Is it worth purchasing electronics from US?

[bugsnest]

I have never got a straight answer to this so posting here (apologize if this has been discussed before) -

I purchased a 110V Denon 1910 from the US and was condiering getting a TV for my parents from the US. But not having used either before in India I am trying to see the practical limitations of doing something like this...

what are your thoughts? Is it worth the time, effort and savings in getting stuff from the US? Do they work seamlessly with custom built transformers, stabilizers etc? The price saving is tempting!

 

[captrajesh]

What you think you are saving might (in all probability) end up in custom's coffers or may be even pockets.hyeah: What is the saving's in percentage terms BTW?

 

[GeorgeO]

Short answer, yes its worth it-BUT you need to carefully think through and buy.Some gear actually works on 220/110.

 

[bugsnest]

What you think you are saving might (in all probability) end up in custom's coffers or may be even pockets.hyeah: What is the saving's in percentage terms BTW?

the percentage varies but to give you an example a denon receiver that costs $32K in India can be had for 16K in the US. I was able to get this thru customs no questions asked... however I don't anticipate the same ease for a 55" TV

My primary concern with TV's (or rather my lack of knowledge) is the NTSC / Pal system. How does it work with a Vizio TV for example that is 220V capable but it NTSC only? Does this work in India for regular TV broadcast?

 

[Kittu]

For those TVs with only NTSC converters you need to get a pal converter. Although lot of people say the new HD boxes of cable service providers have the capability to do it. But considering the price difference on better reviewed TVs ,even purchasing a converter with stepdown transformer is still a budget buy .....

Name any branded highend LED or Plasma TVs , their prices are unreal in india.

 

[omishra]

For those TVs with only NTSC converters you need to get a pal converter. Although lot of people say the new HD boxes of cable service providers have the capability to do it. But considering the price difference on better reviewed TVs ,even purchasing a converter with stepdown transformer is still a budget buy .....

Name any branded highend LED or Plasma TVs , their prices are unreal in india.

Modern TV's connect through HDMI so PAL/NTSC doesn't matter.

Supply frequency 60Hz v/s 50Hz: Some equipment needs 60Hz supply only. e.g. Digital Clocks, Gadgets with motors and transformers inside etc. Digital clocks get sync pulse and transformers/motors can burn. Even few TT also use down converted mains voltage for its drive motor where change in frequency affects pitch.

Supply voltage 120V v/s 240V : Step down convertor works if only voltage is criteria. It's okay for electronics with inbuilt SMPS. For small things within 50Watts, al cheapo 100Rs convertor will do. Still getting step down transformer for 600VA-1KVA is pricy affair considering you are going to operate big amps, TV and all other equipment.

Local Warranty v/s International Warranty v/s No Warranty: So mostly the things which you do not get in India are prime targets for purchase. Otherwise I prefer local warranty plus dealer if savings are not more than 25%.

 

[vj_box]

I have never got a straight answer to this so posting here (apologize if this has been discussed before) -

I purchased a 110V Denon 1910 from the US and was condiering getting a TV for my parents from the US. But not having used either before in India I am trying to see the practical limitations of doing something like this...

what are your thoughts? Is it worth the time, effort and savings in getting stuff from the US? Do they work seamlessly with custom built transformers, stabilizers etc? The price saving is tempting!

As others said, it depends on what you are getting and on how much you really save end of the day.

Here goes my electronics shopping when I visited the US last year.

PS3- got this one for 14,500 while it is 21k in India
Ipod touch 3G- got this one for 12k while this was 15k here.

I again got a IPod touch 4G from the UK with me for a mere 11k with free goodies like dock speakers while it is retailing for 15,500 here.

I am again getting a new Onkyo AVR next month which works to 17k while it should be close to 32k here.

And yes, all went clean from Customs and no hassles there

Most important of all, you need to compromise the warranty. But then in my case all these gadgets are working like a charm "Touchwood"

Cheers!

 

[bugsnest]

Good information; thanks.

I guess the biggest driving factor for me is the cost savings and that appears to be the consensus here too. When the savings are significant then the warranty factor can almost be overlooked (50% in case of an AV receiver!).

Things like phones, laptops and digital cameras are almost a no-brainer! They are much cheaper here and every chance I get, I take them along for family and friends. Its the big ticket items like TV that I was concerned about (assuming I find a "way" to get it thru customs ). The Vizio I mentioned (LED) costs $700 here for a 46" but an equivalent one in India was way more...
I am still deliberating over this but thanks for the valuable replies...

 

[vj_box]

Good information; thanks.

I guess the biggest driving factor for me is the cost savings and that appears to be the consensus here too. When the savings are significant then the warranty factor can almost be overlooked (50% in case of an AV receiver!).

Things like phones, laptops and digital cameras are almost a no-brainer! They are much cheaper here and every chance I get, I take them along for family and friends. Its the big ticket items like TV that I was concerned about (assuming I find a "way" to get it thru customs ). The Vizio I mentioned (LED) costs $700 here for a 46" but an equivalent one in India was way more...
I am still deliberating over this but thanks for the valuable replies...

Ya I see your point. Items like TV will certainly be tricky to get past the customs. Items like AVR are still fine as they go into a luggage.

 

[gobble]

Quick question - on that note, Is it ok to buy International gear rated @220V even if buyers country uses 230V or 240V?

Thanks
--G0bble

 

[dovin]

No practical difference between 110/115/120 volts or 220/230/240 volts.

 

[sarbagna]

No practical difference between 110/115/120 volts or 220/230/240 volts.

Is that so? Does this mean I can safely purchase some electronics from Amazon.com & play it in India without needing any additional adapter/convertor etc.? Can you please guide on what parameters one should check before making any purchase directly from US?

Thanks & regards

 

[amol12]

Is that so? Does this mean I can safely purchase some electronics from Amazon.com & play it in India without needing any additional adapter/convertor etc.? Can you please guide on what parameters one should check before making any purchase directly from US?

Thanks & regards

Read it as "No practical difference (between 110/115/120 volts) or (between 220/230/240 volts)."

 

[sarbagna]

@amol12: Sorry for being dumb! But does that answer my question i.e. is it safe to buy electronics/electrical items direct from Amazon.com?

 

[amol12]

@amol12: Sorry for being dumb! But does that answer my question i.e. is it safe to buy electronics/electrical items direct from Amazon.com?

If it is 110-120V then you will need a adaptor. If it is 110-240 you will not.

 

[arcmax]

i buy all my stuff in the usa and its worth it.... for the denon amp i purchased a good voltage converter and touch wood seems to work....however with the denon thing be a bit careful...


FYI - this is something i discovered / confirmed yesterday after a talk with denon tech in usa.

the only real drawback is the radio tuner... on the fm you can only scan channels 91.9 91.1 91.3 91.5 91.7 and so on.... so if you want to listen to fm 91.8 well you cant...same thing for the AM channels 780,790,800 but if you want to listen to 783 you cannot... this by design...apparently the some genius engineer was working overtime. i am not sure if this problem is with all models of denon or only the 1910 model plus the model i have is the usa one not sure if the same problem exist around the world or not .

 

[amol12]

i buy all my stuff in the usa and its worth it.... for the denon amp i purchased a good voltage converter and touch wood seems to work....however with the denon thing be a bit careful...


FYI - this is something i discovered / confirmed yesterday after a talk with denon tech in usa.

the only real drawback is the radio tuner... on the fm you can only scan channels 91.9 91.1 91.3 91.5 91.7 and so on.... so if you want to listen to fm 91.8 well you cant...same thing for the AM channels 780,790,800 but if you want to listen to 783 you cannot... this by design...apparently the some genius engineer was working overtime. i am not sure if this problem is with all models of denon or only the 1910 model plus the model i have is the usa one not sure if the same problem exist around the world or not .

This is not specific to denon. Apparently US has different steps of increment for AM/FM stations than the rest of the world (at least Europe/India).