In the past buying hardware in the US has saved a considerable amount for me as I do tend to travel to the US 1 or 2 times a year with work, and have friends who can receieve and store packages until I arrive.

Now however…. it appears to be not so attractive as it was - in the Apple US store the basic macbook is $1099.00 - the UK macbook is £699 for the same spec. Now my maths puts $1099.00 at £614.91 with a 2.1 dollar to pound ratio and adding VAT at 17.5% (which would be required to be paid when coming through customs if doing this legally and declaring at border). The difference = not enough overall to make me go this route! (not that I am considering a basic Macbook - this is just an example).

When comparing prices of the Asus eee PC recently (same model) I noted the same was true here. $399.99 on newegg vs £220 on Dabs. With VAT, the US model would cost more to import than the UK one would cost (including shipping!)…

This similarity in the market is certainally something I havn’t experienced before - it may be just on the items I am looking up.

Certainally earlier this year I picked up a Nikon 18-200mm VR lens for my SLR in Hong Kong for half of the UK cost, which even when the import duties were added saved a considerable amount on the UK price (more to the point I could buy and inspect in HK, where the lens has a 6 week wait in the UK to purchase).

When I’m saving 50% or more on new hardware I don’t mind losing a warranty buying abroad - though it is a bonus if the warranty is global (ala Nikon lenses). With current prices I think I’m going to be sticking to buying items in the UK however..

What are your experiences of buying hardware abroad ?