03-01-2010, 02:36 PM

Hey,

I am looking at buying a MacBook Pro 15" 2.8 for my girlfriend. I looked on Apple's US Refurbished Mac Store and the MacBook Pro 15" 2.8Ghz 4GB RAM 500GB HDD was US$1,949.00. And I checked the Australian Refurbished Mac Store for the exact same spec Mac, but it costs AUD$2,699.00.

Then if you go to XE - The World's Favorite Currency and Foreign Exchange Site to check the exchange rate, the US$1,949.00 Mac from the US Store is only AUD$2,166.00.

So can't I just buy it from the US Store and get it shipped to me in Finland??

It works out alot cheaper to buy from the US Store...

Any ideas??

Thanks

03-01-2010, 02:59 PM

You will need someone in the US to buy it, deliver it to a US address and then ship it out to you.

Bear in mind that many US states do not have sales tax, and that in Britain at least, the customs service may send you a bill for any sales tax when it comes in to the country.

03-01-2010, 04:27 PM

+1

I think you'll find that going through the necessary steps to actually get it to you legally in Finland will end up saving you exactly zero dollars, possibly costing you.

There are at any given time perhaps a handful of countries where the savings is so spectacular that its actually worth the effort, but this is usually fleeting (due to currency flucuations). For most countries, the cost difference is actually pretty minor once you factor in time and effort and compliance with customs.

03-01-2010, 06:59 PM

One other thought. If you need a keyboard layout other than U.S. English (such as a Finnish keyboard)...you may not be able to do this at the U.S. Apple Store.

I checked...and all they had available was English, French, Spanish, and Japanese.

- Nick

03-01-2010, 07:10 PM

I have bought all of my new Macs through Amazon. How are their prices (assuming they have a site you can buy from)?
For me it usually runs to a 5% discount over the Apple Store and no tax.

03-01-2010, 08:19 PM

Hi, Razormac. Fellow Arkie here!

I've bought all my Macs through indie Apple retailers save for one, which was from the Apple Store in Memphis. They'll usually bend over backwards if you ask for something that's within reason. An international keyboard shouldn't be that hard I wouldn't think.

03-02-2010, 02:33 AM

ahhhh ok, thanks guys. I'm not fussed about the keyboard so an English keyboard is fine.

I think the best bet for me is to get my parents to buy it for me, in Australia, then ship it to me in Finland, as the prices for Macs in Finland are rediculous.

Oh, and I have also found a better option... Instead of getting a Refurbished MacBook Pro, I can get a Student Discounted one, and also get a free (after rebate forms sent back to Apple) iPod Touch. A Student Discounted notebook is only AUD$90 more expensive, and then it's Brand New...

I also just looked at Finlands Tax website, and I think Im exempt from the customs tax because im a student and ive lived outside of europe for more than 12months. So i think ill get it sent to my friend (a student) in australia and get hime to send it to me.

03-02-2010, 07:07 AM

I just found out from the Customs Office here in Finland that because I'm a student, and I "will use it for school", I don't have to pay any taxes when importing it from ANY country:

1. Outfits, scholastic materials and household effects representing the usual furnishings for a student´s room and belonging to pupils or students coming to stay in the customs territory of the Community for the purpose of studying there and intended for their personal use during the period of their studies shall be admitted free of import duties.

Woooooo