Buying an iPad in the US and bringing it to the UK

[matthuds]

I did it ok

I have just brough a 32gb ipad back from the states, you can bring carry on items up to the value of £390 (per item) through customs. You will have to keep an eye on the exchange rate as $599 hovers around the £390 mark.
Depends if the guys at customs can be bothered to get an up to date conversion rate to prove you wrong?

 

[woody74]

Basically if you did get caught by customs you would have to pay the VAT so 17.5%.

I had one posted to me and they calculated the VAT on the value of the product as per the postage insurance.

Basically anything you buy abroad above the £300 threshold you have to pay VAT on when you bring it back into the country. If the goods are £400 then you pay VAT on the full £400, not just the £100 over £300. Hope that makes sense.

 

[xgfx]

I'm off to america in a month or so and with the pricing of the iPad over here being nearly £100 more, i was thinking of getting on out there.

I've a couple of questions, if anyone can help 🙂

firstly, will there be any issues with the power supply? should i just use my uk iPhone charger on it?

also, will i be able to bring it back ok? or will i have to pay extra?

Cheers for any help!

I'll let you know my experience, as I struggled to get anyone to fill me in.

I came back from NY last week. Bought a iPad 16gb Wifi. I went for the 16gb for two reasons, one because I didn't think I needed any more gb, and wanted to stay under the £390 customs limit 'just incase'.

I was going to get rid of the packaging, but ended up keeping it. The packaging isn't exactly special.. although could be useful for resale, many have suggested mailing it back to yourself in the UK. I put the iPad back in the original box and carried it onboard in my hand luggage.

I put in my hand luggage as USA customs open a large amount of checked in luggage and will not re-secure any locks. Plus the people checking the luggage could pilfer it.

When I got to Heathrow Terminal 5 I walked through the 'nothing to declare' customs aisle. There was no one manning it. As far as I have gathered, if you did need to pay VAT on it, you would just pay the standard 17.5% on top of the base price. Still making it cheaper than the UK model.

The power adapter is changeable and looks just like the iPhone 3G (not 3GS) chargers. The power brick on the charger does all the voltage changes, so you just need to swap out the plug adapter to a UK one. As Apple power adapters are universal you can do this by either buying the world travel pack for Macbooks from Apple or if you have a Macbook you will have a spare one that will have come in your box. You can find people selling these on eBay. Macbook/Macbook Pro adapters are suitable, as well as iPhone ones (3G).

I have tested mine in a UK socket and charges perfectly.

Apple world travel kit (bit pricey if you just want the one adapter): http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MB974ZM/A?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY

eBay selling just the plug (about £4): http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Genuine-A...ccessories&hash=item2c5478ad2b#ht_2332wt_1167

 

[Kahalu'u Bob]

Well, when I walked through the Heathrow "nothing to declare" line at Terminal 1 last week they had three people pulled over to the side being searched. The worst advice on this thread is to just lie about when you bought the iPad if you are caught; that will potentially turn a civil matter into a criminal matter. The prosecutor might decide not to pursue criminal charges, but that decision will be in the prosecutor's discretion, not yours. Aside from the penalties, being prosecuted for a lie on a customs declaration can be a life-changing experience: for example, a variety of professions may be foreclosed to you in the future, such at the practice of law or any job requiring a security clearance. If you think people are not prosecuted for this, I can only tell you, as a former federal prosecutor, that they are in the U.S. I can't speak for the UK, but I would be surprised if it were different. And, of course, some people still believe there is a moral obligation to obey the law.

I'll let you make your own decision, but I think there is some bad advice on this thread.