Is importing iPhone cheaper overall

bwana said:
If you're going to include Apple Care then why not iCare Plus for iPhone which bring the warranty at least up to the same level in terms of screen replacements etc.

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Not equivalent.

iCare is only usable in SA.

AppleCare is worldwide (mostly), although for phones they have been dicks in the past - eg HK phone vs Mainland Phone even though its "one China". They got smacked for that though by government, and had to honour warranties.

I have had Applecare warranty stuff happen here for Macbooks, phones might not be covered now though, read the fine print.


The fine print - https://www.apple.com/legal/sales-support/applecare/applecareplus/2309/230912_applecareplus_us.pdf


Service will be limited to the options available in the country where you request service. Service options, parts availability and response times may vary. If service is not available for the Covered

Equipment in a country that is not the country of purchase, you may be responsible for shipping and handling charges to facilitate service in a country where service is available. If you seek service in a country that is not the country of purchase, you must comply with all applicable import and export laws and regulations and be responsible for all custom duties, V.A.T. and other associated taxes and charges. For international service, Apple may repair or exchange products and parts with comparable products and parts that comply with local standards.
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So... that international warranty is likely worthless here even if you have it, at least for phones.


Yet another issue, is that customs can confiscate the phone at whim if they decide to check, as it doesn't have an ICASA sticker.
That does happen.


Good news though - the US phone supports more frequencies than our regional one does in both 4G and 5G spectrums, so will be fully usable in more locations worldwide.
 
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SauRoNZA said:
Just remember those prices are without tax.

So run all the way through your cart purchase to get the final amounts before you get too excited.

Then there’s the cost for MyUS or whoever.

And then there’s the 15% on 110% of the value.

Suddenly it might not seem so cheap any more. Cheaper…but not without hassles and risks.

If you find out the weight and dimensions I can give you a price from myUS into SA.

You’d also ship to Sarasota which is apparently tax free. I think federal tax not sales tax free.
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Another thing to factor in will be the lower resale at the end of ownership, unless OP is going to keep it for many years.
 
rjay100 said:
Height: 159.9 mm
Width: 76.7 mm
Depth: 8.25 mm
Weight: 221 grams
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That’s the phone itself though, not the box.

But going by a weight of 0.5kg it’s anywhere from $40-$60 depending how fast you want it.

That’s without the insurance.
 
rjay100 said:
All I need now is a customs tax estimate
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Already gave you that.

15% of 110% of the value excluding shipping.

So $1099 for phone, assuming no further US tax.

$181 in customs.

$60 in shipping.

Insurance depends on courier.
 
This is the pricing for MyUS via their direct purchase option from Amazon.

8beb05ba38ceec3c3b3743a3aadeacbe.jpg


Insurance is $2.99 per $100 value.
 
So I’ve done a full checkout and did an estimate on myUS. $1182 to to ship to FL. After shipping fee, customs duty & VAT, I’d save ~R4500. But that’s without AppleCare. Which if I added for $199, would take it to ~R32700. Istore is R33500 with iCare+ which isn’t far off.

Also iPhone 15 pro max is only shipping from Nov 16 onwards. So I think I’ll just buy locally. Definitely obviously cheaper if you just have someone there to bring it down for you
 
rjay100 said:
So I’ve done a full checkout and did an estimate on myUS. $1182 to to ship to FL. After shipping fee, customs duty & VAT, I’d save ~R4500. But that’s without AppleCare. Which if I added for $199, would take it to ~R32700. Istore is R33500 with iCare+ which isn’t far off.

Also iPhone 15 pro max is only shipping from Nov 16 onwards. So I think I’ll just buy locally. Definitely obviously cheaper if you just have someone there to bring it down for you
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As someone who buys a LOT of Apple products overseas, I will say you're prob better off getting an iPhone locally these days if you're not buying many of them for a corporate.

The price is getting very close these days to the extend that for one phone you have to ask if its worth it. Of course if you or someone you know is travelling there and can bring it, its a no-brainer.

Core Group is our local Premium Apple Repairer - i don't know how they are Premium, because according to Apple: "AASPs may obtain Premium Service Provider status if they excel with respect to Apple's customer satisfaction and repair support standards such as turnaround time."

And Core Group's repair is rubbish, turnaround time i rubbish, service is rubbish and yeah.. rubbish. But somehow they maintain Premium status. Boggles the mind...

Ultimately however, for convenience sake, being able to take your iPhone in locally vs shipping it back to the US for repair would be easier.
 
For anyone interested, this seemed to be the best deal I could find. About R3k shy of what my import estimate was

IMG_0297.jpeg
 
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