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macbook pro prices in the US

volcom883

volcom883

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 29, 2008
188
1
istanbul
hi,
i will soon be getting a macbook pro. here in the UK macs are kinda expensive compared to the US so i was wondering whether i could pay myself a little weekend trip to new york with the price difference?

the current macbook 2.5ghz in the uk: 2700$ (2380$ for me after the %14 off student discount + free ipod nano)
price in the US: 2500$

i got 2 questions for you:

-do the apple shops offer discount to students(providing the international student card)? if yes how much discount.
-how much is the VAT in the US. cos i know that i could claim some of it at the airport!

btw a weekend ticket to new york from london costs around $600

so if its about the same price why not visiting NY?

thanks in advance

:)
 
We don't have VAT here. (Well, there, since I'm in Ireland right now... but I live in the U.S.A.)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that travelers DON'T get anything back when leaving the U.S. and redeeming currency and whatnot.

Or DO they get sales tax back?
 
Well USians can get GST back on certain things when they return from a 2+ day trip to Canada. Perhaps it works similarly for Europeans with the state sales tax? I don't know.

I believe NY sales tax is a smidgen over 8% at the moment. As for student discount with an international student ID...not sure about that one either. Is NJ sales tax any lighter? S/he could always pop over there if its cheaper.
 
mobilehaathi said:
Well USians can get GST back on certain things when they return from a 2+ day trip to Canada. Perhaps it works similarly for Europeans with the state sales tax? I don't know.

I believe NY sales tax is a smidgen over 8% at the moment. As for student discount with an international student ID...not sure about that one either. Is NJ sales tax any lighter? S/he could always pop over there if its cheaper.
Click to expand...

Sadly this program was cancelled in Canada in 2007.
You will get no refund on the sales tax when leaving the US plus as a nice bonus you will have to pay VAT when you get back to the UK.

In a few words: Don't bother buying in the US.
 
Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon have no sales tax (I've heard rumors about Texas as well).
 
A 2.5GHz MBP from NYC to the UK should run you $3,181 or £1,763. No student discount, wrong power adaptor and US keyboard.
 
oh really you guys dont pay tax to the government on things you buy then?

well, if its not cheaper i will simply get it from here then. $2380 for a 15.4 2.5ghz macbook pro with a free ipod is not a bad price then, is it?

by the way, is there any way to get the apple 3yr warranty cheaper than the standard price?

thanks
 
volcom883 said:
oh really you guys dont pay tax to the government on things you buy then?

well, if its not cheaper i will simply get it from here then. $2380 for a 15.4 2.5ghz macbook pro with a free ipod is not a bad price then, is it?

by the way, is there any way to get the apple 3yr warranty cheaper than the standard price?

thanks
Click to expand...

If you are buying from HE store on-line or by phone you should get the 3 year HE warranty as standard - full AppleCare option is £58 including VAT (!!).

Apple Student discount works in the same country as you are registered as a student (ie if you live in UK, registered as a student in the UK and buy from Apple UK you get student discount - if you are registered as a student in the UK you don't get discount in USA or the rest of the EC)
 
volcom883 said:
-do the apple shops offer discount to students(providing the international student card)? if yes how much discount.
Click to expand...

It's $200 if you can prove you're a resident of the United States and you are attending an accredit institution here (or if I'm in city, you can call me up and stop by the store and say I'm the student LOL)

-how much is the VAT in the US. cos i know that i could claim some of it at the airport!
Click to expand...

We don't have VAT, only sales tax. We also don't do tax refunds.

Sales is tax is 8.625% in NY or you could take a bus to Boston and buy it there (where there is no sales tax). Buses are in Chinatown (in downtown Manhattan and they stop in Chinatown in Boston) and they cost like $5.
 
volcom883 said:
hi,
i will soon be getting a macbook pro. here in the UK macs are kinda expensive compared to the US so i was wondering whether i could pay myself a little weekend trip to new york with the price difference?

the current macbook 2.5ghz in the uk: 2700$ (2380$ for me after the %14 off student discount + free ipod nano)
price in the US: 2500$

i got 2 questions for you:

-do the apple shops offer discount to students(providing the international student card)? if yes how much discount.
-how much is the VAT in the US. cos i know that i could claim some of it at th

btw a weekend ticket to new york from london costs around $600

so if its about the same price why not visiting NY?

thanks in advance

:)
Click to expand...

Go ahead and get it, you'll still come out well ahead. I did with by PowerBook. Also, really really don't worry about getting stung coming back; just because it can happen doesn't mean it will. Leave the box behind; they would then have to prove your laptop was bought there, and go through a lot of paperwork before charging you.

Bottom line is, customs are busy enough stopping terrorists and unaccompanied packages, where it's obvious by the shipping address it's imported.

Others will argue but fact is, you will not get stung coming back.
 
robbieduncan said:
Prices in the US are listed before sales tax so you won't be able to claim back any of the list price.
Click to expand...

It is also kind of difficult to convince customs in the UK that this is your laptop that you owned for ages, so you don't have to pay 17.5% import tax, when you just ten seconds earlier asked for a refund of US sales tax.

The only way of making money importing a Mac to the UK is by hiding it in your suitcase and evading customs (obviously not legal; don't know what the chances of being caught are). The price if not caught will be the US list price, plus US sales tax.

Worth buying: Replacement batteries and chargers, Apple TV. Batteries and chargers should be under the limit that you can import for free, Apple TV maybe as well.
 
gnasher729 said:
It is also kind of difficult to convince customs in the UK that this is your laptop that you owned for ages, so you don't have to pay 17.5% import tax, when you just ten seconds earlier asked for a refund of US sales tax.

The only way of making money importing a Mac to the UK is by hiding it in your suitcase and evading customs (obviously not legal; don't know what the chances of being caught are). The price if not caught will be the US list price, plus US sales tax.

Worth buying: Replacement batteries and chargers, Apple TV. Batteries and chargers should be under the limit that you can import for free, Apple TV maybe as well.
Click to expand...

The limit is like £30 ($55) or so.
 
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