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Comment by KhalilK | Hacker News Reader

Relevant video: https://vimeo.com/134128443

A very interesting video, thanks! So the question is, how can I get my hands on something from Shenzhen that works? I've seen people importing Chinese smartphones that are equivalent to high-end products on Western market but for half a price. But could anyone share some tips on finding and getting a device that may be more functional than what you can buy in Europe/US?

I'd just browse dealextreme or aliexpress: http://www.dx.com/attr/cell-phones-accessories-599/cell-phon...

e.g. http://www.dx.com/p/xiaomi-4-quad-core-android-4-4-3-bar-pho... which can be compared against the OnePlus 2 here: http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/xiaomi-mi-5-needs-to... (headline says mi5, scroll down)

My personal oppinion is that dx is lacking the newer Android devices. Geekbuying.com is often better in this regard. DX has for example not the latest Meizu or Ulefone phones.

Well, if you're in Europe, find some info about VAT and customs duty rates and limits for imported goods and how individual customers pay them. Here in Slovakia, for example, if I buy anything over 20€ from China, it will be held by the post office until I come and pay 20% VAT on it and if it's more than around 140€ (I don't remember the exact amount), I have to pay duty too.

There is a EU-based shop of dx at http://eud.dx.com/. At least, they ship via the Netherlands. Not as fast as a typical EU-based shop but it takes out the hassle with customs

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