Thread: N800 $242 !!!
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luca is offline luca
2007-10-07 , 10:23
Posts: 1,137 | Thanked: 402 times | Joined on Sep 2007 @ Catalunya
#37
Originally Posted by krisse View Post
Yes, this is often forgotten by individual importers, but in theory you're meant to pay customs duty on all goods sent between the EU and US/NAFTA.

In practice the customs people don't seem to notice 100% of packages, but it's their job to add an extra charge to any products you buy from one trade bloc and import into another. The charge is supposed to depend on the type and value of the product, and you have to pay it at the post office before they let you have the package.
However this doesn't justify the retail price difference between usa and europe: most goods are manufactured outside of the usa and europe, so the official manufacturer/importer has to probably to pay a similar amount in custom duties for both markets (e.g. the n800 is manufactured either in korea or finland, if the latter there's no custom for eu countries, so it should be even cheaper than in the states).
Then there's VAT, but that is at most 20% (16% in spain), and even so many retail outlets advertise the price without vat (it isn't the case of nokia, where the 399 euros is with vat included).