I'd ask the seller if he'd sign a receipt.. and tell him why I ask for.. If I wont find anyone who is willing to do this i have to take the small one directly from apple.. Today someone is comeing to my house to buy my old iPad which I offered through a similar site to craiglist..for 490$..
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iPad Buy sealed iPad Air on Craigslist
- Thread starter Flip87
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That's kind of what I was getting at. It seems that if they are as strict as they sound they would want something more "official" than a hand written receipt. If that were the case you could just buy one from the store and make a receipt stating it was a private sale.
Note: I am not suggesting you do this, just an example.
I reset my products a lot and that would erase the diagnostic data thus I wouldn't have data over a couple of days old.... if you say you reset your device and set it up as new I see no reason for them to question it
If you guys think you can dream up some response to the Customs questions that he hasn't heard at least someone else try a dozen times earlier in the day, you are in denial. He will still charge you and if you want too appeal it is your job to produce a German/ EU receipt proving you bought it there.
Word to self...never go to an electronics forum for legal advice...
Word to self...never go to an electronics forum for legal advice...
If a signed private sale reciept is good enough, why not just have an American friend "buy" if at the Apple store (using your cash), and then "sell" it to you at a reduced price? You can make up a bill of sale with whatever price you want then. Right?
We're on the second page of this thread and no one has explained what the customs/duty requirements are. Is a handwritten receipt from a random seller acceptable? If so, why don't you just buy the iPad you want from Apple and write yourself a receipt? If that isn't allowed then how can you get any iPad other than the 16GB? The whole approach to buy one new, unopened from CL I just don't understand if customs is checking the data usage (mentioned by another poster). If its unopened do they just waive it through? You could just buy someone's 16GB box, and put your new 64GB iPad in it and shrink-wrap it up.
If I had all the details and requirements I'm sure I could think up a plan for you...
Check on BestBuy's website for open box products. You might find one below your limit. In addition, if the markdown is slight, explain the situation and ask the salesperson if he can mark it down a bit more ( I generally see / get 10% off the sales price). It's worth a try. Don't forget in NYC you'll pay sales tax as well 8.625% as I recall.
Meet in a public place. Don't hand over the money unless the seller is willing to let you unseal the box and examine the contents throughly. Including turning it on and setting it up.
It's not that hard to reseal a box with anything inside. Or even to steal an iPad and put it in a faked box (if you weren't lucky enough to steal it out of a car etc where someone might have had it in the box).
With iOS 7 there is this thing called activation lock which can only be removed by the rightful owner. So say someone bought an iPad and set it up before they left the Apple Store. They logged into iCloud which sets the lock. Your seller happens to see the bag while the owner is in another store and snatches it. Tries to erase it but the lock triggers and they can't do anything. They seal it up and try to sell it as new. Perhaps claim it was a Christmas gift but they couldn't return it because it was passed the return period (which is bunk this time of year cause almost every store goes lax on returns, certainly apple does). You buy it and don't open it until you get home and you can't activate it. Apple can't help either. They can't return or exchange it without that lock turned off and you can't do it because you don't know the account info. And your seller will be no where to be found.
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That is not necessarily true. Apple care is often bought at time of purchase for iPhones and iPads and activates at that time. So someone could have bought one, decided to get a bigger one etc and it is theirs. Or someone was given two and the buyer bought apple care also. Won it some how and Apple care was bought. Several scenarios where it could be legit and there is apple care already.
It is not worth the savings. How do you not know the iPad is stolen? I believe Apple can make make stolen ipad not work with itunes and stuff like that. You would need an Apple ID and they could block it.
Totally not worth the tax savings.
What is the Duty Free price in the airport where you leave? You could buy it, take it to the US, and then return and maybe be under the total price for duty.
Lol @ this whole thread.
Buy the ipad from whomever you like. Download the Pages app and make a receipt. Put anyone's name on it. Put any price on it. Print it out. Sign it with any signature. Done.
Better yet, tell customs it was a gift from an American friend. They can't prove it wasn't.
Better still, mail the empty box back home before you leave and put the ipad in your carry on bag. Surely you are allowed to carry an ipad while traveling? Who's going to question a random ipad in your shoulder bag?
To all the scaredy pants and milquetoasts afraid of ebay and craigslist...STAY AWAY from those places, please! More good deals for the rest of us with common sense, who aren't afraid of our own shadows.
If you are operating based on fear, you are not operating.
Buy the ipad from whomever you like. Download the Pages app and make a receipt. Put anyone's name on it. Put any price on it. Print it out. Sign it with any signature. Done.
Better yet, tell customs it was a gift from an American friend. They can't prove it wasn't.
Better still, mail the empty box back home before you leave and put the ipad in your carry on bag. Surely you are allowed to carry an ipad while traveling? Who's going to question a random ipad in your shoulder bag?
To all the scaredy pants and milquetoasts afraid of ebay and craigslist...STAY AWAY from those places, please! More good deals for the rest of us with common sense, who aren't afraid of our own shadows.
If you are operating based on fear, you are not operating.
The OP hasn't chimed in since he said he'd be calling customs. I'm curious to know if they (customs) would accept a hand written receipt. My common sense (which often fails me 
) finds that hard to believe.
Don't many people just put it in a case, get rid of the box and take it on the plane as a used item anyways?
) finds that hard to believe.Don't many people just put it in a case, get rid of the box and take it on the plane as a used item anyways?
Gifts are still subject to duty. As for faking a receipt, customs agents are pretty savvy about what is a good receipt and reasonable pricing. I bought some expensive items, showed them the (real) receipt and the agent brought over another one to explain how he knew it was a real receipt and not a forgery. In the US at least, (I realize the OP is talking about the EU) Customs is not really interested in catching the person bringing in a few extra hundred dollars of stuff above the limit; they are focusing on the pros bringing in stuff. Bang for the buck, so to speak.
As for an empty box, customs could open the package when it arrives. Why bother, just chuck the box.