Buying a refurbed Sony from the states?

cornbb · 17-08-2006 1:07pm #1

My sister is looking for a Vaio and has her eye on this:

https://www.eritech.com/detail.php?item=VGNFJ370B

The spec looks reasonably good - there's probably a better deal in the Dell outlet store but she has her heart set on a Vaio. It comes with an international warranty. Has anyone had experiences of buying laptops from the US? Is there some sort of customs duty to pay?

Thanks

majiktripp · 17-08-2006 2:02pm

All depends on the customs guys,might get through with no vat or duty...then again it might not and its a large sum to pay as its a % of the quoted value of the package in question so if the seller puts the full retail price on it you could be charged a lot.Some people reckon if the package is labelled as a "gift" it bypasses this but I dont believe this is entirely true.

Ruu_Old · 18-08-2006 12:56am

I would try and stay this side of the pond if at all possible, with duty it might end up costly and difficult if she has to return it (although its possible she could get her problems solved in Ireland if it had issues).

cornbb · 18-08-2006 12:53pm

Thats what I was thinking. The price is tempting, although she'd have to fork out for an irish AC adapter, customs duty, shipping etc. Sure we'll see what happens anyway. Thanks guys.

homerjay2005 · 19-08-2006 9:02am

id check the term "international warranty" to be honest. make sure its not an american number to ring when your elsewhere and then you end up having to fork out on courier fees when something goes wrong, these things usually cost alot more but are generally worth it. make sure that its a number in ireland/uk where you can ring up and get the same support as laptops purchased in ireland.

stooge · 31-10-2006 12:18pm

Hey Cornbb, any news on the laptop. my bro is going to the US and I was wondering how difficult it is to get through customs with a new laptop.

Tom Dunne · 31-10-2006 12:28pm

If you are walking through customs in Dublin airport with a new laptop, there pretty much zero chance you will be caught. As long as you don't carry it through with box and still in the plastic, you will be fine.

Any you won't have to fork out for an Irish AC adapter - all laptops nowadays come with dual voltage supplies. You will just have to get a plug convertor that changes the plug from US to Irish.

Buying a refurbed Sony from the states?

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