[Q] Billing countries - WebOS Software and Hacking General

Anybody know if it's possible to add billing countries that aren't listed on the phone?
I recently purchased a pre from the UK, but I live in Australia. The pre was officially available in Australia, so I didn't think I would have any problems with it, but I can't purchase apps because Australia isn't listed as a billing coutry!
The countries in my list are: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, UK, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Netherlands.
Alternatively, are there any unofficial app stores for WebOS?
Or would flashing an Australian ROM work?

Jive Turkey said:
Anybody know if it's possible to add billing countries that aren't listed on the phone?
I recently purchased a pre from the UK, but I live in Australia. The pre was officially available in Australia, so I didn't think I would have any problems with it, but I can't purchase apps because Australia isn't listed as a billing coutry!
The countries in my list are: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, UK, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Netherlands.
Alternatively, are there any unofficial app stores for WebOS?
Or would flashing an Australian ROM work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not possible to add billing countries.
No webOS phone has ever been officially available in Australia. In fact, no webOS phone has ever been officially available in the Southern Hemisphere.
You have a device with UK app catalog access set in the device record on Palm's servers, and that can never be changed.
Preware is the alternative app catalog for webOS.
There is no such thing as an Australian ROM (there is no such thing as a ROM for webOS devices, it's flash memory not Read-Only Memory), and even if there was such a thing it wouldn't help you since the setting for which app catalog you are able to access is stored in the device record on Palm's servers.
The only way to purchase apps on a webOS phone in Australia is to have it first activated in another country (as you have done) and then use a credit card from a country in that area. For example, I live in Australia, buy webOS devices from the UK, ship them to the US for first activation, then ship them to Australia, and use a US debit card from www.simon.com to buy apps.
Yes, it is that hard, and yes that is the only way to do it.
-- Rod

Thanks for the info rwhitby.
You're right, I was mistaken about the pre being available in Australia. It's advertised on http://www.palm.com/au/ but can't actually be purchased.
One more question, why don't I have the US in my billing country list? I would much rather pay in USD than EUR or GBP, it's almost 25% cheaper (with current currency rates).

Jive Turkey said:
Thanks for the info rwhitby.
You're right, I was mistaken about the pre being available in Australia. It's advertised on http://www.palm.com/au/ but can't actually be purchased.
One more question, why don't I have the US in my billing country list? I would much rather pay in USD than EUR or GBP, it's almost 25% cheaper (with current currency rates).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your device record on the Palm servers is set to the UK App Catalog.
That device (or more precisely, that comms board in that device) can never purchase from the US App Catalog.
The set of billing countries cannot be changed once the device has been activated once.
-- Rod

Thanks again Rod.

rwhitby said:
Your device record on the Palm servers is set to the UK App Catalog.
That device (or more precisely, that comms board in that device) can never purchase from the US App Catalog.
The set of billing countries cannot be changed once the device has been activated once.
-- Rod
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Click to collapse
Rod, first, great to see you and WebOS on XDA, which I've been part of for years. Question - do you know of anybody successfully claiming a new Pre2 through warranty (since HP never said that if you activate in the wrong country or wrong operator, you're f'ed where apps are concerned) in order to re-activate it with another SIM? I bought my Pre2 from the HP UK site via mail order to Sweden as soon as it appeared a couple of months ago, but of course, I never figured out that I should have activated it using a UK SIM card... I know you're getting these questions a lot so maybe you've heard of some success stories in that respect? It would perhaps also be a signal to HP if people started claiming returns based on the (un)availability of apps when not in an official country...
In my case, HP's UK store "knew" I was ordering TO Sweden, and still, no disclaimers or anything like that. It could be either a warranty case, or a consumer rights case.

LazPL said:
Rod, first, great to see you and WebOS on XDA, which I've been part of for years. Question - do you know of anybody successfully claiming a new Pre2 through warranty (since HP never said that if you activate in the wrong country or wrong operator, you're f'ed where apps are concerned) in order to re-activate it with another SIM? I bought my Pre2 from the HP UK site via mail order to Sweden as soon as it appeared a couple of months ago, but of course, I never figured out that I should have activated it using a UK SIM card... I know you're getting these questions a lot so maybe you've heard of some success stories in that respect? It would perhaps also be a signal to HP if people started claiming returns based on the (un)availability of apps when not in an official country...
In my case, HP's UK store "knew" I was ordering TO Sweden, and still, no disclaimers or anything like that. It could be either a warranty case, or a consumer rights case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, we have heard of people having success with such claims.
-- Rod

Well, I am really sad to report that I failed (at least via mail) to get Palm UK to replace my phone on the grounds that I can't buy apps without activating it as above. Here's the response from Palm:
Unfortunately, in order to be able to purchase applications from the App Catalog, the phone would have had to be activated in a country in which the Web OS platform had been officially released (Spain, Ireland, France, UK, and Germany). On the other hand, we are not able to offer you a replacement Pre 2 for you to activate it in UK, to enable the payable applications to appear on the App Catalog.
Currently, there are no plans to include Sweden as a supported country for the applications availability.
Please remember that the e-mail support has been discontinued; we suggest that you call our technical support department to: 08 519 92029 (Sweden), or contact us via chat on: www.palm.com/chat
We apologize for these inconveniences.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The really sad thing is the statement that they "don't plan to include Sweden". They didn't say "right now", just that they don't. I am assuming that this goes for other countries not on the list as well... I wonder if anybody has any other information to contradict?

I just ordered my Pre2 from their UK site and they sent me an email telling me that in my country I wouldn't have access to the App Store. They asked me if I'd like to cancel my order. That was nice of them (I didn't cancel because I already knew it).
However, it really sucks that they don't plan to change something with this App store thing. It's like they don't want money from their customers.

Related

touch pro for $450??? Is this REAL?

http://www.metrocellinc.com/htc-touch-pro.html
was the first listing on google.
Anyone know????
ekerbuddyeker said:
http://www.metrocellinc.com/htc-touch-pro.html
was the first listing on google.
Anyone know????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotta be a crock tbh.
Cheapest ive seen it around and according to our vendors list is £490 (notice pounds).
mrvanx said:
Gotta be a crock tbh.
Cheapest ive seen it around and according to our vendors list is £490 (notice pounds).
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Click to collapse
I'm gonna have to agree this seems like a crock. I paid £424.80 without VAT at hantech.co.uk
Umm stay clear is my advice......with a "business email that is a yahoo email address. In the uk i always check for a VAT number, not sure if its the same over there, but there seems to be very little info about them......
What the hell is VAT? I see that on all the Europian sites. What exactly is it.
Vampire2800 said:
What the hell is VAT? I see that on all the Europian sites. What exactly is it.
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Click to collapse
Value Added Tax. see the wiki description here.
VAT
Value Added Tax,
It's the equivalent of the State Sales Tax, however for the UK it's a massive 17.5% - OUCH
All sites in the UK show their registered VAT number, which is unique to that business. I purchased cheep software (MS Office) from a site once, didnt have a vat number, and the software turned out to be hacked.
The Real Deal Or Not!
Anybody know about this website, is it the real or not? uhhh! I think I will do some research on this website tomorrow............!
I call BS. If you think it's too good to be true, it probably is.
total BS! think about it.
Kitchicus said:
It's the equivalent of the State Sales Tax, however for the UK it's a massive 17.5% - OUCH
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Duh
In the Netherlands the legal thieves (government) take a humungous 19%
And they were even considering to raise it to 20%, but that had so much economic consequences that they didn't dare to do so.
But on-topic now: It has to be fake.
I bought the Raphael (HTC Touch Pro) for €602.= , est. £400,= or $870,=
That was almost the cheappest price possible in the netherlands.
So $450,= is almost 50% off, can't be legit.
checking It Out Now
ronh said:
Duh
In the Netherlands the legal thieves (government) take a humungous 19%
And they were even considering to raise it to 20%, but that had so much economic consequences that they didn't dare to do so.
But on-topic now: It has to be fake.
I bought the Raphael (HTC Touch Pro) for €602.= , est. £400,= or $870,=
That was almost the cheappest price possible in the netherlands.
So $450,= is almost 50% off, can't be legit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got my peolpe checking it out now!
Metrocellinc?
Well I was suprised too ...and I e-mailed them,so that's what I was told:
***************************************
ME: "I would like to buy Xperia X1, but before that I have a few questions:
First of all I would like to ask why are those cell phones so cheap and are they clones?Are they woking properly and can I use them to Europe?
Second how can you sell Xperia when the world premiere of that phone is in November?
How can I be sure that is secure? And what is the cost of delivery to Williamsburg VA? And how can I return it (if I'm not pleased) and have the full price back?"
Metrocellinc: "Thanks for your Inquiry.
We have the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 available in stock, Brand New, Unlocked, Factory Sealed and comes with a 1 year warranty.
You have been able to find phones at this price due to our Summer closeout sales (offer valid while stock last) We are Authorised sony dealers and we are currently on introductory sales into the market.
You will be getting a 3days return policy and a 1 year warranty. The X1 is compatible with any carrier anywhere in the world as it supports triband and quadband.
Delivery is $40
How many units do you intend to purchase?
We accept payments via Money Gram. Do you know where a Money Gram Agent is located?
Regards,
Jean."
Me: "Can I Pay with Visa?"
Metrocellinc: "At this time we are unable to accept payments via Credit Cards as we are currently facing problems with our credit card processor.
Money Gram is the only payment alternative."
*********************
Althought there's no note about that paying problem in their site!!!
Also...
do they look familiar?
http://www.cellconet.biz/htc-touch-pro.html
http://phonecot.com/index.html
http://weberstores.us/mobile-phones.html
http://market-actionsltd.com/electronics.html
http://www.electronikstore.com/mobile-phone.html
http://pacificproductsltd.com/ -the last one has Registered No.05990322
JOJIA said:
Metrocellinc: "At this time we are unable to accept payments via Credit Cards as we are currently facing problems with our credit card processor.
Money Gram is the only payment alternative."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FYI wire transfers are bad ...
http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/mrkt_safety/instantcashtransfer.html#moneygram
even they tell you it can be bad
http://moneygram.com/MGI/EN/ConsumerProtection/index.htm?CC=US&LC=EN
now down to 484 inc vat at expansys
This is a scam...like jodia I emailed them for validity. Never heard back after I told them COD only!
MetroCellInc:"Hi, Thanks for your Inquiry. We have the Htc Touch Pro available in stock, Brand New, Unlocked, Factory Sealed and comes with a 1 year warranty. This is a worldwide unlocked version. 100% compatible with T-Mobile. How many units do you intend to purchase and where will you be shipping to?
For payments we can only accept Money Gram at this time as we are currently facing technical problems with our Credit Card processor.
Regards, Jean."
Me:"Hi Jean, Unfortunately, our Company is not authorized to use Moneygram. We can only use MC, Paypal, or Cash On Delivery (COD). Since your MC Card processor is broke, you can mail it COD to complete this sale."
...so the last reply is:
*************************
Metrocellinc:
"At this time we can only accept payments via Money Gram. Below are the details needed to send funds via Money Gram:
Receiver's First Name: Emma
Receiver's Last Name: Depoe
Address: 20330 Northeast 2nd Avenue, Miami, Florida 33133
Amount: $440
Once payment is sent, you are to send the Reference Number, Sender's Name and Address as it appears on the payment receipt for confirmation.
Regards,
Jean."
**************************
I don't feel secure about this!!!Although the prices are fantastic....
....again too good to be true
Hmmm heavily underpriced, Payment exclusivly MoneyGram? Definite Scam. This kind of thing is often all over ebay. Has anyone actually gone through with a transaction with this crowd and got anything?
If yer looking for a cheap Raphael take a look at the Raphael Vendor Wiki
I keep that up to date weekly and at this time the top 3 cheapest sellers are Tiga Dua Cellular in Indonesia for €497.43 , 2Call from Netherlands for €576.00 and DigiTec of Switzerland for €585.60.
The most expensive I've seen is €739.00 in Portugal by Fnac.
Anyways Head to the Vendor Wiki at http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Raphael_Vendors
If you know any other retailers add them to the wiki
From http://www.fraudwatchers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17890:
I was scammed by an electronics seller which offers iphone 3G, Nokia, and all phones of the moment. (they say they are located in the US but i´m not sure of this!)
DONT BUY ANYTHING FROM HIM !! THIS IS A BIG SCAM !!
the link :http://my-diversitydepotinc.com/
but also
http://www.cellphoneltd3g.com
and for sure other ones powered by e-yahoo which allows anyone to create a store on the internet. They also have a cart system...
Big scammer !!!
And of course, the money was send via Western Union to a certain :
Emma DEPOE
139 High Road
FL 32304 Tallahassee
My so called customer´s contact was: Patrick M. Peters.
Dont make the same mistake as i did and just be aware that companies which have an account by e-yahoo, even with a good looking site, may be a scam. Be sure not to pay with Western Union or unsecure ways.
SCAM SCAMMER :
cellphoneltd3g.com
solution-connection-mart.com
phonesuperstoreinc.com
phonecitytelecommunications.co
metrocellinc.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

[Q] Questions about buying phone in the US

Hello there, I'm from Indonesia. This summer holiday (Jun-Jul mid) I'll have a trip to the US for the first time and beside that I want to buy a new smart phone.
1. I'm 15 yo and I won't occupied by my parents when in the trip, but I'm given a additional visa credit card by my parent which is issued in my country. Question is, can I use that CC to buy the phone without any additional info needed or what do i need to have/give any additional info/sth like that?
2. What retail stores are recommended there? The price, the service, the easiness for me? As I know there are so many retail stores in US. I'll be in major cities though, like LA, LV, Boston, NYC
3. Any recommended Android phone to buy? Actually I'm aiming for the SGS2 but looks like it won't have come to US when I'm there.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Flyer888 said:
Hello there, I'm from Indonesia. This summer holiday (Jun-Jul mid) I'll have a trip to the US for the first time and beside that I want to buy a new smart phone.
1. I'm 15 yo and I won't occupied by my parents when in the trip, but I'm given a additional visa credit card by my parent which is issued in my country. Question is, can I use that CC to buy the phone without any additional info needed or what do i need to have/give any additional info/sth like that?
2. What retail stores are recommended there? The price, the service, the easiness for me? As I know there are so many retail stores in US. I'll be in major cities though, like LA, LV, Boston, NYC
3. Any recommended Android phone to buy? Actually I'm aiming for the SGS2 but looks like it won't have come to US when I'm there.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are some quick thoughts. In the USA, it is often cheaper to buy over the web. They will want to ship to the billing address of the cc to prevent fraud. This will prevent you from using your credit card with most mail order vendors. Is the CC in your parents name or yours? If it is in your name, you should have no problem buying at a retail store as long as you have your passport for identification. Will you be staying with relatives? Could they run the purchase through their CC (reimburse in cash via ATM)?
Most of the carriers in the USA use a different technology than the rest of the world. You need a GSM phone. AT&T and T-Mobile both use GSM but use different frequencies for voice and data than most/all of Asia. So you are looking for a quad band phone that supports the frequency used in Indonesia. 2100? If you bought a prepaid T-mobile phone they would unlock it after 60 days and $10 in your account. (Or pay someone on ebay for the unlock code $10) T-mobile has some good prices but they only have a few prepaid android phones. LG Optimus T/Optimus One ($120) and the Samsung Galaxy S ($350) https://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/prepaid.aspx
You can also buy an unlocked phone that has been imported into the USA. If you buy a quad band phone, you could use it in the usa and in Indonesia. One of the major problems is that the vendors are almost all mail-order firms. If you are dealing with family, you could have them order it before you arrived so that you could have it right away. The Samsung Galaxy S2 looks like it is available via mail order for around $700-$800 USD with NO Warranty.
Explore3 said:
Here are some quick thoughts. In the USA, it is often cheaper to buy over the web. They will want to ship to the billing address of the cc to prevent fraud. This will prevent you from using your credit card with most mail order vendors. Is the CC in your parents name or yours? If it is in your name, you should have no problem buying at a retail store as long as you have your passport for identification. Will you be staying with relatives? Could they run the purchase through their CC (reimburse in cash via ATM)?
Most of the carriers in the USA use a different technology than the rest of the world. You need a GSM phone. AT&T and T-Mobile both use GSM but use different frequencies for voice and data than most/all of Asia. So you are looking for a quad band phone that supports the frequency used in Indonesia. 2100? If you bought a prepaid T-mobile phone they would unlock it after 60 days and $10 in your account. (Or pay someone on ebay for the unlock code $10) T-mobile has some good prices but they only have a few prepaid android phones. LG Optimus T/Optimus One ($120) and the Samsung Galaxy S ($350)
You can also buy an unlocked phone that has been imported into the USA. If you buy a quad band phone, you could use it in the usa and in Indonesia. One of the major problems is that the vendors are almost all mail-order firms. If you are dealing with family, you could have them order it before you arrived so that you could have it right away. The Samsung Galaxy S2 looks like it is available via mail order for around $700-$800 USD with NO Warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I don't have any relative there. The cc is in my name, so no problem right?
Because of that I'm looking for concrete stores maybe such as BestBuy, Walmart or anything else but I don't know which one of them gives me the best one?
Oh, so altough I buy in stores like I said before, instead of in the carrier's itself store am I still forced to buy the "post-paid system?"
As I know they're able to give it away off-contract but with higher price and locked, right?
I think most of the new smartphones are using quad band so that's not a problem... Because I have a friend here using a Captivate and it is fully functional after he unlocked it to be able to use the SIM cards issued here.
Thanks.
Flyer888 said:
I think most of the new smartphones are using quad band so that's not a problem... Because I have a friend here using a Captivate and it is fully functional after he unlocked it to be able to use the SIM cards issued here.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will agree that most of the new smartphones sold outside the USA are quadband. Probably most smartphones sold by T-mobile and AT&T or are unlocked will be quadband and most likely support 3g frequency in your country. If the phone is associated with ANY other carrier, 90% of the time it will not support GSM.
PS I never bought from them but if you are in Chicago you could check out http://welectronics.com/gsm/Samsung/SAMSUNG_I9100-GALAXY-S-II-16GB.HTML In NYC - http://www.jr.com/category/office/cellular-phones/n/4294528936-4294605649/sort-by-salePrice-1/ One of the few places that you might be able to haggle on the price (Source: web posting).

ALK CoPilot coming for Windows Phone 8 :)

One thing about WP8 that concerned me was the lack of choice for satnav apps. This is what drove me to buy a Lumia 920 because it came with Drive / HERE Drive+ Beta.
Having been forced to change to an 8X I didn't think that this would be a problem as HERE Drive+1 Beta is now available for all WP8 phones in selected regions. What I didn't realise was that with the free Beta version you are currently limited to navigation in the same region as your SIM card, whereas on Nokia phones you can navigate globally.
The only other option I know of is Navigon which costs £80.
However, I just checked on the ALK CoPilot website and my fave satnav from the my TouchDiamond and HD2 days is "coming soon" to WP2! Hopefully it will retail for the same as the Android version, £40 is for European maps.
I'd like to point out that I'm not affiliated to ALK in any way - I'm just happy to have a bit more choice when it comes to satnav on my new WP8 phone.
Digsy said:
One thing about WP8 that concerned me was the lack of choice for satnav apps. This is what drove me to buy a Lumia 920 because it came with Drive / HERE Drive+ Beta.
Having been forced to change to an 8X I didn't think that this would be a problem as HERE Drive+1 Beta is now available for all WP8 phones in selected regions. What I didn't realise was that with the free Beta version you are currently limited to navigation in the same region as your SIM card, whereas on Nokia phones you can navigate globally.
The only other option I know of is Navigon which costs £80.
However, I just checked on the ALK CoPilot website and my fave satnav from the my TouchDiamond and HD2 days is "coming soon" to WP2! Hopefully it will retail for the same as the Android version, £40 is for European maps.
I'd like to point out that I'm not affiliated to ALK in any way - I'm just happy to have a bit more choice when it comes to satnav on my new WP8 phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure about that with regard to the location of sim? I just had my 8X with AT&T sim in Italy and France with HERE Drive and had no problem. I downloaded the maps prior to traveling.
mobi said:
Are you sure about that with regard to the location of sim? I just had my 8X with AT&T sim in Italy and France with HERE Drive and had no problem. I downloaded the maps prior to traveling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure how it works in US/Europe, but my navigation license is only valid for:
UK
Ireland
Isle of Man
Guernsey
Jersey
(Vodafone UK here).
Digsy said:
Not sure how it works in Europe, but my navigation license is only valid for:
UK
Ireland
Isle of Man
Guernsey
Jersey
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're in the UK? Are you able to download the European maps? Try to download one and post what it says. Fourty quid sounds high these days. I hear Navitel is also coming out with a free version for WP8 in the near future.
mobi said:
You're in the UK? Are you able to download the European maps? Try to download one and post what it says. Fourty quid sounds high these days. I hear Navitel is also coming out with a free version for WP8 in the near future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will let me download the maps because they aso work for other the HERE apps. What is disabled is the turn-by-turn navigation in Drive.
See here.
£40 isn't that steep. When I first bought CoPilot I recall it cost nearly £100 with European maps. Navigon is £80.
From what I can see on the web there may be some early versions of Drive out there which are not limited, so if yours isn't then don't update it!
Digsy said:
It will let me download the maps because they aso work for other the HERE apps. What is disabled is the turn-by-turn navigation in Drive.
See here.
£40 isn't that steep. When I first bought CoPilot I recall it cost nearly £100 with European maps. Navigon is £80.
From what I can see on the web there may be some early versions of Drive out there which are not limited, so if yours isn't then don't update it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh well. As fara s drive goes, it is the latest version. I guess it's down to some providers...
---------- Post added at 03:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:23 PM ----------
Digsy said:
It will let me download the maps because they aso work for other the HERE apps. What is disabled is the turn-by-turn navigation in Drive.
See here.
£40 isn't that steep. When I first bought CoPilot I recall it cost nearly £100 with European maps. Navigon is £80.
From what I can see on the web there may be some early versions of Drive out there which are not limited, so if yours isn't then don't update it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FYI, I found this from a March 13, 2013 article;
"Hi Ali, as promised I have some answers for you.
So, first of all the only difference between HERE Drive and HERE Drive+ is the regional or global license. HERE Drive+ is providing voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation in almost 100 countries, while HERE Drive only in one country or region.
Let me give you few examples: US is a stand-alone country in this model, Canada too, but UK is in the same region as Ireland; Spain, Portugal and Andorra are one region; Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Lichtenstein another region and so on. In the specific case of Jordan, you would get the driving license only for your country.
The license selection is done automatically the first time you launch HERE Drive and it’s based on the SIM card in the smartphone. Without SIM card, HERE Drive won’t start. Let’s say you buy a Nokia Lumia 520 in Spain and put a Jordan SIM card in it, you will get the HERE Drive license for Jordan."
Some more remarks:

[Q] Electronics Warranty Firm for Europe? (Like SquareTrade for US)

Hello,
I stumbled upon SquareTrade and found it nice, however when I asked them if their services are available in Europe, they said nope. So I would like to ask you if you know of any similar firms that work in Europe? Particularly for a tablet and btw I live in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Thanks!

how much is import tax from india to uk?

Hi, I've found an Indian version but am worried the import tax is gonna be massive...they're selling it for £650 so how can I calculate the import fee?
There are a few online calculators that you can try.
But, at a minimum, you'd pay 20% VAT plus the handling charge - so you're talking ballpark another £140 on top.
Plus, depending on the tariff code for mobile phones, there may be an additional duty on top of that but ti's hard to get a definitive answer about that online.
Hi,
I bought from UK and used a firm on ebay based from Ireland.
If you can just avoid Norway, Switzerland, India and Hong Kong as all will have a lot of import duty.
If you buy from an Irish based company on ebay you pay the conversion rate (Usually on Paypal) and that's it. No import duties.
Lascif said:
Hi,
I bought from UK and used a firm on ebay based from Ireland.
If you can just avoid Norway, Switzerland, India and Hong Kong as all will have a lot of import duty.
If you buy from an Irish based company on ebay you pay the conversion rate (Usually on Paypal) and that's it. No import duties.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True but what are the chances of the Irish sellers having the Indian version?
Step666 said:
There are a few online calculators that you can try.
But, at a minimum, you'd pay 20% VAT plus the handling charge - so you're talking ballpark another £140 on top.
Plus, depending on the tariff code for mobile phones, there may be an additional duty on top of that but ti's hard to get a definitive answer about that online.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh lol **** that
Lascif said:
If you can just avoid Norway, Switzerland, India and Hong Kong as all will have a lot of import duty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not entirely correct.
Switzerland, whilst not part of the EU, is part of a larger European Customs Union, meaning that goods imported/exported between Switzerland and the rest of the EU are treated the same as if it were between EU member states.
I'm not sure about Norway but I wouldn't be surprised if the same were true.
Step666 said:
That's not entirely correct.
Switzerland, whilst not part of the EU, is part of a larger European Customs Union, meaning that goods imported/exported between Switzerland and the rest of the EU are treated the same as if it were between EU member states.
I'm not sure about Norway but I wouldn't be surprised if the same were true.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I checked we apparently still had to play customs duty which is still a considerable amount of money.
"Customs Regulations. As mentioned above, because Switzerland is not an active member of the EU, all imported goods have to be customs-cleared. In most cases this mean that you are subject to paying duty on your import from Switzerland, and the amount will vary depending on the specific type of goods you are importing."
Buying from Ireland to the UK is the best bet and is cheaper.
Nikolay1243D said:
True but what are the chances of the Irish sellers having the Indian version?
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Click to collapse
Why Indian version specifically? The EAN of the HK one matches and so is essentially the same phone.
Lascif said:
When I checked we apparently still had to play customs duty which is still a considerable amount of money.
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Weird, that's the opposite of what I'd found when I looked into it.
I ordered one from Switzerland, so I guess I'll find out soon...
Step666 said:
Weird, that's the opposite of what I'd found when I looked into it.
I ordered one from Switzerland, so I guess I'll find out soon...
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Click to collapse
I'm going by based on the Governments stance on it all.
Sometimes countries will misvalue the item being set or say it's a gift on the shipping information to avoid the duty.
The only times duty is usually charged is when it is truly exported from a place like Switzerland to the UK (It will usually be on the outside of the package)
Also https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad
It mentions that even though other Countries are not in the EU they are in the EEA but it doesn't go both ways. This means for small time consumers they still have to pay import from these non-eu countries.
You may be lucky and have it sent as a gift though.
Lascif said:
Why Indian version specifically? The EAN of the HK one matches and so is essentially the same phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cause that one doesnt have the chinese assistant on the left and you dont have to go through hoops to remove the chinese apps/get nova working properly... I guess my best bet is to wait for a month and see if vivo release a true international one.
Nikolay1243D said:
Cause that one doesnt have the chinese assistant on the left and you dont have to go through hoops to remove the chinese apps/get nova working properly... I guess my best bet is to wait for a month and see if vivo release a true international one.
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Please read my prior posts.
I have a HK Version phone that is International. The phone does not have issues removing any of the chinese apps and like the other international models has Google Assistant instead of the Jovi button.
I have Nova fully working with 0 issues and the phone works flawlessly.
I can post proof or evidence if you want or answer more questions.
Lascif said:
Please read my prior posts.
I have a HK Version phone that is International. The phone does not have issues removing any of the chinese apps and like the other international models has Google Assistant instead of the Jovi button.
I have Nova fully working with 0 issues and the phone works flawlessly.
I can post proof or evidence if you want or answer more questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh really? I just assumed HK=The chinese version
If that's the case then I've seen a couple of HK versions on ebay
Nikolay1243D said:
Oh really? I just assumed HK=The chinese version
If that's the case then I've seen a couple of HK versions on ebay
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Click to collapse
I think there have been a few people have bought ones advertised as 'Hong Kong model' only to find it's the Chinese one with Google Play pre-installed.
Step666 said:
I think there have been a few people have bought ones advertised as 'Hong Kong model' only to find it's the Chinese one with Google Play pre-installed.
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Click to collapse
well we'll find out some time in the future cause I ordered an HK one from ireland
Ugh I ordered last Thursday but the seller is shipping today and says it will take 6-8 days to get to me *rolls eyes*
Yep got the nex s HK today after dpd messed up with the delivery yesterday, can also confirm that is basically the international version
Mine arrived on Friday, didn't get a chance to spend much time with it until today though.
Same story, it actually was the HK version, not just a Chinese one with Google Play installed - EAN on the box matched, no Vivo account needed, most of the Chinese bloat removed.
Spent today ADBing some of the remaining bloat, installing Nova, GCam etc.
Really pleased, seems like a decent successor to my OG Mi Mix.
Something I noticed with gcam is if the hdr isn't on, it would take the picture and then "boil" it 1 second later
Which GCam version are you using?
The one that was recommended in the other thread?
Guys, I don't know... Do I have to pay an import tax from India to the UK? I know that before it was necessary to pay, but I read that today you do not need to pay. I don't think this is true, so I hope you can help me with some tips. I even found an online tax service because recently I have too many issues with taxes. I think this is really very easy and convenient because you just need to message and you will immediately receive the necessary response. In addition, this company has excellent reviews on the account of filing taxes. I hope they will help me.

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