Buying computer parts overseas. Tiger direct or better

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pollo

35 posts

Geek

#19890 4-Mar-2008 23:59

Hi
i want to buy a few computer parts overseas. Mainly my gpu cpu ram nd hd. I found tiger direct.com . I have have found out that they do sell to new zealand. I was just wondering if anyone has had any peronsal experience with this retailer or if any one knows an overseas shop that sell to new zealand and has quite cheap parts.

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#114744 5-Mar-2008 05:51

never heard of tiger direct.com, i would air on the side of caution if ordering from overseas. have you tried any new zealand computer websites? pricespy.co.nz will give you the best prices for individual parts. also trademe can be good, especially if you wana get a bargain. what sorta setup you making?

freitasm

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#114769 5-Mar-2008 09:14

pollo: and has quite cheap parts.

This also means no warranty, no CGA protection an a costly return if it arrives here and it is not what you want.

Also, if you buy the whole thing in a single purchase to avoid shipping costs you will end up having to pay GST when the items arrive in the country.

I don't think it would be any cheaper than buying things in New Zealand sometimes.

Tigerdirect.com is ok.

dolsen

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#114813 5-Mar-2008 12:53

freitasm:

I don't think it would be any cheaper than buying things in New Zealand sometimes.

Tigerdirect.com is ok.

Wow, check out the prices on large LCD tv's there...

How about a nice 42" LG, LCD tv - 1920x1080p resolution for $1199.99US.

Ok, the tuner won't work, but with freeview HD with a set top box or pc who cares about the tuner?

Have you brought from there before? Wonder how much shipping would be...

freitasm

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#114817 5-Mar-2008 13:09

You really think that a 42" LCD would survive transport from a warehouse in America all the way to New Zealand, and do you think DHL wouldn't charge a lot for this?

42" LCD don't come in small boxes.

The price in NZ$ would be $1500 in today's rate. Add GST to this, plus shipping plus customs representation and you should be able to find something similar here in New Zealand for the same price. A Samsung 42" is NZ$ 2300 at DSE, and include warranty and CGA peace of mind.

dolsen

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#114819 5-Mar-2008 13:29

Those 40" Samsungs at around $2300/2400 are the 1366x768 versions. The similar full HD panels are more like the LA40N81BX for around $3699 NZ.

I would hope shipping would be 3-400US. That's a guess though, let's say it's $500US (including insurance).
$1700US, Assuming a conversion rate of 0.8 ~ $2125. Add GST (no Duty on tv's any more) ~ $2390.

That's a very good price for a 42" full HD lcd monitor, I can't see anything comparable for similar or near similar money in NZ.

Yes, more risk is involved as far a warranty, defects, damage, however, it's still a good idea - especially if the shipping is less.

dolsen

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#114824 5-Mar-2008 13:37

I've just noticed that Phillips lcd screens have come down in price, maybe best to wait a couple of months and see if newer tvs with digital tuners are released, and what effects these have on lcd prices.

dnb4life

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Ultimate Geek
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#114858 5-Mar-2008 16:23

dolsen, shipping in a single tv is just plain ridiculous. i would put the probability of something breaking, whether it be a screen cracking or impact damage to the casing at about 70-80%, i'm telling you somethings gona go wrong.

do you know how delicate these tvs are? you can't even lie them down the wrong way or the screen will shatter under it's own weight. do you really think whoever ships it would take as much care with a random single tv for an unknown customer worth hundreds of dollars as they do with bulk orders for well-known international retailers that are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars?

for the amount of time you'll have to wait for it to arrive, the hassle of claiming anything via the warranty, it not being nz approved and tested and the risk of it arriving broken, the savings are simply not worth it. you're looking at only saving a few hundred dollars anyway. but go right ahead, it's your money in the end. i'll just keeping laughing and posting on these forums via my beautiful, nz tested and fully functioning 32inch samsung lcd tv.

you say $2400NZD for a US bought Full HD LCD?

example of why you are wrong to buy overseas.

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iistudio

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#114872 5-Mar-2008 16:59

About shipping LCD monitor or TV over long distance, I had some experience coz I had my 37' LCD TV shipped from China like 2 years ago in a container, as far as I can tell I used the original packaging and just added some extra protections for the screen, so I would imagine even with DHL, if you have some notice on the packaging saying this is fragile or TV inside, they would handle it with extra care?

but I definitely agree on not buying LCD TV etc, coz if anything goes wrong and there is no global warranty or the global warranty is from Samsung :), you are pretty much screwed.

dolsen

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#114875 5-Mar-2008 17:08

dnb4life: dolsen, shipping in a single tv is just plain ridiculous. i would put the probability of something breaking, whether it be a screen cracking or impact damage to the casing at about 70-80%, i'm telling you somethings gona go wrong.

do you know how delicate these tvs are? you can't even lie them down the wrong way or the screen will shatter under it's own weight. do you really think whoever ships it would take as much care with a random single tv for an unknown customer worth hundreds of dollars as they do with bulk orders for well-known international retailers that are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars?

Yes, I know how delicate they are, I already have a 40" Sony LCD tv. They come pretty well packaged as well...
As long as you spring for the insurance, who cares if they break it? They can supply a new one. If they air-ship these (albit at a higher price) around the US, what's the difference of air shipping it overseas (apart from the cost).

dnb4life:
for the amount of time you'll have to wait for it to arrive, the hassle of claiming anything via the warranty, it not being nz approved and tested and the risk of it arriving broken, the savings are simply not worth it.

Approved and tested - who cares? If it has a switch mode power supply and works, it's all good. If it arrives broken, insurance will cover it. Would be worthwhile investergating the warranty options before buying though - Samsung worldwide warranty - as mentioned here perhaps?

dnb4life:
you're looking at only saving a few hundred dollars anyway. but go right ahead, it's your money in the end. i'll just keeping laughing and posting on these forums via my beautiful, nz tested and fully functioning 32inch samsung lcd tv.

you say $2400NZD for a US bought Full HD LCD?

example of why you are wrong to buy overseas.

As my previous post might have indicated, I didn't realise how cheap Phillips lcds had become (I brought mine a few years ago at a comparatively huge price to what I could get now). The last time I looked, you were looking about 4K for a full HD LCD TV. Also - $500 shipping is just a guess, possibly a high one. I know that shipping from US is not cheap, but finding out the actual cost of the shipping would go into the equation.

I'll wait until the freeview digital launches and see if there are new models released onto the New Zealand market. Once the manufactures start integrating H.264 decoders / dvb-t tuners into their models, the prices of the current ones will likely drop. Only thing is, being at the front of the move to mpeg-4, I'm not sure how long that wait will be...

freitasm

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#114877 5-Mar-2008 17:13

iistudio: ... if anything goes wrong and there is no global warranty or the global warranty is from Samsung :), you are pretty much screwed.

Samsung Worldwide warranty is a joke.

pollo

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#114893 5-Mar-2008 18:52

thanks for the help.
I have looked at pricespy going there for the past 3-4 years. I wanted to see if i can get a better deal overseas it seems that i cant. I have also looked into buying a tv overseas. I have phoned up various places in America eg freys. The laws in america do allow you to get the products to new zealand but the warranty is not covered for american made tvs in New Zealand. And some tvs which they sell in america have both tye of tuners atsc and ntsc.
Does any body know a person in New Zealand who sells computer parts at a whole sale price or prices like they do in America?

dnb4life

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Ultimate Geek
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#114897 5-Mar-2008 19:23

dolsen:As long as you spring for the insurance, who cares if they break it? They can supply a new one.

i don't know anyone in their right mind who would purposefully buy a tv not caring if it breaks during shipping. it takes long enough within the country to sort out your warranty and get a new tv, how long do you think its gona take from america? especially if the manufacturer has poor global warranty coverage as most seem to.

dolsen:Approved and tested - who cares?

you'll find a lot of the general public care. consumers want products that are tested and approved in their enviroment, for the right voltage, if its from the states its likely to be NTSC not PAL. insurance companies care too, if something shorts out and burns down your house and it's not approved for the nz market you may be have trouble claiming insurance.

dolsen:I brought mine a few years ago at a comparatively huge price to what I could get now

you'll find tv prices are dropping very quickly with every model seeing drops every 2-4 months and most models being replaced almost yearly. the market is also very competetive as you'll see most of the retailers offer the same tv for almost identical prices because they all price-match as soon as someone drops their price.

because the technology has been expanding so rapidly i find its best to get an extended warranty - not because you'll want it for insurance but because its very likely you'll want a new tv within 5 years and if you have a warranty left on it it makes it so much easier to sell second hand and you'll likely see more money towards that brand new one.

merlot

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#116272 13-Mar-2008 09:09

Tiger Direct should be avoided as have had bad experiences with them as they overcharged me I found out when the packing slip arrived with the capture card I bought. It showed the bank transfered amount was greater than true amount owing. But with numerous emails and correspondence with them they refuse to refund the difference. So they really are Tigers and avoid them.

merlot

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#116275 13-Mar-2008 09:29

dolsen:
freitasm:

I don't think it would be any cheaper than buying things in New Zealand sometimes.

Tigerdirect.com is ok.

Wow, check out the prices on large LCD tv's there...

How about a nice 42" LG, LCD tv - 1920x1080p resolution for $1199.99US.

Ok, the tuner won't work, but with freeview HD with a set top box or pc who cares about the tuner?

Have you brought from there before? Wonder how much shipping would be...

For starters Tiger Direct isnt ok as they rip you off see comments elswhere from personal experience.
Also forget the TVs from America as most TVs from there are 110 volts 60 Hz NTSC system and besides getting it repaired under warranty would almost be impossible. Where are the spares parts and back up service coming from.? Keep away from Plasmas as they are power hungry and they are not allowed to sell in Australia later this year due to this according to the Sydney Morning herald a while ago.
Good luck with the person with his Samsung TV as they have been nicknamed [ Samsuck.] As in Australia agents are quiting their agency on them as very poor manufacturers backup and low labour rates allowed to repair. Guess its the same out here.

dnb4life

312 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#116329 13-Mar-2008 13:19

merlot: Keep away from Plasmas as they are power hungry

couldn'a agree with you more. they are rubbish compared to lcd tvs anyway imho.

merlot: Good luck with the person with his Samsung TV as they have been nicknamed [ Samsuck.]

lol. that would be someones personal opinion. my personal opinion is they are fine. they have excellent specs, competetive pricing and have very good style when it comes to their lcd range. i have never had a problem with mine and don't expect that fact to change. i would also be careful about calling companies names around here.

merlot: Guess its the same out here.

how do you figure that?

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