11 ms·

UK people stop complaining. I can still fly from Berlin to London, buy the Mac there, fly back and still get kinda wasted on the amount I saved.

by Jdam 10y ago

m_mueller 10y ago
hmm maybe fly to Basel? I think Swiss Apple store prices are not much above the US.
- Jdam 10y ago
  But then I'd have to avoid customs or pay an additional 15%.
  - Grazester 10y ago
    Are you really going to declare your laptop and tell them you bought it in Switzerland? Avoiding customs with something like this seems effortless
    - charlesdm 10y ago
      There's always a risk of getting caught doing that though. For example: it's attractive to fly to Switzerland to buy an expensive mechanical watch to avoid VAT and save 20-25%+ on the purchase price. If you get caught however, the fines can be huge. Risk vs reward..
      - ardacinar 10y ago
        Say, if you buy a laptop from Switzerland and don't unbox it in Switzerland, getting caught might be an issue. If you buy one in Switzerland, unpack it there (maybe log into it for the first time etc.) and then there is virtually no risk of getting caught. I mean, if you didn't declare that and customs find it, is the customs office go through all your credit card purchases or something(assuming that you didn't use cash)?
        charlesdm 10y ago
        I know for watches (e.g. you buy one + put it on), customs can ask to supply them with the original purchase invoice or some sort of transaction statement. It's probably easier with a laptop because you can put it in a bag, but nevertheless, it's not completely safe to do.
        wastedhours 10y ago
        Interestingly, if you move to Switzerland, for most household items they can demand you prove you've owned it for at least 6 months and that it's not been bought elsewhere and you've avoided paying local VAT on it. So although not the same direct situation, shows that they're pretty hot on cross border purchases, even if you unwrap it and say it's a used good.
    - DocTomoe 10y ago
      Do you transport your laptop in it's original packaging? Not declaring is "Steuerhinterziehung", which is the one crime the state really does care about and which is punished comparatively to second-degree murder in Germany. You better declare. And if you cross the border with something even remotely newish-ly looking, you better have an invoice for that.
      - Grazester 10y ago
        Wait? Is it Switzerland enforcing this? Why should Switzerland care if you buy something there and dont pay taxes for it when you get to Britain? No I don't leave items bought abroad in their originally packaging. That would be counter productive of me if I was trying to avoid being taxed Bringing anything into my country is taxable also. See that nice outfit in your suitcase? It's taxable. Laptops are very taxable but I just leave it in my backpack since customs would not normally check my "personal bags"(hand bags and small backpacks) coming into my country. If you did not declare it and they find it they levy an additional charge on top of the taxes.
        DocTomoe 10y ago
        Nope, target country enforces this. Which is a lot worse, because you usually have to live there. > Bringing anything into my country is taxable also. See that nice outfit in your suitcase? It's taxable Admitting to TAX EVASION on the net with a somewhat traceable account is probably a bad idea if you are living in a Country that actually operates on tax income (which some countries do not, Brunei comes to mind...) > If you did not declare it and they find it they levy an additional charge on top of the taxes. Actually, in the western world, you get put into prison for a few years.
        Grazester 10y ago
        I do live in the "western world" if you term the Americas that. My country isn't going to waste resources to hunt me down to get a couple dollars worth in taxes and they certainly aren't sending me to prison either ;)
  - Jtsummers 10y ago
    I've often wondered. How effective is customs at actually collecting on things like that? I mean, if you come in with 3 or 4 laptops in the boxes, sure. But, using my girlfriend's situation as an example: She lives in Buenos Aires, iPhones and iPads are more expensive than in the US. If she travels here, picks up an iPhone and starts using it, how are they to know when she gets to customs that she bought it here and wasn't already traveling with it? They don't have a database of everything you left with. And she's already traveling with two phones (work and personal) most of the time anyways.
    - systemtest 10y ago
      Based on the serial number they can see the manufacturing date. And because each market has a different model number (due to things such as power plug, wifi frequency restrictions, keyboard layout and such) it's easy to spot a "USA" model versus a "South American" model.
      - Jtsummers 10y ago
        Ok, that's reasonable. That still leaves the possibility that you declared it before which would imply needing to keep a record of the original customs declaration every time you travel?
    - edko 10y ago
      In theory, you have to "declare" the phone at the Customs Office when you leave Buenos Aires so that you can enter it back. They give you some kind of evidence that you can present when returning. Since I have never done it, I don't know if it is a sticker on the phone, or just an official form with the phone's serial number. In practice, your pockets are generally not checked when you enter the country.
- denzil_correa 10y ago
  Has this changed recently? I remember Swiss prices being pretty high than that of the US.
  - m_mueller 10y ago
    Switzerland has high prices in general, but as far as I can remember never for electronics.
- DocTomoe 10y ago
  VAT is Switzerland is around 8%, in Germany it's 19% - buying electronics in Switzerland is not a good idea for Germans.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
weinzierl 10y ago
13 " TouchBar MacBook base Price is 1999 € in Berlin and 1749 £ (currently about 1952 €) in London. Maybe you will find a flight and manage to get wasted for 47 EUR in Berlin, but transfer from Southend to the next Apple Store will wreck your calculation.
- lorenzhs 10y ago
  I just checked, I can get from my place to central London and back for 47.80€ (so no savings). The cheapest flight to London from where I live is 26€ return (with Ryanair, to Stansted). Train to/from the airport here is 10.60€ , and from £10 (11.2€) for the bus into London and back. That's so cheap it's almost scary.

UK people stop complaining. I can still fly from Berlin to London, buy the Mac there, fly back and still get kinda wasted on the amount I saved.

by Jdam 10y ago

UK people stop complaining. I can still fly from Berlin to London, buy the Mac there, fly back and still get kinda wasted on the amount I saved.

m_mueller 10y ago

hmm maybe fly to Basel? I think Swiss Apple store prices are not much above the US.

Jdam 10y ago
But then I'd have to avoid customs or pay an additional 15%.
- Grazester 10y ago
  Are you really going to declare your laptop and tell them you bought it in Switzerland? Avoiding customs with something like this seems effortless
  - charlesdm 10y ago
    There's always a risk of getting caught doing that though. For example: it's attractive to fly to Switzerland to buy an expensive mechanical watch to avoid VAT and save 20-25%+ on the purchase price. If you get caught however, the fines can be huge. Risk vs reward..
    - ardacinar 10y ago
      Say, if you buy a laptop from Switzerland and don't unbox it in Switzerland, getting caught might be an issue. If you buy one in Switzerland, unpack it there (maybe log into it for the first time etc.) and then there is virtually no risk of getting caught. I mean, if you didn't declare that and customs find it, is the customs office go through all your credit card purchases or something(assuming that you didn't use cash)?
      - charlesdm 10y ago
        I know for watches (e.g. you buy one + put it on), customs can ask to supply them with the original purchase invoice or some sort of transaction statement. It's probably easier with a laptop because you can put it in a bag, but nevertheless, it's not completely safe to do.
      - wastedhours 10y ago
        Interestingly, if you move to Switzerland, for most household items they can demand you prove you've owned it for at least 6 months and that it's not been bought elsewhere and you've avoided paying local VAT on it. So although not the same direct situation, shows that they're pretty hot on cross border purchases, even if you unwrap it and say it's a used good.
  - DocTomoe 10y ago
    Do you transport your laptop in it's original packaging? Not declaring is "Steuerhinterziehung", which is the one crime the state really does care about and which is punished comparatively to second-degree murder in Germany. You better declare. And if you cross the border with something even remotely newish-ly looking, you better have an invoice for that.
    - Grazester 10y ago
      Wait? Is it Switzerland enforcing this? Why should Switzerland care if you buy something there and dont pay taxes for it when you get to Britain? No I don't leave items bought abroad in their originally packaging. That would be counter productive of me if I was trying to avoid being taxed Bringing anything into my country is taxable also. See that nice outfit in your suitcase? It's taxable. Laptops are very taxable but I just leave it in my backpack since customs would not normally check my "personal bags"(hand bags and small backpacks) coming into my country. If you did not declare it and they find it they levy an additional charge on top of the taxes.
      - DocTomoe 10y ago
        Nope, target country enforces this. Which is a lot worse, because you usually have to live there. > Bringing anything into my country is taxable also. See that nice outfit in your suitcase? It's taxable Admitting to TAX EVASION on the net with a somewhat traceable account is probably a bad idea if you are living in a Country that actually operates on tax income (which some countries do not, Brunei comes to mind...) > If you did not declare it and they find it they levy an additional charge on top of the taxes. Actually, in the western world, you get put into prison for a few years.
        Grazester 10y ago
        I do live in the "western world" if you term the Americas that. My country isn't going to waste resources to hunt me down to get a couple dollars worth in taxes and they certainly aren't sending me to prison either ;)
- Jtsummers 10y ago
  I've often wondered. How effective is customs at actually collecting on things like that? I mean, if you come in with 3 or 4 laptops in the boxes, sure. But, using my girlfriend's situation as an example: She lives in Buenos Aires, iPhones and iPads are more expensive than in the US. If she travels here, picks up an iPhone and starts using it, how are they to know when she gets to customs that she bought it here and wasn't already traveling with it? They don't have a database of everything you left with. And she's already traveling with two phones (work and personal) most of the time anyways.
  - systemtest 10y ago
    Based on the serial number they can see the manufacturing date. And because each market has a different model number (due to things such as power plug, wifi frequency restrictions, keyboard layout and such) it's easy to spot a "USA" model versus a "South American" model.
    - Jtsummers 10y ago
      Ok, that's reasonable. That still leaves the possibility that you declared it before which would imply needing to keep a record of the original customs declaration every time you travel?
  - edko 10y ago
    In theory, you have to "declare" the phone at the Customs Office when you leave Buenos Aires so that you can enter it back. They give you some kind of evidence that you can present when returning. Since I have never done it, I don't know if it is a sticker on the phone, or just an official form with the phone's serial number. In practice, your pockets are generally not checked when you enter the country.
denzil_correa 10y ago
Has this changed recently? I remember Swiss prices being pretty high than that of the US.
- m_mueller 10y ago
  Switzerland has high prices in general, but as far as I can remember never for electronics.
DocTomoe 10y ago
VAT is Switzerland is around 8%, in Germany it's 19% - buying electronics in Switzerland is not a good idea for Germans.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

weinzierl 10y ago

13 " TouchBar MacBook base Price is 1999 € in Berlin and 1749 £ (currently about 1952 €) in London. Maybe you will find a flight and manage to get wasted for 47 EUR in Berlin, but transfer from Southend to the next Apple Store will wreck your calculation.

lorenzhs 10y ago
I just checked, I can get from my place to central London and back for 47.80€ (so no savings). The cheapest flight to London from where I live is 26€ return (with Ryanair, to Stansted). Train to/from the airport here is 10.60€ , and from £10 (11.2€) for the bus into London and back. That's so cheap it's almost scary.