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Purchasing in the US to bring back to the UK
I live in the UK, and will soon be purchasing Final Cut Studio. If I buy it from the Apple Store here, it will cost me £799. However, I’m going to New York in August, and the US price is $999 (about £610). Can anyone advise on whether I can legally bring the software back with me in hand luggage to the UK? Is there any chance I may have to pay import duty? Thanks.
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4 Replies
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Not only might you have to pay import duty, but you will also find yourself without support from Apple. If you call Apple tech support in Europe they will see that you hold a U.S. software license and they will tell you to shove it. Also, the next time you go to upgrade or update you might have a tough time doing so. It might be worth seeing if you can beat the system, but on the other hand it might not.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.
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Thanks for the quick response David. It sounds like purchasing in the UK is probably the safer option in that case.
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Which begs the question: does the UK version have an application in it called “Colour” or “Color”?
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So if I have FCS on my Macbook Pro that I bought in the US, and I’m working with it in London or Paris and need tech support, it will be refused? I’m not so sure about that. I don’t even see why they would care as long as you had a valid ser #. Seems like the only people that would care would be the VAT tax collectors.
I don’t remember seeing anything in the documentation regarding that.
I understand hardware makers don’t like gray market gear, but this is software and as far as I know it’s all the same no matter where it’s sold. And doesn’t Apple tout it’s support as ‘world wide’? Beside, you could just call the US support number if you were somehow worried that you might not get European support for a US purchase.
I may be way off base here. Just my 2 cents worth
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