buying from America...

What would be the point? I could see you getting hammered on taxes, RMA would be a nightmare etc etc
 
When I was younger a friend of mine moved to France with his family. They took their computers with them and his mother asked why they would bother because everything on the computer would be in French :D
 
They use a different voltage in the US so make sure it is compatable with UK power so it doesn't explode when you plug it in.

Software won't matter.
 
bsoltan said:
They use a different voltage in the US so make sure it is compatable with UK power so it doesn't explode when you plug it in.

Software won't matter.
Click to expand...

Yeh, I believe pretty much all modern PSUs will auto switch for voltage, but its something worth checking.

But difficulties with after sales service,the shipping charges and import tax would probably make it not worth while.
 
I know there PC's would be 110v what can I do so I can covert the power, is there a converter I can buy ? Or I have heard there is a switch on the back of the psu to change the voltage ?
 
Why are you thinking of getting a pc from america,as people have said,it will cost a small fortune to ship it,then you have got the tax on top of that and vat.

Whats the reason behind you wanting to get a pc from america ?
 
Pc-Gamer12 said:
I know there PC's would be 110v what can I do so I can covert the power, is there a converter I can buy ? Or I have heard there is a switch on the back of the psu to change the voltage ?
Click to expand...

Old PSU's had a switch, modern ones generally auto switch so you shouldn't need to worry about it.
 
it will end up costing more than it would buying one from ocuk.

customs will nail you for import tax , vat etc , then royal mail or parcel force will nail you for handling charges
 
sounds like they would have to pay import duty even if they aren't uk citizens and they are just visiting

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/customs-travel/customs/whatcanibringin/
says
This section explains the restrictions on what you can bring into the UK. You must comply with these restrictions, even if you are British citizen who is returning from a trip abroad.
Click to expand...
Sounds like the restrictions even count to tourists or it wouldn't say "even if you are a British citizen"
links you to
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/customs-travel/customs/whatcanibringin/allowances/
This page explains the rules about what goods you can bring with you into the United Kingdom without paying duty or value added tax (VAT) here.
Click to expand...
Which links you to
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/arriving/arrivingnoneu.htm
which says
Other goods including perfume and souvenirs

You can bring in other goods worth up to £390 without having to pay tax and/or duty.

If you arrive by private plane or private boat for pleasure purposes, you can only bring in other goods worth up to £270 tax and duty free.

If you bring in any single item worth more than your allowance, you must pay duty and/or tax on the full item value, not just the value above the allowance. You also cannot group individual allowances together to bring in an item worth more than the limit.
Click to expand...


Might look a bit obvious when customs see them bringing a brand new looking pc on holiday with them :D
 
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arknor said:
Might look a bit obvious when customs see them bringing a brand new looking pc on holiday with them :D
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Remove from box and ask the friend to run it a little and say it's a personal PC as he prefers plugging it in to a HDMI TV rather than bringing a laptop?
 
A mate of mine brought his PC over to I27 from Boston and British Airways absolutely trashed it. It looked like it had been kicked around the airport, the cooler had been ripped off the MB taking the socket and mounts with it and then just thrown back into the case. On the side there was an "inspected" sticker lol. The thing was completely toast.
 
arknor said:
sounds like they would have to pay import duty even if they aren't uk citizens and they are just visiting

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/customs-travel/customs/whatcanibringin/
says

Sounds like the restrictions even count to tourists or it wouldn't say "even if you are a British citizen"
links you to
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/customs-travel/customs/whatcanibringin/allowances/

Which links you to
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/arriving/arrivingnoneu.htm
which says



Might look a bit obvious when customs see them bringing a brand new looking pc on holiday with them :D
Click to expand...

Your talking about duty free, if you've paid tax at source it doesn't apply.
You can bring it back as a gift to avoid import tax also, but that would probably cause warranty/return issues.
 
So they couldn't bring a 1000 dollar pc over from America ? I want to get it online to deliver it to their house in the us then they bring it over later on ?
 
neil_g said:
someone did that to a machine i was working on once. went off with a hell of a bang. nearly pooped myself :rolleyes:
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My step-dad did it to my Mum's Dell when they brought it back from Canada last year; forgot to change the switch back from 110v. Killed the entire machine, though fortunately the HDD was okay so no data was lost.

Pc-Gamer12 said:
So they couldn't bring a 1000 dollar pc over from America ? I want to get it online to deliver it to their house in the us then they bring it over later on ?
Click to expand...

Is it worth it? You'll be losing the warranty for the sake of saving a bit of money. Not to mention you're screwed if it gets damaged during the flight over.
 
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