February 23, 2026
Cheap bytes, pricey flights
Decided to fly to the US to buy some hard drives
He flew to New York for cheap drives—comments scream savvy, sketchy, and pure nostalgia
TLDR: A UK shopper flew to New York and bought ten 28TB hard drives, saving hundreds per unit compared to local prices even after tax. Commenters split between calling it smart cross-border bargain-hunting, joking about “crime,” and warning about travel risks, highlighting huge global tech price gaps
One UK data hoarder just booked a points-paid dash to New York, scooped up ten 28TB external drives, and hand-carried them home—after filming every serial number in a hotel like a heist movie. Why? UK prices were eye-watering: about £568 each locally vs roughly £300 after VAT in the U.S. He split purchases between two stores to dodge five-per-customer limits.
The comments turned the story into a showdown. Pragmatists shrugged: “Nothing fancy—just different prices and taxes,” with echoes of the 80s when Europeans flew stateside for cheap PC gear. Others piled on the drama. The meme of the day: “The secret ingredient is… crime,” nudging the age-old debate over parallel imports and customs declarations (the poster says they paid VAT).
Safety worriers chimed in, warning that flying to the USA is risky and suggesting a local friend ship the goods. Bargain hunters in America moaned that prices have doubled since 2024, joking about reverse flight deals to wherever drives are cheaper. And then there’s the logistics nerds cheering the foam-insert Tetris, testing every unit, and avoiding freight-forwarder cancellations at Best Buy and B&H.
If you’ve got points, patience, and a taste for drama, airport-to-NAS is the new coupon stack
Key Points
- •A UK buyer flew to New York to purchase ten 28TB external hard drives due to lower U.S. prices and UK stock/pricing issues.
- •Drives were bought from both Best Buy and B&H Photo to work around each retailer’s five-drive purchase limit and stock variability.
- •Best Buy’s payment rules required a U.S. billing address; payment was completed via Amex with foreign exchange fees.
- •The buyer tested each drive in a hotel using tools (including SeaTools) and recorded serial numbers to verify authenticity before returning to the UK.
- •After adding 20% import VAT, each drive cost about £300 versus £568 on Amazon UK and £420 for recertified units on eBay UK; drives were installed in an 8‑bay NAS (6 data, 2 parity).