# Electronics costs in Mexico?



## excelent3

I will be flying in to Guadalajara in March and am wondering if I might be better off purchasing a laptop/ digital camera here in the states vs buying in Mexico at Best Buy. I would think the current exchange rate would favor me buying it here. But I could also buy with my VISA card in Mexico and if I remember right, you have the benefit of the exchange rate also?


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## excelent3

I should have mentioned in my initial post that the computer would be purchased for a friend in Mexico, and there are also the warranty issues to consider. I would think that Best Buy would stand behind there producst no matter what location the purchase took place at....


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## Rodrigo84

I know there is the first Best Buy in Mexico here in Mexico City in Mundo E shopping center in the northern part of town in Estado de Mexico (this is a stupid location if you ask me, no one shops there anymore).

I'd check and get something in writing before you assume that about standing behind one's warranty, DON'T TAKE ANYONE'S WORD FOR IT. I know people who bring new cars down from the states and get a rude awakening when they ask if something wrong will be covered locally by the Mexican division of the car company. I find it's rarely true and even if it is, there's a lot of red tape and paperwork involved. My cousin went through that painful process a few times with stuff.

The reason I'd be suspect on the computers is that the computers sold in Mexico come with a different keyboard and also the Spanish version of the operating systems. Moreover, there's always someone who doesn't know the proper rules or procedures for doing this. This would be such a rare event to return something purchased in another country. Only one that I know of that went perfectly fine, was when a friend of my cousin took in a watch for warranty repair to Cartier here in Polanco and they repaired it under warranty with no cost or other nonsense involved.


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## Rodrigo84

All electronics are way more expensive down here, too. I remember a few friends who bought flatscreen tvs north of the border and managed to tuck them in the ceiling of their cars so aduana wouldn't discover them (that's a common practice).


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## synthia

Most electronic goods aren't made in the US, and I think that means that they can't be covered by NAFTA, so duties apply. Someone told me that the result was that electronic goods in general are not included, even those few that are actually made in the US.


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## Rodrigo84

He could bring in a laptop from the U.S. to Mexico with no duties, assuming he doesn't bring in another laptop at the same time. Aduana will give you trouble for that and wonder why you have two laptops. My cousin had a Sony Vaio laptop and had issues when he came to Mexico and could not get the warranty to take hold from the U.S.

One other thing, and it goes back to bringing in a laptop. At least at the Mexico City airport, they now make you put all of your luggage through an x-ray machine in customs after you collect it. Assuming you are coming through with a spouse or somebody else that doesn't have a laptop, you could bring it in that way. They are quite serious about it as I saw aduana just recently when I came back from a trip trying to nail people for game machines brought from outside Mexico.


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## RVGRINGO

If warranty is important to your Mexican friend, buy it in Mexico. That will also insure that he gets a Spanish keyboard and won't have to struggle to get all the appropriate accent marks, etc. There are good prices for Dell, for example, in Mexico and Apple has many dealers in Mexico, including Office Max, etc.


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## Rodrigo84

RVGRINGO said:


> If warranty is important to your Mexican friend, buy it in Mexico. That will also insure that he gets a Spanish keyboard and won't have to struggle to get all the appropriate accent marks, etc. There are good prices for Dell, for example, in Mexico and Apple has many dealers in Mexico, including Office Max, etc.


I'll second that. OfficeMax had good prices followed by Office Depot. My cousin wound up getting another laptop down here (he also wanted a Spanish keyboard so he could do the accent marks easier). WalMart also seems to have good prices. Can't really say much about prices at other locations, but when I went price shopping with my cousin he wound up getting his laptop at OfficeMax.


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## Debian

I have heard, even with the current exchange rate, that any electronics bought in Mexico are 10 times more expensive then if they were purchased in the United States. One thing to keep in mind is that almost all electronics are imported from other countries and that makes prices all the higher.


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## RVGRINGO

Someone has exaggerated greatly. Prices of electronics may be higher in Mexico but certainly not by a factor of ten, or even two. Products are produced for the country in which they will be sold and there are great advantages of buying electronics and appliances in Mexico. Warranty is important and the fact that the power supply is heavier to stand up to the higher voltage and Hz that is typical in Mexico. I had a neighbor who had all US appliances. We were both struck by the same surge and he lost two refrigerators, a computer and three TV sets. We lost nothing because our appliances were bought in Mexico and the computer was a laptop instead of a desktop.


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## Rodrigo84

I think what Mexico lacks a lot of are a lot of low end deals. My cousin often showed me prices of say laptops in the U.S. that cost under $500 USD and at least where I live, it's tough to find anything even close. There is like a gap and stuff starts at nearly the $1000 USD mark. I think with cars there is a much wider gap. Last time I checked, a Toyota Camry seemed to go for about 7000 USD more down here.

It's definitely not 2x or more than that, but it is more.

One thing that's different in Mexico is the concept of quality, at least to Mexicans, isn't as well known as it is in the U.S. We don't have that magazine Consumer Reports here, but my cousin would note that this brand or that brand were not highly regarded or if something really didn't work, despite all the hype and marketing.


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## joco69

RVGRINGO is right, people do exagerate because they think of the past when electronics really where much more expensive in Mexico.
Coming from Canada I do find that electronics compare very well to canadian prices and sometimes you even get a better deal here in Mexico.
Years ago I bought a hightech LG refrigerator at an unbelievable price in GDL, its the best refrigerator I have ever had and I continue raving about it. When I noticed a LG flatpanel TV at Costco at a reasonable price I jumped on it, I have never been disappointed.
If you are a TELMEX customer, you can buy various laptops or other comptuers by installments at very reasonable prices, of course you can pay cash for it too.
Mexico has changed a lot the last 10 years and so have the availabilities and the prices for electronics and other items.
Living in Mexico I would suggest you are better off buying locally.


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## excelent3

Many great comments on this thread. The gap in prices has no doubt changed over the years, and I was concerned also regarding warranty coverage. If you can buy with American dollars in Mexico, at a current 13-1 ratio, is that then comparable to US pricing?


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## joco69

Maybe a little higher because of very competitive pricing in the US, also warranties are often less than in the US and Canada. However since labour is much cheaper here it will compensate in the eventuality you have to pay out of your pocket.
There are so many advantages labour wise in Mexico that you always come out on top compared to prices at home.


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