Buying electronics from USA

Gelmir

I am looking to buy some electronics from the US but I'm not really aware of any pitfalls or hidden extras. I know the voltage is different in the US but would this really affect say an MP3 player, apart from the adaptor that is.

Also would any products I buy be subject to import tax or some dying expense like that? so if any anyone has experience of buying from abroad please let me know.

Dizz

I've bought from the States a few times now and in the end it usually works out the same if not more expensive than buying here in Ireland. Have a look here regarding duty/VAT http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=59000
If you look about on mainland europe you might get a better bargain.

Dizz

Ro-76

I have ordered a significant amount of electronic and computer goods from the US.

There is always the risk of paying VAT, and high shipping costs, which one must compare to the savings.

I generally buy on Ebay if possible from a reputable seller, and ask them to ship it USPS mail, which minimizes, but does not eliminate the risk of paying duty. I have never paid duty on a package delivered by An Post, but they USPS tends to use private couriers to deliver packages now. General Parcel (who provide an atrocious service), for example have a Europe-wide contract with USPS. In my experience, poackages sent via regular airmail, or global priority mail from the US are almost always delivered by An Post. EMS runs a higher chance of being picked up by customs, and FedEx, UPS etc allways charge relevant tax.

The other point of note with ordering from the US is warranty issues. Sony for example have set up their warranty system so that it's next to impossible to get warranty cover for a non-US resident. Some companies, like Toshiba (from whom I bought my laptop) do offer a global warranty as standard.

I find that the hassle is more than outweighed by the savings. Eg I bought a 128MB memory stick, delivered for $65 when it was €190 at PCWorld. I recommend Ebay as having the best savings online. While there is a significant risk, if you are careful and only buy from sellers with good feedback, you should be safe. The only time I have been conned is when I didn't do this.

Ro

milltown

DHL seem to be the worst offenders in my experience. Once they start charging tax it just snowballs. I forget the exact breakdown I was given but it was something like:
Goods value $100
Shipping cost $10
Then add Duty to $110 at whatever rate
Then add VAT onto whatever total you're up to now
I think there may have been even more but basically they charge you tax, then they charge you tax on the tax! Bear in mind you have already paid the US tax and probably about a third of your wages in tax already! The blood fairly boils.
When quizzed about it the girl I spoke to in DHL basically said that's what the government direct them to do in order to discourage people from buying from elsewhere.

Ro-76

I find most of those couriers the same. As you said they also tax the shipping charges. In fact, one package shipped via UPS, the seller paid for the shipping on special offer, so they calculated the tax based on the cost of the shipment from Ireland, which was about twice the cost fro the states. I generally find that USPS are the best bet and indeed the most reliable.

One other point on fake customs declaration: If you put a lesser value on a package, that's the value used for insurance purposes, so you might find yourself very much out of pocket if the package gets lost.

Ro

Zab

What if you get a second hand item on ebay. Do you pay tax on what you paid. or on the irish value of the item?

Also, I found this site which will ship on to you if the auctioneer does not want to ship internationally ( seems very common ). It is pretty cheap, and the postage rates are the USPS ones. I have never used them, so I don't know what they are like. They will also combine orders, so that might be worth looking into.

Zab.

Ro-76

You are probably OK with second hand items, but technically I think they can charge you tax on the Irish value.

That site seems to be a bit of a find. I had seen other forwarding services, but they were exorbitantly expensive. That one is a lot cheaper. Let me know how you get on if you use it.

Ro

mfield

I thought that this works, although it is a bit of hassle. If you post what ever you want to a friend or relative in the US, who then posts it in to yourself. I have not tried this myself but have been told that it works, anyone tried it?


mfield.