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xupcua

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 18, 2009
14
0
Wellington
Hi,

I'm in New Zealand and would like to buy MBP in US because NZD is very high now. So going to buy in US will save me at least 500 USD. But most of the stores they don't offer international shipping. Some of the store like PowerMax offer BongoUS service. I've never used these services before so I have two questions:

1) Can I trust them as MBP value is quite high (over $1,000)?

2) Does MBP has a worldwide guaranty?

Thanks for you help
 

9822737

Cancelled
Jul 23, 2008
773
15
Not sure where you are from, but if they have an online Apple Store it may just be worth getting a refurb if you want major savings. Then you don't have to worry about Guarantees etc..

AnDy
 

pianojoe

macrumors 6502
Jul 5, 2001
461
26
N 49.50121 E008.54558
I'm a happy customer of myUS.com. The service is quick and good. Only one time they made a mistake with the paperwork that cost me extra money at the customs. You will have to pay import duty + tax if applicable in your country.

Usually, it's a good deal. However, warranty claims can be troublesome. Most manufacturers will honor warranty only in the country where the product was originally bought—due to different laws and regulations.

Note

One reason for the higher price in my country: German warranty laws are very much in favor of the customer. Two years on parts and labour is mandatory for every product sold but chocolate munchies. This has to be covered by the import company (that would be Apple Germany), and adds to the cost of the product, but you actually get something for your money.
 

xupcua

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 18, 2009
14
0
Wellington
Thanks all guys for your wise advise. I'll work out how much for the import-tax then compare the price I have to pay in New Zealand.

Once again thanks for your assisted
 

yen10

macrumors newbie
Aug 7, 2009
3
0
I have been a frequent and satisfied customer with Shipito. The service is very similar in that you are given a U.S.-based address from which your stuff is forwarded, only it is SO much cheaper than both MyUS AND BonguUS. I have NEVER had a problem and neither has my father (who resides in China) whom I referred to Shipito. Check it out. Difference in cost is HUGE.
 

esthervega99

macrumors newbie
Oct 21, 2009
2
0
I have used BongoUS for almost 2 years

I have used BongoUS for almost 2 years and I stand behind their service.
You get what you pay for. I put A LOT of research into parcel forwarding companies and even tried using one of the other mentioned companies and was disatisfied with their service. Comparatively, Bongo's service may SEEM more expensive, but you have to look at the breakdown of individual costs.

For instance, Bongo's subscription fee is $15.00 a month. Shipito's subscription fee is cheaper, but you have to pay $8.50 per box. That adds up.

Another reason that I use Bongo is because they ship through DHL. The transit times are quicker, there are almost no restrictions on size of international shipments, there is extensive tracking, and there is delivery confirmation. As opposed to USPS for instance.

These things are crucial to me since my packages are coming from the United States and that is a considerable shipping distance to me.

I would suggest doing research on all the companies too and figuring out which one works best for you based on what features are most important to you.
 

tarabush80

macrumors newbie
Nov 6, 2009
1
0
Bongo International

I have used Bongo International for a while now. I live in Australia and they can ship anything that I order in the United States so quickly. I "shopped around" a lot before I decided to register with Bongo and they have really competitive rates through DHL.
-One Happy Customer :p
 

jenavery1016

macrumors newbie
Nov 9, 2009
4
0
I have worked with a lot of these forwarding companies in the past. There are a lot of options, but it depends on what you are looking for in a service. Here are some of the options...

http://www.BongoUS.com - Great technology, great customer service, great prices. This is who I use now.

http://www.myus.com - largest of the group, great prices, but some hidden fees, poor response time.

http://www.usa2me - ok technology, good customer service, high prices with additional fuel added when you ship

http://www.usglobalmail.com - older technology/website, good customer service, high prices

I suggest checking them all out as they are all reputable and you do not need to worry about not getting your goods. Make your own decision on which company will work the best.
 

Macprosum3r

macrumors newbie
Nov 9, 2009
1
0
I took some time to research all the companies that offer package forwarding outside the USA.
Here is the list I came up with:

http://www.Usglobalmail.com
http://www.Vpost.com
http://www.Viaddress.com
http://www.Myus.com
http://www.usa2me.com
http://www.Bongous.com
http://www.Borderlinx.com
http://www.Shipito.com

I also compared the Shipping prices between them... Based on the shipping calculators on these sites, I came to the conclusion that Viaddress.com offers the lowest shipping prices to forward a package outside the US. They use FEDEX/UPS/DHL.

They offer 2 types of services: $4.95/package forwarding or $9.95/month for Unlimited number of packages to be forwarded and one can cancel the monthly subscription anytime with no penalties like in the case of some other companies.

The Demo video on Viaddress.com explains how their service works and I have found nothing but good reviews about them on the web.

I hope this helps guys ;)
 

oksanabana

macrumors newbie
Nov 11, 2009
1
0
I use Bongo International to order shoes and shirt. Bongo ship quickly to my home and I pay good amount for taxes.
I order frame for picture and it come in same box but not change price.:eek:
 

Shawn80

macrumors newbie
Nov 13, 2009
1
0
Heeellloooo

I guess it depends where people live. I am in Europe and I am quite satisfied with Borderlinx. I heard for them cuz my gf is in SG and they are quite popular over there. I am pretty much active when it comes to online purchasing so these kinda of companies can be very helpful if u find the one with good deals. One thing is for sure I am not using ViaAddress ever again, tried once but it was just a waste of time. There was no response from them when i asked for the simple question and when i was about to order something there was a problem with the address, again no one was replying when i was trying to contact them...Anyways, the discounts season is still not here but I guess thats the period we should be thinking of these kind of stuff the most. Cheers

Shawn
 

tradergee

macrumors newbie
Nov 16, 2009
1
0
Borderlinx SUCKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :( :( :( :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Without knowing that there is a tie up between Borderlinx and Citibank, I registered an account with them. Despite me choosing Singapore as my country, I was registered as an EU customer and given a New York address, and charged a registration fee of USD$5.

I only realized I need a Citibank card when I wanted to ship items back. Only then did I contact their customer support and received HORRIBLE support from cheap Indian representatives. They pushed ALL the blame to me. I don't understand how the blame can be on me, since I already chose my country as Singapore, unless of course they didn't know Singapore is not an EU nation.

Such practices is akin to holding my goods hostage and forcing me to get a Citibank Card. Despite their cheap shipping charges, this is probably the last time I will use them.

I even found more Negatives reviews about this Borderlinx SCAM :

complaintsboard.com/complaints/borderlinx-c263501.html
forums.sgclub.com/singapore/jts_shipping_borderlinx_136486.html
mysocialcircus.blogspot.com/2008/12/****ing-borderlinx-saga.html
rateitall.com/i-2046978-borderlinxcom.aspx
 

pinkpj

macrumors newbie
Dec 22, 2009
3
0
I have bought some stuff online and used another co called Shipito. I did some comparing and found Shipito was way cheaper and definately faster than Bongo. Not sure what Myus does..never heard! Best of luck!
 

larispatel

macrumors newbie
Dec 23, 2009
1
0
Just my Opinion

I in UAE and of all the companies mentioned, I have only heard of BongoUS and MYus. Those would be my two recommendations to research and trust. Both have been around for awhile and offer similar service, perks, etc.

Of the two, I now use BongoUS Website: http://www.bongous.com because I have had a good customer service experience with them and they will ship everything to me in the least amount of packaging possible, which ultimately saves me money.

When researching any of these companies, here are some tips of things that I look for that could end up costing you hidden fees in the long run:

1.) Find out if you are charged customs before or after the package gets into your country. If you are being charged before the item is even shipped, you can bet that you are going to be overcharged (sometimes by a lot.)

2.) Make sure that there is no cost for ordering from multiple websites. Some of these forwarding companies charge you for any site after 1. So if you order from 5 sites, you will be charged a fee for 4 of them.

3.) Also make sure that the forwarder you use will combine everything into the least amount of boxes (for me, many times this has been 1) and make sure they will do it for free. Some of the companies will do this but charge you for the consolidation.

Hope this helps my fellow forum readers. ;)
 

ipadsteve

macrumors newbie
Feb 23, 2010
2
0
Another TWO THUMBS UP TO VIADDRESS.COM !

After spending a few hours comparing the shipping rates for all the package forwarding companies mentioned in this forum and other forums on the web, I found out that Viaddress.com at http://www.viaddress.com offers the lowest shipping rates according to the shipping calculators on all those sites.

Their Package forwarding service is actually FREE !, with NO set up fees and NO monthly membership fees and they also offer FREE Concierge Service!!! While other companies charge you 5% to 15% commission fee. It also says on their website http://www.viaddress.com that they have the biggest Personal shopper service on Ebay.com in the US.

Well… All of these good points convinced me to try them… and I’m glad I did...

I have used them to shop from Ebay in the US and on other couple of US sites that didn't ship outside the US and I was able to save a lot on shipping by combining all my boxes in one large box for FREE! You can do this by using the package consolidation tool in your account area on Viaddress.com.
 

Macky-Mac

macrumors 68040
May 18, 2004
3,700
2,792
It's interesting that lots of the favorable reports are from newbies with a single post, and that to proclaim that xxx is great. I suspect that they are shills.

indeed....almost all of the newbies in this thread are one post wonders :p
 

hamlett17

macrumors newbie
Apr 12, 2010
1
0
Better than Bongo...

Hi - I have family in Ireland and they wanted me to buy them a new ipad and ship it over to them from the US and I was reading all of your comments looking for good ways to ship product and was surprised no one had mentioned http://www.myamericanshipper.com.

My aunt used Bongo before she found MyAmericanShipper.com and now she has me send her personal things through her account with them. There are no membership fees like Bongo and they use UPS and offer USPS (but USPS is kind of expensive compared to their UPS rates?? go figure).

The company is owned by International Checkout - another fav of my Aunts in Ireland. So I thought I'd just throw it out there that you might want to take a look at their services- they take pictures of all items, offer free insurance and will hold stuff for free for up to 45 days- I think it's better than bongoUS no?
 

acesam

macrumors member
Feb 15, 2010
31
0
I have a question for BongoUS users...do you get charged 15 usd every month? Because I signed up on January and they haven't charged anything after that.

I like the service but import taxes are huge.
 

esthervega99

macrumors newbie
Oct 21, 2009
2
0
You do get charged the subscription fee monthly. You may want to try getting in touch with Bongo customer service.

Import taxes can be a killer but those are not set by the forwarding company.
 

acesam

macrumors member
Feb 15, 2010
31
0
You do get charged the subscription fee monthly. You may want to try getting in touch with Bongo customer service.

Import taxes can be a killer but those are not set by the forwarding company.

DHL charges me 15 USD "desconsolidation" fee plus import taxes. A few weeks ago Bongo sent me a PS3 videogame (60usd value) and DHL charged me almost 30 usd when they delivered it to my home. The good thing is that the delivery takes 1 day, good for things I need to have now.

There is also Ebay, priority mail international takes less than 2 weeks and there is no import taxes or fees. Thats how I bought my core i5 processor!
 
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