Flying to America, what to buy there??
- Thread starter Assassin_012
- Start date
Some devices are also locked. I was looking at the nook, but it's locked to USA accounts and it was only about a £20 saving.
How does this work? I'm heading off to the US for a year from next week and imagine I'll come back with more than £390 worth... but how do they verify which items I flew out with and which I've bought out there?
Soldato
I went to Detroit in Feb.
Designer clothes - They are less than half the price than here! Pull off all the price tags and wear or wash them. Then they cannot prove that you just bought them.
Fags - You can bring back 200 per person, so get them on the flight on the way back and sell them. Beings as they will cost you £2.60 per pack you will definately make some money back.
Spirits - Again, buy these on the flight on the way home. You are allowed 1 litre per person. I paid £17 on the plane for 1 litre of JD in a nice gift box. I think they are £32 in Tesco now!
Cigars - The allowance is very good iirc. Make sure you get ones from a humidified room. You should pay <$10 per cigar for a brand like Romio y Juliet or Montecristo. Remember that you jave to smoke them within a few months or they dry out. Try to get cigars that come in metal tubes to protect them a bit.
With electronics, either get something that you can fully test before coming home, such as a laptop or an iPad. Otherwise forget it due to you being stuck if the item breaks and/or the savings are not big enough to be worth it.
Designer clothes - They are less than half the price than here! Pull off all the price tags and wear or wash them. Then they cannot prove that you just bought them.
Fags - You can bring back 200 per person, so get them on the flight on the way back and sell them. Beings as they will cost you £2.60 per pack you will definately make some money back.
Spirits - Again, buy these on the flight on the way home. You are allowed 1 litre per person. I paid £17 on the plane for 1 litre of JD in a nice gift box. I think they are £32 in Tesco now!
Cigars - The allowance is very good iirc. Make sure you get ones from a humidified room. You should pay <$10 per cigar for a brand like Romio y Juliet or Montecristo. Remember that you jave to smoke them within a few months or they dry out. Try to get cigars that come in metal tubes to protect them a bit.
With electronics, either get something that you can fully test before coming home, such as a laptop or an iPad. Otherwise forget it due to you being stuck if the item breaks and/or the savings are not big enough to be worth it.
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![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
I have never, ever had this checked.
Soldato
Its up to you to prove that you didn't buy them in the USA not the other way around,BTW I have never been checked when coming back into the country but you take the chance if you come back in with more than £390 worth of goods and they stop you.
There are about 3 keys different on the UK Mac to the US Mac. I agree though, Mac keyboard are horribly laid out in the first place!
I probably shouldn't have split the cover from the second point - what I was driving at was, if you want to get the extra peace of mind you need to use a credit card, and most credit cards do charge a loading fee if used abroad (I know there are some such as Clarity, and historically Nationwide that don't, but the vast majority do). Whether or not it is cheaper than exchanging cash before you go, doesn't really matter when comparing to purchasing goods in the UK - the point I was trying to make was, in order to get Section 75 cover you need to use a credit card, and most credit cards will charge a fee for using them them overseas, which wouldn't apply for goods bought in the UK. In other words, there is a normally a cost associated with getting that coverage when spending in the US, that wouldn't apply in the UK. However, what I said about the grace period was incorrect as that only applies to cash withdrawals, not purchases, so it is good that you brought that people's attention. Overall I'd say what I wrote was partially untrue, not totally untrue
[TW]Fox;22394181 said:
I think I'm likely to have another suitcase worth of stuff to bring back, considering I am taking only one out there and staying for a year. I guess if I mix the stuff up it might be alright.
Happened to my family when I was quite young on return from Florida through Heathrow.
Customs Officer stopped us when walking through 'Nothing to declare'. There were 5 of us, so had a fair bit of luggage as it was. The customs officer went through everything and luckily my Dad had kept receipts for everything, so they were able to work out how much we were allowed fairly.
Soldato
Certainly not common retail items, I'd go for rarities, I think the vinyl market is still pretty strong over there.
Find outlet mall, go clothes shopping.
I normally stock up on Levis, because a) 569s/568s are difficult to get over here and b) they are a hell of a lot cheaper.
Trainers too. I wear a duff pair to leave there, wear a new pair back and pack 2-3.
Doofski is spot on, take hand luggage and buy a suitcase over there to bring it all back in.
I normally stock up on Levis, because a) 569s/568s are difficult to get over here and b) they are a hell of a lot cheaper.
Trainers too. I wear a duff pair to leave there, wear a new pair back and pack 2-3.
Doofski is spot on, take hand luggage and buy a suitcase over there to bring it all back in.
Hopefully you mean £1,000.
i've always bought more back than 200
in 2002, i missed my flight back and had to come back with luthstansa, via germany. my suitcase was on the AA flight already (i had got an internal flight, wasn't aware my bag had been checked through, so i was waiting for it, like a mug)
my suitcase was delivered to my house a couple of days later with a customs checked sticker on it and 600 cigarettes still inside.
Whatever you've done the duty and tax free allowance is still 200 cigarettes on arrivals from non EU countries.
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- 23 Mar 2010
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do you have the full list?
id probably wanna look before i go
ive been searching and can't find it.
