Buying Macbook Pro in Canada

June 10, 2007 4:02 PM

Buying a cheap Macbook Pro in Canada, or other ways to get a rock bottom price for a new(or like new) 15 or 17 in Macbook Pro.

Im looking to buy a laptop. Due to the fact that it can run both OSX and Win, and it looks good, i've chosen a Macbook Pro.

Now, the question is where to get it from for CHEAP. I live in the Vancouver area, and my budget is quite limited. I'm looking for a 15 or 17 in one, preferrably new(or like new), and NO taxes. Taxes in Canada are around 14% which would add a lot to the total price. I've looked on ebay canada and on craigslist.

Could there be a way of buying it from the states (amazon USA) without paying taxes and/or duty? I am also a student, so a student discount would also apply.

Botom line: I'm looking for a CHEAP, NEW Macbook pro in Canada.

Thanks,

Victor

posted by victorashul to computers & internet (17 comments total)

You could take a bus ride down to Seattle, and pick one up at the Apple store there. You might want to google Seattle area mac resellers that might have either the previous version to last week's update or refurbished models available for sale, which would further reduce the price.
posted by modernnomad at 4:05 PM on June 10, 2007

Also, if you are on a budget, you might want to look at the regular Macbook, rahter than the pro. It's significantly cheaper, and isn't lacking in any major way compared the pro except for the video card, which would only be relevant for 3d gaming, and perhaps intensive video editing. If you are a student on a budget, I encourage you to compromise on these factors.
posted by modernnomad at 4:07 PM on June 10, 2007

I forgot to add, I cant go to Seatte myself, because of some problems w/ the passport. Somebody could go there and buy one for me, but there might be a problem with the customs, taking it into canada(thats why i heard). Also, to get the student discount, that person would have to be a US student.
posted by victorashul at 4:10 PM on June 10, 2007

This may not solve the tax problem, but the discount could be a trade-off. Check the Apple website refurb section. Same warranty as new, but discounted.

Try this link.

If it doesn't work for you in Canada, then go to store.apple.com and find the link to the Special Deals on the lower right.

From the US, I am seeing this deal:

Refurbished MacBook Pro, 15-inch, 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
15.4-inch widescreen display (1440x900 resolution)
2GB (two SODIMMs) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
120GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load 6x SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory
Built-in iSight Camera
Front Row and Apple Remote

Original price: $2,499.00
Your price: $1,999.00

Estimated Ship:
5-7 business days
Free Shipping
posted by The Deej at 4:12 PM on June 10, 2007

Macbook is out of the question. It looks amateurish, and it is quite weak (tech specs)
posted by victorashul at 4:12 PM on June 10, 2007

How does the custom part work exactly? Can't just take it out of the box and say it's your work laptop? Or do you have to register it going over the border.

The cheapest you're going to get it is through Amazon. I'd have someone you know order it. They won't pay sales tax. Then you'd sneak it over.

I can't imagine you'd get it for cheaper than that. Any discount you'd get at the apple store would be negated by sales tax.
posted by unexpected at 4:24 PM on June 10, 2007

Indeed!

I just noticed Amazon USA has this crazy deal where there is a 200$ discount, for a 17 in one, and the total comes to $2,499.99 which is the same price as this 15 in

So it seems that amazon is indeed the best solution. Too bad I dont know anyone is the Seattle area to ship it to.

About the customs, it could be done quite easily. The only problem would be if they decide to check the car and the product is still wrapped and unopened.
posted by victorashul at 4:32 PM on June 10, 2007

How cheap is cheap? A new Macbook Pro (assuming you're talking about the one released a week or so ago) will be relatively hard to come by in refurb or auction/bulk type sales. Right now, they're available only through Apple and Apple retailers.

Now, if you wanted a one gen back model, then I'm sure you could find plenty of online retailers willing to dump existing stock in order to bring in the new. There really is not a lot of new in the new Macbook Pro's.
posted by purephase at 5:03 PM on June 10, 2007

Also, I'd like to buy the new version, the one with LED backlighting, but i cant figure out if the one a the apple store or amazon is the new version. Does this new version have any specific/different name so i can recognize it?
posted by victorashul at 5:05 PM on June 10, 2007

The 'NEW' part was reffering to NOT used(in box).

As for the really good deal at amazon, i assume it's the one without LED backlighting.
posted by victorashul at 5:08 PM on June 10, 2007

Also, I don't know how the numbers add up but a good tip for students buying new Macs is to sign up for a student developer account. It costs about $100, and once you have a developer account you can buy one Mac at a steep discount, which in total nets less than the student discount. You can see the developer store prices somewhere on the Apple store site, linked from the developer pages.
posted by lostburner at 5:14 PM on June 10, 2007

It's the ADC Hardware Purchase Program, and you can view the US version of the store without signing up, though you have to have an account to buy from it. I'm not sure if you have to be a US student to buy from it; it seems to be based on the shipping address. The Canada store seems to require being an "Apple Authorized Purchasing Agent" to access it.


US Prices for a 17-inch 2.4G PowerBook:
From the ADC Premier Member Store: $2,239.00 ($2339 after the $100 registration)
With a student discount: $2,599.00
With no discounts, from the Apple Store: $2,799
posted by lostburner at 5:27 PM on June 10, 2007 [2 favorites]

That would be a good idea if the total developer discount would be at more than 300$, for it to be profitable
posted by victorashul at 5:31 PM on June 10, 2007

If anyone else is interested, this
is the Developer store for USA. I cant see the Canadian developer website, as it seems i need login credentials.
posted by victorashul at 5:38 PM on June 10, 2007

First off, Amazon does not ship electronics to Canada, unless they changed their policy recently. Pretty sure the same applies to Apple USA.

Second, if you think you're not going to get hit with taxes having something shipped from the USA to Canada you're mistaken. In addition to the GST you'll get hit with a handling fee.

There is no way to have something of that value shipped across the border by a legit reseller and not get hit with taxes and a handling fee.
posted by dobbs at 7:07 PM on June 10, 2007

@dobbs: I kow Amazon doesnt ship to Canada. The only option was to make amazon ship the product to a friend in the USA.

The only other legit cheap way of getting a macbook in canada, is to go the way ostburner sugested: student dev account
posted by victorashul at 7:30 PM on June 10, 2007

Another option would be to find an apple dealer who is in First Nations territory. My understanding is that they don't charge GST/PST. There's one near Hamilton, ON.
posted by lowlife at 6:16 AM on June 11, 2007