Harv Nelson wrote: > > > On 11/15/05, *Mike Miller* <mbmiller at taxa.epi.umn.edu > <mailto:mbmiller at taxa.epi.umn.edu>> wrote: > > My wife is from Quito, Ecuador, and her (far from wealthy) parents, > siblings and their kids still live there. We would like to buy > computers > for them and I'm trying to come up with a good way to do this such that: > > (1) The computers will be respectable, current machines, > (2) they won't cost too much money, and > (3) shipping costs will be kept to a minimum. > > I will be going to Ecuador one of these days and I think I'll bring > parts > with me and assemble the machines there (probably 4 or 5 of them). I'm > hoping that I can buy main boards, drives and such here, but buy the > cases > and monitors in Quito. I think I can fit the parts into a carry-on bag > and thereby avoid any S/H costs. > > Any thoughts on that plan? > > > Several years ago I did such a thing with a friend (a Ham, like me)in > Brazil. In the end, after paying duties and "fees" to expedite movement > thru customs, it would have been cheaper to buy the machines in downtown > Rio. Check with a local consular office before you pack your bags. > Often it will be easier and cheaper to bring in a completed machine ... > a laptop, for example, as part of your personal effect and "luggage". > You may need an "import license" for the component parts that costs as > much as the components themselves ... and you haven't paid the duties, > yet! NAFTA be damned! > NAFTA is just the US, Canada and Mexico so Brazil and Ecuador don't enter the picture, and after the response Bush got in Argentina last week it doesn't look like there'll be a general agreement for South America anytime soon. Just for reference I think the import tariff for Ecuador is in the 20% - 30% range for most goods. I'm certain that its something you'd want to research before you turn up at the border with a suitcase full of motherboards and the likes. I suspect that if Mike calls Dell and tells them what he wants, they can probably give him a price estimate for providing the machines in Ecuador including shipping, VAT, duties, etc. The other option is to call over to Extension on the St Paul campus, or email moren001 at umn.edu, and ask him. He is the Ecuadorian Consul here in the Twin Cities - small countries are so cool :-) --rick --rick