Laptop import

markiejt

markiejt

markiejt

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Flintshire North Wales
Am I right in thinking re best way to buy a laptop would be to import one?
Are there any issues with this like warranty etc?
 
Remember to factor in import tax/vat that customs slap on items from outwith the EU :)
It can be a lot...25% for import tax alone :(
 
most likely, warranty wont work either.

If you have someone on site, smuggle it through customs at your peril (or theirs).

maybe through guernsey / jersey.

It's always iffy trying to import stuff. Manufacturers don't like this, and the risks are too great imo.
 
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If you have someone to do it for you get it taken on board as hand luggage. Thousands of people a day travel over the atlantic with laptops in their hand luggage and get asked nothing.
 
PhillyDee said:
They go from the CN22/CN23 sticker. Im not talking of hand luggage! Im talking about importing it properly. Although it will look a bit sus with the warranty details, new manuals, box and receipt etc . . . . :p
Click to expand...

You should throw those things away and keep warranty and receipt well out of sight :rolleyes:

You might wanna put some porn on it and files to make it look used
 
my personal experience of importing a laptop into the UK is that, unless you can bring it into the country personally, and you get a REALLY good deal, then not to bother.

why?
firstly, if you have it shipped, Customs WILL charge you for it, and they'll charge as much as they can, possibly more than they actually should (they have the power to invalidate the declared value on the CN22).

Secondly, if you bring it in yourself, you still have three problems:
1: The manufacturers warranty will almost certainly be invalid
2: The keyboard (might) not be a UK version which will be incredibly annoying at some point
3: sometimes, manufacturers have different chassis configurations for different regions (i'm looking at you, HP and toshiba!) and in that case, spares will be... difficult to acquire.
 
Aod said:
my personal experience of importing a laptop into the UK is that, unless you can bring it into the country personally, and you get a REALLY good deal, then not to bother.

why?
firstly, if you have it shipped, Customs WILL charge you for it, and they'll charge as much as they can, possibly more than they actually should (they have the power to invalidate the declared value on the CN22).

Secondly, if you bring it in yourself, you still have three problems:
1: The manufacturers warranty will almost certainly be invalid
2: The keyboard (might) not be a UK version which will be incredibly annoying at some point
3: sometimes, manufacturers have different chassis configurations for different regions (i'm looking at you, HP and toshiba!) and in that case, spares will be... difficult to acquire.
Click to expand...

You can't just say importing in general since all that you said only applies to the UK.
 
Unless it's a genuinely superior model that you cannot buy in the UK, for the average laptop I really wouldn't bother.

Would help to know which laptops you have in mind OP?
 
Like others said there is no such thing as import tax just vat to pay. Agree with beermonster, I wouldn't bother importing a laptop unless you were going for something very specific and at the high end of the price scale.

Put it this way what I found is most laptops from the states, epecially high end ones are literally the same amount in dollars as we pay in pounds if not slightly better. So a £2k laptop you will end up paying £1100 - £1300 over there.

When put through customs and the VAT is paid obviously the benefit of buying abroad is reduced a fair whack though it can still be worthwhile on a high end laptop.

If you choose a manufacturer with a global warranty like I did then you have no problems on warranty front (Asus are one). The keyboard thing for me hasn't been the issue I thought it might be at all.
 
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