hi there,

i was wondering if anyone has bought a mac from the states and has any issues with warranty? i've checked a couple of mac stores and they're much cheaper with better specs. when i calculated cost plus fedex shipping it still turned out 100 ringgits cheaper than buying a lesser specced macbook in kl. plus shops around here are lousy when it comes to sales and service. for example macmall.com has great deals. my sis lives in the states and she can ship to me.

mirage3d

mac is intranational warranty if im not mistaken

Have you include the Tax charges upon reaching Malaysia shore?

called customs and told me there are no duties or taxes if it's for personal use. i'm planning to get only one macbook. don't think anyone can do business with 1 macbook

This post has been edited by mirage3d: Mar 19 2007, 03:12 PM

is this really the case, in which case i wonder if the Macbook Pro will be cheaper too

keantan,

everything is around 20% cheaper. google for online apple stores and resellers. you'd be surprised. better specs, cheaper prices. the catch is that many of them don;t ship outside the US. but if you know someone who can ship it to you or 'bring' it to you then i say it's not worth buying it over here. many stores also offer you many configurations. shops over here wanna charge me 800 rm's to upgrade a 1.8 macbook to 1gb ram. they say they have to take out the 2x256 and install new 2x512 mb'. meanwhile, i guess, i can put the swapped out 2x256 on a shelf and admire the the pins. doesn't make sense at all!

u better be doubly triply sure...sometimes this customs officers are abit misinformed about they clauses that they have especially when it comes to items shipped in..

This post has been edited by jceh83: Mar 19 2007, 03:33 PM

well this is why i'm posting this topic. wanna know if anyone has had any issues with warranty or anything else. customs told me that computers intended for personal use are duty-free. anyway, the best people to ask would also be the courrier co's, since they would be handling the customs clearance.

This post has been edited by mirage3d: Mar 19 2007, 03:44 PM

interesting, if there are no problems. Indeed cheaper.

There shouldn't be any problem except on how secure is the shipping.
Best if you have someone coming back from US and hand delivered it for you.
For all reason, I don't trust local courier services.

@mirage3d...

the MacBook is normally 2x 256 or 2x 512 or 2x 1GB. when you saidthat's the wrong way to do it. if you want to order a customised unit, do let me know. I'll do some paperwork and find out how long exactly it will take.

The thread starter has factored in FedEx shipping, if I'm not mistaken.

Is a savings of RM100 really worth the time required for transit along with the possibility that local customs will tax you? Consider it :\

have you seen those Fedex or UPS fella "handle" the parcels???

This post has been edited by wei: Mar 19 2007, 07:16 PM

a saving of 100 rm's is not really that much of an issue as you will see below. the risk of being taxed by customs can be either confirmed or dispelled by asking the courier co's. i have asked on several occasions for different items and they were quite informative and helpful. if anyone knows what really goes on, it would be them since they are the ones who will be doing the customs clearing.

as for the handling, i have received 6 dell machines over 3 years - all couriered. no complaints or damages so far. and the choice of courier eventually will be cost and handling safety.

having mentioned dell, i wish apple is like dell. allow customizations online and customer service is A+. i have no experience with the local apple rep, but their site is disappointing to say the least. it looks like a copy of apple inc's site but when you choose to 'get a mac', you're directed to 'where to buy' which only offers a 'pdf' list of distributors and resellers. and the list doesn't even have links to their sites - you have to call them or google for them. no mention of prices either. ok, apple malaysia clearly wants us to buy through their resellers, but at least make it easier for us to find them and give us the chance to contemplate how deep we have to get into our pockets by publishing some prices. the prices are clearly controlled by apple malaysia so what's wrong with publishing them? there's no competition to hurt.

and why do prices have to be controlled? ideally, resellers would offer better prices than apple and would be offering also many custom packages and bundles. that's the whole idea of having resellers. to make it easier for people to get this wonderful machine. more competition means more sales. if all the resellers sell the same packages, at the same price, what's the point of having resellers? it's probably best to operate an apple malaysia franchise. the current system means i don't have to go low yat or damansara or bangsar or ikano or pj for a mac. i just have to go to the nearest mac dealer because it'd be just like walking into a macdonald's. has anyone checked the flyers and leaflets that mac shops offer? they're identical!

i don't mind paying extra if the service is ok and makes sense over here. i walked into 3 different mac stores and all i got was blank looks to some of my questions and answers that make no sense. the salespeople were coached to give certain answers to certain questions. but if you ask something else they just give you the blank look or the 'i'm sorry, that's what we have. there's no other way around it'. so the 100 or so rm's i save are not just for the better specs, or coming in 4 days. it's for the freedom of choice and the fact that i got what i want the way i want it, not the way a shop tells me to have it.

and for those interested in my calculation. here's the deal...
apple inc (USA) macbook black - $1499
macmall (USA) macbook black - $1394 (after $100 rebate) link: macmall - macbook
macshop (MY) macbook black - $1709
courier - $190

the difference (in RM) between buying from macmall with shipping and buying it locally is RM443.
now if i were in the states, i can get the same black macbook with 2gigs of ram instead of 1, plus parallels, a free hp printer, a 512 thumbdrive and a carrying case at $1594 after the rebates - compare this to the local price of the black 1gig macbook above. and i don't have to pay anything - if i'm too broke - for the first 6 months. wow! now that's what i call service. i sure wish i'm over there now.

check out the macbook pro prices. you'll weep.

mirage3d

This post has been edited by mirage3d: Mar 19 2007, 08:22 PM

The prices on MacMall don't look bad, but do they charge tax on purchases in the state that you'll be sending them to? AppleInsider links to a couple of URLs on Amazon that have the same rebates on offer at MacMall that you might want to consider if MacMall will charge tax.

http://www.appleinsider.com/

wei, I've gotten packages through FedEx from Newegg and they've arrived in acceptable condition, probably because Newegg packages things nicely. Shipping generally pans out without complications.

thanks yetieater. i'll check that out.

it is worth it if you dont get taxed and item arrived as delivered...

for your info although this is out of topic, but still apart of the warranty issue, the handling and custom tax are the problems here.

yes, if it is for personal use, especially as USED HOUSEHOLD EFFECT, the item will not be taxed, but if the custom open your package, decide to tax you because of it is a new item, not applicable to that used household effect, then you will be charged, no argument for you to said someone in custom told you personal use stuff is not taxable. once they claimed it shud be taxed, then you either hv to pay the tax or the item confiscated, or sent back to poster (rarely)!

This post has been edited by youngkies: Mar 19 2007, 09:56 PM

Computer product will not be tax-ed, i believe many IT product trader here can verify that.

I also believe that notebook falls in the same category as computer product, no?
So thats means tax free?

This post has been edited by ed0gawa: Mar 19 2007, 09:58 PM

the reason why Apple Malaysia has fixed prices, is because they don't want the chaos that will happen if the prices aren't fixed.

Imagine BSC charging a different price from 1U and Sunway or Ikano charging a different price from KLCC. It wouldn't be funny to buy the same product for a different price just because the rent is different, now would it?

mirage3d, I can answer some of your questions, but not in a public forum. please email me at the address I PM-ed to you.

mirage,i had d same problem with u too b4 i purchased my macbook c2d last december.i had a friend willing to help me get it from US.but then,if u think about the risk(tax,courier) u ll c dat dat amount of money dat u save isnt worth d stress u encounter 4 all d worries.believe me in dat.

but then,if u can takde d risk,go ahead...

imagine dis...

1.u ll b waiting n waiting.tracking ur courier now n then.
2,hoping that nothing happens.hoping dat d package u receive has no damages.
3.hoping dat u do not hav to pay tax or something.eventually if u do,u need to go all d way to d customs n settle it with them.then u hav to take leave.stress..
4.IMHO buying at d store,d ppl there(my personal experience) they ll help u in any way they could.

in d end,its ur money n if u hav made ur decision,go for it..

today its been nearly 4 months since i received my macbook.n believe me,i havent even thought about the cash dat i could save if i bought it in US....