Purchase of Electronics from US

[narenkum]

Hello All,

My friend will be visiting US next week and I am preparing a list of items to be purchased from there and will need your expert opinions please.

1.AVR- I am planning to get a Denon AVR X2000 and it costs $649 with the current rate of approximate conversion rate of 62 INR comes close to 41,000.
What will be approximate duty that will be charged on this AVR and is it worth taking a risk? as there will be no warranty and will also need to look out for a 220v to 110v converter?

I have been quoted for 51K here in Reliance digital Chennai.

2.50 feet Blurigger Hdmi cable?

Amazon.com: BlueRigger High Speed HDMI Cable - 50 Feet - CL3 Rated for In-wall Installation - Supports 3D and Audio Return [Latest HDMI version]: Electronics

Is this a good VFM product or any other better one's available.

3. Monoprice HDMI Extender over Cat5e/CAT6 cable:

Amazon.com: Monoprice HDMI Extender over Cat5e/CAT6 cable - up to 196 ft: Electronics

Have anyone tried the above product, I am planning to use this to connect my setup box which is in the ground floor to the my projector in the first floor.

4.Blu ray writer:

Amazon.com : Brand New Everpower Slim USB 2.0 External Blu-Ray BURNER / CD/DVD-RW Burner Drive - Black : External Blu Ray Writer : Computers & Accessories

Apart from the AVR, other items I think can be kept in hand luggage and will there be any customs duty on these items? I will ask him to remove the original packing.

Also is there any other VFM electronics item that we can get?

 

[manniraj]

I believe a AVR will not be feasible to get from US, one reason being the most important the power/voltage/freq difference and the second reason heavy to carry in the check-in luggage as the maximum weight is around 23 to 25 per passenger. Even at the 41k price you need to invest in a good step down converter which will come to around 4 to 5k and the difference of the price narrows down to just 5/6k but without the warranty. Regarding other items yes they are feasible and economical to buy and carry it from US.

Thanks

 

[reubensm]

keep in mind the following:

1) your friend will have a baggage (weight) limit, after crossing which, he will be charged additionally by the airline
2) all US equipment runs on 110volts hence you'd need to buy a stepdown transformer
3) keep an eye on customs duty, this is subjective but can go as far as 30%
4) no warranty, infact some Indian service centers (like Samsung) have a different (and more expensive) rate card for servicing imported items even if the very same model is sold in India

usually people have their own wish lists as well, so you will be putting a cap on your friend's purchase aspirations with your long list. when someone travels to the United States, they usually get about 3-4 long lists from friends and family, in addition to their very own

 

[Kittu]

If your friend is willing to carry a large package like AVR, drop that idea and ask him to carry a prepower setup from emotiva. Even if you pay little more for baggage charges it will be worth. As the above posts mentioned not worth carrying avr with marginal savings.

 

[GeorgeO]

Sherbourn has some good deals for preamp processors-they also run on 220V. My son picked up one for under $400, check their site out.

 

[narenkum]

Thanks all for your valuable inputs.

AVR is now out of the list and of the remaining 3 items, Bluerigger hdmi cable seems to have some good reviews so will be picking that up.

Need your input on the Blu ray writer is th Everpower Slim USB 2.0 External Blu-Ray BURNER a good one or it is better to go for a slightly costlier LG\Samsung drives?

 

[soulforged]

I have a similar query, Narenkum, don't mean to hijack your thread but thought it may make sense to both of us...

I was looking at getting an amp (made for 230V usage) from US courtesy a friend who is willing to carry it. It would weigh around 15-16kg all packed...

While it is really sweet of my friend to help out, I really don't want to get him into any sorts of hassle with the baggage and/or customs. Wanted to know what should we be looking out for in these terms. Would an amp, suitably packaged and kept in the check-in luggage, create any issues? What duty would be levied on an electronic item of, say US$1000? What papers, invoice, manual etc. should one be carrying to show to the customs official here?

Danke!

 

[just4kix]

I have a similar query, Narenkum, don't mean to hijack your thread but thought it may make sense to both of us...

I was looking at getting an amp (made for 230V usage) from US courtesy a friend who is willing to carry it. It would weigh around 15-16kg all packed...

While it is really sweet of my friend to help out, I really don't want to get him into any sorts of hassle with the baggage and/or customs. Wanted to know what should we be looking out for in these terms. Would an amp, suitably packaged and kept in the check-in luggage, create any issues? What duty would be levied on an electronic item of, say US$1000? What papers, invoice, manual etc. should one be carrying to show to the customs official here?

Danke!

If you or any friend carry an expensive electronics item, be sure to keep original electronic receipts with you. Customs will accept your assessed value based on this receipt only; else they will use their valuation. A baggage duty exemption of Rs. 35,000 applies to per person. If there are no other dutiable items, the duty works out as follows:

(a) Original Item Value: (assume) 41,000
(b) CIF (10% of (a): 4,100
(c) Total value of imported item (a)+(b): 45,100
(d) Free baggage allowance: - 35,000
(e) Dutiable amount (c+d) = 10,100
(f) Duty at 36.05% incl. of cess = 3,641 (rounded)

Back to narenkum's original post:

narenkum, I agree with most here. It is not worth importing.

a) I have used your valuations. As you can see that the cost of the AVR is 44,641. This does not include any excess baggage charges that your friend may have to pay and which you may have to bear.
b) You will need to buy a step-down isolation transformer, that will cost around Rs. 2000 or more. This is a bulky item that will lie in the corner collecting dust and generating heat.
c) No warranty.
d) The Reliance value of Rs. 51,000 seems to be a fair game. You can check at many other authorized dealers too.

 

[mshifi]

i got my denon 1910 from US and no duty paid. It is a 220v model.It is worth buying from the US as there is atleast 30% difference in price compared to India

 

[just4kix]

i got my denon 1910 from US and no duty paid. It is a 220v model.It is worth buying from the US as there is atleast 30% difference in price compared to India

Yes. Sometimes customs people let you go. But that is just playing poker. Where did you get 220V model? I have always found them to be 110V/60Hz.

 

[mshifi]

Got a 220v 50hz model