I have an ageing Garmin Fenix 5. I would like to upgrade to the Garmin Fenix 7S Pro.
I am also going to Taiwan in a few weeks, where the Garmins are manufactured. And Taiwan is renowned as a place to buy electronics.
is the Garmin likely to be cheaper in Taiwan? Will there be any problems using a sports watch bought there in Australia?
alternatively, do I try to find a bargain here and claim the TRS refund when I travel?
Has anyone had experience buying smart watches in Taiwan?
Find local bargain and use TRS.
And Taiwan is renowned as a place to buy electronics.
Not sure about Garmin gear but I remember last two times I went to Taiwan, Hk and Japan, the camera gear I wanted was actually cheaper in Australia with ebay 20% off sales at digidirect.
Check prices in taiwan and keep monitor the shops in Australia that sell it up until 1.5 week before you fly and decide. (Trs factor)
What’s the good way to see Taiwan prices? Is there a Taiwan OzBargain? Or a major Taiwan online store?
It's easy to compare the RRP first on Garmin's official website. It appears that Garmin TW only has the Sapphire Solar Edition. So
For branded stuff, it is not likely to get heavy discount (vs RRP) on the street in Taiwan. Therefore I'll conclude by saying, buy it in Australia. Cheaper if you don't want Sapphire.
Thank you this is very helpful
It won't have Australian maps installed, you'll have to pay to install those.
Excellent point, buying locally seems the way to go.
All models support free downloads of Garmin Topo maps for any region through Garmin Express. But you'd lean towards purchasing at home to get warranty coverage per advice from @Hybroid.
In my experience, in general it's cheaper to buy in Australia and claim TRS. I'm not sure about specific products but for stuff like apple products and camera gear this holds true for. Even for stuff like SD cards which are made there.
You can look at sites like pchome or momoshop (the latter may force you to use their app) which are like amazon.
Hijacking the thread a bit - is the TRS limit for taking item back to Aus still $900?
No. For items over $1000, the receipt needs to have the purchaser’s name.
The question is about returning the item to Australia if you claim TRS on the way out.
When you bring it back in, the dutiable value needs to be under $900. The personal limit is combinable with other travellers in your family.
https://www.abf.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/touris…
If you bring goods back into Australia for which a GST refund via the TRS has been claimed, the goods must be declared, and if the value of those goods (combined with any other overseas/duty free purchases) exceeds the passenger concession allowance, any applicable GST and/or duty may need to be paid unless another concession (example, all personal clothing – except furs) is available.
I am also going to Taiwan in a few weeks, where the Garmins are manufactured
Are you going to try to get some smuggled out of the factory? If not, unless just about everyone or no one wears one of these, why would Garmin set different prices across the world and drive Fenix arbitrage?
There is a massive retail margin on these products
Think about warranty if something goes wrong with it in 6 months time.