January is traditionally a time to bag a bargain at the shops, but many consumers are feeling the pinch more than usual this year as many goods are now subject to the UK’s new 20% VAT rate.
Skyscanner has researched the prices of some popular products and can reveal the savings to be made by shopping abroad.
iPad – New York – save £127
Apple’s iPad is the must-have gadget for tech fans in 2011: six million of the tablet devices were sold in 2010 with experts predicting that twice that number will be shifted worldwide this year. Buy the iPad at Apple’s glass-walled flagship store on Fifth Avenue in downtown New York and save 29% on the cost here in the UK – enough to keep you in new apps for the rest of the year.
Flights to New York start from only £266 return so total cost of flights plus iPad = £579
iPad 16GB WiFi
Price in the UK: £439
Price in the US: £313 ($499)
SAVING: £127
Tiffany Jewellery – Florida – save £113
This year sees the 50th anniversary of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and while the New York branch of Tiffany’s may be the famous flagship store, it is at the Bond St store in London where prices really rocket. However, savvy shoppers can head to the Orlando outlet where a saving of 23% can be made on the classic Heart pendant, the ideal Valentine’s Day gift.
Flights to Orlando start from only £299 return so total cost of flights plus pendant = £673
Elsa Peretti Open Heart Pendant
Price in the UK: £485
Price in the US: £374 ($595)
SAVING: £113
UGG Boots, Australia – save £92
Many thousands of pairs of UGG boots are shipped to the UK each year, but it is still far cheaper to buy the boots in their Australia. A whopping 46% can be saved when buying UGG boots in their native country, another reason to take a wander down under this year.
Flights to Australia start from only £579 return so total cost of flights plus UGG boots = £657
Classic Short UGG Boots
Price in Australia: £78 ($125)
Price in the UK: £170
SAVING: £92
Ping Golf Clubs, US – save £52
Not only does the West Coast of America offer miles of pure sunshine and golfing utopia, but the clubs are also cheaper. Golfers keen to get to grips with a new driver this summer can save nearly 30% on the price of the popular Ping Rapture driver, the brand of choice for world no.1 Lee Westwood.
Flights to Los Angeles start from only £314 return so total cost of flights plus golf club = £501
Ping Rapture V2 Driver
Price in US: £187 ($299)
Price in the UK: £239
SAVING: £52
*Prices taken from apple.com/uk, apple.com, tiffanys.co.uk, tiffanys.com, office.co.uk, uggaustralia.com/au, Roger Dunn Golf in LA and The Golf Shop UK and confirmed in-store prices on 21/1/11
*All comparisons based on exchange rate quoted on xe.com on 20 Jan.
*Goods purchased abroad may be subject to import VAT and customs duties
