Bringing brand new laptop to London
 

It seems it's cheaper to buy a laptop here in US than London so my friend in London wants me to buy him a Dell laptop and bring it with me when I go there in June. My questions:
- will I be paying some customs tax when I get to London?
- do I have to declare the laptop and therefore pay other kinds of tax?
- when I register the laptop with Dell will I be questioned since I had it shipped in a US address and warranty information will be a UK address?
-will it be better if I just take the laptop out of the box and carry it as my own?

I've brought along small electronics equipment as gifts (ipods, cameras) but they were usually less than $400. The Dell laptop will probably be around $1000.00

thanks for all replies.

I'm pretty sure they won't give you any warranty if you buy in the US and give a non US adress. They don't sell online to you in other dell shop than the one of your country for that reason. So I think it is better to give your adress and try the laptop before travelling. If everything is OK, then you can forget about the warranty.If it is not, you can send it back to them. With the money you are saving...your friend can solve any problem with the laptop in the future and still saving money :)

When you go through security you have to remove laptops from your carry on and put them in one of those gray bins so yes, you should remove it from the packing box. You can leave the cords in your carry on bag.

I never declared a laptop. I've never been asked if I have something to declare in Europe (except years ago on trains crossing borders).

Don't think Dell will care where the laptop ends up but you could ask them when you call to order. Dell is the only source for the correct answer to this question.

I would open it up before you go to London and test it and make sure it's working properly.

I'd test it before bringing it over - and install some software so it looks as if it's been used

BTW where are you going to get new keys for it so you can have the £ and @ keys will be in the right place?

Legally you should declare it and pay import duty/VAT when you enter the UK. Whether or not you do is your call.

The US warranty probably won't be honoured in the UK. If your friend ships it to the US for repair, the tax issue comes up all over again when it is mailed back to the UK.

AlanRow brings up a good point about the US keyboard. It won't have a key for £ or €, nor an AltGr key. Other keys will be in different positions from the UK keyboard.

You can still get £ and € by turning on NumLk and typing Alt + 0163 for £, and Alt + 0128 for €, but it is a pain in the &*#!

I am posting this reply on a laptop with a UK keyboard, but have a desktop with a US keyboard. Adapting from one to the other isn't all that difficult.

There's no import duty on computers. BUT you're liable to VAT @17.5% of the purchase price (ie £500) on most imported goods.

It's your call, but if you go through the green channel and are stopped, you risk having the computer seized (and being charged, though...). It's immaterial whether the computer's in a box or in your briefcase: if you're stopped and have two laptops (or, coming fromthe US, one brand new one), the alarm bells will go off. Even the doziest customs officer will notice a machine without MS Office and with no files.

Ultimately, it's your chum's decision whether he wants a warrantyless machine. It's your decision whether you should put yourself in jeopardy to save him £87.50

Old Flanner's Book of 21st Century Etiquette says he shouldn't have put you into that position.

I recently (March 2008) entered the UK with two laptops. One was my work laptop (slightly used Thinkpad) and the other was a brand spanking new MacBook that I had purchased just days before. I had absolutely no problems getting them through security or customs and no one even asked me about them. I would definitely take the laptop out of the bag and discard the packaging.

Laptops cost more in the US than in Germany. I'd be surprised, if it would be worth importing them to the U.K. If you can "save" on VAT (and don't let them catch you), it would be cheaper of course.

DVD player/burner - if included, it will be region 1. Europe is region 2.

DVD Players in computers come unlocked and will only be locked to a region once a locked disk is played. Then the region can be changed 5 times before it becomes final.

(Of course there are options to prevent this too)

obviously you are required to declare and pay the tax. however, if you decide not to do this, the laptop must be for your own use during your visit to london and you do intend to return home with it. a single laptop in a laptop bag won't ring any alarms with anyone. ipodS, cameraS as gifts however will set off the bells. i believe £145 is the limit for gifts to others. again, one of everything out of the packaging - ipod, camera, laptop is expected gear on most travellers today.

forget that nonsense about problems with the american keyboard. US purchased laptops in britain are as common as US purchased ipods. and most laptops purchased in asia will have US keyboards also. total non-issue.

>>>Ultimately, it's your chum's decision whether he wants a warrantyless machine. It's your decision whether you should put yourself in jeopardy to save him £87.50

Old Flanner's Book of 21st Century Etiquette says he shouldn't have put you into that position.<<<

Well said, Flanner! My book of etiquette says the same thing.

HI L,

A: You don't buy the laptop until your friend has sent you the money.

B: Your friend has to know that if it is seized at Customs that it is his loss.

C: Ditto that it will be without warranty.

CAVEAT: it might be possible to register it in the US and then tell Dell that you are moving.

Caveat to the caveat: The warranty will be only in your name.

D: Don;t try to bring a new computer in its box through Customs. You should use it for some days before taking it through Customs.

Have a lucky trip.

((I))

PS,

Your friend should also accept that if the laptop is stolen, it is his loss.

I just looked at the Dell UK site and compared prices with the Dell US site. For the identical laptop it is actually cheaper to buy it in the UK. I think your friend needs to read the specs of the computers very carefully and do his sums more carefully.

>>>forget that nonsense about problems with the american keyboard. US purchased laptops in britain are as common as US purchased ipods. and most laptops purchased in asia will have US keyboards also. total non-issue.<<<

Yes and No. As already stated, I switch between UK and US keyboards without difficulty, but on a US keyboard laptop it takes seven separate keystrokes (counting switching NumLk on and off) to produce one £ or € character. That could be an issue for people who type those characters frequently.

>>>>>
For the identical laptop it is actually cheaper to buy it in the UK.
>>>>>

careful listed computer prices from the likes of dell in the UK don't include VAT

walkinaround wrote: "careful listed computer prices from the likes of dell in the UK don't include VAT"

That depends. On the Dell site, if you choose the "Home" menu the prices are VAT-inclusive; if you choose a "Business" menu the prices are before VAT.

Thank you everyone for your input.

The keyboard isn't an issue because he currently has an iMac with UK keyboard and a 5 y.o. Dell laptop that he bought when he was here in the US for 2 years as a student and is still currently using. So switching from one keyboard to the other is a no brainer for him.

Dell was just a first thought because that is currently what his laptop is. But hetismij, you're right. I also checked both sites and the price difference isn't much. I think he saw the laptops available at BestBuy and Circuit City which probably seem cheaper to him. Or he may be thinking about a MacBook.

Ira, that's what he was thinking of saying in case he had to call the manufacturer for warranty - that he had moved out of the country sice he bought the computer. Otherwise he's okay with risking the warranty-issue (I think he's got friends who know their way around computers) but that is probably something to ask Dell or whoever we end up buying it from.

According to him, most of his friends has bought expensive laptops and cameras while on vacation here and they don't pay VAT when they go through customs. Don't know if these friends are gutsier doing this because they are entering into their own country.

I'm not trying to start a platform war here but. . . .

I'm a little confused. You say in your first post that he asked for a Dell laptop but later you suggest that he uses an iMac and you seem to imply that you were the one who is thinking of buying him a Dell.

Did he ask for a Dell? If so, fine. If he isn't asking for a Dell, maybe he wants a Mac so that his two computers are compatible.

Sorry for the confusion, sshephard. The assumption that he wants a Dell laptop came from me.

We were chatting about our family's upcoming trip there so I said if there's anything he needs from here to just let me know. His response was, "Computers seemed to be cheaper there than here (UK). My iMac is pretty new (3 y.o) but I think it's time to replace my laptop."

So I told him to let me know what kind he's thinking off. But then I started thinking about VAT and warranty and how to register for the product so I posted that question here.

Thereafter I went to the UK website of Dell to see how much price difference we're talking here. As I said, Dell didn't show that much price difference. So now I was wondering why he says or thinks computers are cheaper here. So I went to Bestbuy.com and saw that Toshiba laptops starts at $450.00 (on sale). I'm thinking he has probably seen this ad.

I also check the Apple site, in case, as you have suggested, he may be thinking of getting another Mac and MacBook (US) starts at $1099 and MacBook (UK) starts at £699 (or roughly $1400).

Again, I'm not wanting to start a platform war but. . .

A $450 Dell and a $1100 Apple seems like a no-brainer but I think it's like comparing apples (pardon the pun) and oranges. Software? Processor speed? Ram? Wireless? Video? Etc. If your friend needs Windows, the Macbook will run Windows.

More importantly, if I were used to using a Mac, I don't know if I'd want to go back to a Windows machine. But it's your friend. . .

Why not ask your friend?

I think he was thinking on PC's (as I was doing on my first post, sorry) and also with the currency exchange. Usually PC's are cheaper there ,other than the big brand ones where the difference is not so much as it happens with laptops.

>>Again, I'm not wanting to start a platform war but. . .>>

But I think you want to because you are not reading my post carefully.

We left our conversation with him going to let me know what kind of laptop he wants from here!

I don't check computer prices on a daily basis and have no clue how much laptops cost nowadays much less how much they cost in other countries. So I took it upon myself to check different websites to see how much computers cost here in the US and in UK.

>>A $450 Dell and a $1100 Apple seems like a no-brainer but I think it's like comparing apples (pardon the pun) and oranges. Software? Processor speed? Ram? Wireless? Video? Etc. If your friend needs Windows, the Macbook will run Windows.>>

When did I compare a Dell and Apple? I compared a MacBook from the Apple US and UK site and I checked the cost of a Toshiba laptop at bestbuy.com

>>More importantly, if I were used to using a Mac, I don't know if I'd want to go back to a Windows machine. But it's your friend. . .>>

you're right, it not your or my choice.

>>Why not ask your friend?>>

I did. Please read my third post.

Thank you Kenderina for your reply and input.

>platform war
The platform war ended years ago. Apple surrenderd and now uses slightly modified Intel-Windows PCs. The fun thing is, people still think they buy something other than a Windows PC in a neat case. Apple uses cheap common "Windows components" changes their ID, so they won't be recognized a such and sell them for a much higher price.

Howerver if you think, Mac is good, buy a Leopard-License and google the Internet for "Leo4all".

There you are told, how to change a common Windows PC into a fully working Mac.
But please, buy a license first.

"According to him, most of his friends has bought expensive laptops and cameras while on vacation here and they don't pay VAT when they go through customs. Don't know if these friends are gutsier doing this because they are entering into their own country."

They're doing it because they're breaking the law. They get away with it, because Customs can rarely be arsed checking. You'll probably get away with it too: but you're exposing yourself to risk and your "friend" is either misinformed or lying.

Since every baggage reclaim in Britain is littered with posters explaining thast ALL imports over £150 are subject to VAT and import duty, the best explanation for your "friend's" irrersponsible suggestion is he's illiterate.

The real problem with not paying VAT (and import duties where applicable) on it is if it does go wrong (same with cameras, lenses etc which often have a worldwide warranty). The manufacturer can see from the serial number where a product was intended to be sold and when it was sold. If there is no VAT receipt for the product they will treat it as grey import and not service it - even if you offer to pay.

Take it out of the box and put it in your hand luggage and say nothing.

Gee, Logos, I didn't know that. If that's true, then it looks like Apple got Vista figured out and then cleverly hid it behind Leopard. You've got to hand it to Steve Jobs - first he revolutionizes the music industry and then he revolutionizes Microsoft's ineptitude.

Have you used iLife '08, Logos. It is brilliant software and if you know how I can get it to run on my Gateway PC, I'd like to know.

And now, an apology. I said this wasn't going to be a platform war and Logos999 has lured me into his trap. I won't say anything more. I promise.

Good luck, leonorek. I'm thinking that the best advice you've gotten so far concerns the legality of getting a US-bought computer into the UK. Have you seen the movie "Midnight Express?" I'm guessing UK prisons aren't that bad. :-)

Simple way to solve the legality problem: declare the laptop, and pay the VAT. I'm sure leonrek's friend wouldn't want him to do anything illegal on his behalf, would he? :-)

I am all for paying the VAT but DH and 2 sons think it's "ridiculous" (their words not mine). One son in fact is already planning what games to load on the laptop to occupy him while on the plane. (rolling eyes!!)

Platform war has been going on in my household for years! DH has gateway laptop, one son has Dell XPS for his games, another son an iMac for his moviemaking and photoshop and I use a macmini.

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Good for you leonorek! Obeying the law is not ridiculous. Doing the right thing even when there is little chance of being caught sets an example for your sons to follow. :-)

BTW, last time I declared something when going through British Customs, they let me through without having to pay.

Oh, and your friend probably won't mind your son "testing" the laptop in the plane on the way over. ;-)

>I can get it to run on my Gateway PC, I'd like to know.
Just install it on your Gateway PC, after you installed OSX on it.

http://osx86leo4all.wikidot.com/how-to-s
Just buy the fu**ing license. I'm not joking, it WORKS. Steve doesn't like it, but since he makes money on expensive no good "lifestyle" products, I'm not feeling too sorry for him. You're being ripped off!

While I'm normally all for following the rules, I definitely think that customs duties exist to be ignored. Buy the laptop, throw out the packaging, and bring it in as if it was your own.

And, FWIW, the Apple warranty (basic and extended) are global warranties, so if you went that route, your friend would only need to take the computer into an Apple Store, assuming they live near enough.

As for Dell, they have an option to transfer the warranty to any country where they sell computers.

travelgourmet wrote: "I definitely think that customs duties exist to be ignored."

You are advocating breaking the law.

It's a small step to taking the position that import restrictions exist to be ignored.

<i>It's a small step to taking the position that import restrictions exist to be ignored.</i>

I'm all for restricting shipments of things like weapons technology, or agricultural products that pose a risk of contamination, but I'm not going to worry overly much about restrictions that are protectionist in nature. I'm a free trader.

And besides, we are not talking about import restrictions. We are talking about how much effort one should go to in order to protect the tax revenues of the UK government. The laptop is almost certainly okay to bring into the UK, it is just a question of whether you care if Her Majesty's Treasury gets their cut.

travelgourmet wrote: &quot;I'm all for restricting shipments of things like weapons technology, or agricultural products that pose a risk of contamination, but I'm not going to worry overly much about restrictions that are protectionist in nature. I'm a free trader.&quot;

VAT is not a protectionist measure; it is how government raises revenue. You are advocating tax evasion, not free trade.

I pay all my taxes because I believe that it is the right thing to do. My bill would be lower if everybody else also paid all that was due, but I do not feel that to be a justification for me cheating.