How to save $$$ Tips and Tricks (FOR AUSTRALIANS ONLY)

Tip 1. For Australians only

The trick is get a family member or a friend in USA to buy it direct from Apple with student discount and have them send it to you to Australia.

For Australians... believe me you will save very very big at least around $500


Tip 2.

Register a business name get yourself an ABN (Aussies will know what an ABN is for those that don't it's an Australian Business Number)
buy it at wholesale price, lodge your tax return every year make a claim and you will save at least $2200.

 

You could only claim back $500 bucks a year for 3 years only (consult your taxation agent)

Why pay $4000 for a commodity that will be outdated as soon as you walk out of a store when you only need to pay it's real value of $1800?

If you could add to tips and tricks on how to save money please subscribe to this thread and help everyone save money.

 

Anyone can do the tax thing lol!!!

 

The first tip doesn't sound so great because you forgot to include 10% import duty if you ship the goods insured into the country. Anything above $1000 in value will incur duties of 10%. With delivery and import duties, it works out to be almost the same after currency conversion @ 0.70US/AUD. However, you can avoid paying the import duty IF you ship it without or less than $1000 insured, but you assume the risk of damage or loss in transit.

With the 2nd, how can you possibly purchase at wholesale price if you don't purchase in volumes for resell? Resellers here actually get very small margins from Apple notebooks unless they are exclusive partners which explains why there is little flexibility in their pricing as they can't afford to undercut any other due to the limited margin.

Another way to save is probably to purchase high value items such as laptops before you travel overseas so you can claim the 10% GST component (but of course, you may be subject to the tax again upon your return although this rarely occurs).

 

Useless thread.

 

You sounded very angry in all your posts.

It's a good time to take a break have a kit kat and get some fresh air

Mac people don't get angry they are too cool for that.

 

There is no tax if your friends send it to you from over seas

For every rule there is a loop hole hence there is government.

Try getting a fly in fly out job it really helps. I have been to so many countries they don't even care what type of laptop you carry with you why would they even check what brand of laptop is being sent to you?

 

It doesn't matter who sends it. The import duty applies whenever the item is declared above $1000 in value, which will happen if you want it insured.

 

Ummm i travel frequently to USA and UK due to my work i never had to declare m laptop anyway this must be something new.

 

Depends on how thorough the customs agents are - if they believe that you're walking in with your personal notebook, they won't care. If they suspect it's a new purchase (and why would they, unless you're coming in with more than one?), then it can be another story.

 

You misunderstood me. The import duty only applies for goods sent (as in delivered via courier or mail services) from overseas to Australia. No duty applies for personal effects brought into the country like you did.

 

I won't say what you sound like because it would be considered rude and insulting.

 

Useless response !


The import is nice in theory but as chrixx pointed out, you will get hit with import tax. A better idea is to salary sacrificed the laptop (only for portables), this can save you quite a large amount of cash, and you will actually get a small increase in your pay packet over the time that you sacrifice (eg 12 months).
Other options are to find a friend/family member who is a student or teacher and get them to buy the laptop for you with education discount.

If your really crafty, combine the two for a bigger discount
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p.s despite the poor Oz dollar, it is still cheaper to buy there than it is here in France, so thank your lucky stars that you don't live here.

 

Seriously, when you see a "Tips and Tricks" thread, you expect it to contain useful information pertaining to which the thread is referring.....in this case, how Australians can save money. I have yet to see anything useful come from this thread, hence my original response. You don't like my opinion, that's fine, but it's mine to voice.

 

Your not forced to read the thread, thats the beaty of the internet, don't like something then move along. Its not up to u to decide if the thread is pointless. If it is then no one will look at it and it will disappear in the the back pages within an hour. In fact your post only serves to prolong the thread, defeating your purpose.
And to top it off your not even from Oz !
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Exactly, so if you don't like my reply, there's no need for you to reply to it. Move along.

Nowhere did I proclaim that it was up to me. I voiced an opinion, nothing more. Perhaps you're reading more into it.

Touche!

And that excludes me from being able to comment? Try again.

 

I'm reading this guys. Please try to at least make it sound like you're staying on topic, i.e. discussing the ways of saving money for the Australians.

 

Come on guys, let's lighten up and stay on topic

@ OP, I don't think tip #1 works - I've shipped quite a few things to Australia during my prime as a powerseller on ebay, and all of my Australian buyers had to pay some sort of duty tax if the declared amount is more than a certain value (I believe someone said up to $1000).

 

Well said and yes lets please get back on topic.

Just want to re-mention salary sacrificing again. I did this for my macbook a few years back when I was still in Oz, and combined with edu discount I was able to recover/get back about $800 off the price... I think it was about 2400 upfront.
Thats a really good saving.

Also another member pointed out in a recent thread that the US prices are pre sales tax. Thus the price you see on the apple website is less than what you will pay. Which in turn means that the US models are quite as cheap as they look.
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I thought the 10% tax was only if the item was brand new and unopened and sent straight to someone in Australia, if someone in the US bought a Macbook and just sent the Macbook, charger, CDs and such over here without the box and mark it as a gift/'you left your Macbook here' you wouldn't incur the 10% tax would you?

 

Did anybody even read what I mentioned. It applies even if marked as gift as long as you value your items above $1000.

 

I have sent at least 8 laptops to my friends in australia to save them money not once did their government tried to charge me tax lol.

Since when you send your friend a box of laptop incurs $1000 tax? muahahahahaa.

 

If you sent it via regular EMS without insurance, then of course there won't be taxed because you didn't declare the value of the item. The tax is applied on the receiver's end, so you're not the one having to pay the tax liability.

I (and a couple of forumers here) have personally imported several laptops from overseas and have been through this process, hence we're just providing our actual account of what happens. I paid the 10% duty as the total cost is still cheaper than when purchased in Australia in those instances, but you have to work it out properly.

Macbook: $1599
Shipping: $40 (average quoted price. If you use a service like FedEx or DHL with next business day delivery, it could be much more)
USD: $1639
[email protected]: A$2341 (0.7 is average quoted rates, on a good day 0.75 on a bad day like last week 0.65)
+10% duty: A$2575

Australian RRP: A$2599

Savings: A$23

How is that a good deal?

If however, you don't declare the item, don't insure it and send it via USPS Mail, you avoid the 10% duty, then you save approximately A$230.