YC is getting involved in some serious tech and markets. Long gone are the days of web apps. Deep insight, experience, and skill in today's heavyweight industries are what matter now. Really happy to see this change and very impressed with the first portion of this batch.
YC Demo Day Session 1
31–40 of 107 posts
Re: YC Demo Day Session 1
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
MBP Retina 15", top of the line $2,499.00 in the us, 2,499.00€ ($3,327.94) in germany . its exactly the savings range that they are targeting
Wow ! That's huge, I did not expect such a big difference between prices in Germany and USA . Thanks for pointing this out - 1. Are these due to local taxes in Germany ? 2. Is this price difference common in other parts of Europe as well ?
Import duties may be different if you're a business doing large quantities vs. a single person buying a single thing for personal use.
Re: YC Demo Day Session 1
#33- If there is a lot of risk involved in carrying stuff through backpack , does it offer a certain insurance policy for the travelers ? What if the product gets seized by customs ? or you are levied a large unexpected fine ? The service doesnt seem to offer any advice on these at all.
A few things can happen. You can be charged the appropriate tax, which can be on-the-spot hundreds or thousands of dollars. This is not a fine, this is just the tax you are required to pay to enter the country with those items. This is generally the outcome when you have eg, a new laptop plus your old laptop. You can also be fined, arrested and imprisoned for smuggling. This is what you can expect if you have 4 lapto…
Reading all of the other comments ; this sounds pretty illegal right - Why would YC back the start up in that case ?
Re: YC Demo Day Session 1
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
A few things can happen. You can be charged the appropriate tax, which can be on-the-spot hundreds or thousands of dollars. This is not a fine, this is just the tax you are required to pay to enter the country with those items. This is generally the outcome when you have eg, a new laptop plus your old laptop. You can also be fined, arrested and imprisoned for smuggling. This is what you can expect if you have 4 lapto…
Reading all of the other comments ; this sounds pretty illegal right - Why would YC back the start up in that case ?
If you don't travel a lot you probably just don't know. I've filled two passports. I've technically smuggled lots of stuff for myself including a computer I specifically flew to Chicago from Costa Rica to buy as it was cheaper.
Edit: actually if you don't have yourself/friends/family in poor countries so you're aware of the local prices you could be completely unaware of this stuff and the tax/legal obligations for importing them.
Re: YC Demo Day Session 1
#35>> Backpack is a company that arbitrages the cost of goods in different countries by using international travelers as a distribution network I don't understand this one - with a world focused on security and import taxes, how does this work out?
Backpack is basically a network for tax evasion and smuggling stuff. sounds ... fishy.
Airbnb is also a network for (hotel/business) tax evasion too.
Re: YC Demo Day Session 1
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
MBP Retina 15", top of the line $2,499.00 in the us, 2,499.00€ ($3,327.94) in germany . its exactly the savings range that they are targeting
Wow ! That's huge, I did not expect such a big difference between prices in Germany and USA . Thanks for pointing this out - 1. Are these due to local taxes in Germany ? 2. Is this price difference common in other parts of Europe as well ?
i just checked this particular item but all the countries that use € are all 2499€ and the others (uk, swe..) are about 2500€. i guess the difference here comes from the actual curreny differences.
i think its mostly taxes, because when i add the 19% VAT that i would have to repay when entering germany with a us bought laptop (i think laptops are toll free, not sure ... but some electronic devices have tolls) im at ~$3000
Re: YC Demo Day Session 1
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
Reading all of the other comments ; this sounds pretty illegal right - Why would YC back the start up in that case ?
If you don't travel a lot you probably just don't know. I've filled two passports. I've technically smuggled lots of stuff for myself including a computer I specifically flew to Chicago from Costa Rica to buy as it was cheaper. Edit: actually if you don't have yourself/friends/family in poor countries so you're aware of the local prices you could be completely unaware of this stuff and the tax/legal obligations for i…
Fair enough, I do realize this is possible ! ( especially when you are flying to developing countries ). But you hinge on your luck to not get caught ( and depending on your 'navigation skills' - you can get out of the scenario ).
I m only curious to know about the "legalities" involved ; I m pretty sure this would have been addressed in the pitch. I was only looking for an answer that said : Here are the countries and Here is a list of things you can carry to those destinations without breaking any law.
Or if this fell into the "break first, fix later" philosophy of other shared economy startups as well.
Re: YC Demo Day Session 1
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
Backpack is basically a network for tax evasion and smuggling stuff. sounds ... fishy.
Airbnb is also a network for (hotel/business) tax evasion too.
well at least in germany you are supposed to declare this income. but that is the same with any form of rent that you gain based on your property. so it doesnt matter if i rent out a property that i own for the whole year via a classified ad in the newspaper or for 1 week via airbnb.
Re: YC Demo Day Session 1
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you don't travel a lot you probably just don't know. I've filled two passports. I've technically smuggled lots of stuff for myself including a computer I specifically flew to Chicago from Costa Rica to buy as it was cheaper. Edit: actually if you don't have yourself/friends/family in poor countries so you're aware of the local prices you could be completely unaware of this stuff and the tax/legal obligations for i…
Fair enough, I do realize this is possible ! ( especially when you are flying to developing countries ). But you hinge on your luck to not get caught ( and depending on your 'navigation skills' - you can get out of the scenario ). I m only curious to know about the "legalities" involved ; I m pretty sure this would have been addressed in the pitch. I was only looking for an answer that said : Here are the countries a…
You want to look at customs declaration forms and the penalties for lying on them.
The consequences will vary by country although the forms themselves are very uniform in my experience.
Every single item has some tax on it, however things like your clothes and personal possessions may be excluded at the customs' official's discretion.
Lying on those forms or omitting things you are required to declare is illegal and punishable with prison.
http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/crime-penalties/federal...
Re: YC Demo Day Session 1
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wow ! That's huge, I did not expect such a big difference between prices in Germany and USA . Thanks for pointing this out - 1. Are these due to local taxes in Germany ? 2. Is this price difference common in other parts of Europe as well ?
i just checked this particular item but all the countries that use € are all 2499€ and the others (uk, swe..) are about 2500€. i guess the difference here comes from the actual curreny differences. i think its mostly taxes, because when i add the 19% VAT that i would have to repay when entering germany with a us bought laptop (i think laptops are toll free, not sure ... but some electronic devices have tolls) im at ~…
Don't forget trade within the EU is "free", so I - being located in the UK - could buy a laptop in Germany and import it free and legally (bar shipping costs). Therefore, the arbitrage would be simple and legal. Importing from the US, on the other hand, carries significant import charges as I found out the other day when I imported a BeagleBone Black.