FlyAway Posted August 11, 2013 Posted August 11, 2013 After seeing the post about inexpensive computer stores in Cebu, it got me to thinking about how inexpensive things are here in USA compared to Philippine retail stores. In the end, do you really save much money when buying in USA and shipping vs buying locally in Philippines? All depends on how you shop. One would think with China manufacturers so close prices could be a little better. I have Two Fry's Electronics stores within 30 minutes driving distance. Here are a few examples of what is on sale today. http://www.frys.com/template/onad/product_navigation/?site=sa:TOP_BANNER:Spot1 Lenovo H415-57308795 Desktop PC with AMD A4-3420 Processor,4GB DDR3 Memory,1TB SATA Hard Drive,Radeon Graphic,Windows 8 $298.00 If you wanted a cheap laptop. Lenovo G500, PDC B960, 15.6" Screen Display, Notebook With 4GB Memory, 500GB Hard Drive, Windows 8 $268.00 Now before someone gets the idea it would be cheaper to buy one here in USA and then send to Philippines.... Philippines really taxes this stuff hard. Shipping has potential to ad up real quick. Below are a few examples I have had direct experience with. A friend of mine made the mistake of sending a laptop via FedEx and it ended up costing him over $300 in shipping and import fee's on a 3 year old laptop. Sending via UPS or FedEx will cost you over $120 minimum. Then the Philippine customs can impose a duty fee up to 40% of the value of the PC or Laptop. Guess who gets to determine the value? You never want to send this method unless you have money to burn. I have known to many people burned by this. Fed Ex and UPS are forced to contract with local firms. Just because the truck says Fed Ex or UPS, it is still a majority Filipino owned business. If you are in a rush to send, LBC Air Cargo is the most cost effective method I have found to use. Up to 6 Lbs. cost $25. Every pound after that is an additional $5. They will collect the import tax. Last laptop I sent the tax was $45. No hassles with customs at all. They will deliver in 7 to 10 business days. So figure a 8 pound box laptop will cost $35 + $45 = $80 to ship. Challenge now is if you have available a local LBC office. Last and cheapest way to send would be in a Balikbayan box. Takes 30 to 45 days shipping for those. Prices will vary depending on the size of the box. Bigger boxes you can fill with additional goodies of course. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeB Posted August 11, 2013 Posted August 11, 2013 I have Two Fry's Electronics stores within 30 minutes driving distance. Here are a few examples of what is on sale today. http://www.frys.com/...OP_BANNER:Spot1 The prices listed on this site are for US stores, if you "check availability" on any of the advertised deals it lists the 50 states. Are you sure these products are available for the same price in the Philippines stores? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyAway Posted August 12, 2013 Author Posted August 12, 2013 I have Two Fry's Electronics stores within 30 minutes driving distance. Here are a few examples of what is on sale today. http://www.frys.com/...OP_BANNER:Spot1 The prices listed on this site are for US stores, if you "check availability" on any of the advertised deals it lists the 50 states. Are you sure these products are available for the same price in the Philippines stores? That is what I was getting at. Prices here are cheaper in the USA than what I have seen in Philippines. Best Buy, Wal Mart, and Target often have specials on laptops and PC's as well. Just using Fry's as an example. Fry's is a USA company. I wonder if a store the size of a Fry's Electronics could survive in Metro Manila? The Fry's close to me is nearly 185,000 sq-ft. (17,200 m2) in size. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeB Posted August 12, 2013 Posted August 12, 2013 Sorry, I misunderstood you. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJReyes Posted August 12, 2013 Posted August 12, 2013 If you are shipping a Balikbayan box labeled "Household Goods," chances are it won't be opened and the laptop enters duty free. An old computer qualifies as household goods because your intent is personal use rather than resale. Do not use the original shipping box. That's a red flag if Philippines Customs checks the Balikbayan box content. This is done on a random basis. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert k Posted August 12, 2013 Posted August 12, 2013 I will bring my laptop as carry on luggage. Why would I want to ship it? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted August 12, 2013 Posted August 12, 2013 I have Two Fry's Electronics stores within 30 minutes driving distance. Here are a few examples of what is on sale today. http://www.frys.com/...OP_BANNER:Spot1 The prices listed on this site are for US stores, if you "check availability" on any of the advertised deals it lists the 50 states. Are you sure these products are available for the same price in the Philippines stores? That is what I was getting at. Prices here are cheaper in the USA than what I have seen in Philippines. Best Buy, Wal Mart, and Target often have specials on laptops and PC's as well. Just using Fry's as an example. Fry's is a USA company. I wonder if a store the size of a Fry's Electronics could survive in Metro Manila? The Fry's close to me is nearly 185,000 sq-ft. (17,200 m2) in size. Even the on line stores (Amazon, NewEgg, etc) have some very good deals, including spare parts. I would probably purchase a netbook and then bring it over with me on the plane. I usually buy an extended warranty also but I'm afraid it will not be honored outside the States? If one purchase a big ticket item (LCD, computers) in the Philippines, I was wondering if the local warranty (and extended warranty) is offered and more importantly, how good the after sale services. Respectfully -- Jake 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tukaram (Tim) Posted August 12, 2013 Posted August 12, 2013 When i moved over here I shipped my desktop pc in the BB box. And had one laptop in my checked bag, the other as a carry on. No problems with any of them (even my 21" flat monitor in the BB box was fine) Shipping through stores is prohibitively expensive in my experience so far. The only way I would get a US computer would be to have someone send it to me in a BB box. My ex works at a computer store and I get her employee discount - it is 5% above cost. Many times an item is on sale for less than her discount price. The markup on hardware is very slim! They make all their money in peripherals. We get the $25 cables for like $5. They have to sell huge quantities to get their profit. I would think they could still get the volume in larger cities like Manila or Cebu. I would love to see more foreign businesses open up shop over here - but there is the pesky no foreign owned business law dragging down the economy here... I doubt Fry's or Wal Mart want to do franchises! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalidali Posted August 13, 2013 Posted August 13, 2013 I will bring my laptop as carry on luggage. Why would I want to ship it? :) Hold on now Robert.....your making WAY to much sense!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Posted August 13, 2013 Posted August 13, 2013 I will bring my laptop as carry on luggage. Why would I want to ship it? :) Sure less risk for breaking but perhaps biger risk to have to pay high custom fees? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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