Buying electronic kitchen appliances to take home to the UK from India

I nearly always buy various kitchen items when I am India, usually just tiffin boxes, thalis, utensils, etc. as there is a much larger range and they are cheaper than in the UK. Recently I have been lusting over a few kitchen appliances that I know will be cheaper in India than buying them in the UK (as they will have to be imported, etc.). You see, I am very happy with my ultra pride + which I bought in the UK (was imported - high price!), but I am thinking of also getting a mixie as the food processor I have at the moment is rubbish. I have heard that some people buy them out in India and take them home, but I have a few questions about this.

First, although the voltage will be correct for the UK, the plug will surely be a 2 pin instead of 3, and will not be usable in the UK except with an adaptor. This will of course be possible to sort out, but a bit annoying. I know nothing about electronics - is it possible to fit a different plug to an appliance? Has anyone here brought back an appliance and adapted it for use in the UK?

Secondly, how does this work with customs? Due to the size of the item itself, I will probably post it back to the UK. Either way though, through customs at the airport or through postal customs, I may still face extra charges if it is applicable on what I am buying. I really do not know to much about this and would like to know if items such as a mixie or a similar kitchen appliance would incurr a customs charge. Basically, could I get in trouble or have to pay a charge if I try to post or take such an appliance out of India? I am not confident about just relying on hearsay from others who have brought back appliances - how the law actually applies would be good to know.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

you can pack a mixie in your luggage but don't cross the allowed weight.

A sharp knife, a screwdriver, a pair of pliers...

But if you have to ask about changing plugs, then you certainly should not be doing it yourself. Easy to learn, though, for the future!

Your Indian device will not only have the wrong plug (two or three round-pin (that would work fine if you had never had your house rewired since '50s, it is the old British standard!)) but it will have no fuse. You need to put a three-flat-pin plug and take advice on what fuse it should have.

Customs... There is a maximum amount that you can carry into your country duty-free. This you should check with British customs and excise sites. You have to total up all the items.

OK, although the OP's question is 8 months old the answer might benefit someone:

First off, i think you'd have to be crazy to purchase electronic items in India and take them to the UK. Yes, they might be optically cheaper but invariably the quality is usually a lot lower. I found this out to my detriment and for the past two years have basically purchased all new stuff in Europe, then taken it here. One notable exception is my India made Black and Decker clothes iron which I purchased here because it's not a fancy model with all kinds of whistles and bells that can break. Very happy with it. Apart from that there's the problem with the plugs.

As far as customs is concerned you need to distinguish between two scenarios:

a) You carry the item into the EC in your personal luggage: There's an exemption of customs duty and VAT if the item does not cost more than about 420 EUR (or the equivalent in GBP, customs legislation is harmonized). Caution: if an item costs a single penny more then you have to pay on the full amount.

b) You're sending stuff via mail: there's a general exemption unto 20 EUR declared value. If you surpass that then you'll have to pay duty and VAT on the item. Don't try and undervalue stuff, customs officers are no fools and they've seen it all before.

I would disagree about the quality. Some of those Indian mixies are really made to last. They are also made to take punishing grinding work that European stuff doesn't face.

Sticking to the "traditional" Indian makes should probably be safe. Of course, I can't be sure they make them as well now as when they made the ones that are still going strong after twenty years!

I'd buy Braun, Kenwood, Magimix, etc, back in UK ... but there are an assortment of attachments that come with the Indian mixie that an Indian cook just won't feel at home without.

I've noticed that Indian manufacturers are not necessarily as cheap as they could be. They know the cost of similar imported products, which carry hefty duty, and price their own product just enough below to make them attractive. In other words, the high cost of imports encourages higher prices in local goods.

Ha ha, old question and moot now as for the next few years will be living in India anyway...though I will damn well be taking my mixie back to UK!

I would say that prices of mixies etc. are much lower here in India than prices in UK.

I'll also say that quality is very good. I've never had a problem. Of course there are budget brands of lower quality, but I even have acquaintances who swear by these and say they are very good actually. Another point is that there simply is no UK equivalent to the mixie, so what am I to compare it to?

Food processor or liquidizer.

I know people who bought Indian mixers/grinders (Sumeet) in Singapore and bring it back to India because it was cheaper!!

There was a time not long ago when everything in India was optically and otherwise iffy, but it lasted for years. Cars and mixers included. Then we discovered and embraced modern capitalism and 'built in redunduncy'. Now everything is built to last just a few years, same as everywhere else.

While I realize the following experience is not representative, just a couple of examples to illustrate what I mean:

2 years back I purchased a toaster in Home Stop, Saket, don't recall the brand but it was certainly not the cheapest. It was broken right out of the box. Had to raise my voice to get a refund too. Electrical switches: have had to replace 8 of them since arriving here, these are locally made. Ditto taps that start leaking after a year. Never, ever had a switch fail anywhere else in my entire life. Power stabilizers: purchased some of these beasts upon arrival, all locally made, all dead within one year (and they were correctly matched to the load of appliances connected). Been running my appliances without stabilizer for the past 2 years without issues. Small Godrej fridge in my office: it cost 1/6 th the price of my -made in Japan, purchased in Europe- behemoth that stands in the kitchen. Broken after 14 months. The list goes on. This is why I try to avoid purchasing anything here.

But I agree that crap has become the norm world over. It's designed to last 2 to 3 years if you're lucky and then you're supposed to be a good consumer and replace it. Some items such as clothes from mainstream manufacturers have become practically throw away.

If you want quality you have to search hard and pay a super premium price. All my furniture is either custom made according to my specs or comes from a few brands that deliver quality and charge accordingly. In the normal shops (not only in India) I only see badly made rubbish. Before moving over I donated a (then) 12 year old Miele washing machine to a family member. Still going strong after 15 years, not one repair. Of course it cost about 900 EUR back in 1997, nowadays their top line model would set one back about 2k EUR.

We're creating a mass consumption proletariat.

Absolutely agree. Seeing it happen in all the so called more advanced and modern appliances all around.

Which translates into Made in China for the cheap penny pinching greedy companies

Why buy anything here? I can buy a toaster in ASDA for 6 pounds. Most likely made in China but cheaper due to bulk buying power. No import duty either.

Meh, not the same. For a very reasonable price you can get a mixie with many attachments, different size jars, etc. that is capable of whipping malai into butter, making idli/dosa batter, grinding spices, blending smoothies or soup, grinding chutney...is there a decent cheap food processor that can do all of that? If so, would love to know as I have not been able to find one in UK.

Am very pleased with my new Philips mixie by the way. I think it's good to have a mixie and a wet grinder as sometimes you just have a small job and the wet grinder is too much hassle to get out. Plus mixie can do various other tasks, as mentioned above.

No, I think you are right: the products sold in India are really tailored to Indian needs. I don't think, for instance, that one finds mixies with steel jars in UK.