Database Users

Australian buying HTC Touch HD

For Aussies who are looking to buy HTC Touch HD, you might like to know that a Melbourne based ebayer is now selling it bundled with TomTom6 and 8GB MicroSDHC card.
We also get local warranty for buying it here.
I just won one at about AUD1225, after being unsuccesful in the first attempt (the winning bid was AUD1250). All prices are inclusive of GST.
I thought it is not a bad deal. With the current exchange rate, it actually works out to be cheaper than importing from expansys Singapore assuming we can escape import duty. Depend on the exchage rate, it is quite close to importing to UK.
A couple of sellers are offering to let you buy it without bidding at about AUD 1350, also with TT6 (full license with latest Aussie Map) included.
I thought some of us here might be interested in this info.
Cheers.

thansk for yours info

eaglesteve said:
I just won one at about AUD1225, after being unsuccesful in the first attempt (the winning bid was AUD1250). All prices are inclusive of GST.
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Buying from Handtec was actually cheaper than this including fed ex shipping.

davecash said:
Buying from Handtec was actually cheaper than this including fed ex shipping.
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I think that depends on your conversion rate that your credit card charges you.
The key reasons I bought it here was, at worst there is no significant difference in price (Many actually bidded successfully at got it at lower price than I did), you are assured GST is already included, hence no more import duty, local warranty, and inclusion of Tom Tom 6 (legit copy).
Are you sure you get better than that?

I bought one on the Buy it Now option for $1299. Mainly because he has TomTom with AU maps included. Many others are removing the 8Gb card, some even adding a 2Gb card as an offer having taken the 8Gb out!
I bet you were the bugger who outbid me for the 1225 one! ;-)

Kangburra said:
I bought one on the Buy it Now option for $1299. Mainly because he has TomTom with AU maps included. Many others are removing the 8Gb card, some even adding a 2Gb card as an offer having taken the 8Gb out!
I bet you were the bugger who outbid me for the 1225 one! ;-)
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So, you were the bugger who drove the price so high!
Actually, those who bidded later got it a lower price.
We should have conspire and bidded one at a time, then all of us would have got it for 2.50

eaglesteve said:
I think that depends on your conversion rate that your credit card charges you.
The key reasons I bought it here was, at worst there is no significant difference in price (Many actually bidded successfully at got it at lower price than I did), you are assured GST is already included, hence no more import duty, local warranty, and inclusion of Tom Tom 6 (legit copy).
Are you sure you get better than that?
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Well the phone you bought was not Australian stock. Either was mine but i know that. The guy you bought it from basically imported it and is now selling it for a premium. The way i purchased my handset is cutting that middle man out. And since it is not Australian stock it would be interesting to see how this "local warranty" will work out for you. My handset came to under $1000 so i had no gst or import tax. And i have tom tom 7 already so 6 doesn't really appeal to me

davecash said:
Well the phone you bought was not Australian stock. Either was mine but i know that. The guy you bought it from basically imported it and is now selling it for a premium. The way i purchased my handset is cutting that middle man out. And since it is not Australian stock it would be interesting to see how this "local warranty" will work out for you. My handset came to under $1000 so i had no gst or import tax. And i have tom tom 7 already so 6 doesn't really appeal to me
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Okay, of course, all stocks came from China ultimately. HTC is a Taiwanese company which had manufacturing plants in China. So is Iphone for that matter. IPhone is manufacutred in China by Foxconn, which is another Taiwanese company with factory in China.
Everyone imports and sell for profit. You have paid a differet middleman by buying from Europe, that's all. Unless you buy directly from HTC China, you will have middleman.
I get your point regarding the so called local warranty, though. I hope HTC Australia honor it. If not, this guy might be just be paying for my freight to HTC Hong Kong for servicing I guess.
Have you received your credit card statement, or check it online to find out the conversion rate yet? Usually credit card company's rate is highly unfavourable, so am just curious what did they charge you with.
You're right about TT6. I'm not going to use it either.

eaglesteve said:
I get your point regarding the so called local warranty, though. I hope HTC Australia honor it. If not, this guy might be just be paying for my freight to HTC Hong Kong for servicing I guess.
Have you received your credit card statement, or check it online to find out the conversion rate yet? Usually credit card company's rate is highly unfavourable, so am just curious what did they charge you with.
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Well all up once shipping was paid for i believe it was just under the $1100 mark. I highly doubt that htc will honour that warranty which is why i suggest you contact them asap. Even if my warranty isn't honoured in Austrlia i have a 2 year manufacturer warranty with a store i can send the handset back to. If i need to send it back of course i will pay the cost which is unfortunate. BUT, it is better than having no warranty and no place to send it back to.

i did what davecash did and got mine from Handtec
my credit card came up at AUD$1081
very happy with it so far, exactly what i need for my use. now just gotta suss out some tweaks :-D

Your credit card amount will be an uncertainty especially in this highly volatile time. At the time when I looked at it, I would be paying more than you guys if I had bought it from Handtec.
Another uncertainty was the import duty. Because the amount was bordering around 1000, it may be slightly more than 1000 or slightly less. I would have to live with the possibility of an import duty.
So I decided to bid because I would know for sure what I was going to pay, whereas getting from Handtec I did not know at what exchange rate I would be hit with, and if I would have to pay import duty.
Another thing to bear in mind is, just because you guys paid that amount is no guarentee that another person will be able to get that exchage rate. You know very well that AUssie currency is sliding downward these days.
So, I bidded in ebay.com.au.
I realised that I was impatient and bidded a little higher. This guy got it for much less at AUD1176
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=250324322216
If you're able buying for business, there is also the benefit of the 10% GST input tax that you can offset, I think.
This seller advertised himself as operating in Melbourne, and I made a call to Melbourne, and there was a person there speaking to me. So...
I guess that shop might not be around when I need the warranty, but that would be just the same for Handtec I guess.
So, for all who are buying, weigh all the pros and cons and decide for yourself what you think is the best.
Cheers.

I was bidding on some of those phones too. But was outbid at $1200 at the last moment.
I wound up paying full price.
However, I don't mind as it has local warranty, and given my past experiences with smart phones, that is a must. I can also claim GST, and at today's exchange rate, it would be over the magic $1,000 mark if imported directly.

Bought my Xperia X1 and HTC Touch HD through MobiCity. It was shipped from HK via FedEx, next day delivery.
Prefer the HD for those wondering.

Nighthawk said:
Bought my Xperia X1 and HTC Touch HD through MobiCity. It was shipped from HK via FedEx, next day delivery.
Prefer the HD for those wondering.
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Did you pay $1349 for the HD? A little expensive I thought.

I get $2000 a year for mobile phone purchase (I own) ontop of my pay packet. The Sony Experia X1 was rolled over to a Director who wanted it after we finished testing it, his Audi Q7 wouldn't sync correctly using bluetooth with Touch Pro (the X1 syncs perfectly). Never had a problem with HTC's phone and my BMW.
My departments budget includes funding to buy, test and use (or not) mobile phones that we believe may be usable within our organisation.

Nighthawk said:
I get $2000 a year for mobile phone purchase (I own) ontop of my pay packet. The Sony Experia X1 was rolled over to a Director who wanted it after we finished testing it, his Audi Q7 wouldn't sync correctly using bluetooth with Touch Pro (the X1 syncs perfectly). Never had a problem with HTC's phone and my BMW.
My departments budget includes funding to buy, test and use (or not) mobile phones that we believe may be usable within our organisation.
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Lucky you, mate. How does Mobicity do the warranty? Do they have to send it overseas or whill HTC Australia do it?

I bought my HD for $1050 total from handtec but that’s no longer possible with the current exchange rate and handtec's price increase.
Note that if you buy it from a "local" seller and need to send it back for warranty, it is highly likely that they will have to send it back overseas to get your phone fixed/replaced. It's not like they stock up on it and can just give you a replacement sent via express post nor can they send it to HTC Australia. That could result in an unfavorable turnaround time.
Regardless, if you want the phone go buy it because once you have it the price is all forgotten. Don't worry about how much you paid or what others got it for and just enjoy the phone.

matt0 said:
i did what davecash did and got mine from Handtec
my credit card came up at AUD$1081
very happy with it so far, exactly what i need for my use. now just gotta suss out some tweaks :-D
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Did you have to pay any GST or Duty when it arrived here in Australia ?
Looking to buy one soon.
What do you guys think of this ebay seller?
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/HTC-Touch-HD...3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66:2|65:3|39:1|240:1318
$ 1121.00 including postage. He sold the last 10 quickly and the next 20 are up for sale.
Obviously he/she is from HK, Don't know about the Sydney contact, maybe a friend ?

globalgpj said:
Did you have to pay any GST or Duty when it arrived here in Australia ?
Looking to buy one soon.
What do you guys think of this ebay seller?
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/HTC-Touch-HD...3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66:2|65:3|39:1|240:1318
$ 1121.00 including postage. He sold the last 10 quickly and the next 20 are up for sale.
Obviously he/she is from HK, Don't know about the Sydney contact, maybe a friend ?
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Your email was from a Mary? She told me that her stock has already been all returned to her supplier because the 8GB MicroSDHC and user manual are missing and she has sourced for the unit from another supplier but the stock are yet to arrive. So she currently has no stock. The stock is shipped out of Hong Kong, and not Sydney. Seems that everyone in Australia is advertising that they have stock, then ship the item out of Hong Kong.
I cancelled my order from the last one I ordered 10 days after payment (supposed to arrive from Melbourne 1-2 days after payment). He has has the wrong stock being returned to his supplier story. But I got the full refund.

eaglesteve said:
Your email was from a Mary? She told me that her stock has already been all returned to her supplier because the 8GB MicroSDHC and user manual are missing and she has sourced for the unit from another supplier but the stock are yet to arrive. So she currently has no stock. The stock is shipped out of Hong Kong, and not Sydney. Seems that everyone in Australia is advertising that they have stock, then ship the item out of Hong Kong.
I cancelled my order from the last one I ordered 10 days after payment (supposed to arrive from Melbourne 1-2 days after payment). He has has the wrong stock being returned to his supplier story. But I got the full refund.
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Thanks Eaglesteve,
Did you or anyone you know have to pay GST & Duty on this item coming into Australia from Handtec etc..?

Warning - don't shop from AliExpress/Origianl Meizu Store

I just want to warn the forum readers from buying phones from the AliExpress-store called Origianl Meizu Store.
The store sells refurbished phones which they claim to be new… The phones has no serial number and the IMEI-numbers are not valid.
Unfortunately I was stupid enough to by a “new” MX4 PRO from them… and I experience a seller that is not interested in helping me. The name of the contact at the store is Kety Wu
My MX4 PRO died today (RIP). There is no way to get in contact with it anymore. It is not possible to turn it on. It does not respond on any combination of keys, and it is not registered when I connect it to my computer
So I opened it... As the pictures shows, it has definately been repaired at some point before it was sold as “new”

I'm sorry to hear that but I'm not surprised. I definitely not recommend to buy any smartphone on aliexpress, only accessories.

open a dispute on aliexpress

ChocholateMaster said:
open a dispute on aliexpress
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I would, but the dispute timer has counted down a short while ago. Tried AliExpress customer service today.... they promised to contact the seller, but I'm not convinced that it will help me

I confirm what you said. I bought my first MX4 in this shop and I suspect the same thing. I had no problem with but I have not kept long as it is hard bricked now (its my fault). But many shops sell refurbished on this kind of product I don't recommend to buy through aliexpress.

ouigo said:
I confirm what you said. I bought my first MX4 in this shop and I suspect the same thing. I had no problem with but I have not kept long as it is hard bricked now (its my fault). But many shops sell refurbished on this kind of product I don't recommend to buy through aliexpress.
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Aliexpress isn't always bad, there are some good shops out there. Don't blame it on aliexpress, it's just some shops that sell fakes, clones or scam people.

I'm not saying it's always a bad idea. But there are many shops that sell refurbished phones and it's sold as new. Especially since many do not have products in stock, the shipping delays are long. So it is often a bad idea.

yes if i would buy a phone i definitly wouldn't buy it form aliexpress okay i bought here arduino + some parts relays etc. but for that money i wouldn't pay without paypal

All my meizus are bought in Aliexpress and no problem. The key is to buy reliable sellers

Feel free to share your links to shops, personally I'm interested. And I want to say that often it is not clear that this is a refurbished product, I'm not noticed before disassembly. I even had a sticker that sealed the box...

I have bought 4 meizus from this shops and no problem:
http://es.aliexpress.com/store/900031
http://es.aliexpress.com/store/1194377
One thing you can do to check if the phone is reburfished is to see if the imei of the box matches with the imei of the phone.

aliexpress store NO COSTUM!!!!
i bought mine here : http://www.aliexpress.com/store/342812
if you order from here there is no TAX to EU and DHL shipping is basic.
my MX5 PRO is new (but i guess there are not much refurbished one yet)
seller communicative.

I agree with snoopyrider80.
I ordered a Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 and it got delivered in 8 days, no customs no import tax. What they do is ship from China to the England and from England they then repackage it and ship it to the rest of Europe. And since England is part of Europe, there is no import tax or customs. I can recommend that particular shop also.

Which one to pick?

Hi,
it seems to be my first post on this forum.
The question is obvious: which model will suite my requirements? There's a lot of them and I'm simply lost
First: price lvl: up to $250
Other: 2 DIN, full BT (I'd like to use the screen as additional gauges showing data from my car ECU), DVD/CD, WIFI, GPS, 3/4G. Rootability always well seen.
Where am I supposed to look for it? Does anyone have his/her favourites Android headunits meeting my expectations?
Thanks

You can have a look at this website.

Pumpkin 11-C0255: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pumpkin-Android-Support-Bluetooth-Subwoofer/dp/B018I6XSSS/

No DVD in this pumpkin. Pity.

I regret going with Pumkin over Joying.
I cannot tell you how many infuriating conversations I've had with their so-called "support". I am actually considering tearing it apart and putting a Raspberry Pi 2 in the unit.

$250 for a DVD unit? Unless you want a dual core, 6.25" screen unit used I think you are going to be very disappointed with what you get.
My Joying quad core, 7", non DVD unit was $300. Their customer support and warranty are excellent.
You can convert your dvds to mp4 and play them on whatever HU you do go with. A better option IMO because you don't have to deal with skipping or pause delays.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 01:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:11 AM ----------
Or download the free VLC app and then you can play any format on you HU (mp4, ISO, etc).
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

zzEvilGeniuszz said:
I regret going with Pumkin over Joying.
I cannot tell you how many infuriating conversations I've had with their so-called "support". I am actually considering tearing it apart and putting a Raspberry Pi 2 in the unit.
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Is the support lack of technical knowledge or experience or what?

u.r.rible said:
Is the support lack of technical knowledge or experience or what?
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Well... it was a issue of incompetence more than anything. They tried to rip me off. I ordered 2 microphones and only one was shipped. They claimed I only ordered one. So I showed them a screenshot and proof that I ordered two of them. I felt they should have known this from their end but they didn't. It took me showing them my order for them to believe me. They offered to send me another or refund. I chose refund and it never came. Then... when inquiring about rooting they did not help me and said rooting the unit was forbidden on the head units. I told them they have no control over what I do with my unit. They still did not assist me. Then... I couldn't get the USB dash cam to work and again, they were absolutely zero help. Offering me no assistance in fixing it. Then I decided I wanted to return the stereo and replace it with a different model and I was told that I could do that if i paid the difference which was fine. However they chastized me that I should have checked what kind of unit fit my car before I bought it. Told them it was universal unit so I didn't need to. Never heard back from them after that. At that point I was finished with them. I Craigslisted the stereo and was done.
Like I said.... I should have gone with Joying.

There are a few on Amazon for around $250 but, it seems the better models are closer to $300. Keep in mind that you might end up spending $50 on the accessories you need with some of the models so you need to weigh the price with what it comes with. A lot of people talk about cameras that are included with some not being very good so keep that in mind.
Personally, I've been holding out for a model with a little more ram. I haven't found a single model with more than 1GB of ram. I'd spend $500+ for a model with a modern processor and a decent amount of ram. I've heard ranges of startup times for different models being 30-50 seconds. I imagine there are a lot of factors including people adding lots of unnecessary apps.

I have a Ownice C200 with 16 gb nand flash and 2gb of ram bluetooth v3.0 and i am quite satisfied, it is a bit expensive, but you can buy the cheaper C180 with 8 nand flash and 1gb mem

Where to buy MTCB//MTCD on Aliexpress?

I'm looking for a MTCB or MTCD for be delivery on Spain, Any good seller on Aliexpress could send by OWE or with EU warehouse? I just know Erisin have one UK warehouse...
best regards.

naghtan said:
I'm looking for a MTCB or MTCD for be delivery on Spain, Any good seller on Aliexpress could send by OWE or with EU warehouse? I just know Erisin have one UK warehouse...
best regards.
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Hi naghtan, i am Spanish and I am new in this world. I bought the last month one radio in Aliexpress with Android 4.4.2, and I found some problems in the software.
I am looking for help to introduce in this world and I ask me if you want to speak with me, because I want to know if I can develop or modify these Android softwares.
Thanks you! Regards!

These guys http://www.carjoying.com have warhoueses in EU and in the US to help lower costs and shipping issues. They are probably one of the most popular head unit companies right now as well.
SEE: https://www.carjoying.com/eu-warehouse.html

nixfu said:
These guys http://www.carjoying.com have warhoueses in EU and in the US to help lower costs and shipping issues. They are probably one of the most popular head unit companies right now as well.
SEE: https://www.carjoying.com/eu-warehouse.html
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Thanks so much! I found the website thorught google... but dont have the one...
Which are the original manufacturar? Hui Fei? I will send an email to them...
thanks!

I have bought from autopumpkin German warehouse. I am happy with the unit. Their prices seems a little bit better than joying if compared similar specs.

I also bought a Pumpkin last week. Received it within 5 days and off course without import duties as it came from the German wharehouse. Was a little disappointed when I checked the version that it is a MTCC head unit but apparently these can have both 4.4 and 5.1 installed. Reason to go with Pumpkin is that it has modular connections and it has a DAB+ box with a window antenna (almost invisible). Radio reception is excellent and Wifi range as good as my phone.
cons: external mic lead is too short, the radio is way bigger than standard 2-din and I need to cut the fascia for it to fit in.

Witson (or sommething like that) also has a EU warehouse.
Usually the sellers that has the possibility to send within eu mentions this (it os a selling point).
I got mine 2 months ago from a seller that doesn't has a Eu warehouse and I had to go through custom, and the dhl fee was actually higher that the actually taxes....
Therefore the customs taxes is not sommething to worry about. You should focus on getting a quality device from a seller that has a good customer support. Also shipping fee's can be high, so pay attention beacuase some sellers prices can be bigger for same device but free express shipping.

Help with buying reliable OEM headunit!

Hello people,
I am looking to buy an OEM headunit for Renault Megane III car.
I don't know much about these kind of headunits so I would like to help me if you can...
I want it to have:
-reliability
-performance
-sound quality (as much as possible)
-built quality (as much as possible)
-after sales service
After some search I conclude that I have to choose a device with:
-px5 or px6 (and maybe px30) cpu
-2 or 4 gb of ram
-dsp chip
-ips screen
What do you think?
Also I found several brands like Xtrons, Witson, Isuddar, Teyes, Zwnav but I don't know which is the best choice...
Could you help me?
Thank you anyway!

i bought an EONON? i probably got that wrong about 4 years ago now there is no sound output. it did provide a good service so I'll just watch this thread for any ideas.

You are not going to get any of that from any vendor of these units. Except maybe performance if you mean fast loading and responsive apps.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

velocity4 said:
You are not going to get any of that from any vendor of these units. Except maybe performance if you mean fast loading and responsive apps.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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What is your suggestion?

I don't think that any of the Chinese head units are going to be able to deliver on your requirements. From what I can see, none of the Chinese manufacturers provide any form of meaningful after-sales service, which is one of the reasons there are so many people posting in these forums. Also, reliability is suspect. While there are people who have units that have worked for many years, there are also a lot of people that post here after their units have failed over much shorter time-frames. The old adage is true: You get what you pay for. The Chinese head units provide great bang for your buck, good features, and good functionality. But you're just not going to get the same reliability and after-sales service that you would from one of the Japanese brands.
Disclaimer: I've only been in this space for a few months after buying a PX6 based unit. I have had a few small problems with it along the way which I have been able to solve with help from users on this forum, and it's now at the point where I am really happy with the unit. It still has some annoyances, but overall I think it has been a fantastic upgrade. I'm just basing what I wrote above on what I have seen in these forums over the past few months, and on my own experiences.

Fully agree... but:
jrobbom5 said:
But you're just not going to get the same reliability and after-sales service that you would from one of the Japanese brands.
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I had some Pioneer and Kenwood in the past years now and I found out that the support by them is not even better as the one from any Chinese seller.
That is the reason that I only buy directly from Klyde and Joying.
There I can say that the support is acceptable... more or less.

I've experienced a fairly good level of support from Xtrons so far. I've had several questions over my 20 month ownership and they've always been prompt at replying. I've received updated firmware from them, and most recently the unit stopped detecting reverse gear in order to switch to the reverse camera. I had a good email exchange, returned the unit to a UK company - basically a logistics hub - for "repair or replacement". I received a brand new replacement unit within 10 days with no hassle.
The reason I chose Xtrons was for the 2 year warranty, official sales and UK shipping. My advice is to be careful who you buy from. You can buy Xtrons on eBay, but the reseller might not offer the same guarantees.
By the way, I since bought a Erisin unit from eBay. It was 2/3 the price and the seller assured me 1 year warranty. It works great so far, just as good as the Xtrons but better looking. But I won't hold my breath on it lasting for years.