Community update: Regarding Neo FreeRunner pre-orders

[wim.delvaux at adaptiveplanet.com]

Do not forget shipping costs and problems with repair etc. If you have to keep 
sending devices back and forth to foreign EU countries.

AFAIK, these are much more expensive than in the US.

CU
W

On Monday 25 February 2008 22:48:08 David Pottage wrote:
> On Monday 25 February 2008, Michael Shiloh wrote:
> > Ivo Anjo wrote:
> > >>  3. When the phones reach the distribution centers in Europe and USA,
> > >> we will open the web store and begin taking orders.
> > >
> > > Does this mean that it will be possible to purchase openmoko from
> > > inside the EU, so there are no random customs taxes? That would be
> > > great!
> >
> > Hi Ivo,
> >
> > That is certainly our intention, which is why we have been trying to set
> > up distributors in as many places as possible.
> >
> > The only one I know of so far is in Germany. Since that's in the EU,
> > that should work for you, right?
>
> It would work, but the rate of sales tax is fairly high in Germany. Under
> EU rules, Europeans can buy stuff from anywhere in the EU, and pay the
> sales tax rate prevalent in the country where the shop operates instead of
> the rate in their home country.
>
> If FIC setup a web shop in a European country with a low sales tax rate
> such as Belgum, Europeans buying Freerunner phones could save around 10%
> compared with buying from a German web shop.
>
> Having said that, it is not a huge cost, and having a web shop any where in
> Europe is a great improvement over importing from the Far East.