Bundle Box, an import service that lets customers order and import goods from the US, has had to temporarily halt iPad pre-orders to give it time to process the flurry of purchases from the UK. Bundle Box registers free US postal addresses for its customers so they can place orders through US retailers, such as the US online store at apple.com.
Prices can often be cheaper, even when import fees are included, and in the case of the iPad, UK consumers can get their hands on the device a couple weeks before it’s official launch in that part of the world at the end of April.
According to Electricpig, the iPad is considered an “automatic data processing machine” under custom regulations, so consumers don’t have to pay import fees, just shipping and VAT (value added tax). Bundle Box told the web site that the 16GB Wi-Fi-only model is the most popular one, at 55 percent of its UK orders, followed by the 32GB version at 25 percent and the 64GB model at 17 percent. Three percent of those placing orders are taking their chances with 3G versions, despite uncertainty about whether or not UK mobile networks will offer the correct micro SIM card.