A laptop that costs $999 in the US can look like a bargain compared with the price in the UK or Canada. But once you add taxes, shipping, fees and the risk of warranty problems, buying from the US often saves less than you’d expect. Here’s what it really costs, and when it’s worth doing.
Import rules change, so always check the latest guidance from GOV.UK in the UK or the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in Canada before ordering.
Importing a laptop into the UK
Customs duty: laptops generally have no customs duty when imported into the UK.
Import VAT: you’ll normally pay 20% VAT on the value of the laptop, usually including the shipping cost. On a laptop worth £800 including shipping, that’s about £160.
Courier fees: couriers like DHL, FedEx and UPS charge a handling fee for paying the VAT on your behalf. It’s usually a minimum of around £10 to £15, or a small percentage of the tax, whichever is higher. You pay before they deliver.
Some stores collect it at checkout. Some retailers that ship to the UK collect VAT and fees when you order, so there’s no surprise bill on delivery. Check before you buy.
Importing a laptop into Canada
Small courier shipments from the US get simplified treatment under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Very low-value shipments under about C$40 are generally free of duty and tax. For a laptop, you’ll almost always be above that, so expect to pay tax.
Sales tax: you’ll pay GST or HST on the value of the laptop, the same as buying locally: 5% federal GST, plus provincial tax depending on where you live. In HST provinces, that ranges from 13% in Ontario to 15% in some Atlantic provinces.
Duty: whether there’s duty depends on where the laptop was made and its value, not just where you bought it. Most laptops are manufactured in Asia, so a laptop bought from a US store isn’t automatically “US-made” for duty purposes. Computers are generally duty-free in Canada anyway, but it’s worth confirming for anything unusual.
Brokerage fees: couriers charge a fee for clearing customs, often C$10 to C$50 depending on the courier and service. Canada Post’s handling fee is usually lower than private couriers’.
The hidden costs
Shipping: many US retailers don’t ship to the UK or Canada at all. When they do, shipping a laptop can be expensive because of its value and battery.
Package forwarding: if a store won’t ship internationally, a package forwarding service can, but it adds its own fees.
Returns: sending a laptop back to the US is slow and expensive, and you may not get your import taxes back.
Exchange rates and card fees: your bank or card may charge a foreign transaction fee, often around 2.5% to 3%, on top of the exchange rate.
The warranty problem
This is the biggest risk. Many laptop warranties only apply in the country where you bought the laptop. If a US laptop breaks in the UK or Canada, you might have to ship it back to the US at your own cost, or pay for a local repair. Apple and some business-class laptops have international warranty coverage, but many consumer laptops don’t. Check the warranty terms before you buy.
UK buyers also lose the protection of the Consumer Rights Act, which gives you strong rights when you buy from a UK retailer.
The keyboard and plug
A US laptop comes with a US keyboard layout. That’s fine for many people, but UK buyers lose the £ key and the ISO layout, and Canadian buyers lose the French accents of a bilingual keyboard. The charger works on UK voltage, but needs a UK plug adapter. In Canada, US plugs work without one. See our article on UK, US and Canadian laptop versions for more on these differences.
When is it worth it?
Importing can make sense when:
- The laptop or configuration isn’t sold in your country at all.
- The savings are still large, roughly 20% or more, after all taxes and fees.
- The laptop has an international warranty, or you’re comfortable with the risk.
- You’re in Canada, where shipping from the US is closer, cheaper and simpler.
It usually isn’t worth it when:
- The savings are small after tax, VAT or HST.
- You’d struggle without local warranty support or easy returns.
- A local sale gets you close to the US price anyway.
A quick way to compare
1. Take the US price and add shipping.
2. Convert it to pounds or Canadian dollars using your card’s exchange rate.
3. Add VAT in the UK, or GST/HST in Canada.
4. Add the courier’s handling or brokerage fee.
5. Compare the total with the best local price, including sales.
If the local price is within about 10% of your total, buying locally is usually the smarter choice for the easier returns and warranty alone.
The bottom line
Buying a laptop from the US can save money, especially for Canadians and for models you can’t get at home, but taxes, fees and warranty risk eat into the savings. Work out the full landed cost first, and compare it with local prices during the big sales. For more on why prices differ in the first place, read why laptops cost more in the UK and Canada.
More reading: all Dealmania articles