Buying an IPhone

Anyone any idea what the duty and tax would roughly be when i got back to the UK if i bought an IPhone from the US?

Customs duty - 2.5%
VAT - 20%

But that is only if the valkue is above the £ 390 allowance

See the HMRC Website

But the chances of getting stopped are faily remote. They are not interested in normal holiday makers.

My sister brought one back from NY last week and was fine so just don't tell them.

[mitchja]

Just make sure you buy the unlocked GSM version of the iPhone, otherwise it won't work in the UK.

But the chances of getting stopped are faily remote. They are not interested in normal holiday makers.

I can confirm the above is indeed true - I have witnessed normal holidaymakers quite openly walking through the green channel with more than their duty free allowance openly on display and they were not stopped. That said, most of my arrivals into MAN have been on the VS76 which often arrives at all but the same time as a Thomson flight from Montego Bay... no points for guessing which flight Customs are more interested in!

[Darren Wheeler]

Usual caveat.

Do so at your own risk...

Anyone got suggestions for the best place to find a deal on an iphone in the US? To save my tired little legs... ?|

[Darren Wheeler]

I don't think you'll find much in the way of deals.

Apple have very strict price controls so retailers don't discount too deeply as they would risk being cut off

Anyone got suggestions for the best place to find a deal on an iphone in the US? To save my tired little legs... ?|

I tried buying one in US over Xmas. With the exchange rate and not even counting any duty to pay I was only saving around £10.

So bought in uk instead when I got back

Oh right - probably not worth it then!

[mitchja]

I beleive you can only buy the unlocked US iPhones direct from Apple.

I beleive you can only buy the unlocked US iPhones direct from Apple.

They have a spanking new store in the main hall of Grand Central Terminal now.

When in NY in December could have saved 70 pounds or so buying fom apple US but the apple store never had any stock of unlocked iPhone 4s during my 6 day stay