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Importing Mac Mini from US to UK

E

EddieVanHalen98

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 3, 2011
10
0
I live in England, and Mac Minis are ridiculously expensive here (£529), so, I thought of buying one from America ($600, around £360), however, I know there will be some sort of duty fee, or tax because I imported it, so how much would I have to pay extra?
Also, I have a relative living in the US, so, if he sent its as a gift, I'm pretty sure, there would be no duty/tax fee, right?
Also, I will buy (/relative will buy), direct from Apple
 
EddieVanHalen98 said:
I live in England, and Mac Minis are ridiculously expensive here (£529), so, I thought of buying one from America ($600, around £360), however, I know there will be some sort of duty fee, or tax because I imported it, so how much would I have to pay extra?
Also, I have a relative living in the US, so, if he sent its as a gift, I'm pretty sure, there would be no duty/tax fee, right?
Also, I will buy (/relative will buy), direct from Apple
Click to expand...

your relative will need to lie about the value in order to beat the tax. I have sold many items to the U.K. and any gift with a value higher then 25 pounds or so will be subject to tax. Of course you need to trust your own moral compass to decide if saying a 2011 mac mini is a gift worth 25 pounds or less.
 
$600 is the price before sales tax. The chances are your relative would have to pay sales tax depending which state he/she lives in. There are a handful of states with no sales tax. If you add sales tax over there plus 20% duty here plus the processing charge the delivery company charges you may not end up saving much.
 
Okay, so how much extra will I have to pay? And if my relative does lie, what's the penalty if they find out, is it worth it?
 
EddieVanHalen98 said:
Okay, so how much extra will I have to pay? And if my relative does lie, what's the penalty if they find out, is it worth it?
Click to expand...

We can't tell you how much as it all depends if sales tax has to be paid in the US, if duty is charged here and if so if the delivery company charges a processing fee. If you lie about the declared value you may get away with just possible having to pay sales tax in the US. I have no idea what the penalty is. In all honesty it's probably not worth it unless you or your relative can bring it over in person and can get passed customs at the airport. Of course there is also the delivery charge if it's sent here.
 
EddieVanHalen98 said:
I heard duty is free for laptops. Is this the same for PC's (or in my case, a Mac Mini)?
Click to expand...

No it's not. What you're referring to is the importation of computer hardware by large companies for sale in the UK. They don't have to pay duty. For example Sony tried to get the PS3 classified as a computer to avoid paying duty on the units it brings into the UK. Laptops and desktops are not duty free for individuals.
 
Well if you have to pay sales tax in the US, delivery charge, duty and processing charge then in the end you're not going to save much.
 
I'd say a "non-working" Mac Mini could be worth less than £25. Great gift for someone who likes to tinker with electronics, right? Not to say I would condone bending the truth to account for a significantly lower value if ever caught..... ;)
 
Do you know anyone who is a student?

The student discount on apple computers is 14%

You can either get them to go to an Apple Store with their student i.d. or you can access the Apple Store (Educational) site from the campus network to get the lesser prices.
 
best bet is to get a student to buy it bringing it down to £476 or £450 if u use TCB or quidco, then its the same price as buying from the US + shipping/import
 
Alternatively, take a flight anywhere from an airport that has a branch of Dixons and buy it there VAT free. Even internal flights within the UK seem to qualify these days and if you are flying anywhere to the EU, the airport will hold it for you to pick up on your return. I buy all my hardware that way, whenever possible. Obviously, this makes more sense if you are buying one of the dearer MBPs. On my last holiday, we saved £150 on an iMac at the old VAT rate.

Time to check those low cost flights for a day return.
 
weckart said:
Alternatively, take a flight anywhere from an airport that has a branch of Dixons and buy it there VAT free. Even internal flights within the UK seem to qualify these days and if you are flying anywhere to the EU, the airport will hold it for you to pick up on your return. I buy all my hardware that way, whenever possible. Obviously, this makes more sense if you are buying one of the dearer MBPs. On my last holiday, we saved £150 on an iMac at the old VAT rate.

Time to check those low cost flights for a day return.
Click to expand...

i work in UK airports and am yet to see a dixons that sells the mini, they just have old-gen pros/airs/iMacs and the discounts isnt full tax (20%) free either its barely a saving compared to say student pricing
 
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