# Buying stuff in U.S. Help.



## Biglittlefish (May 8, 2008)

So I'm off to the states. First time, very excited and all that. Figure when I'm there I should take advantage of cheaper stuff. Been holding off on buying stuff for ages in anticipation of getting it cheaper. Alot of shops I've been looking at online (referbided macs etc) will only ship to US address, so I was planing to rent a mailbox while I'm over there and have things delivered to it. Then, ya know, stuff it in my bag and bring it home. Does anyone have any experience of this. Are mail box places secure? Will I have any problems cas my cards home address is not the same as the shipping address? Is it easy to change plugs from us to british?
Any advice apprecated guys.


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## pk (May 9, 2008)

Send all the packaging home via air-mail and carry the machines through as hand luggage.

Always bear in mind most shops add the tax on AFTER you have been given the total price.
Don't risk shipping - visit the stores and see what you're buying actually works and is in good condition.

And refurb macs should be fine - the switch mode power supplies can be used anywhere - just change the US lead for a UK one when you get home, no probs.


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## ajdown (May 9, 2008)

pk said:


> And refurb macs should be fine - the switch mode power supplies can be used anywhere - just change the US lead for a UK one when you get home, no probs.



Make sure that the power supply is a dual voltage 110/240v one.  I have two laptops, one has a switched supply and the other doesn't.

Rather than change the lead, if it's just one item, you can just as easily buy a travel adaptor for less than a tenner.


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## pk (May 9, 2008)

ajdown said:


> Make sure that the power supply is a dual voltage 110/240v one.  I have two laptops, one has a switched supply and the other doesn't.
> 
> Rather than change the lead, if it's just one item, you can just as easily buy a travel adaptor for less than a tenner.



All Mac laptops are switch mode supply, so they'll take anything between 100v and 250v.


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## ajdown (May 9, 2008)

I don't use Macs, I have Proper Computers


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## Crispy (May 9, 2008)

ajdown said:


> I don't use Macs, I have Proper Computers


You realise that this means war.


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## jæd (May 9, 2008)

Biglittlefish said:


> Alot of shops I've been looking at online (referbided macs etc) will only ship to US address, so I was planing to rent a mailbox while I'm over there and have things delivered to it.



Won't work. Very few places deliver to mail boxes. 



ajdown said:


> I don't use Macs, I have Proper Computers



Troll, D-


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## ajdown (May 9, 2008)

Crispy said:


> You realise that this means war.



I'm sure thousands have died over less significant differences...

Would it help if I sprayed my laptop white?


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## Biglittlefish (May 9, 2008)

Thanks guys. I ve been having a look round different sites during the night and noticed alot of places, including apple, don't accept non US credit cards. Pain in the ass. Anyone have any ideas how to get around this or know of any places (selling electronics etc) that do accept my poor inferior plastic? Also anyone know of anywhere over there thats sells used electronics, I mean a shop as opposed to a website? I'll be in California.


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## t0bytoo (May 9, 2008)

jæd said:


> Won't work. Very few places deliver to mail boxes.



UPS, etc. don't deliver to USPS mailboxes, but they're hard to get anyway without a physical street address and ID to prove it.

Private mailbox services are easy to get and can receive packages through all carriers, and most will let you use the address as "suite xxx". Mailboxes, etc, make you use "pmb xxx". 

If you order stuff from outside california you may or may not have to pay sales tax - about 7.25%. 

Like others said, though, much better to just buy stuff in person.


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## jæd (May 9, 2008)

Biglittlefish said:


> Thanks guys. I ve been having a look round different sites during the night and noticed alot of places, including apple, don't accept non US credit cards. Pain in the ass. Anyone have any ideas how to get around this or know of any places (selling electronics etc) that do accept my poor inferior plastic? Also anyone know of anywhere over there thats sells used electronics, I mean a shop as opposed to a website? I'll be in California.



You could try using ebay, but you would need a legit address.  If you're buying secondhand in a store, if the item has problems it will be very hard to get our money back.  I only buy electronics first-hand when in the US for this reason. 

If you really, really want to do it, look for Pawn shops. But then, they're usually in not the nice parts of town....


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## Crispy (May 9, 2008)

ajdown said:


> I'm sure thousands have died over less significant differences...
> 
> Would it help if I sprayed my laptop white?


No, recase it in aluminium please


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## Concrete Meadow (May 10, 2008)

Biglittlefish said:
			
		

> so I was planing to rent a mailbox while I'm over there and have things delivered to it. Then, ya know, stuff it in my bag and bring it home. Does anyone have any experience of this. Are mail box places secure?



You can pay for a private box at the UPS stores which take packages shipped via US mail or any private couriers. 

I am not certain how secure it is although many people use them. I also heard that rental fees can be quite pricey. 



Biglittlefish said:


> Thanks guys. I ve been having a look round different sites during the night and noticed alot of places, including apple, don't accept non US credit cards. Pain in the ass. Anyone have any ideas how to get around this or know of any places (selling electronics etc) that do accept my poor inferior plastic?



As far as getting around the credit card problems, most retailers will need to record the 4 digit security codes on the back of your card before they can process your order. 

However, if you plan to buy second-hand goods, the store owners may not take anything but cash.

Hope this helps. Have a good trip.


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## Poi E (May 10, 2008)

ajdown said:


> Would it help if I sprayed my laptop white?



Ah, the colour issues, eh?


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## mhendo (May 13, 2008)

Biglittlefish said:


> Also anyone know of anywhere over there thats sells used electronics, I mean a shop as opposed to a website? I'll be in California.


California's a pretty big place. Twice as big as Great Britain, approximately. With over 30 million people and quite a few big cities. You might want to be a bit more specific about which cities you'll be visiting if you want a useful answer to this question.

Also, are you stopping over anywhere, like New York or Chicago?


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## Rainingstairs (May 20, 2008)

ALOT of companies won't ship to boxes (they are called PO Boxes) and if you're ordering online, it will tell you that they don't ship to PO Boxes. Maybe you can have it delivered to your hotel? Or if you have a friend's address you can use.

As for refurbished computers, there are always alot of deals online, but Fry's Electronics is a great electronics store out in California. It's massive! and has very good prices.


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