(not) shipping gaming PCs - eviltoast

Hi Lemmy!

My partner and I are moving from the US to the EU soon. We both have gaming PCs but they’re a bit older, so we’re thinking it’s a great time to sell them, taking the SSDs, and buying new components there to avoid shipping them.

Any suggestions surrounding it? Maybe there’s a good way to pay a little and backup the whole SSDs to the cloud?

I know it’s not strictly gaming related but it sorta is? Sorry if this is inappropriate for the community

  • HeavyRaptor@lemmy.zip
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    1 month ago

    Might be better off building a new one in the US and shipping it with your other stuff. Sales tax (import tax?) is pretty bad for electronics in the EU, stuff is a lot more expensive. Everything costs pretty much ~30% more.

    You can package the computer in the box of the case and maybe take out the gpu and/or the cpu cooler and pack that separately so it doesn’t break in shipping.

    How much stuff are you bringing? Are you getting like a shipping container for furniture, etc. or just essentials? Are you staying in one spot for long? If not, gaming laptops might suit you better (once again, cheaper to buy in the US).

    • Nilz@sopuli.xyz
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      1 month ago

      Remember that prices in the US are before taxes (VAT) since they differ for each state and are calculated during checkout. I think I’d prefer to move -> buy than to buy -> move.

    • frank@sopuli.xyzOP
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      1 month ago

      Very very little to move. Just what we can carry onto planes basically. Hoping to stay in a spot for many years, but you never know. The packaging is a good idea, I should price compare properly

      • HeavyRaptor@lemmy.zip
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        1 month ago

        That makes sense then, I wouldn’t trust the plane luggage handlers with the pc. In that case you’re probably right to sell. I would still price compare for a gpu or cpu and get the rest of the build later, but also heavily factor in the hassle of carrying stuff and basically not having a warranty for parts that you bought in the US.

        I did actually move with my gaming pc twice. But I had most of my stuff shipped in a truck and only the essentials on the plane. You’ll probably end up having limited space/weight in the checked luggage anyway. Gool luck with the move!

        • frank@sopuli.xyzOP
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          1 month ago

          Yeah, a truck would make me feel better. It’s definitely a risk to move it myself uninsured. For comparison, looks like post tax prices delivered of ~14-18% more in Denmark than the US where we are.

          That’s a fair bit, but I’m not sure we’re in the market to try this hard to save a few hundred dollars in such a massive move. I lean towards selling, especially once we packed a big suitcase and it went VERY quick with stuff we love lol