(EU only) How to save up to $1400 on a NEW MacBook Pro

[jondunford]

Depending on the model you are looking at buying this guide can save you anywhere between -$100* and $1,400 on a new Mac as long as you are willing to give up a day of your life

*although if you do purchase a low end model you are basically getting a shopping trip to New York for $100

0. (optional) Place a BTO order and have it delivered to the New York store

1. Purchase a flight to 1-2 weeks in advance (note you would have to wait for delivery if you ordered it online anyway) which will cost around £400 (€500 ($700))

2. Fly there

3. Collect/buy your MacBook and don’t pay tax as a foreigner. Open it when you are still in New York so it is treated as your personal computer and not an import

4. ???

5. Profit

You’re welcome

 

[henrys]

Not too sure what to make of this...

 

[michelg1970]

Sorry - I don't get it.

I bought my rMBP last November in Miami because I was there for a business trip. The rMBP (8 GB, 512 GB SSD, 2.6 GHz cpu) cost me $ 1.799 + taxes, total around EUR 1.480.

Local price in Holland is EUR 1.829 or so.

So yes, I saved 349 EUR which is quite a lot.

But how could I have flown to Miami (or New York for that matter where taxes are even higher and taxes are not being refunded) for EUR 349 including taxi fees etc.

The only reason I could save this extra expenditure was because I was on a business trip so I don't get your point...

Sorry.

 

[vandoorn]

I don't think it works that way. You have to pay tax in the store and declare your mac at the customs. Then you will get back some of the tax. Not all. And then you have to pay the import fees.

 

[michelg1970]

Vandoorn: that's not exactly true. If you just put your new Mac in your bag as it has been there ever before, no one in customs department in e.g. Holland will even matter. Just don't put the box in your suitcase... I did this with multiple MacBooks already and iPads too. As long as it looks like it has been owned it is ok.

 

[laurihoefs]

Vandoorn: that's not exactly true. If you just put your new Mac in your bag as it has been there ever before, no one in customs department in e.g. Holland will even matter. Just don't put the box in your suitcase... I did this with multiple MacBooks already and iPads too. As long as it looks like it has been owned it is ok.

But you'll pay the local taxes when you purchase the laptop, and can only get them refunded if you declare it in customs.

 

[michelg1970]

As from my experience, only state of Lousiana provides tax back which I did last week at Macy's in the Mall and not at customs. I think in California you also can get some taxes back.

In all other states I purchased goods I never bothered about the 5 - 8 % taxes because the sales price + tax and then converted to EURO was still lower than anything in Holland for that matter. I bought my previous Mac Mini server for $ 999 + 5% tax in Virginia while price in Holland was EUR 1099....

The 32 GB WiFi iPad Air I bought last week in Lousiana cost me EUR 455 after (partial) tax refund because you only get back state tax and never city taxes PLUS you have to pay tax refund fee - NL price is EUR 569.

Anyway, back on topic - you can save money when you live in Europe and you are buying in the USA but you will never get the difference so big to afford a plane ticket and other travel expenses and still make money.

PS this week I was in japan - there you get the 5% tax also back. I didn't buy anything but the same iPad Air would have cost me only EUR 405....

 

[GSPice]

 

[michelg1970]

Image

Lol

 

[FrozenDarkness]

people in china do this with straight up cash. they buy up tons of ipods/ipads and bring it back to sell.

 

[applehead12]

Lol.

A few caveats:

1. If your BTO is delayed for any reason you're out the airfare.

2. If you fail (forget) to claim the tax refund at Customs the savings are much less significant (avoid this altogether by flying to a state with 0% sales tax...there are 5 of them)

3. If you get snowed in in Europe the Apple Store might not hold it for that long.

4. There's the risk that your BTO is defective...

5. Keep in mind VAT in Switzerland and Lichtenstein is 8%. Sales tax in New York State (NYC) is 8.875%.

6. A last minute airfare between AMS and NYC is somewhere in the range of $1,000-$1,100. That's a lot of money to make up.

I think the best bet is hopping over to New Hampshire (where there's no sales tax) if you happen to be in Boston, or Portland, OR if you happen to be in Seattle. Either can be done for less than $100.