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beni · 09:05 PM

So, I calculated that flying to NYC (from Oslo, Norway) and picking up a PowerBook 12" at the AppleStore i SoHo then catch the plane home the same day will save me 100$ (Plane ride included) compared to walking 10 minutes to my local Apple dealer.

In addition i get 4 free meals and a couple of free movies on the plane.

Thats insane

How much sales tax NYC?

jersey · Oct 24, 2003, 09:56 PM

Originally posted by beni:
So, I calculated that flying to NYC (from Oslo, Norway) and picking up a PowerBook 12" at the AppleStore i SoHo then catch the plane home the same day will save me 100$ (Plane ride included) compared to walking 10 minutes to my local Apple dealer.

In addition i get 4 free meals and a couple of free movies on the plane.

Thats insane

How much sales tax NYC?

This could be low, but I think its like 8% tax.

And good luck getting to the Soho store, and back to the airport (any one of them) in the same day, unless of course you wanted to spend $35 plus round trip tolls each way, on a cab.

sniffer · Oct 24, 2003, 10:21 PM

Lol! That's insane. Why not spend a weekend over there and buy the PB while you are there.
Thought you wouldn't get localized keyboard and power cord plug, and the guarantee might be a hazle unless I believe you get Apple care wich might be international.

Agasthya · Oct 24, 2003, 11:22 PM

Originally posted by beni:
So, I calculated that flying to NYC (from Oslo, Norway) and picking up a PowerBook 12" at the AppleStore i SoHo then catch the plane home the same day will save me 100$ (Plane ride included) compared to walking 10 minutes to my local Apple dealer.

In addition i get 4 free meals and a couple of free movies on the plane.

Thats insane

How much sales tax NYC?

what about customs?

businezguy · Oct 24, 2003, 11:34 PM

He can unpack the laptop and simply bring it the plane without the box he purchased it in. They can't tax him for owning a laptop. How are they to know he was bring it back as a new purchase?

The only problem with that is if you purchase DVDs in Norway,they might not work because of those stupid regional license thingies.

sniffer · Oct 25, 2003, 12:27 AM

I think dvd's wouldn't be a problem actually, as the software sets its default by the first dvd you put in or something.

Uday's Carcass · Oct 25, 2003, 01:16 AM

Originally posted by sniffer:
I think dvd's wouldn't be a problem actually, as the software sets its default by the first dvd you put in or something.

and you are allowed to change it a certain # of times after that.

I bet the VAT is a major reason behind the price differential. How sad.

riverfreak · Oct 25, 2003, 01:26 AM

Originally posted by businezguy:
He can unpack the laptop and simply bring it the plane without the box he purchased it in. They can't tax him for owning a laptop. How are they to know he was bring it back as a new purchase?

This doesn't work, does it? Lots of people have thought of this. The serial numbers are registered at customs.

riverfreak · Oct 25, 2003, 01:36 AM

Originally posted by beni:
So, I calculated that flying to NYC (from Oslo, Norway) and picking up a PowerBook 12" at the AppleStore i SoHo then catch the plane home the same day will save me 100$ (Plane ride included) compared to walking 10 minutes to my local Apple dealer.

In addition i get 4 free meals and a couple of free movies on the plane.

Thats insane

How much sales tax NYC?

Don't forget:
Sales tax : 8.625%
cab rides : $30-$50 each way
beer in soho : $7 x 5 (well, that's my allotment)
bialys, pizza, etc, etc

Fuggedaboutit! You'd be insane to come to NYC the BEST CITY IN THE WORLD and only spend a day buying a laptop. This place is the melting pot of the world. All nationalities, languages, cultures. Food, music, art, runway models galore (although they don't speak to me from their rarified altitude, I can tell they are secretly drawn to my geek aura). Nothing can stop NYC. Nothing. It is the place.

Hang out, chill. Spend a weekend. Feel the love. You can play with the new PB when you get back to your hotel room.

Agasthya · Oct 25, 2003, 01:53 AM

Originally posted by riverfreak:
This doesn't work, does it? Lots of people have thought of this. The serial numbers are registered at customs.

There's gotta be some way of Norway knowing what he arrived in the United States with (electronics wise, that is). I mean, if not, he could go back home to Oslo with a digital video camera, digital camera, and laptop (and a host of other consumer electronics) and just claim that he owned them prior to arriving in the United States...

I really doubt it works that way.

riverfreak · Oct 25, 2003, 02:26 AM

Originally posted by Agasthya:
There's gotta be some way of Norway knowing what he arrived in the United States with (electronics wise, that is). I mean, if not, he could go back home to Oslo with a digital video camera, digital camera, and laptop (and a host of other consumer electronics) and just claim that he owned them prior to arriving in the United States...

I really doubt it works that way.

Exactly. I've always asked my dutch friends why they don't just buy tech in the US and bring it home in order to avoid the VAT. Apparently, customs is VERY KEEN on looking for locals bringing back untaxed goods. It is, after all, what they do. How you prove that what is yours is yours is another matter - perhaps a stamp on exit?

- - e r i k - - · Oct 25, 2003, 04:04 AM

Seeing as I'm from Oslo, Norway and is now the owner of an All-American 17" Powerbook�, I can say that there's no problems at all. None. I figured that I wanted to change the keyboard. But I'm a touch-typist, so I know where most the keys are. (I sometimes have problems with the paranthesis though, as they are off by one key).

No problems in customs, no DVD-problems. Oh, and I saved myself a cool 9000+ NOK what with the iPod I got and all.

I got a friend of mine to purchase it for me. He hated to let it go after using it for the weeks he was there at a holiday. He's a PC-guy, but he just had to get an iPod for himself

To top it off, the nice people at the Apple-store tossed in a .Mac subscription for free.

Mastrap · Oct 25, 2003, 04:09 AM

Originally posted by - - e r i k - -:
Seeing as I'm from Oslo, Norway and is now the owner of an All-American 17" Powerbook�,

Erik, what about the warranty? And what about the special characters you Nors people are so fond of?

sniffer · Oct 25, 2003, 06:33 AM

He could just type, & a e l i g; , & s l a s h; , and & a r i n g ;

Anyway, post some pictures if you go beni.

beni · Oct 25, 2003, 08:06 AM

Originally posted by riverfreak:
Don't forget:
Sales tax : 8.625%
cab rides : $30-$50 each way
beer in soho : $7 x 5 (well, that's my allotment)
bialys, pizza, etc, etc

Fuggedaboutit! You'd be insane to come to NYC the BEST CITY IN THE WORLD and only spend a day buying a laptop. This place is the melting pot of the world. All nationalities, languages, cultures. Food, music, art, runway models galore (although they don't speak to me from their rarified altitude, I can tell they are secretly drawn to my geek aura). Nothing can stop NYC. Nothing. It is the place.

Hang out, chill. Spend a weekend. Feel the love. You can play with the new PB when you get back to your hotel room.

Yes, I know, but i have been there 4 times before (for Mac World expo), so the novelty thing is really not that important. Also, why ride a cab? The subway is just fine. I agree about the beer, though

Oh, custums schmustums! I'll just bring an ekstra bottle of liquor to distract them.

The keyboard is not a problem either, I actually prefer American keyboards. They are just better for programming. I just use alt-a, alt-' and alt-o to get the Norwegian characters.

- - e r i k - - · Oct 25, 2003, 09:30 AM

Originally posted by Mastrap:
Erik, what about the warranty? And what about the special characters you Nors people are so fond of?

I have no idea about the warranty, but I do believe Apple has international warranty.

I already mentioned that the keyboard is different, but I'm a touch-typer and I know where the keys are, so that it says ;; instead of �, �" instead of � and {[ instead of � doesn' bother me at all. Oh and instead of |\ we have @, handy eh?

Mastrap · Oct 25, 2003, 09:38 AM

Originally posted by - - e r i k - -:
I have no idea about the warranty, but I do believe Apple has international warranty.

I already mentioned that the keyboard is different, but I'm a touch-typer and I know where the keys are, so that it says ;; instead of �, �" instead of � and {[ instead of � doesn' bother me at all. Oh and instead of |\ we have @, handy eh?

Dud. Sorry, didn't get the touch type bit.

But as far as warranty is concerned, Aple doesn't offer international warranty. In the unlikely case of your PB going tits up it would mean shipping it back to the US.

asleep@thewheel · Oct 25, 2003, 09:46 AM

Originally posted by beni:
So, I calculated that flying to NYC (from Oslo, Norway) and picking up a PowerBook 12" at the AppleStore i SoHo then catch the plane home the same day will save me 100$

with the hundred bucks you save you can get a crack whore to clean out your pipes and still have 90 bucks left for a tee shirt.

m a d r a · Oct 25, 2003, 09:49 AM

Originally posted by riverfreak:
....... How you prove that what is yours is yours is another matter - perhaps a stamp on exit?.......

take a CD of some of yer work and install it on the new PB, so you're not just carrying a virginal 'as-it-left-the-factory' comp. set the international prefs to 'norwegian' and you'll have a computer in your language with your work on it. don't think any customs man is going to think you've just bought that in NY. hell. the people who do those kind of jobs are so dumb, they probably don't even realise you can switch the OS to a different language.

dcmacdaddy · Oct 25, 2003, 09:58 AM

Originally posted by asleep@thewheel:
with the hundred bucks you save you can get a crack whore to clean out your pipes and still have 90 bucks left for a tee shirt.

<half-awake and eating breakfast in front of the computer.>

I laughed so hard I spit cereal all over myself and the keyboard.

I am going to send you a cleaning bill for having read this post.

beni · Oct 25, 2003, 10:06 AM

Originally posted by asleep@thewheel:
with the hundred bucks you save you can get a crack whore to clean out your pipes and still have 90 bucks left for a tee shirt.

Come on man, that was really uncalled for. Why the hell would i spend 90$

on a tee shirt?

villalobos · Oct 25, 2003, 12:00 PM

Originally posted by riverfreak:
This doesn't work, does it? Lots of people have thought of this. The serial numbers are registered at customs.

No they are not. I went to Europe with my Ibook, and nobody even looked at it, either way. He will go through customs most likely without being noticed. Now if he is actually controlled (very rare occurence in my book), he should have a proof of purchase indicating where and when it was purchased, and in this case would hava to pay for taxes.

villa

Link · Oct 25, 2003, 06:19 PM

I say go for it, just grab a laptop case and stick it in there (trash the packaging but keep all the manuals, etc.. hehe).. when you go to an airport it's highly unlikely they'll do anything more then look at your laptop for a moment.. run it through the xray machine, and IF anything, have you turn it on to prove it's a real laptop.

And that's about it!

riverfreak · Oct 25, 2003, 07:01 PM

Originally posted by villalobos:
No they are not. I went to Europe with my Ibook, and nobody even looked at it, either way. He will go through customs most likely without being noticed. Now if he is actually controlled (very rare occurence in my book), he should have a proof of purchase indicating where and when it was purchased, and in this case would hava to pay for taxes.

villa

Yeah, it depends on your nationality, which direction you are travelling, etc, what the nature of customs/migration is. Customs is interested primarily in stopping the locals to tax what it is they've purchased overseas. They normally just let you breeze by. But I've been stopped before, say going into mexico with lots of sporting equipment. On my tourist visa, they wrote down each and everything I had with me, and on the way out, they checked for each thing.

riverfreak · Oct 25, 2003, 07:02 PM

whoops. double post. sorry 'bout that.

riverfreak · Oct 25, 2003, 07:08 PM

Originally posted by beni:
Yes, I know, but i have been there 4 times before (for Mac World expo), so the novelty thing is really not that important. Also, why ride a cab? The subway is just fine. I agree about the beer, though

Yeah, the subway is the way to go, although the shuttle out to long term parking is a drag. Will be nice when the airtran is up and running to jamaica.