Importing Nexus 4 (16GB) - Process and Cost

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Sarath_

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Nexus 4 (16GB)​

Total cost = Rs. 23.5 to 25k --- post 1st March customs increase taken into consideration
Rs. 23726 in my case - PPO Box
Rs 22621 - for Varkey. Given at end of post, through HopShopGo.

agantuk said:
^ Note, it is cheaper through HSG only if importing more than one phone. If getting just one piece, the price is higher.
Click to expand...

Now, importing the Nexus 4 might feel daunting in the beginning, but I have seen that after enough homework even newbies (me) can do it with ease. I will just lay down the procedure I used, along with all the other options I found, that could be used to order the phone.

What you need?
Credit card or someone who has one (yeah! either you gotta be rich or have loads of rich friends) (as a student I consider anyone who earns rich)
An account in PPOBox, HSG or SnS etc
Proxy -browser based or VPN

Process:

1. Open a free account with PPOBox or HopShopGo or comGateway or a paid one with SnS. You can also use sites like ishopinternational but I personally do not know much about them
2. Install a free VPN client like tunnelbear (which I used) or use browser based proxy
3. Access play.google.com/store (the US website) ( this can only be accessed from US, hence we need proxy to use it)
4. Add Nexus 4 to cart and then at checkout pay with credit card. Do note the price of Nexus 4 is famously understood to be just $350 but there are a lot of costs associated. The total cost is : 350 + shipping ($14) + Tax (in US) $0 to 40
Enter the address given to you by PPOBox or others which will look like this >
ICC World
627-F Summit Avenue PPO # (-Pkg ID no. if available)
Jersey City, NJ 07306, USA
Tel.: 201-884-8147
Click to expand...
5. Enter your tracking details in PPOBox etc so that they can track your package.
6. Wait for an e-mail or phone call to know the customs or other charges. Before 1st March the total came to 1500 odd but now it is 2500 odd but still a good deal.
7. After paying for shipping and customs, they will ship it to your address.


Q&A:

Q: Why do I need an account with PPOBox or HopShopGo or comGateway or SnS?
A: Google doesn't ship the Nexus 4 device outside US. The above given services are freight forwarders. They give you an address in US, you can ship anything to that address. They collect it and then ship it to India.

Q: Why do I need proxy?
A: You cannot access the US Google Play store otherwise

Q: What if the product is faulty?
A: Then you will unfortunately have to ship it back to US and then get it back which might cost a couple of thousand bucks. A huge loss. But luckily not many phones have failed.


----------------

I will breakdown the costs now:

Device = $350/ Rs.21500
Ship (in US) = $14 / Rs.750
Tax (in US) = $0 for Oregan, $25 for New Jersey, >$25 for NY
------ (below specific to PPOBox)--------------
Shipping to India = Rs. 618
Customs duty + other taxes = 1746

Total = Rs. 23726

The later part, i.e. shipping to India + duty will vary depending on which one your use HSG or PPO or SnS etc. I personally do not know which one is the best. All have been found favourable. I just chose this as PPOBox provides a sealed box.


A lot of information is just scattered around in different Nexus 4 threads, if any confusion still persists then I suggest going through the following threads >
http://www.techenclave.com/communit...-pre-order-8gb-rs-21728-16gb-rs-25490.141020/
http://www.techenclave.com/communit...xus-7-16gb-13k-and-pantech-burst-7-4k.146047/
http://www.techenclave.com/community/threads/nexus-4-definitive-thread.145717/
http://www.techenclave.com/community/threads/google-to-launch-nexus-4-7-and-10-in-india.146319/

My attempt is to consolidate it in a concise manner and mostly just summing up the queries I myself had and posed on fellow member. I though it would only be befitting if I summaries everything that resulted out of those countless queries.



Credit to:
varkey
mjumrani
benryu
prateekS
agantuk
mpaspc



varkey said:
My 2 x Nexus 4 s have cleared customs and here is the exact cost break up - @prime

2 x Nexus 4 = Rs 40386.71
International Shipping (HopShopGo) = Rs 1,640.62
Customs + Fedex handling charge = Rs 3214 (Rs 2876 + Rs 338) - Declared Value - 737.6 USD, Assessable Value - Rs 41088 and duty at 7%.

Total = Rs 45241.33 or Rs 22621 per phone! :)
Click to expand...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Awesome. Do we need to enter our name along with PPOBox shipping address while checking out on Google Play?
 
Rahul++ said:
Awesome. Do we need to enter our name along with PPOBox shipping address while checking out on Google Play?
Click to expand...
Yes.. you have to your PPO BOX ID which is generated for each shipment you want to send to your PPO
 
Rahul++ said:
Awesome. Do we need to enter our name along with PPOBox shipping address while checking out on Google Play?
Click to expand...
When you create an account with PPO Box they give you an address. Simply copy and paste. Do not make any changes. You do not have to add or remove anything since the format includes your name and also the unique account no. of yours.

Once again, just coz I used PPO Box here doesn't necessarily mean it is the best. However, yes, my experience has been pretty good with them.
 
When using PPO Box, its better to omit the word "PPO" from the address, they may think its a PO box address and cancel the order (This had happened with another TE member's order) Just make sure you include your package id and PPO Box id somewhere in the address.
 
I thought and thought a lot, and realised that I really want the next generation 1080p display smartphones. And with the next Nexus being announced 1 day before my college semester getting over (after which I have 2 and half months holidays), I think it would make complete sense if I go for it instead.

Nevertheless, always was waiting for someone to post the process in this format! Good job
 
Unrelated to the topic but does having a 720p or 1080p display in such a small device really make a difference? Isn't the extra battery drain of the FHD panel going to be a con especially for an OS like Android. 720p itself seems like a lot for such small screens.
 
Yeah. But then again you don't need 2 GB RAM. Or a Quad Core processor. And a ton of other things.

It's just there. And people want it!
 
Sarath_ said:
Unrelated to the topic but does having a 720p or 1080p display in such a small device really make a difference? Isn't the extra battery drain of the FHD panel going to be a con especially for an OS like Android. 720p itself seems like a lot for such small screens.
Click to expand...
The screen resolution is especially useful for web browsing.

You can view the full desktop version of a website without zooming them out. You get text clarity, easier to read.

I can see the clear difference between the Nexus 4 with 768p display at 4.7" and a Galaxy Grande with 480p display at 5"

You can also the difference in video playback.
 
comp@ddict said:
Yeah. But then again you don't need 2 GB RAM. Or a Quad Core processor. And a ton of other things.
It's just there. And people want it!
Click to expand...

If it was iOS, I wouldn't really bother with the specs much but Android is quite demanding and honestly 2GB RAM doesn't feel like an overkill. I am not sure what quad processors are for though. My point was, will a difference be appreciable between 720p and 1080p.
 
dexBG said:
<snipped> I can see the clear difference between the Nexus 4 with 768p display at 4.7" and a Galaxy Grande with 480p display at 5"
You can also the difference in video playback.
Click to expand...
I was refering to 720p and 1080p. The lower res phones are easily noticeable as grainy.


Even I was all hyped about Full HD screens on phones but later realised, is the extra battery drain and tax on GPU really necessary and/or are the gains in screen resolution visible for such tight ppi density.
 
I saw xperia z in stores yesterday.and really there was no difference between 720p galaxy s3&one x and 1080p xperia z.Human eyes cant appreciate ppi more than 340.also displaying 1080p will be more resource demanding so its better to get a 720p phone instead with higher specifications.
 
Here is the cost break-up of 2x Nexus 4 shipped through HopShopGo

2 x Nexus 4 = Rs 40386.71
International Shipping (HopShopGo) = Rs 1,640.62
Customs + Fedex handling charge = Rs 3214 (Rs 2876 + Rs 338) - Declared Value - 737.6 USD, Assessable Value - Rs 41088 and duty at 7%.

Total = Rs 45241.33 or Rs 22621 per phone!
Click to expand...
 
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