# LCD TV - from US to Australia



## eva-usa (May 14, 2009)

Hi freinds

I noticed LCD TV's in USA is almost half the price that of in Australia. I would like to carry one with me to Australia or ship it from USA. Which make / models are suitable & is there any import duty etc in Australia?

Thanks !


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Hi Eva:

Models will work if they meet voltage requirement (240 V / 50 Hz). If you look near the power cord on the back of TV there is usually a sticker that lists the power requirement.

If you see:
100-240V / 50~60 Hz: Then you're fine and TV will work here.

If you see:
120 V/60 Hz: Then it will only work in the US as AC here is 50 Hz

If you see:
120 V/50~60 Hz: It will work here IF you plug it into a voltage convertor (240 step down to 120 V), these are usually heavy boxes depending on the wattage required (i.e. 500 Watts). 

***
Look at the manufacturer website and specifications. Also US model numbers are sometimes different than model numbers sold in AU (usually Asia or European model numbers). 

I've found the following brands usually work:
LG, Samsung, Chinese brands (i.e. Vizio), Pioneer.

As always check the actual model number specifications.

Also note in many cases your warranty will not be valid in AU (you'd have to send the TV back to the USA at your expense if you wanted to fix it). 

Finally TVs can be delicate and usually are too large for normal baggage allowance, so you need to ship them as freight. Do a 'total cost shipped to AU' cost comparison and see if it's still worth it.

***
Customs duties would apply if you bring it in as new. I believe it is 10% GST + 5% Customs for a total of 15% duty on the cost of the item. This info is based on what i found when I looked into it about 4 yrs ago. You should contact customs to find out if there is still a duty of 5% (I'm fairly sure 10% GST always applies for all new incoming items above a certain value).

http://www.customs.gov.au

Good luck 



eva-usa said:


> Hi freinds
> 
> I noticed LCD TV's in USA is almost half the price that of in Australia. I would like to carry one with me to Australia or ship it from USA. Which make / models are suitable & is there any import duty etc in Australia?
> 
> Thanks !


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## matjones (Jan 30, 2009)

amaslam said:


> Customs duties would apply if you bring it in as new. I believe it is 10% GST + 5% Customs for a total of 15% duty on the cost of the item.


So if I bought one now, and brought it there in 1 years time, its no longer considered new, and I dont pay duty?


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

That is correct. If it's bought now and you have the receipt (I think even 3-6 months is OK) then customs usually waves it through. It's no longer considered 'new' if you have had it for a period of time. Even better if you get a little bit of dust on it (like all TVs get once out of the box) 



matjones said:


> So if I bought one now, and brought it there in 1 years time, its no longer considered new, and I dont pay duty?


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## eva-usa (May 14, 2009)

amaslam said:


> Hi Eva:
> 
> Models will work if they meet voltage requirement (240 V / 50 Hz). If you look near the power cord on the back of TV there is usually a sticker that lists the power requirement.
> 
> ...



hi amaslam,

Thanks for all info. As always its accurate .....


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## mr.india (Jul 28, 2009)

eva-usa said:


> Hi freinds
> 
> I noticed LCD TV's in USA is almost half the price that of in Australia. I would like to carry one with me to Australia or ship it from USA. Which make / models are suitable & is there any import duty etc in Australia?
> 
> Thanks !


Eva,

if you are planning to buy a new LCD TV, then it try to compare features/ prices with LED TV as well. 

Best regards,


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## eva-usa (May 14, 2009)

mr.india said:


> Eva,
> 
> if you are planning to buy a new LCD TV, then it try to compare features/ prices with LED TV as well.
> 
> Best regards,


Hi Mr. India

yes LED is very good. But I enquired & for moving overseas LCD is the best option. LED is very thin & everything is pressed into one thin glass sheet , also in long term chances of damage are more sue to hitting of the components. Plasma TV , you have to keep it verticle all the time. You cant lay it down on grund otherwise it will damage itself. So far LCD is the best option.


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## mr.india (Jul 28, 2009)

eva-usa said:


> Hi Mr. India
> 
> yes LED is very good. But I enquired & for moving overseas LCD is the best option. LED is very thin & everything is pressed into one thin glass sheet , also in long term chances of damage are more sue to hitting of the components. Plasma TV , you have to keep it verticle all the time. You cant lay it down on grund otherwise it will damage itself. So far LCD is the best option.



Oooh that's good information, i was planning to get one this diwali, I'll be careful, keep us posted once you ship your LCD.


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## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

eva-usa said:


> Hi freinds
> 
> I noticed LCD TV's in USA is almost half the price that of in Australia. I would like to carry one with me to Australia or ship it from USA. Which make / models are suitable & is there any import duty etc in Australia?
> 
> Thanks !


The tuner section of your TV is not going to pick up Australian terrestrial channels. Other inputs (HDMI. component) should be okay.


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Yes, that would be the case, but most people here would get either a set top box or cable TV so that really isn't an issue. I use a set top box (with built in HD to record) and that works fine. If you just want something to pick up channels then there is plenty to choose from < $100 in set top boxes.

Eva: The US TVs use the ATSC (successor to NTSC) tuners and AU TVs use PAL. A Set top box would just plug into one of the other inputs (i.e. S-Video, HDMI).



Fatbrit said:


> The tuner section of your TV is not going to pick up Australian terrestrial channels. Other inputs (HDMI. component) should be okay.


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## eva-usa (May 14, 2009)

Does anyone know any of the service provider give Indian (Hindi) channels in Oz?


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Foxtel and Austar don't have it. Probably the only option is one of those large satellite dishes (> 1 m diameter). Then I think you can pick up some of the overseas channels.

This is only an option if you live in a house. You can't use those if renting or in a unit.

I think most South Asian expats rely on a steady stream of DVDs.



eva-usa said:


> Does anyone know any of the service provider give Indian (Hindi) channels in Oz?


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## mr.india (Jul 28, 2009)

Amaslam

Does Dreambox (or any other mutant tux box) work in Australia, this works very well here for orbit showtime and pehla here?

Has anyone tried bringing tatasky box from india and madeit work there.. it works great here..

Regards,


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Hi Mr. India,

Not sure what mutant tux box or dream box are, so can't answer this specific question.



mr.india said:


> Amaslam
> 
> Does Dreambox (or any other mutant tux box) work in Australia, this works very well here for orbit showtime and pehla here?
> 
> ...


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## ozsolz (Jul 10, 2009)

Thanks for the information. I found this site useful "kropla.com/electric2.htm". If everything goes well then I'm planning to ship an LCD from mid-east to OZ.


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## mr.india (Jul 28, 2009)

amaslam said:


> Hi Mr. India,
> 
> Not sure what mutant tux box or dream box are, so can't answer this specific question.


It is same like any DTH set top box, except, you have a Linux OS in it and you can connect it to Internet to get updates bouquets and programs. 

It is quite famous for watching Indian channels here in Middle East.


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Should work then, since it gets its content from the Internet. Australia doesn't yet have content filtering (they're trying but nothing in place yet).



mr.india said:


> It is same like any DTH set top box, except, you have a Linux OS in it and you can connect it to Internet to get updates bouquets and programs.
> 
> It is quite famous for watching Indian channels here in Middle East.


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