Buying advice: flying to the USA to buy Apple products?

[Kay_Ess]

Hi there!

Has anyone here flown to the USA to buy an Apple product in recent years with the purpose of buying Apple products for USA prices instead of European prices?

What hidden costs did you have to deal with? I know the USA has hidden sales tax you’ll not see listed on consumer pages. Is that it?

And officially you’ll have to pay VAT and import fees when you return to Europe of course.

Did you end up buying the Apple product for way less than European prices? Or did you maybe do what I’m considering: reserving the European budget and getting a “free” city trip to an American city?

I’d love to hear about your experiences! This thread is meant as a fun alternative to buying from Apple Europe, not as a way to avoid tax.

Good day!
K.

 

[kschendel]

I didn't travel, but I did buy a US spec (keyboard) laptop last fall while in Germany. I had it delivered to a family member and she shipped it to Germany. The shipping (overnight for $325) and the customs duty was still less than the price of buying a US keyboard laptop from apple online in Germany. (This all happened because my laptop had a fatal accident and I needed a replacement asap.)

If I had to include the price of an airline ticket in lieu of the shipping, it wouldn't have been anywhere at all close to cost effective.

 

[Kay_Ess]

I didn't travel, but I did buy a US spec (keyboard) laptop last fall while in Germany. I had it delivered to a family member and she shipped it to Germany. The shipping (overnight for $325) and the customs duty was still less than the price of buying a US keyboard laptop from apple online in Germany. (This all happened because my laptop had a fatal accident and I needed a replacement asap.)

If I had to include the price of an airline ticket in lieu of the shipping, it wouldn't have been anywhere at all close to cost effective.

Thanks! But I’m assuming you were calculating with last minute airplane ticket prices to see the cost effectiveness. For example if I’d go right now and return this week I’d pay like 1-2000 for the tickets. But if I go next week it’ll be around 400 for a return ticket. Add 200 for transport, 200 for restaurant, 200 for hotel and I’d still have the city trip for free.

 

[MarkC426]

The costs to travel to the USA (depending on your location) specifically to buy Apple products is not going to give you much of a saving. If you are going anyway on holiday, then that's a different story.

I have bought iPod/PowerBook in distant past (while already visiting) when the exchange rate was $2 = £1, so was a huge saving, as now it's $1.27 = £1

 

[mfram]

U.S. sales prices do not include sales tax because the tax depends in which state (and sometimes the city within the state) you buy the computer. Add 0 to 9% depending on the state.

 

[Kay_Ess]

The costs to travel to the USA (depending on your location) specifically to buy Apple products is not going to give you much of a saving. If you are going anyway on holiday, then that's a different story.

I have bought iPod/PowerBook in distant past (while already visiting) when the exchange rate was $2 = £1, so was a huge saving, as now it's $1.27 = £1

Yeah, I think the free holiday approach is my way to go.
Get a real experience out of it instead of just paying 1000 bucks extra to save a few days. Go on a boat ride, see a famous skyline, eat steaks. Be away from home a few days! Haven’t had a holiday in years…

U.S. sales prices do not include sales tax because the tax depends in which state (and sometimes the city within the state) you buy the computer. Add 0 to 9% depending on the state.

Thanks! So I’ll calculate everything with 9% to be safe.

Alright, I assume NYC is the cheapest place to fly for a European?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

A few things to keep in mind:

• Returns must be done in the country of purchase. Be sure you get the storage/color/etc that you want, and check the device carefully for any defects before flying home.
• There is no Consumer Law coverage on items purchased in USA
• Some devices are physically different- e.g. iPhones sold in USA won’t take a physical SIM card, at all (100% eSIM). Cellular Apple Watch is custom for each region due to limited space inside the watch. Mac keyboard language is English, but not the same layout as UK/Europe; it’s ANSI in USA and ISO in Europe. The return key is the most visible difference but there are other issues with symbol positioning, etc.

 

[Kay_Ess]

A few things to keep in mind:

• Returns must be done in the country of purchase. Be sure you get the storage/color/etc that you want, and check the device carefully for any defects before flying home.
• There is no Consumer Law coverage on items purchased in USA
• Some devices are physically different- e.g. iPhones sold in USA won’t take a physical SIM card, at all (100% eSIM). Cellular Apple Watch is custom for each region due to limited space inside the watch. Mac keyboard language is English, but not the same layout as UK/Europe; it’s ANSI in USA and ISO in Europe. The return key is the most visible difference but there are other issues with symbol positioning, etc.

Thank you! That’s very helpful.

I’ll add time in the schedule to actually work on it to see if everything is working properly.

And I’ll check the keyboard. I mainly use US/International but I don’t know whether that is actually the keyboard used in the USA haha