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Confy

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#208659 21-Feb-2017 16:46
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I'm thinking of buying a new laptop from the US.  I'm wondering if anyone here has done this and what their experience was.  I've looked at Amazon and whatsmyduty.co.nz and it seems that even with all the delivery costs and duty it still works out cheaper to get what I want.  Buying from the US also gives me access to a wider range of models and specs than seem to be available in NZ at the moment, especially following the Kaby Lake/Pascal refresh.  Any tips from those with experience?  Warranty is something that immediately springs to mind, especially if it's DoA. Thanks!


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sbiddle
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  #1723953 21-Feb-2017 17:39
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The two main issues are no warranty and the fact you may struggle to find anybody who will ship one due to the huge clampdown on products containing lithium batteries. A laptop should be fine, but you'd need to check with whoever you're planning to use to ship it.

 

 

 

 




Confy

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  #1723956 21-Feb-2017 17:42
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Thanks for the tips.  I was just planning to use YouShop for the shipping, but that's a very good point about lithium batteries.  I'll go check their T&Cs.


Dynamic
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  #1723981 21-Feb-2017 18:25
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I agree with sbiddle, and emphasise the warranty issue.  If it fails in 18 months you are probably out of luck as even if you could put up with the shipping costs (remember sending something over the counter at NZ Post is MUCH more expensive than Amazon's shipping charges for example), the manufacturers warranty would have finished and the international retailer is unlikely to go out of their way to help.  If you buy from a local company, you have more options when asking for warranty assistance or make a CGA claim.





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tchart
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  #1724096 21-Feb-2017 20:15
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We've bought several Chromebooks off Amazon. Shipped direct, never had any issues. Usually go for Acer as they have worldwide warranties.


Confy

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  #1724143 21-Feb-2017 22:04
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Thanks for all your thoughts guys.  I actually just got lucky with a Dell Outlet deal here in NZ so no need to look overseas any longer.


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