I bought a MacBook Air M2 at the same time as importing it. Price is lower than in the USA

Everything has already been done for parallel import, when cars, gadgets, clothes and shoes are not officially sold in the country, but you can buy them without any problems or restrictions. We did not notice a shortage at the start of sales of the iPhone 15 Pro and, together with the coronavirus, we tested the Apple Vision Pro around the world.

Officially, there is a parallel extension of imports until the end of 2024, which means that you can continue to make profitable purchases of foreign brands in Russia.

A year ago I already bought Mac mini on the processor M2 Pro. Then, before purchasing, I looked for different options, compared prices from carriers, resellers, and even considered options from “particularly knowledgeable entrepreneurs” who promised to teach profitable purchases abroad.

Topic: How profitable I bought the Mac mini 2023, cheaper than in the USA

As a result, it turned out to be more profitable to buy a Mac on one of the marketplaces, having successfully applied coupons, cashbacks with points and rubles from the bank. Then Mac mini on M2 Pro taking into account returns and discounts it cost me about RUB 104,725. What was lower than the price of a computer in tax-free US states. This year I decided to demonstrate a trick and buy a MacBook at a profit.

Which MacBook did you choose and why?

I have been an adherent for a long time Mac mini, I work on it with a well-chosen display and a mechanical keyboard. But on vacation, traveling and business trips, a compact work machine is not enough. Many times a computer replaced an iPad for me, but each time it was cost and suffering.

Tired of looking for ways to connect an iPad to a Mac mini as a main monitor. By the way, here is the most relevant and simplest of them. And I have long come to terms with the fact that Apple never releases an iPad with macOS and full-fledged applications.

Topic: Why the iPad Pro is not needed in 2024. Even if you put an M100 Ultra processor in it

And here you need to update your old Windows PC without being tied to an external system. I decided to look for options on how to profitably buy different models of MacBook Air. I immediately discarded transportation and outbids and went to study prices on marketplaces.

Here you can find the MacBook Air of the three latest models:

► MacBook Air on M1 – still a vigorous laptop that solves most daily tasks. You can still use this, but it’s definitely not worth buying a new one, we’re already interested in why. The model is 2020, which means that in 2-3 years it will no longer receive current macOS updates.

► MacBook Air on M2 – a newer and more productive model, which will receive +2 years of relevance when compared with its predecessor. It also has MagSafe and a 20% cheaper screen.

► MacBook Air on M3 – a new product for 2024, which is practically no different from the trends of the generation. It gives +15-20% performance and a slight increase in SSD speed.

Topic: How do MacBook Air models differ? Compare MacBooks M1, M2 and M3

I chose the middle model – MacBook Air 13″ 2022. I no longer looked at the old but peppy M1, and I didn’t find any great deals on the newest M3.

How much did you buy a MacBook Air 13″ 2022 for?

As with the Mac mini purchase, the most interesting offers included green banking options. I don’t know how they do it, but I’m happy with the result.

The Marketplace initially offers a higher price, but generous coupons for expensive goods often arrive in your personal account. And on opportunities, they return part of the cost of purchasing points. You can spend them both on your next purchases and on orders of groceries or ready-made food. I received cashback from purchasing a Mac mini a long time ago and returned)

Topic: Where did such cheap iPhone 15s come from in Russia that simply flooded the market? Who is guilty

This is not a one-time promotion, this is a permanent policy of the marketplace. Above is a link to a similar story with iPhones.

Found MacBook Air 13″ on the processor M2 behind 120,000 rub.. This is slightly more expensive than the average price on the market. But 20 thousand cut off the promo code and more 18 thousand marketplace with return points. The combo was finally restored when the bank gave a 10% discount on the purchase of one item from the market.

As a result, the laptop cost me 72,500 rubles; this model currently costs in the USA. US$999 or approximately 92 thousand rubles.

How the MacBook Air came to be via parallel import

The parcel arrived in a few days. The device was imported from a warehouse to Russia, which means there is no need to pay duty.

Unlike last year Mac mini, MacBook Arrived in an opened package. The keys have an unoriginal engraving of the Cyrillic alphabet, the English numbers are located strictly in the center.

Topic: I’m talking about laser engraving of MacBook buttons. Is it dangerous to do this, what are the pros and cons, loss of warranty

The laptop itself did not turn on, it turned on at the initial setup stage, and after the first turn on it showed 1 battery charging cycle. Includes a 30 W adapter with one Type-C port and an American plug. This can easily be corrected with an adapter for 350 rubles.

A few days later, the correct date of sale and warranty period appeared in the conditions. In any case, you can correct the data through support.

Topic: How to increase the warranty period of Apple gadgets when purchasing through parallel imports

The laptop has the April release of macOS Ventura installed. And during the initial setup they gave 3 months of subscription to Apple arcade.

I consider the purchase successful; I hope that such parallel imports will last for the entire sanctions period. I wish you successful purchases of Apple equipment and more.