the cost difference of the faster one. (Hell the original combo drive was free.... so I only paid 50$ 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.
"You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours." -- Yogi Berra
In general in the UK everything is more expensive. In real terms. The rule of thumb is we usually pay the equivalent in pounds that you do in dollars. So obviously we pay extra what the difference in the exchange rate is. Its worse in many other parts of Europe though. You wouldn't believe what something as basic as a fridge can set you back in some parts of the world.
Im sorry I have to set you straight. 80% of these Slashdot fcuks don't know what they are talking about. They just try to act intelligent on something they don't know about. I don't know why I bother reading the "ask slashdot" posts... =)
I have done this already, several times.
Don't try sending it to the UK. Customs will seize even 5 year old laptops and charge you VAT and or other fines. I have seen this happen twice.
Buy it at a retail store. (Best Buy, Circuit City, ect...) There is no way in hell your going to get something shipped in 3 days.
Throw away the box. Ship the literature that comes with it to yourself or just throw it away... its pretty useless anyway. Who needs instructions? You can get manuals online if you really need them.
As someone put it, make it look used. Take all of the stickers off. Install other programs. Customize it to look like it has been yours for a while. Finger prints ect... (this tip comes from a friend who works in customs),
You will not need a voltage converter or a new AC adapter. You have two options. Get a plug adapter for less the 5 bucks which changes us two prong to uk 3 prong. The AC/DC adapter is already built for both 110 and 220 and 60 and 50 hz... Your second option which is a bit nicer and is the same as if you bought it from the uk is a lead from the ac pack to the wall. You can get one at most electronic stores, or just walk down Tottenham Road London and you will find one in one of those shops. That's where I get mine.
Remap the keyboard. Go to Control Panel > Regions and Language Settings > Languages > Details > Add then add the UK setting. Or just get used to the 3 keys that are different. And if you really wanted to you can replace the keyboard with a UK one that you can order from the manufacturer in the UK (if that brand is also sold in the UK) but this may cost a bit.
I went through customs with two laptops before in my carryon. I was never questioned. You don't have anything to worry about.
Sorry to be intrusive but I had to step in and clear up the bullshit. Unlike most of the rest of the slashdoters I have done this already.
Anyway... just trying to help =)
Also I am a fan of the Sony Vaio I have two. That would be my choice.