Buying US laptop in the UK -- cheaper?

[TomBarry]

Im in the UK and in the market for a laptop. I compared the UK Alienware website to the US one. It seems that (as per usual) they jack up the prices for the UK. For example:

Sentia m3450 Road Warrior on US site -- from $869 with $100 instant savings
Sentia m3450 Road Warrior on UK site -- from £699 (or like...$1400)

I can do quite a bit with that extra $550. So has anyone done this? And are there any potential hazards? VAT? Different voltages? I have a step down converter that I use for my US Dreamcast. Would this be safe to use with a laptop, though?

I can have it sent to a US address if need be (Im from the US and have family there) and even with all this extra shipping it would still be signifigantly cheaper from the US. And cant they just say its a gift to avoid VAT? Buying anything from the UK just seems like a rip off what with the weak dollar and all.

[zaphodiv]

If you get somthing expensive shipped from a US company to the UK there is a reasonable chance of getting a customs bill a month or two later.

I'v received a few items from the USA marked as gifts on the customs declaration without getting a customs bill but nothing as big and valuable as a laptop.

Also consider that it may be a pain if you need to get it fixed under warranty.

[tetsuto]

best bet is checking the clearence items in pc world

just managed to get a macbook pro 1.83 core duo brand new for £699 last week, not bad

[adirael]

yes that s...great ..good choice

[MoonMan]

yes that s...great ..good choice

If the 20 posts thing is gone, why are we still getting worthless spam like this?