Comments on: Any recommended online computer hardware shops who are based in Asia and are willing to ship to Australia?

Question: Any recommended online computer hardware shops who are based in Asia and are willing to ship to Australia?

Jimmeh — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 02:59:31 -0800

Hello All! I'm under the impression that computer hardware is quite cheap in Asia compared to here in Australia. My question is: are there any good online retailers, who are based online, based in Asia, willing to ship to Australia and accepts Paypal? Good prices a must! Thanks everyone.

By: Coolcan2

Coolcan2 — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 04:43:02 -0800

I know its not what your looking for, but StaticIce.com will give you the cheapest Australian retailer for the hardware you search for. I like to support small businesses. *shrug*

By: mdonley

mdonley — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 06:54:06 -0800

Also, don't neglect the import tax/VAT you'd be assessed.

By: divabat

divabat — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 10:31:13 -0800

My Melbourne friend has bought camera equipment from Hong Kong via eBay. Import tax wasn't an issue.

By: cholly

cholly — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 18:23:16 -0800

I buy computer related gadgets through eBay.com.au shops all the time. I find that most of the stuff I buy, although the business has a Sydney address, it comes postmarked from Hong Kong or similar.

If you have a look around, these places generally have "Buy It Now" and eBay shops, as well as external websites sometimes. Look for slightly broken English in the product description. It's a dead giveaway. =P

By: cholly

cholly — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 18:24:13 -0800

Oh yeah, and they all take PayPal, and I've never been charged weird taxes of anything.

By: bystander

bystander — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 23:13:33 -0800

Be careful of duty and GST.
If the vendor ships Fedex/UPS etc. they will collect duty on any goods over $250, and they will charge you $25ish for the paperwork.
If the vendor uses airmail then Auspost will usually not collect GST on goods under $500 in value (but this is discretionary, so, for example when they slugged me for a camera I had paid $420 for, and had receipts they would not negotiate).
They will collect duty (on tobacco/alcohol) on any amount.
I agree with the above folk that ebay is a good source of cheap asian hardware.