Good luck... but unless you plan on being in the States sometime soon, you probably aren't going to get a low price on the MacBook. Here in Trinidad, they charge 40% tax/duty on electronics imported into the country.

#397860

Oh man thats even worse than in Poland Do you think I could buy it and have it mailed to

someone in the USA and then they could mail it to me? I don't know If i wouldn't have to pay

VAT tax when it got here though...

#397905

As in FedEx it to someone in the states and have that person FedEx to you in Poland?

It's possible, it'll just take a bit longer.

#397941

No way honey, no way. You have to buy it here or give up. Why? Because you won't save at all. Let me break it down for you:

1. A friend gets you a Macbook in US. He can do it with student discount, which makes the computer even cheaper.

2. Now he has to send it to you. There are two ways:

a) US Postal Service which is cheap but their packages in Poland are handled by our beloved Poczta Polska. I would never never never let them touch a computer. They would either break it or steal it. So this solution is definitely not recommended.

specialized worldwide shipping company like FedEx or UPS. But - of course - it is insanely expensive. You'd have to pay ~300 dollars for shipping. Although it would be perfectly secure.

Either way you choose, you would meet another obstacle when receiving your computer: VAT tax. Imported electronic equipment falls under 22% of VAT which is calculated from declared value of the package (defined by your friend when he's sending it - it could be lower than the real value, but within reasonable boundaries) plus cost of shipping. So let's roughly count it:

Computer - $1000

Shipping (USPS) - around $100

Now let's say your friend declares the value of $900. Here's how you count the amount of VAT:

$900 + $100 = $1000 * 3,1zl * 22% = 682 zl <--this is how much you would have to pay on the Post Office.

So is it really cheaper than in Polish Apple Store? Let's count again. Computer $1000 + shipping $100 + VAT $220 (=682 zl) = 4402 zl

Yay, you save! But realize that these calculations are based on USPS->Poczta Polska solution, which only a crazy person would choose. 4500 zl is too much to put it in such risk IMO.

Now see how much does Macbook cost in Apple Store Poland - 4599 zl. 200 zl more and you're free from stress, everything is perfectly legal (It's doubtful that SAD would honor guarantee of broken Macbook which was imported from US, they are assholes). You go to the store, pick it up and you're done.

And no I don't work for SAD I too consider European Apple prices as sick but it's totally beyond us - it's because of sick EU tax policy. It doesn't pay off to get huge, expensive stuff from US - with VAT and expensive (=secure) shipping prices are even.

#397999

Apple needs to make more Apple retail stores.

#398106

Apple needs to make more Apple retail stores.

You don't get it. It's not a problem that there are few Apple stores in Poland. It's not even a problem that they are owned by a company which is merely a reseller. The problem is how European Union handles tax differences. In US there is sales tax (not in all states) which doesn't seem to be obligatory in all situations (correct me if I'm wrong). And in Europe there's VAT which varies depending on country and type of stuff you buy. And yes, it's damn obligatory - it doesn't matter if you pay the sales tax in US or not, you have to pay VAT >.< So the real reason why prices in Europe are so much higher are taxes, nothing else.

#398209

You don't get it. It's not a problem that there are few Apple stores in Poland. It's not even a problem that they are owned by a company which is merely a reseller. The problem is how European Union handles tax differences. In US there is sales tax (not in all states) which doesn't seem to be obligatory in all situations (correct me if I'm wrong). And in Europe there's VAT which varies depending on country and type of stuff you buy. And yes, it's damn obligatory - it doesn't matter if you pay the sales tax in US or not, you have to pay VAT >.< So the real reason why prices in Europe are so much higher are taxes, nothing else.

Indeed. Same goes for gasoline (about the high taxes, that is). Delaware is the only state with no sales tax, but I believe it is obligatory in all situations, except for internet stuff (at which point, I get confused--also, California has some weird rules on wine, I believe).

-NC

#398261

Hmm, my iMac was about $150 in sales tax.

#398289

VAT is the biggest pain in the butt.

That's why when I go over to Greece, then to Cyprus I buy as much as I need there. VAT in Cyprus is only 15% where in Greece (some places like islands it is only %3!) it's about 20%.

#399993

sales tax is not obligatory for food items. also some states like new jersey or connecticut have no sales tax for clothing/shoes and such. also some states have relatively low tax [4-6%] while some are high [10%]

#405487

Yeah well I'm not shipping within the states, I'm shipping to Poland which has a 22% tax, and the macbook isn't a food item xD

#406089