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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?"
First off, I'm assuming you want a mail order dell laptop. The simplest way to go is to get a mailbox in New York via a company like The Mail Box or a UPS store. They give you a full address that is not a PO box, and they will sign for packages for you. Pre-pay for 1 month. That's step 1.
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!
Karma: SELECT `karma` FROM `users` WHERE `userid`=138474;
Not sure why this warrents an ask slashdot when a quick search found this:
Gateway Stores
Circuit City
Dell Direct Stores
Or if your feeling artistic:
Apple Stores
Try J&R near city hall.
Try the Apple Store in Soho. They'll have great laptops.
<tongue_in_cheek>Don't forget to declare your new laptop to customs, 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...)
Obliteracy: Words with explosions
Order laptop in advance via credit card. Have the laptop shipped to a trusted friend or colleague. Pick up when you are in town.
Many retail establishments can offer mechandise on the spot here, thought not always the same level of customization that Dell offers.
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.
"Provided by the management for your protection."
Maybe Best Buy or Fry's? You know, small little niche shops like that.
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?
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.
Brand new, just fell off the truck....
Free Mac Mini Yeah, it's
Make a sign that indicates you have a couple thousand on your person and that you are in the market for a laptop. I helpful citizen sales rep will shortly arrive to arrange your purchase.
The US has become Mexico.
People are coming here to exploit our weak currency!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
This
Seriously, the best place to buy stuff. I got a genuine Rollox wristwatch from a dude there.
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
Doesn't Dell ask you to affirm that you will not export the computer from the United States as part of their checkout process?
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.
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.
Never flown internationally, but here's my question: How would they know?
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.
The best reputable dealer in NYC is J&R Music and Computer World. They have a good selection of laptop computers that you can buy and take away right there; naturally they don't have Dell since Dell sells through the web only.
You can start by taking a look at their selection on their web site here. 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.
All Apple machines use US keyboards anyway. This is why UK customers have email addresses like toomuchmoney"mac.com .
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.
You wouldn't have to worry about customs/taxes if you open it and carry it with you, right? (Just like what you should do with jewelry)
There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from the bread factory.
BUT remember NY's friendly 8.25% sales tax. When possible, it's best to buy via mail-order from a company that doesn't have a NY presence. And remember to ask about the return policy.
Here's what I do: Bitty Browser & Andromeda
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
Find out in advance if the power socket on the power suppy is detachable. If it is, buy a UK lead for it before you go out. If it isn't buy a UK power supply for it before you go out. Also bring a US->UK plug converter. Make a CD of any of the kind of software you'd normally have installed, plus a selection of your normal documents/family photos etc that you'd have on your computer.
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.
Pay a large chunk of change to Customs...
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.
A few years ago I bought my Canon Digital Elph from 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.
Ever dream you could fly? Get up from the Flight Sim. I Fly
The people in customs aren't nazi's. If they see a laptop they will think nothing of it. Laptops are very common on Airplanes. I have taken many transatlantic flights and except for the pre-flight security check, I have never been questioned about my laptop or my other personal electronics. They have much bigger fish to catch. For example cigarette and exotic animal smugglers. He just needs to keep his mouth shut and walk through. Speaking from experience entry into the UK is very easy compared to the U.S., especally from Gatwick airport.
The thing I've noticed when people say it costs $XXX in the use and XXX in the UK is that they don't realize that US prices do *not* include tax. All the UK prices do. They never add the US tax to the US price or subtract the UK tax from the UK price.
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!
Reminds me of the old Mexican joke about a man who crossed the US/Mexican border every day with a wheel barrow full of dirt. The customs officials asked him each time he crossed whether he had anything to declare. Pointing to the dirt he would reply "Nada" and the guards would let him pass. In time they became used to his crossings that they no longer thought anything about what he was doing.
Turns out he was smuggling wheel barrows.
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.
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.)
Ceterum censeo subscriptionem esse delendam.
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
Spread, my little hegemony. Spread.
First the keyboards, then the language! Before long, we'll have them speaking English in the UK! Mwahahahaha!
Since you are such a trusted associate even though we have never met I will send you 2 laptops for only $300! Please send over your bank and credit card numbers so that we can take all your money, I mean charge the account the proper amount, we would never take all your money.
...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)
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. 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" 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. 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...
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.
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
four nine eighteen twenty-7 thirty-nine forty-7 fiftyeight sixty-nine seventy-9 eighty-8 one-hundred-and-nine one-twenty
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
Hi,
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!
Mail the accessories, instructions 'n guarantee home, using USMail. Then just carry the bugger on board, odds ons customs won't even notice, particularly if you wear a business suit while flying back.
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.
If they take a dislike to you, they can make life very difficult for you immediately by ordering a body cavity search.
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.
May we never see th
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.
You don't want to tease an American customs or immigration officer as a foreigner. They can and will throw you out of the country if they get pissed on you, no appeal, no coming back for at least six months and you have to explain every time you do come back why you were thrown out that one time ("Well sir, I was teasing this customs officer and he took it badly...").
No, I haven't done it, but I read what it says just above where you sign on the entry cards.