buy american?

naffers

naffers

naffers

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Bristol
So basically im going on holiday to america for bout 3weeks ina couple days, and i was just wondering as i think the computer components are a lot cheaper out there would it be wise to buy a few? or will warranty issues etc be more hassle then its worth
 
TBH, i'm not sure its worth it. All the small stuff that you could get through in your luggage (CPU, GPU, Memory, mobo(if you can squeeze it), psu and hdd) are the things you really want a solid warranty with. If they are bought in the US, most will likely need to be shipped to the US to get RMA, which will likely eliminate the price incentive, plus it will take quite a bit longer.
 
Sasahara said:
warranty may be a problem, and you may have to pay tax when you get back depending on how much you spend.
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This country is so stupid. Why do the government have to tax us even more, just because our prices are so high in the first place? If we decide to go to America to buy stuff, then why should be charged tax to do so?

Sorry for the rant, it's so ridiculous lol
 
The prices are high because the tax on luxury items is high. if you import it, you still need to pay the tax on it. Otherwise it probably qualifies as smuggling. if we ignore that/assume customs don't catch you/assume you pay the tax,

For warranty I don't see it being an issue. If you have an intel processor bought in america and it dies, rma it to intel directly. You still have proof of purchase. If you're careful which brands you go for, and cope with customs, I don't see it being a problem.

Presumably hand luggage, the hold of an aeroplane is no place for electronics. This might mean motherboards don't fit. Processor and ram would be the obvious parts I think.

i7 750 for £350 instead of £450 is probably worth the effort. Not sure how much luck you'll have getting American websites to ship to a hotel though, and their high street stores may well be worse than our online ones.
 
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I have got no end of PC components from the US, once I bought back a 24" Dell LCD as a carry on! Keep everything fragile (Mobos, GPUs, CPUs RAM etc) boxed and well packed in the middle of your suitcase and they will be fine in the hold.

Physically buying things might be a problem, to order online you need a US credit card, possibly paypal may work but I would research this. You would need to check if your staying at a hotel, I dont see why they wouldnt ship it to them though.

As for customs all im saying about this is that ive never had an issue and walked straight through, all my parts were a "gift" to me from my GFs brother in law.

Warranty is potentially a problem but the odd thing ive had go wrong ive never had a problem RMAing, just send it back direct to the manufacturers.

Hawker
 
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oh right cheers. well its my nans appartment so they should ship to it. I'l have a think about it. see if the prices justify the risks
 
can she not forward it to you as 'gift' labelled on the package for customs purposes??

some companies do offer that service or at least they used to.
 
Amraam said:
This country is so stupid. Why do the government have to tax us even more, just because our prices are so high in the first place? If we decide to go to America to buy stuff, then why should be charged tax to do so?

Sorry for the rant, it's so ridiculous lol
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Unfortunately tax pays for all the services we use. Though at the moment it doesn't, cause the government have been spending more than they have been taxing.

If they didn't tax imports (they same as UK retailers), most UK businesses would go bust and the county in the end would go bankrupt.
 
Yes taxes pay for everyone who doesn't.
Much as I don't agree with the amount of tax I pay, and I think soem lazy spongers should be shot, I still think that a rule is a rule, and if you are importing goods, you should be declaring them and paying for them.
 
out of interest, saying you bought an item from the US and paid the import tax, it later went poof and you RMA'd it back to the US
Would you have to pay tax again on the replacement when it comes?
 
Wouldn't dare put that stuff in my case.. when they scan it'd look dodgy haha. Probably think it's a bomb :P

But yeah, if you get taxed. It's going to suck.
 
Conscept said:
Wouldn't dare put that stuff in my case.. when they scan it'd look dodgy haha. Probably think it's a bomb :P

But yeah, if you get taxed. It's going to suck.
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Once they actually opened up my case and it had a HDD, graphics card, lycosa keyboard, and a CPU, they left a note saying it had been inspected and that was it :)

Hawker
 
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