You know I want an iPad. And I don’t just want it somewhere in April, I want it now, or at least as soon as possible!
A few days ago I tweeted out a request for help (shown on the right here). I received a few helpful replies from people who were willing to stand in line for me but also a suggestion (thanks @fashiontweet!) to talk to Linda Hemerik, the CEO of US Unlocked.
Her company provides people with a local address and credit card so they can shop locally in the US. Very convenient as a lot of ecommerce sites only ship to the US. I ended up signing up at the site and have now pre-ordered and paid for my iPad!
Linda Hemerik has published a post detailing how the whole process works of pre-ordering iPads on her blog. I’m copying her blogpost here, with permission, so you too can pre-order your iPad today:
Taken from https://www.usunlocked.com/blog/?p=425
After many speculations on the exact date the Apple iPad will sell, the official news todays is that the Wifi-only version will start selling April 3rd through Apple online and authorized resellers. Pre-orders are taken from March 12th onward on the Apple website, orders will have to be collected from the Apple store on April 3rd. Can you imagine the lines snaking around the block and beyond?! The 3G version will start selling late April.
No details are known in regard to the maximum number of iPads that can be pre-ordered per person and to be collected from the store on April 3rd.
The international online shopper who wants to be a proud owner of an iPad before the device becomes available overseas (late-April in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK, coinciding with the release of 3G model) if even, will do best to buy the iPad through authorized dealers like B&H and MacConnection. All you need is:
- US Unlocked Card with enough balance on it
- US Unlocked shipping address
- VPN connection through Hotspot Shield
The US Unlocked Card can be applied for here by paying $10. It is a pre-paid virtual Discover debit card with your own registered US billing address. Cards are usually assigned within one business day. Once loaded with the desired amount it can be used to make online payments on websites that only accept US credit cards. The payments for card loads are done through Paypal and take 5-7 business days to clear.
To be ready to purchase the iPad on April 3rd, now is a good time to apply for the card and load it. Make sure you register your shipment on https://www.usunlocked.com/ship_it.php to receive your US Unlocked shipping address that you will use when placing the order. US Unlocked will receive your iPad on your behalf and send it to you in your home country after payment of the shipping cost
The use of a VPN connection when accessing the site where you will be purchasing the iPad, provides you with a US IP address: the finishing touch to a seamless transaction. Download the software for free: Windows Mac.
How are you getting your hands on your first iPad? Flying to the US in April? Having friends stand in line for you or are there more ways to pre-order online? Let us know in the comments…
Hi Boris,
I had a similar idea in mind with another company offering the same kind of service.
But I am now looking at your solutions which seems to be a better option for me.
Where did you pre-order you ipad from? Apple's online store or with usunlocked?
What are the changes that they will be quick to pre-order it for you on your behalf?
I hope Linda can answer those questions later for you. I did order through her and US Unlocked though…
Thanks for the reply.
Did you make use of their personal shopping services or only get the US Unlocker Card?
I guess I need to hurry since 12 March is just around the corner.
How long did your payment through paypal took to clear?
Thanks for the reply.
Did you make use of their personal shopping services or only get the US Unlocker Card?
I guess I need to hurry since 12 March is just around the corner.
How long did your payment through paypal took to clear?
Let us know how it goes, and how much shipping costs are. Hoping they're not going to be like most eBay sellers and make money on the delivery :-)
Seems an interesting concept, but..
1) What about the Warranty.. Is that not going to be US only? I dont really want to have to ship it to the US if it packs up…
2) For the 3G version, is it legal to use in Europe if it hasn't been approved by the relevant authorities over here? And, which telcos will be selling the micro sims before the official launch dates? Or are we talking about the wifi only here? And in which case, just generally, will it have the CE mark for its general approval it at that stage?
Pre-order != first in line. I've pre-ordered many Apple products in the past only to get them days after the product was available in the Apple store.
Will you have to pay local US sales taxes? What about UK VAT?
Ik deed dit ook met de Iphone, maar die kwam niet langs de douane. Hou rekening met het feit dat je invoerbelasting moet gaan betalen, bovenop de prijs.
@Ruben: Only if you buy >16GB. Importing computer equipment below €430 doesn't involve import taxes. (You might have to pay VAT though…)
I checked their shipping rates and it would cost $45.80 USD to ship it to Belgium or the Netherlands.
Thanks for those details – I think i'll get mine from an Apple store in London and bring it to Belgium.. knowing Mobistar and others, they'll take months to get their act together for the microsims …
But your also gonna get a massive import /duty tax as many people found out when they ordered there nexus one.
Hi Maarten, The amount you are referring to is when you import the item through an airport. The amount is lower in EU countries, I believe $150 for when you import through a carrier. Best is to check with the tax department of your country.
We got a huge response at US Unlocked today through this post!
Let me answer some faq's regarding ordering the iPad:
- With the US Unlocked Card you can seamlessly place the pre-order yourself. However, since it takes a few days for the loading funds to clear, it is better to opt for our Personal Shopping service if you want to be sure your iPad is pre-ordered exactly on March 12.
- VAT and import duties will be levied by your country's customs department.
- Sales tax of 7% is charged by Apple for deliveries to our warehouse in the state of NJ. If for some reason the sales tax % is different at the time of ordering we will settle that with the international shipping cost.
- The estimated (dim) weight of the package is 3 or 4lbs. (https://www.usunlocked.com/weightesttimate.html)
- For more information on setting up a US iTunes account, check out this blog post: https://www.usunlocked.com/blog/?p=406
For any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: info at usunlocked dot com!
Another place to find the Ipad before it ships overseas is on RIAZU
The Riazu World service is offering Apple Ipads to international customers, you can buy through Apple online and get the product sent to our address in the U.S we will handle the rest.
If you are living anywhere in South East Asia or the Middle East and are looking for Ipads i think that would be a great way to start you would find them from all the retailers selling them on Riazu.com and just ship it to Riazu World and let them deliver the ipad to your doorstep.
Ipads begin selling soon, get your hands on them, if you need help with delivery the Riazu Team is available to help you find, buy and sell it.
Riazu.com is a platform to help people shop smarter, find out more about buying and selling an Apple Ipad from the Riazu Team at info@riazu.com
As usual we here in Canada take a back seat. I went on this morning to pre-order my Apple iPad 3g and promptly found out that the State of Canada was not included in the pre-order hype. When are we as Canadians going to say enough is enough and stop letting us be treated as second class citizens. All the arrangements with our cell providers could have been fulfilled at the same time as the US contract. This is ridiculous and quite frankly insulting. So come on Canada, start procreating so we have the buying power to command attention from the rest of the world.
In Canada, no need for any workaround. I used my normal (Canadian) AppleID and reserved one for pick up at the nearest US store just over the US border. Already have my confirmation email from Apple.
Just ordered a 16GB WifI iPad directly at US Apple Store with a non-US (EU) Mastercard and a usunlocked.com shipping address. No need for a US credit card or ordering via a VPN.
I'm expecting a total costs of around EUR 530,- (which is probably higher than the EU list price…).
For the latest and most updated way to buy an iPad please, look here: https://www.usunlocked.com/blog/?p=504
Hi there;
Why don't you make easier for ppl, i'm in canada (Toronto) i ordered my ipad thru 1 800 My Apple and told them that i'm purchasing as gift to a US address (my cousin address) and when he received it i called Fedex from canada and open an account (for free) and register my canadian credit card then i arranged a pickup from the US address to my address in Toronto, the paymant was from Fedex account and the next day Fedex delivery was at my door step. By the way i paid Apple with wire transfer money and they received it the next day. This is easy.. is it!??
Thank you for reading and hope i help
hello all, I just wanted to ask some questions, how can I get a preorder iphone 4g from the uk, whereas I lived in Indonesia and I have been hindered by problems uk vat, is there any alternative for my problem?
how are you my name is moses am in dubai and i could want to know thae price of i pad 3G and how to ship it…….
thank you