I am travelling to NYC in June and I was thinking about bringing a gift back for my girl friend, the gift being a MacBook Pro. I was wondering if the taxes still applied on any gifts coming into the UK and if so how much will I have pay out?
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Importing a MacBook as a gift
- Thread starter Tm1989
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mulo
macrumors 68020
swiftaw
macrumors 603
You'll have to pay sales tax at the time of purchase (8.875%).
You also must declare the purchase at customs on the way back into the UK and may be required to pay import duty*.
* - people tend to try to avoid doing this by un-packaging it before they return and claiming they already owned it.
You also must declare the purchase at customs on the way back into the UK and may be required to pay import duty*.
* - people tend to try to avoid doing this by un-packaging it before they return and claiming they already owned it.
I have often wondered the same.
What if you take the MBP out of the box and into a laptop bag with the charger etc and then flat pack the box into the suitcase?
What if you take the MBP out of the box and into a laptop bag with the charger etc and then flat pack the box into the suitcase?
You may look into your country's exemptions depending on how long you've been out of the country for. It may be enough $ to not have to lie at customs.
mulo
macrumors 68020
it is considered smuggling, and tax fraud. And just like speeding, should you get caught you will get fined.
iStudentUK
macrumors 65816
Yes, you should pay customs duty, import VAT etc. It is complex, but here is a start-
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/tax-and-duty.htm
However, you should buy AppleCare if you are importing from the US. If anything goes wrong later in the UK you can't really do much unless you buy AppleCare.
Including sales tax in NYC the base 13" is $1310 which is £820, plus $250 for AppleCare (£155) there is no difference between that and the £999 base 13" in the UK. That is before import duty! (I don't buy extended warranties unless I can get them free/dirt cheap in a deal. UK consumer rights are so good that if you are prepared to be persistent you can usually get a repair out of warranty. So I didn't add the money for UK AppleCare).
I was trying to help someone on here earlier today who had bought in the US and Apple weren't giving him the repair he wanted out of warranty. Gets messy!
Personally, I'd buy it in the UK and read up on consumer rights.
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/tax-and-duty.htm
However, you should buy AppleCare if you are importing from the US. If anything goes wrong later in the UK you can't really do much unless you buy AppleCare.
Including sales tax in NYC the base 13" is $1310 which is £820, plus $250 for AppleCare (£155) there is no difference between that and the £999 base 13" in the UK. That is before import duty! (I don't buy extended warranties unless I can get them free/dirt cheap in a deal. UK consumer rights are so good that if you are prepared to be persistent you can usually get a repair out of warranty. So I didn't add the money for UK AppleCare).
I was trying to help someone on here earlier today who had bought in the US and Apple weren't giving him the repair he wanted out of warranty. Gets messy!
Personally, I'd buy it in the UK and read up on consumer rights.
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Don't listen to fearmongers - Just take it out of the package and that's it! I'm doing the same thing right now.
If you want to keep the box send it to yourself in the UK or just fold it up and put it in a different suitcase. Does your friend really need the box?
Honestly, being American and having lived in the UK for 7 years, and hearing Brits and other EU people go on about Americans being fat and stupid, you Euroids could do with a bit of American bravado. The British need to stop cowering before their establishment - that was what America was all about to begin with wasn't it? Our freedom from oppressors (which is over now of course under the soetero puppet) is what allowed beautiful companies like Apple to come into existence!
If you want to keep the box send it to yourself in the UK or just fold it up and put it in a different suitcase. Does your friend really need the box?
Honestly, being American and having lived in the UK for 7 years, and hearing Brits and other EU people go on about Americans being fat and stupid, you Euroids could do with a bit of American bravado. The British need to stop cowering before their establishment - that was what America was all about to begin with wasn't it? Our freedom from oppressors (which is over now of course under the soetero puppet) is what allowed beautiful companies like Apple to come into existence!