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Using search and such I've found lots of advice on different places to buy from, but I'm looking for some more general advice as it pertains to those of us that have to import to the United States.
1. As a US resident are there any hassles I should expect in ordering from Europe?
2. What is that VAT thing, and does it affect me? I've noticed that prices often state two amounts, one with and one without VAT.
3. I've seen people discuss getting unlocked versions, pay-as-you-go versions, contract versions and cancelling, etc. What options are available to those of us in the US? Do we have to buy an unlocked, contractless phone? Or is one of those other options involving buying a SIM, or cancelling a contract available?
4. Related to #3, I've seen mention of paying extra money to unlock the phone at some website. Will we have to do that even if we buy an "Unlocked" phone?
5. As far as warranties go, are we better off buying from a US based website or does that not matter?
6. Will our current GSM sim cards fit/work? (Yes, yes, I'm pretty much a newbie to GSM phones)
7. What's the meaning of life, the universe, and everything anyhow?
Thanks so much in advance for helping out someone new to the idea of importing a really cool phone! I've been debating between the iPhone and the Touch HD to replace my HTC BlueAngel, and I think the Touch HD is finally winning out!
sschrupp said:
Using search and such I've found lots of advice on different places to buy from, but I'm looking for some more general advice as it pertains to those of us that have to import to the United States.
1. As a US resident are there any hassles I should expect in ordering from Europe?
2. What is that VAT thing, and does it affect me? I've noticed that prices often state two amounts, one with and one without VAT.
3. I've seen people discuss getting unlocked versions, pay-as-you-go versions, contract versions and cancelling, etc. What options are available to those of us in the US? Do we have to buy an unlocked, contractless phone? Or is one of those other options involving buying a SIM, or cancelling a contract available?
4. Related to #3, I've seen mention of paying extra money to unlock the phone at some website. Will we have to do that even if we buy an "Unlocked" phone?
5. As far as warranties go, are we better off buying from a US based website or does that not matter?
6. Will our current GSM sim cards fit/work? (Yes, yes, I'm pretty much a newbie to GSM phones)
7. What's the meaning of life, the universe, and everything anyhow?
Thanks so much in advance for helping out someone new to the idea of importing a really cool phone! I've been debating between the iPhone and the Touch HD to replace my HTC BlueAngel, and I think the Touch HD is finally winning out!
Click to expand...
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Just Google HTC Touch HD. You will find several US based companies selling the phone. Pick a reliable company. Anyone with a price of $300-$400 is probably a scam and want payment by western Union.
Most companies will offer a warranty program. The HTC warranty for the HD is not honored in US as far as I know, since it isn't released here. Any SIM card will work in an unlocked phone. No need for a contract is your already have one and can use
the SIM card.
I am curious about the VAT as well. No idea what that means.
VAT is a value added tax in Europe... If your located in the USA and order from Europe, then there is no VAT charge.
Hello,
i very want to buy a HTC Touch HD and would like to ask something.
My friend will travel to China in September and maybe i will order 1 , how much cost HTC Touch HD in China? Is it cheaper then in Europe? I have find some chinese sites where it cost 240 usd. Is it original? What you think?
Thank you
Regards
Coktail
Coktail said:
Hello,
i very want to buy a HTC Touch HD and would like to ask something.
My friend will travel to China in September and maybe i will order 1 , how much cost HTC Touch HD in China? Is it cheaper then in Europe? I have find some chinese sites where it cost 240 usd. Is it original? What you think?
Thank you
Regards
Coktail
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
USD240 is absolutely fake.
here brand new HD in China is around 527USD. just for reference.
JohnQ is right, I bought mine for around $550 US in Shenzhen about a week ago, $240 is probably either used or a "shanzhai" phone (aka rip off look-a-like).
A note however, do look closely at what you are buying as there aren't any "official" HTC retailers here in China-- where HTC operates under it's Chinese subsidary, "Dopod". Most of the HTC phones in China are brought across the border either from Hong Kong or Taiwan.
I had the store clerk bring me five Touch HDs to try and I picked the best one and haggled with them until they threw in an extra battery.
If you'd rather be sure to get the real thing, I recommend you get it from Hong Kong; it's pretty cheap there too. In China, Dopod also has an identical device also called the Touch HD, however, the difference-- like between all Dopod phones and HTC phones-- is that the Dopod versions don't include Wifi and 3G. Gov't restrictions maybe? :S
scscc3 said:
JohnQ is right, I bought mine for around $550 US in Shenzhen about a week ago, $240 is probably either used or a "shanzhai" phone (aka rip off look-a-like).
A note however, do look closely at what you are buying as there aren't any "official" HTC retailers here in China-- where HTC operates under it's Chinese subsidary, "Dopod". Most of the HTC phones in China are brought across the border either from Hong Kong or Taiwan.
I had the store clerk bring me five Touch HDs to try and I picked the best one and haggled with them until they threw in an extra battery.
If you'd rather be sure to get the real thing, I recommend you get it from Hong Kong; it's pretty cheap there too. In China, Dopod also has an identical device also called the Touch HD, however, the difference-- like between all Dopod phones and HTC phones-- is that the Dopod versions don't include Wifi and 3G. Gov't restrictions maybe? :S
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HAHA , DOPOD announced HD early this year. you know how much they are selling in the beginning? RMB8288, As exactly the same with its model number T8288, DOPOD is crazy. DOPOD HD doesn't include WIFI/3G
Can get it with 3G and Wifi in China
It is possible to get the Touch HD in here in China with 3G and Wifi....If you buy a Dopod branded phone, it won't have either, but if you go to a mobile store and ask for "shui huo" you can get them. The "shui huo" versions of the phones are usually brought in from Europe then brought across the border (tax free). Don't let the sales staff trick you into paying more for them. These phones are cheaper than the Dopod branded ones and they are exactly the same phone (with more features enabled). As mentioned above, you also have to be aware of fakes, but if you take your time and check out multiple vendors, you should be ok....Always ask to try the phone before you buy it (ALWAYS).
Additionally, it will be extremely difficult to find one with a WWE rom. I usually come on here and flash a WWE rom as soon as I get my phone...Never had a problem...
China has some great deals and some great rip-offs...Just exercise some caution and you should be fine. Test the phone and make sure the Wifi and 3G options work and you should be fine.
newer high-end mobile phones are ALWAYS cheaper in the US/EU than in china. IN fact, everything that is "name brand" or high-end is more expensive in China. THe idea that China is cheaper than the west is just totally wrong these days, when I go back to the USA I stock up on clothes, electronics, etc. as the quality is certain, there are no spy programs or disabled features, and the price is much lower. If you want to buy cheap garbage, it will be cheaper in China, but for anything nice it is MUCH more expensive.
mlalahoi said:
newer high-end mobile phones are ALWAYS cheaper in the US/EU than in china. IN fact, everything that is "name brand" or high-end is more expensive in China. THe idea that China is cheaper than the west is just totally wrong these days, when I go back to the USA I stock up on clothes, electronics, etc. as the quality is certain, there are no spy programs or disabled features, and the price is much lower. If you want to buy cheap garbage, it will be cheaper in China, but for anything nice it is MUCH more expensive.
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That's not necessarily true...
HTC is a Taiwanese company and they export their products to places all over the world. One of them is Hong Kong, and as we all know, there are no taxes, customs, tariffs, or whatever on imported products there. Thus, electronics are generally cheaper in Hong Kong than they are elsewhere. Also, due to the proximity of Hong Kong and Taiwan, shipping is also cheaper than to the Americas for example, thus further reducing the end-user cost (however this may just be a little bit). Therefore, many of the "shui huo" HTC products brought into China from places like Hong Kong actually end up being cheaper (even more if you haggle and perhaps they'll throw in some goodies too!) than they are elsewhere.
Hope that sheds some light upon this issue.
So now now... don't go around making imperatives like "everything" all the time... hehe
This thread is really helpin me out.
Anyone can point me where to get the best price in Hongkong. I'm particularly looking for HTC Touch Pro CDMA.
Thanks before
mrayearth said:
This thread is really helpin me out.
Anyone can point me where to get the best price in Hongkong. I'm particularly looking for HTC Touch Pro CDMA.
Thanks before
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You could try Mong Kok/Wang Jiao Computer Centre; you can get some great deals if you haggle...
Check it out. It's near the Ladie's/Women's Market.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mong_Kok
Hey guys, as the popular term goes, I'm a long time lurker, first time poster and have to say what an awesome section this is! I was hesitant after bad reviews whether or not to get this bad boy, but after reading countless positive opinions on this forum I have decided to take the plunge. My only question is, do you guys think it's safe to get it off eBay for 400$au? It just seems very cheap and I want to know it's factory unlocked and not hacked before I get it, thanks in advance and keep up the good work!
Pandasouljah said:
Hey guys, as the popular term goes, I'm a long time lurker, first time poster and have to say what an awesome section this is! I was hesitant after bad reviews whether or not to get this bad boy, but after reading countless positive opinions on this forum I have decided to take the plunge. My only question is, do you guys think it's safe to get it off eBay for 400$au? It just seems very cheap and I want to know it's factory unlocked and not hacked before I get it, thanks in advance and keep up the good work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
eBay comes with buyer protection anyway so you won't loose your money
just check the sellers feedback score and histroy, if it seems to be too good to be true!!
i brought my xperia play from ebay and was perfectly fine just sim locked when it came out
Hi man
Im in Australia and bought mine through Ebay for AUD $398 about 2 months ago so that price is right. It came from Hong Kong, it works perfectly, im heaps satisfied with it and there are no faults.
Also to let you ease your mind dude, they are unlocked so they work with any Australian mobile network and also when purchasing the phone make sure you get the R800i xperia play model as these ones work on all of the Australian network bands for mobile 2G, 3G etc.
Another thing also like someone said before, Ebay offers their protection program and if you use paypal they also offer their own protection program so you are pretty much covered if somethings goes wrong.
Have fun with it dude If you wanna know anything else let me know.
the r800a runs on telstras 3g network, not the r800i, and it costs a fair bit more to buy but is worth it imo for telstras far superior network(least where i live)
the r800i can use telstras old 2100mhz 3g network..but thats not long for this world..
TLR telstra:r800a, optus or anyone else:r800i
Thanks guys, I'm actually in china now on holiday so I'm wondering whether to grab one while I'm in hong kong, but as previously mentioned eBay gives the security of buyer protection... will let y'all know how it fares but either way I'm looking forward to joining the club
just bought mine through ebay, price was $394 (ausd). came with an 8gb card, case, screen protector and car charger. seller is based in hong kong and i'd gladly recommend him if you were to buy through ebay. no hassles, no stress, no problems at all. seller even used ups for shipping which allowed full tracking online. i bought my unit on a thursday. ups online said that the unit was already in melbourne by saturday. got my phone by monday morning (darn, no postal services on sundays =)
2 of my friends got it through the same vendor I think. He's called rose#somenumber#.
Trouble-free and they got it for 280-300€ depending on the change rate.
280-300? Geez, that's a bargain! I saw that rose guy (or girl) on eBay but Aussie price is 385, still a good buy, just wanna stop at HK first n see if I can haggle a bit with the locals
Pandasouljah said:
280-300? Geez, that's a bargain! I saw that rose guy (or girl) on eBay but Aussie price is 385, still a good buy, just wanna stop at HK first n see if I can haggle a bit with the locals
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just be careful, mate. no offense to anyone honk kong related...i was based there for 2.5 years mind you...but a mate of mine dropped by hk recently. he bought a brand new xperia arc and haggled for a lower price. the seller took out 150 bucks from the phone. phone was working fine but when he got back to melby the phone stopped functioning.
if you're going to hk, try getting the phone in tsim sha tsui (kowloon). specifically, ocean terminal (right beside the ferry and bus depot). there's a building there called star city. second floor houses the best electronics from reputable stores. or, there's something similar in wan chai (hk side). but personally i prefer the one in kowloon as the one in wan chai can be a bit dodgy regarding some stores.
im not sure what country your in but if your not in australia you may have to pay import tax which will boost the price
Thanks for the advice guys, ended up getting it from wanchai paid 340aud so pretty happy, it is a wicked phone so far n I havent even rooted it yet! Need some help with but I asked in another thread and am googling as I type thanks again guys, looking forward to exchanging info once I suss it out.
Sent from my R800i using XDA App
I know there is a thread identical to this but for North America, but we are different markets, same question!
Does anybody know when/if the 64gb version will be available in UK? I have called the carriers and no one seems to be able to give me an answer. The 32gb version is listed on most unlocked phone retailers but again, no mention of the 64gb version.
I want this phone to last a good few years, and with the size of games / videos ever increasing I wanted to get the highest capacity version.
Any news?
Tough to say, the US will likely never see it, but in the UK you have a better shot at it than we do. But still you may have to import it and will at least get a usable phone in your part of the world.
The thread title says it all. Rather curious how I can get my hands on the Chinese version. I'm an American living in States, but those prices are ridiculously lower. The handset itself is supposed to be identical. Anyone know how I can order one?
Kind of crappy for OnePlus to charge America an extra $137. Fake tariff response.
https://m.gsmarena.com/oneplus_8_and_8_pro_launch_in_china_you_wont_like_the_prices-news-42716.php
Chinese 12GB 256GB in black with oxygen OS
Ordered mine for £780 inc delivery, hopefully will be delivered before the weekend. Sooooo excited I've loved my OP5T but so looking forward to wireless charging, IP68, OIS 120Hz etc.
tickertapes said:
Ordered mine for £780 inc delivery, hopefully will be delivered before the weekend. Sooooo excited I've loved my OP5T but so looking forward to wireless charging, IP68, OIS 120Hz etc.
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Click to collapse
Where did you purchase it from? With the reports of the screen issues in some phones im hesitant to order from another country in case OnePlus have an issues with warranties with phones from different regions
tickertapes said:
Ordered mine for £780 inc delivery, hopefully will be delivered before the weekend. Sooooo excited I've loved my OP5T but so looking forward to wireless charging, IP68, OIS 120Hz etc.
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Click to collapse
can you tell me exactly what you did to accomplish this bro? Like step-by-step. I'm assuming you went to oneplus.com/cn and used Google translate to navigate through? And it'll allow you to ship to United States?
Burt Squirtz said:
can you tell me exactly what you did to accomplish this bro? Like step-by-step. I'm assuming you went to oneplus.com/cn and used Google translate to navigate through? And it'll allow you to ship to United States?
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Click to collapse
No. He most likely purchased it on a site like Wonda Mobile dot com or Trading Shenzhen dot com.
jericho246 said:
No. He most likely purchased it on a site like Wonda Mobile dot com or Trading Shenzhen dot com.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, you got it. According to DHL tracking it's in the UK already ?
I've bought phones from Wonda before without issues.
Burt Squirtz said:
The thread title says it all. Rather curious how I can get my hands on the Chinese version. I'm an American living in States, but those prices are ridiculously lower. The handset itself is supposed to be identical. Anyone know how I can order one?
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Click to collapse
The handset won't be identical
The Chinese version will be missing out on quite a few LTE/5G bands support in the states
4G Bands missing from China/India variant compared to US variant- B13, 25, 28, 29, 30, 66, 71
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https://www.reddit.com/r/oneplus/comments/g5870q/psa_chinaindias_op8_is_cheaper_but_itll_be/
evilhomura89 said:
The handset won't be identical
The Chinese version will be missing out on quite a few LTE/5G bands support in the states
https://www.reddit.com/r/oneplus/comments/g5870q/psa_chinaindias_op8_is_cheaper_but_itll_be/
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Click to collapse
I have bought foreign phones before and have always found ways to enable/disable bands as needed.. The Snapdragon is very versatile. I'm hoping that installing the international oxygen OS rom will configure the bands. When I get the device I will thoroughly test every band and let you know how I get on.
evilhomura89 said:
The handset won't be identical
The Chinese version will be missing out on quite a few LTE/5G bands support in the states
https://www.reddit.com/r/oneplus/comments/g5870q/psa_chinaindias_op8_is_cheaper_but_itll_be/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still have DFS tools installed on my desktop. The last time I went down this route I ended up enabling every band there was.. naughty but fun.
tickertapes said:
I still have DFS tools installed on my desktop. The last time I went down this route I ended up enabling every band there was.. naughty but fun.
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Click to collapse
Haha your post cracks me up, mate. Did you ever get the band unlocked? I'm torn between waiting four more days until it's available in the US, or getting it off of Wonda.
Perhaps you can help me decide. When the phone arrived, did it look brand-spanking-new? Or were there fingerprints all over it? After all, they had to manually flash the international version of OOS I'm assuming? and did it come in original packaging? Or do they just take the components out and just stick it in a random box?
tickertapes said:
Yep, you got it. According to DHL tracking it's in the UK already ?
I've bought phones from Wonda before without issues.
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Click to collapse
Careful the Chinese version is missing a few of the bands we use here. Think o2 is fine but the rest need band 32 I think for lte advance so you may get slower 4g speeds if on Three voda ee or their mvno's.
Maybe you can unlock bands. Wonda mobile a great trustworthy store
I'm in Canada and bought a pro 256gb from Alibaba for about 1240 CAD all in. Flashed with global ROM.
Very risky for general user but I've been buying equipment and components for my company from Alibaba for years now. I personally have never had an issue (with fraud anyways)
mlkemac said:
I'm in Canada and bought a pro 256gb from Alibaba for about 1240 CAD all in. Flashed with global ROM.
Very risky for general user but I've been buying equipment and components for my company from Alibaba for years now. I personally have never had an issue (with fraud anyways)
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Click to collapse
Well, just setting up my Chinese black OP8 and all seems well. VoWIFI, VoLTE, everything working beautifully. I've got a
12 GB model for less than the 8GB model. Happy bunny.
tickertapes said:
Well, just setting up my Chinese black OP8 and all seems well. VoWIFI, VoLTE, everything working beautifully. I've got a
12 GB model for less than the 8GB model. Happy bunny.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From Where you got it...
Burt Squirtz said:
Haha your post cracks me up, mate. Did you ever get the band unlocked? I'm torn between waiting four more days until it's available in the US, or getting it off of Wonda.
Perhaps you can help me decide. When the phone arrived, did it look brand-spanking-new? Or were there fingerprints all over it? After all, they had to manually flash the international version of OOS I'm assuming? and did it come in original packaging? Or do they just take the components out and just stick it in a random box?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The seal on the box was broken to upgrade the firmware but the device was still wrapped in its protective film. I'm currently on band 20 VoLTE and the device is identifying itself as the international version. I suspect the relevant bands were enabled/disabled with the ROM change.
cultofluna said:
From Where you got it...
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Wonda mobile.
Question for those using chinese version in USA.
How is it working?
I want the green 256GB version and dual Sim. So going down this route might be my best option.
Only problem I see is if I have a screen issue, will be harder to return.
What do you guys think? Thanks for the replies.
I have used Wonda Mobile and returned a mobile with no issues, you pay for shipping if you change your mind with a fee but if it's faulty they will reimburse you.
I have ordered many times from Wonda Mobile, can't rate them high enough. My 8 Pro was shipped on Monday and I had it by Saturday, 12/256gb £100 cheaper......:good: