cakeychef

Hi all,
just debating whether to buy a laptop to take into Oz in December. Will i get hit with import tax, how will they know if its less than 12 months old or not?

any advice would help
simon

Ialibu

Check out prices on the Internet, you can then work out whether to stick with your old one until you hit our sunny shores or buy new now.

I am not too sure about any import tax, you may be liable for GST (same tax as your VAT). Although for people on long stay visas or permanently migrating, I think they give a fair of leeway.

I am sure this have been covered elsewhere on this forum. Do a search.

Hutch

Just take it as hand luggage in a laptop bag, not the box and nobody will either a) bother you or b) care. You'll find prices on laptops are slightly cheaper here than Oz, but if you're going via Hong Kong, buy there and make a considerable saving.

luchi

Not sure about the import tax, but be careful with the warranty. Every sales person will tell you that the warranty is valid outside EU,but I would contact the company who made the laptop and check with them. I have bought stuff before and when it comes to the crunch its not valid!

gedge

I'd second that. Slap some peeling stickers on the lappy bag if it looks brand new. Maybe sprinkle some crumbs in the key pad too!

Rachel & Paul

Hi,
I bought an Acer 3613 from www.ebuyer.com, I am going to take it as hand luggage, along with my Projector to avoid paying Aussy rip off taxes.
The laptop comes with a Worldwide travellers warranty, this means if it breaksdown, you get in touch with Acer and they tell you where to send it for repair, this includes Oz.
Hope this helps.
Paul

tabby

We bought a HP Pavilion zd800 17" in the UK mainly coz we needed a PC when ours got packed into the container which cost us £999.00 we had had it for 2 months when we flew to Aus just put in a laptop bag to carry never asked if it was new or not, lets face it I'm sure they have more imporatant things tyo worry about !!

Then when we arrive we have seen it in the stores for $2800.00 (£1244.00), but as I have discovered you are able to knock prices down in stores here, so I think it comes down to do you need one know, cos the only bonus is that you get an Oz guarantee

Hope this helps

Martin

Whitby Wanderers

....and don't forget that you can claim the VAT back as you leave the country!

nickyjohnt

Hi WW we have a just got a new laptop, How do you go about claiming the VAT back ? It would be nice to get something back from the Tax man for a change. Advice would greatly be appreciated.

Cheers

John

Whitby Wanderers

Hi John,

This link goves you all the gen

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsP...WebApp.portal?

_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageTravel_ShowContent&prope rtyType=document&resetCT=true&id=HMCE_PROD_007779

...basically you need the goods, the reciept and the relevant form as you leav the country..and to exit the country within three months of the last day of the month you bought the goods in if that makes sense.

Hope this helps

Si

nickyjohnt

Thanks for that Si, I will just miss out on that bloody typical
John

touchingcloth

Any ideas on how much cheaper Laptops r in HK?

Hutch

It's down to you really.

If you're a westerner then they'll bump the price up as soon as you walk through the door. They'll tap out the price for the item you want on a calculator - thank them and go to leave. They'll call you back and tap in another price. Thank them again and go to leave for a third time. When they call you back again, this last time you'll get a good price - what you get thrown in with it is down to your negotiating skills - ask to see the warranty slip and make sure it's worldwide - most of them are, but it's always worth checking.

If you're concerned about the prices, take the ferry to Kowloon, window shop (noting the prices in the window if they have them) then nip back to your hotel and see what the base cost is (or a phone a friend with Internet access)- you'll probably find it's 10% to 20% cheaper already. If you can't do that - head over to a branch of Fortress which is kind of the HK equivalent of Dixons - a large chain good for checking out prices, but you won't get the best deal there. For the real deals you need to go to either the Golden Computer Arcade or the Golden Shopping Center which are right next to the Sham Shui Po tube station. Neither of these look like much but it's where the best prices are to be found.

lostpom

Although saying that, I bought a really cheap Vaio notebook from a Sony dealer in Bangkok whilst passing through, and was then was really dissapointed to have it develop a fault a few months later. Of course, it was only covered under a Thai warranty, and an Aussie Sony repairer quoted me $1500 to replace the entire motherboard - more than the whole thing cost new !

I spoke to the Sony service center in Bangkok and they were very helpful, arranged for me to send the unit to them, repaired it and then sent it back and paid for the air courier service !!

So for me, it made no difference where the warranty was held, though I guess it certainly helped being a larger global company like Sony.

lostpom

But do watch out for some of the scams in HK with regard to tourists buying heavily discounted electronic goods. Some of them turn out to be faulty, and when you read the small print, it turns out they are sold without a manufacturers warranty.

I nearly got stung there on buying a Nikon Coolpix 8800 - shopped around and went back to a place that had offered a really good price (about 50%-60% of UK price). They were all friendly and the like until I asked to have a look at the camera, try it out etc... The guy said something like "I think you know what the camera is like already - why do you want to see it". I'm like "err...because I'm thinking of parting with money, and thats how buying things works". After 5-10 mins waiting, they eventually bought me a camera, which had oddly come straight out of a fridge. It was so cold, the lens and viewfinder fogged up for a minute or so with condensation. I got a bad vibe from the whole thing and walked right away. Perhaps I should have stayed to see if it still worked at room temperature !

A couple of other 'expensive' retailers confirmed that theres all sorts of scams going on with some of the smaller retailers. Many of them change the company name every 6 months or so to avoid any probelms with returns.