Chinese retailers offer smartphones over the Internet at sometimes very low prices - and often even ship to Germany. Are there any bargains in there? Or is anger inevitable?
Berlin (dpa / tmn) - Either unrivaled cheap or otherwise not available here: These should be the two main reasons for consumers to order a smartphone directly from a Chinese dealer.
Anyone interested in such offers should not only know where the device is being shipped from and which customs rules apply. He should also study the technical data of the smartphone carefully, advises the telecommunications portal "Teltarif.de".
European interim storage as the best way
In the best case, it is a dealer who sends the cell phone from a European interim storage facility. Then there are no further costs for the buyer. If, on the other hand, the device is shipped from China, you still have to add 19 percent import sales tax - and assess whether the purchase is still worthwhile. If the option is available, the experts advise you to choose the DHL express delivery service. DHL then takes care of the customs formalities for the buyer.
An important checkpoint in the technical data is whether the desired device supports the LTE band 20 (type FDD with a frequency of 800 megahertz), which is important in this country for both LTE coverage in the country and in buildings. Mobile phones from and for China are often missing because it doesn't matter in Asia.
Select the international smartphone version
If you can choose a specific version of the smartphone during the ordering process, you should always choose the international or global version. Then not only is LTE band 20 mostly on board, there are also Google applications such as maps, which are often missing on devices for the Chinese market.
Before placing an order, the experts generally advise you to study any test reports on the device of your choice or to watch available videos on your smartphone. If you still have specific but unanswered questions about the device, a quick internet search will often help.
As always, prepayment is taboo
Of course, you should only order from trustworthy Chinese dealers or marketplaces. It is worth looking at review portals here, and an internet search with the name of the seller or the site can also help. In order to protect themselves against dubious dealers, plagiarisms and Co., the experts warn against payments by credit card or advance payment and advise on payment services such as Paypal that offer buyer protection.