Like many people I like my gadgets and I’ve been craving a new mobile phone for some time. Mobiles are however particularly expensive without a contract and I thought I’d try and save some cash by buying from the USA. Not knowing anyone heading over there anytime soon I turned to the web, which has for the most part let me down as most USA based technology web sites do not ship internationally. However, two hours of hardcore searching did provide a few options and I’ve just ordered a Nokia N82 and saved myself about €150. The web site I used is called www.selectgsm.com. I did find a few other options, notably www.compusa.com but the shipping and wire transfer costs were prohibitive. SelectGSM will ship a mobile phone to France using FedEx International Priority for 30 dollars! For the moment things are looking good but I’ve yet to see whether it arrives and whether it picks up any additional changes (customs, tax, etc.) on the way…I’ll keep you posted! (here is the follow up post on selectGSM)
If you’re thinking of buying from the USA or elsewhere overseas then here are a few things to remember:
- Check that it is a genuine site. If the prices seem too good to be true then they probably are!
- Many web sites will not ship until your funds have cleared, so be patient.
- Many stores request payment via wire transfer, which can incur additional costs.
- Your product may not be insured for international shipping (I don’t know much about this but I noticed that a few sites pointed it out)
- Some products may incur additional costs in transit (customs, local taxes, etc.) Stores will not take responsibility for these and most are unable to tell you whether your product will incur charges.
- Some stores will ship internationally but will not accept international returns
- The warranty on the bought item may not be valid for your country
Below are some of the other USA based technology sites that I found that ship internationally (I’m not necessarily recommending these, it is just a list!!):
www.bhphotovideo.com - I’ve visited there New York store and know that they are a genuine, reputable company. The site sells cameras, video cameras, computers, mp3 players, etc. International shipping options are clearly explained.
http://shop4.frys.com/ - computers, PDAs, mp3 players, computer accessories and components, books, music, DVDs, etc.
http://www.laptopsforless.com/ - computer and consumer electronics accessories, notably batteries.
http://www.greennet.ca/ - computer accessories and components
www.crucial.com - memory, flash cards, computer components, etc. UK and European web sites. USA site will also ship to Europe.
http://www.superwarehouse.com/ - scanners, monitors, laptops, cameras, software, etc.
www.thinkgeek.com - techy gadgets and accessories.
www.consumerelecgroup.com - mp3 players, TVs, DVD players, etc. No international returns policy.
www.unityelectronics.com - computer components, storage, accessories, cameras, PDAs, etc.
www.frozencpu.com - computer components.
www.dealmaxx.com - consumer electronics, mobile phones, etc.
Amazon International Direct - items available to ship internationally from Amazon.com. Excludes most consumer electronics and mobile phones.
www.getultimatestuff.com - consumer electronics and mobile phones.
www.geeks.com - computer accessories and consumer electronics.
