USA Macbook

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MikeB

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Hey Guys!

I'm new to the forum and I just ordered an American Macbook(1.8 Stock).
I'm currently living in the UK and I was wondering what power adapters will I need to convert USA to UK?

I'm very excited about this laptop, it will be my first mac! :)

Thanks

Mike
 
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All that you'll need is the plug adapter for the UK power outlets. Apple sells a set of these adapters called the "Apple World Travel Adapter Kit" for $39 USD. I'm not certain if you can purchase the adapters individually, but either way, it's won't cost you all that much to get up and running using UK power with your new MacBook. :)
 
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MikeB

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Thanks Padawan :)

Yeah I bought it from the USA because basically it's so much cheaper over there.
 
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MikeB said:
Thanks Padawan :)

Yeah I bought it from the USA because basically it's so much cheaper over there.

Even allowing for the VAT & Customs duty?

You do realise that when they deliver it you must pay these don't you!*

Amen-Moses

(* unless of course you are breaking the law but you wouldn't do that would you.)
 
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lil

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Uh...

Probably a fair wodge more than that!

A £250 laptop I imported a few years back cost me a total of £320 when it came through customs...

You might be in for a little shock I'm afraid to say :(

Vicky
 
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Customs charge is around 30, then theres the vat at 17.9 on top of that.

So youve paid 592 pounds for the laptop at current conversion rates, plus the 30 custom charge, thats 622. Plus 17.9 of 592, 106.

Thats 728 you'll have paid altogether.

Was the shipping free? I know on the UK store it is, but from the US store to uk I dont know if it is.

Really though you havent saved that much.
 
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MikeB

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Well last time I bought an item of ebay from USA the guy sent it as a gift so there would be no customs tax..
 
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Wedge

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MikeB said:
Well last time I bought an item of ebay from USA the guy sent it as a gift so there would be no customs tax.

Statements like that can get you a visit from your local auditor. Then again you could roll the dice and hope that saving a few hundred bux is worth the risk of being breaking the law.
 
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Did you buy the macbook off ebay? If its bought from a normal store you can be assured it wont be sent as a gift.

I bought a mountain bike frame off ebay from canada, it was valued at £400 and I got hit with 98 quids worth of charges :(
 
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MikeB said:
Well last time I bought an item of ebay from USA the guy sent it as a gift so there would be no customs tax.

The key word here is "gift". Apple isn't going to ship your Mac as a gift, although someone in the states may do so for you...
 
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If the seller agrees to send it as a "gift" and undervalue it on the customs form, you might be all-right then...
 
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MikeB

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Gimpy said:
Did you buy the macbook off ebay? If its bought from a normal store you can be assured it wont be sent as a gift.

I bought a mountain bike frame off ebay from canada, it was valued at £400 and I got hit with 98 quids worth of charges :(

Yeah I did. With a bike you have to pay an extra 15% Duty Fee and 17.5% VAT.

With a laptop you don't pay a duty fee, only tax.
 
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MikeB said:
I didnt buy it from apple, I got it from eBay brand new for $1000.

In which case it is up to you to declare the import duty and VAT, the sender isn't the one breaking the law unless they are a UK supplier (like Apple for example) who have signed agreements with customs to collect the duty and tax.

Also keep in mind that you legally have no warranty on direct purchases from eBay, if the seller is a reputable dealer then you may have a limited warranty (usually anything up to 90 days to return faulty goods) but if they send it as a "gift" or as I've encountered before "replacement goods" then you can forget any warranty!

It might sound like a big saving and maybe you won't get caught but if you do then think very big fine or if they think you've made a habit of it or you have a record you can say goodbye to a few months of liberty. :eek:neye:

The odds are pretty much in your favour though, only about 5% of incoming packages with dodgy looking declarations are tracked to the destination, although if yours is one of them and the declaration is false then you may also have to pay a fine (which is to offset the cost of tracking the packages).


eBay should have a huge banner across each page saying "Buyer Beware" with a link to an english description of the pitfalls waiting to snare you.

For example another one is that it is actually illegal to connect any device to a UK power outlet that does not meet certain british standards, similarly for car equipment, safety equipment and a whole host of other things. Accreditation and certification of devices cost money so some of the savings you may make by buying direct from foreign suppliers may be due to the goods not having been certified to BSs (even though they may meet them!).

So what you say? Well insurers have nice little clauses that state that they are not liable in a case where any non-BS equipment is installed or in use so you could be invalidating your household, car, boat etc insurance.

Amen-Moses
 
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