Buying a Laptop - Ireland/UK vs US

Bah

I'm planning on buying a basic/mid-range laptop in the next month or two, with a budget of about €900. I'm probably going to the US in June, so I have the option of buying it there - is there any real savings to be made by buying in the US versus buying online from the UK/here? If I buy here I can buy it through a business, claiming back VAT.

Are US laptop prices really that much cheaper than here, or would the savings be minimal? I'm looking at the Dell Inspiron and Sony Vaio ranges.

Any help is appreciated.

RichyX

US prices can be alot cheaper then here.

I was looking at a high spec Toshiba model there last month for $1000 (around 825€).
It's nowhere near as good Irish brother (40GB Vs 100GB harddrive, Pentium M740 Vs M760, 512MB RAM Vs 1024MB), was 1250€ here.

The only major problem is the warranty, most companies don't offer an international warranty. You buy at your own risk which could back fire and cost you a huge amount to sort out.

If you get a Dell and get tax back it would be the best option I reckon. Dell's are about the only reasonably priced and easily purchased laptops you can get in Ireland.

Tom Dunne

Generally speaking, consumer electronics (including laptops) are cheaper in the US.

As RichyX says, the biggest problem is the warranty.

Also, it is quite difficult to purchase online in the US for a non-US credit card holder (believe me, I know). And if you go into a shop such as Compusa or Best Buy, make sure you check the actual price you pay. I got caught out a few times with various shops displaying the price AFTER rebate, with the actual price displayed in tiny writing underneath. It is nigh on impossible to get the rebate from this side of the Atlantic.

Bah

Thanks for the advice so far.

Having an American credit card wont be a problem for me since I already have one (a Visa debit card, which is practically the same thing), and I'm planning on staying in the US for 2-3 months if I do go, so delivery wont be much of a problem either. The only real issue is the warranty, which I'm not too keen on losing when I come home a month or two after buying it. The rebates could also be a problem, since they seem to take at least 1-2 months to be sent out.

I've tried to do like-for-like comparisons on the Dell website, but they don't seem to have the same models available as they have on the Irish website. If the price difference is as big for most laptops as it is on RichyX's Toshiba, then even the ex-VAT price here would seem to be higher than the US price.

If anybody has any more advice, I'd be grateful to hear it.

Thanks in advance.

TommyGun

At the end of the day most electoronis are made in China. Which means that the only diferance in price is in the transport, tax and and profits. Because of the risk of having to pay duty on the laptop and you will get 20 discount here, and the warrenty i would buy here unless you are getting a very good deal.

Tom Dunne

TommyGun wrote:

Because of the risk of having to pay duty on the laptop and you will get 20 discount here, and the warrenty i would buy here unless you are getting a very good deal.

And what risk of duty is that?

What exactly is the 20 discount?

TommyGun

tom dunne wrote:

And what risk of duty is that?

What exactly is the 20 discount?

If you purchase anything outside the EU and bring back you are lieable for Import duty.

The 20 % discount is in and around the VAT Bah would get off here.

Bah

TommyGun wrote:

If you purchase anything outside the EU and bring back you are lieable for Import duty.

The 20 % discount is in and around the VAT Bah would get off here.

There's definetly a risk of paying duty, but I don't think in my case it would be that much of a risk, since I'd be carrying it back in carry on luggage, without any kind of packaging or anything to indicate I didn't buy it in Ireland. There's always a risk of getting stopped at customs and being asked about it, but I don't see it of that great of a risk.

The 21% savings, along with the warranty, are the onyl things that are making me even consider buying it here. Having compared the Dell.ie website (Inspiron 6400), with a similar Inspiron model on the Dell.com website, using the same configuration, the Del.ie website comes in at about €400 more than the US website. Even the 21% VAT "discount" doesn't seem to be coming anywhere close to that.

So I'm still undecided really - the safety and convenience of buying it *before* I go over, or the savings and hassle of buying it after I go over.

fade2che

I bought a laptop a few years back when I was in the US. Saved a lot of money by doing so (>700 euro) at the time. Had no trouble with customs as it was 2 months old and looked like I had it for work. However I had a problem with the keyboard and gateway would only service the laptop in the states. I managed to get an old friend to collect any post delivered to her house in my name and forward it on to me, and that how i got the replacement parts in the end. I had to to the repairs myself obviously. But I think I would do it again anyway, cos I saved so much.

jimmycrackcorm

HP support their laptops worldwide. Acer do their PDA's likewise so I presume the same applies to their laptops.