I can understand region lock with music downloads and other entertainment products because of different agreements, but cannot understand why I cannot use an Apple gift card I received in one country at an Apple Store in another country to buy a MacBook or other Apple hardware.
Using exchange rate as a reason doesn't make sense because there are many ways to ensure they don't lose money during the settlement.
Would I be able to use a VPN to redeem a gift card from a different country to buy a MacBook?
I suspect it’s to make it more difficult for gift card scams. Scams like “This is Bill calling from the IRS. If you don’t pay $1500 in back taxes with an Apple gift card, we’re going to arrest you” give Apple a bad name.
I don’t suspect using a VPN would make any difference. You would have to use a gift card in the same country as you’re making the purchase. For example, if you want to use a gift card to make a purchase at the Apple store in China, you would have to use a gift card from China. Sure you could probably use a VPN if it wasn’t detected to make your location look like you’re in China to buy a MacBook but then they’re only going to ship to China. To further complicate things, you would have to have an Apple account or create an Apple account that was location-based in China. Then have a third-party ship the item from China to your location. Expect to pay tariffs for importing an item. This can get expensive and also you might lose access to the warranty although I’m not sure of that.
If you legitimately bought a gift card in another country, your best bet is to hold onto it till you go to the country physically. Then just make the purchase and bring the item back. Of course you still might have to pay some sort of tariff, but it’s a lot less complicated and less likely to cause legal problems.
