Brother returning from U.K , Need advice on Electronic Item purchase

[Naveen_Reloaded]

Hi..

My brother is returning from U.K by Sept, One month gap is there.

1.) We were planning to get a TV. Currently we have samsung 40" TV LCD , and already dead pixels have arosed.

the price difference between U.K and India seems too large . for example i tried to comapare a 46" samsung TV with Shop Online with Argos.co.uk - your Online Catalogue for Home Shopping and indian sites. there was about 30,000 Rs difference easily.

does anyone know the pros and cons and should we buy a TV abroad?
If so , we are looking for a TV around 46" . You guys are the expert in 3D technology , so it worth going for 3D TV now ? Please suggest few models which are top quality .


2.)I am also planning to get a earphones , one of my friend suggested me to go Brainwavz M2 , cost around 3k in india , cost the same in U.K too.. more or less . Or shall i go for someother product ?

3.)Also in general anyone have idea what items are generally cheap in U.K

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Suggest you look at Richer Sounds.

I think VAT in UK has now become a huge 20%. Your brother can file a reclaim (you don't get it all back; they deduct a chunk as handling charge) at the airport on the way out. Must get the form from the shop when buying the item

On the other hand, remember the duty that may have to be paid on the way into India.

 

[Naveen_Reloaded]

Suggest you look at Richer Sounds.

I think VAT in UK has now become a huge 20%. Your brother can file a reclaim (you don't get it all back; they deduct a chunk as handling charge) at the airport on the way out. Must get the form from the shop when buying the item

On the other hand, remember the duty that may have to be paid on the way into India.

I am not that well versed in this duty charges , he is about to bring these stuff in his allocated 30kg limit. still does it require duty in India ?

anyway a TV costing something like 60K when brought to India , after all airport stuffs , how much will it end up for us ? :sad:

If the price becomes more than the Indian price, then we might drop this plan of buying TV from U.K

Also that site you mentioned , anything special in it ?

thanks for replying Ginathom

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

You're welcome. I've bought a thing or three from Richer Sounds over the years

In terms of Indian customs, I think you'll find that discussed on this site. Weight has nothing to do with it, value has, and ultimately, the value is what the customs guy says it is, eg, a 1-lakh TV that you got at ex-demo-bargain-basement-whatever for 25,000, may not, even with bill, be valued only at 25,000 by the customs.

Speaking of which, I think the duty-free limit is 25,000, but please check!

--- The only time I tried to declare what we were bringing in, they chased us away and out through the green channel.

--- The only time the x-ray made them mark my bag for inspection, it was a low-value collection of cables and adapters.

 

[Naveen_Reloaded]

Thanks again ginathom

jsut went through this thread.

http://www.hifivision.com/general-lounge/7703-custom-tariff-calculations.html

and read a PDF , its says customs rate is 10%[PDF Warning] for TV . Any thought on this ?

I am confused.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Sorrry, I don't know any more, but other members will have experience... ... ...

 

[miltondcunha]

Thanks again ginathom

jsut went through this thread.

http://www.hifivision.com/general-lounge/7703-custom-tariff-calculations.html

and read a PDF , its says customs rate is 10%[PDF Warning] for TV . Any thought on this ?

I am confused.

Apart from the weight of a 46" TV and the cost and custom difference, also keep in mind the risk of carrying a TV, if you are certain it will be handled well by loaders and you will not need to worry about any sort of damage or claims once it reach India...

 

[Naveen_Reloaded]

Apart from the weight of a 46" TV and the cost and custom difference, also keep in mind the risk of carrying a TV, if you are certain it will be handled well by loaders and you will not need to worry about any sort of damage or claims once it reach India...

wont it be properly handled ? i mean arent these kind of things done on a regular basis ?(loading / off-loading of valuable things )

I am now confused regarding the customs. I mean will they also charge if its within 30 KG allowed limit for each passenger ?

If you guys can give me some previous incidents , it will be helpful

Or to put it simple : Is it worth/profitable getting T.V from U.K ?

 

[venkatcr]

wont it be properly handled ? i mean arent these kind of things done on a regular basis ?(loading / off-loading of valuable things )

I am now confused regarding the customs. I mean will they also charge if its within 30 KG allowed limit for each passenger ?

If you guys can give me some previous incidents , it will be helpful

Or to put it simple : Is it worth/profitable getting T.V from U.K ?

There are a number of issues you have consider here.

1. The TV, though precious to you, is just another boxed cargo for the handlers who see hundreds every day. They just don't care and will handle it like any other cargo.

2. For customs, weight does not matter. You cannot bring in 1 KG of gold and say it is within the 30KG limit. The limit is for airlines to charge you more if you carry excess weight. For customs, it is the item, it's value, and whether it is chargeable to not. In addition, you generally have 20,000/25,000 allowance and you can bring in anything you want within that allowance (other than banned items).

3. Bringing in large items as personal baggage is usually painful. I am not sure your brother will appreciate that.

4. TVs have a habit of going bad and laughing at you when you desperately want to watch a movie or something. Imported TVs have no warranty, and you are in the hands of the mischievous devilish mind (akin to Gobble?) inside the TV as to how much it wants to harass you.

In my mind, paying that bit extra and having peace of mind is more valuable.

Cheers

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

First-class advice, as is also the warning about baggage handlers. If you look at some of the international/American consumer sites, you might get the idea that some handlers take a perverse delight in mistreating obviously fragile items.

Even if the human handling your box receives is respectful and gentle, it will spend time on conveyor belts, and, at times, it will drop from one to another, or to the carousel from which the traveller collects it at their destination.

It is said that such things have been transported internationally before they reach the shop. I've wondered about this too, and come to the conclusion, yes, but not in ones or twos. A number of units will be packed together, probably in outer protective boxing, and probably on a pallet. Even then, damage happens.

Something like an amp, avr, or cd player, with a metal case, in its manufacturer's box, padded out in a suitcase with clothes (and I use kitchen-towel rolls for additional packing) is a very good bet to reach home safely. Something like a TV ...only needs one heavy suitcase to be dropped on the middle of its box.

On the other hand, I took a couple of coloured-glass-sandwich panels (over from our kitchen fitting) to friends in the UK. I packed them in a soft material between panels of plywood, and then put that package in a thermocool box and padded out the whole thing in a big suitcase. Very fragile. Both survived. But they were small enough to be able to pack like that.

 

[Naveen_Reloaded]

Then i will stick to more smaller things then..

Thanks for your timely advices guys ..

any advice on #2 and #3 queries ?