Hello everyone, I have never owned a laptop before( PC user from the very start), I want a laptop for my IT career(coding stuff) but I have a really low budget and wanna buy just a second hand laptop that can run some lightweight Linux distro. The thing is that laptop prices are really high here in India, you can get a second hand laptop that has an i5 and 4gb ram for about rs.17000 (204 dollars), my aunt is in Canada and they are coming back to India next year so i can just ask them to bring me a laptop I went to ebay.com and found some really cheap options like “HP ELITE BOOK 840 G1” for just 30 dollars, now the question is that is it okay to buy a 30-60 dollar laptop from eBay and will they allow it while passing through the airport ???
Departing with it from Canada and getting through airport security shouldn’t be an issue. People travelling with laptops, even multiple ones, is obviously super common.
However, I don’t know what the rules on importing goods into India are. Customs may have restrictions or require import taxes to be paid.
I would assume a lot of people also travel to India with a laptop. How would they know if it is being imported or if the aunt is just traveling with it?
Some countries used to require you to list expensive gear (mostly cameras back then) and either pay a deposit or prove that you’re taking it back. I’ve never encountered it but it could be something countries with strict import rules still do (it’s more commonly done the other way - if you leave the country you can get documentation on the way out so you don’t have to pay import tax when you come back with the device).
It’s also possible that they do it only if you bring more than one per person. (I think this may be the rule India applies, but you should check it.)
They might also just ask whether your aunt is taking it back or leaving it in India as a gift, and charge her the tax when she says it’s meant as a gift. Lying would be illegal, but as you pointed out, possibly hard for them to prove…