A friend from France came for a visit not too long ago. When she went back, there were a few extra items in her luggage — like a brand new laptop. She’d priced it out before she even made sure she had her passport: the laptop she wanted was almost double the price in France than it was in the U.S.
The situation is not exactly uncommon. There are certain countries where it’s simply more expensive to buy certain products. Of course, there are often rules about bringing those products back to your home country (or wherever you happen to be calling home at the moment). I have a feeling that my friend was supposed to declare her shiny new laptop when she went home, possibly paying some sort of tax on it. It’s not something most custom agents keep a close eye on, of course — how can one be sure that a traveler didn’t have a laptop when they left the country?
Personally, I’ve found that for most of my tech equipment, it’s generally easiest to buy it in the U.S. Between the price differences, sales at certain retailers and the fact that certain items may not be available in all countries. It definitely depends on exactly what you need and if there’s a brand you prefer, but I’ve even found that there are some items that it’s more practical to have a friend order in the States and then ship abroad.
There are some reasons to buy locally, however — the ability to plug your laptop directly into the wall without an adapter can be an important one. Being able to easily work with locally available products can also make life a little easier.
That leads me to two questions: where do you buy your technology, and why?
Buying in a country with strong consumer rights and warranties is important.
You can easily buy a new cord to work with the local powerpoint.
Where Do You Buy Your Tech? http://bit.ly/BdwEi
@Caitlin, It’s very true that buying from a country with strong consumer rights is important. I do wish more brands provided an easy method for shipping in your purchases for necessary repairs from anywhere, but so far that doesn’t seem to be an option for many people.
Buying locally maybe more expensive, but you’re sure that you get to have the right customer service. But buying cheaper things abroad seems to be more practical. Like you, I hope shipping is easier to Asia from the US, and vice versa.