Is it worth buying household appliances now? Is it worth buying household appliances on credit?

Olga Nikitina

Reading time: 10 minutes

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Today, no one can live without household appliances in the house. Everyone wants modern washing machine, a new spacious refrigerator, plasma and other household amenities. Alas, the price for such pleasure usually exceeds the income of the average person who has to go to the bank for a loan. What are the features of a loan for household appliances? What are the advantages and disadvantages? What should you pay attention to when taking out such a loan? Is such a purchase on credit justified?

Advantages of purchasing household appliances on credit

Household appliances on credit. Underwater rocks

Any loan comes with pitfalls, which better to know in advance than to fall into financial bondage. The main "rife" is interest. For example, initially the client is told about 12 percent, but after a while, already in the repayment process, it turns out that in reality the rate reaches as much as 30 percent. Therefore, you should require that the final rate and payment schedule be indicated in advance. It is also worth remembering the following pitfalls:

Experts advise not to take out a loan if you plan to spend the funds on something that will not increase in price. These products also include household appliances.

Why you shouldn’t rush to buy household appliances on credit

• Household appliances are becoming cheaper very quickly. For example, a fancy TV that you buy today will cost you less in three or four months.
• As quickly as the cost of technology falls, models change too. More modern technology options are appearing.
• After postponing the purchase for a month or two, you may realize that this thing is absolutely useless to you(for example, the third TV in the house).
• If the need for technology is really urgent, it makes sense to start ask for a loan from friends(close) to avoid interest.

When is it worth taking out a household appliance loan?

• If it's difficult to save(impossible), and a TV (refrigerator, washing machine, etc.) is desperately needed. For example, in the event of a sudden breakdown of old equipment.
• When moving to new apartment Usually they buy new equipment and take the old one to the dacha. Of course, it is impossible to buy everything at once with cash - for an ordinary Russian this is too much expense. This is where credit comes in handy. Several products at once It’s much easier to take out - you don’t have to take out a loan for every purchase.
• If you don't have cash with you, the funds allow you to take out equipment on credit, and you really like the goods in the store - again, a bank loan helps out.
• If it is a child’s (husband, wife, etc.) birthday, and I want to please it, for example, with a new computer, for which it is simply impossible to have time to save up or borrow.

• A long-term loan is unprofitable from two positions at once: firstly, you overpay an impressive amount in interest (sometimes it reaches half the cost of the product), and secondly, the product will become obsolete in one and a half to two years and will cost much less.
• It is preferable to take out a loan technology that doesn't get cheaper, and for the shortest possible time.
• Short-term loans will always be the most expensive. Pay attention to the rate and each clause of the contract.
• When studying the terms of the contract carefully study the fines in case of delay (early repayment), loan terms, commissions (procedure and amount), etc.
• Do not be embarrassed when contacting a consultant for clarification - he is obliged to answer all your questions. Demand calculate the total payment amount for your specific purchase.
• In a situation where it suddenly turns out that the seller has hidden overpayments, the true size of the bet and other payments, the client has the right to demand restoration of justice for himself.

One of the most interesting lending options for consumers today is considered installment plan . The overpayment on the loan will be minimal, and the difference in the rate will be repaid to the lender by the store. The price difference in this case is due to discount schemes for those goods that are eligible for installment payment . This option can be found in many retail chains.

It is difficult to imagine our life without household appliances. Therefore, every family has a TV, refrigerator, washing machine, microwave oven, computer and other technological advances. And every year manufacturers offer new models of household appliances with richer functionality and new capabilities. But buying new equipment requires money, which is always in short supply. However, this does not mean that you will have to postpone the purchase to a later date.

Today, in any store selling electronics and household appliances, you can make a purchase on credit. Thanks to this, you can become the owner of the model of refrigerator, TV or laptop you like right away, and pay for the purchase in small installments over several months. It is important to understand that commodity loans have their own pros and cons.

The advantages of buying household appliances on credit include the following:
— the necessary equipment is purchased here and now with borrowed money;
— in this case there is no threat of an increase in the price of goods due to rising inflation;
— payment is made in small amounts, which does not greatly burden the family budget;
— a loan for the purchase of household appliances can be obtained without a down payment;
— you can often find an offer of a trade loan without interest, that is, in installments;
— with the help of trade loans you can correct a damaged credit history, since banks in this case are less demanding.

Disadvantages of equipment loans include:
— overpayment for the purchase in the form of interest;
— the need to allocate funds for a long time to pay off the loan;
— rather high interest rates;
— the risk of seizure of equipment purchased on credit in case of non-repayment of the loan.

Whether to buy household appliances and electronics on credit or not is up to everyone to decide for themselves. This is justified if the old equipment is out of order, and your own savings are not enough to buy new ones. Moreover, if you can do without a TV or a vacuum cleaner, then if the refrigerator breaks down, an urgent replacement is required. Otherwise, many products will spoil. If the need for household appliances cannot be called urgent, then it makes sense to delay purchasing them. Moreover, it is quickly falling in price due to new models going on sale.

Also, buying equipment on credit will be justified if you move to another city. It hardly makes sense to take all your old household appliances with you, since the cost of transportation over long distances will be too expensive. It makes more sense to sell it and buy everything on credit in the new place.

And, of course, the opportunity to apply for a trade loan immediately in the store will be useful when you urgently need to purchase a smartphone, laptop or food processor as a gift.

Don’t rush to apply for a loan for equipment at the first store. If you have time, it is recommended to look for offers with a lower interest rate. If you're lucky, you may find an offer for the necessary household appliances in installments. In these cases, you can significantly save on interest or not spend money on paying it at all.

Days move exclusively along the work-home-work route. On weekends, they either try to simply sleep off, or go out in order to at least somehow change the situation. It’s not easy for them to find time to go shopping to get the perfect washing machine or hob. Such people can save their time by ordering the necessary household appliances from an online store.

Advantages of purchasing equipment from an online store

First of all, the administration of an online store does not need to rent spacious premises for a sales area - just one warehouse is enough. Additionally, the staff at a brick-and-mortar hardware store appears very bloated compared to the staff at an online store. But the costs of wages sales consultants, loaders, cashiers, administrators, drivers, service personnel and other employees are included in the price of the goods sold.

Another advantage of an online store is the opportunity, without leaving home, to monitor the availability of the desired product in different stores, its price in them, clarify all the characteristics you are interested in and read those who have already purchased such a product.

How to choose a reliable online store for household appliances?

To clear his conscience, a potential buyer can call Rospotrebnadzor and ask whether its employees know this online store. If the answer is negative, it means that over the years of the seller’s existence there have been no complaints about him, therefore, customers were satisfied with both the purchased product and the service.

The main thing that the courier accompanying the delivery of your chosen equipment should provide you with is a sales receipt and a warranty card. Only in this case, if the product breaks down, you have the right to demand its repair or replacement with a similar product of proper quality.

Finally, an important criterion for the reliability of an online store is the possibility of different options for receiving payment from the buyer. If, for example, a store does not accept money through a bank, this may indicate that it is not registered. Consequently, there may simply be no one to file a claim that the purchased product turned out to be of poor quality.

Thus, buying equipment in an online store means saving a lot of time and money; it is only important to take the choice of store and product seriously.

In the days “before the conquest of Crimea,” when exchange rates were stable, questions about where it was cheaper to buy smartphones, laptops and other electronics usually did not arise. Even taking into account the cost of delivery from European online stores, the price was much better, not to mention shopping while traveling.

A lot has changed since then. The dollar and euro in terms of rubles have risen noticeably in price, but Russian retailers, of course, have changed their price tags (but many of them promised that the cost of equipment will not rise as much as the exchange rate).

We already know whether it makes sense to buy Chinese smartphones and other gadgets in their homeland. The time has come to deal with Western stores and decide for ourselves the same question: where do we overpay - “there” or “here”.

We took popular (and expensive) products as test products: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 32 GB and iPhone 7 32 GB smartphones, MacBook laptop Pro 13’ 128 GB and an amateur DSLR camera Canon EOS 750D Kit. We looked into the stores of official retailers of these brands in Russia and in some European countries. We calculated the cost in rubles, at the current exchange rate, immediately subtracting VAT and adding, if necessary, the cost of shipping - to make it easier to compare.

How much does electronics cost in Russia?

The starting point for us will be prices in Russian retail chains, which are authorized sellers of most brands. Let us remind you that VAT in Russia is 18%, and it cannot be deducted.

Is it worth buying equipment in Germany?

The most famous electronics retailers in Germany are MediaMarkt and Saturn. Both of them are part of Media-Saturn-Holding, but are considered competing brands on the market (although the prices of most of their products are the same). The retail chains MediaMarkt and Saturn have long gone beyond Germany and are found in many European countries, including ours. Saturn did not work out in Russia, although the retailer made an attempt to enter the market, but MediaMarkt has been working with us for more than 10 years and, apparently, is doing well here.

Both MediaMarkt and Saturn have an online version, but without delivery to Russia. But in both, you can easily fill out a Tax Free form for a VAT refund (analogous to our VAT), and return part of the money spent at the airport (19% of the cost of the goods, the check amount should start from 25 euros). In our table, the cost is already inclusive of tax.

You can't go past Computeruniverse. This is a multi-brand online store with a good reputation and direct delivery to Russia. The store has a Russian-language version, where prices are converted into rubles, and the tax has already been deducted. We also took into account the percentage that the store takes for payment by card, as well as the cost of delivery to Russia.

What will electronics stores in Italy please you with?

In the Italian market, the largest retail chain is MediaWorld. MediaMarkt, known to us, operates under this name in the Apennines. Also, in almost all major cities you can find electronics stores of the Unieuro and Euronics chains; they can also be trusted.

As in the case of German stores, we immediately deducted VAT from the cost of the goods in the hope that you will not forget to apply for Tax Free at the border. You can return 15.5% of the purchase amount, provided that you spent at least 154.95 euros per day.

We do not advise you to buy electronics in Italian online stores. Firstly, it is very difficult (if not impossible) to find those with direct delivery to Russia, and secondly, the reputation of Poste Italiane is no better than that of Russian Post.

To France for wine or for an iPhone?

As in Italy, it makes sense to buy equipment in French electronics stores only if you are passing through here. Surprisingly, MediaMarkt is practically not represented in France, but it is being successfully replaced by other consumer electronics networks - Fnac and Darty. To them - it was impossible to resist - we added Auchan.

The amount of value added tax (TVA) in France depends on the category of goods. The highest rate applies to household appliances and electronics - 20%. Please note that for a refund the total amount of the check must be at least 175.1 euros.

Should I buy electronics in Spain?

As in France, you can find many outlets of the Fnac retail chain. One of them is located in the very center of Barcelona - it’s convenient. A few years ago, MediaMarkt also entered the Spanish market. The Worten and Miro chains are less known to Russian tourists, but they also deserve attention.

VAT in Spain is high - 21%, but this only works to our advantage, and you can get a refund on checks starting from 90.16 euros.

What if you go through Poland?

Poland is not always the final destination of the route, but for those who travel to Europe by car, it is difficult to pass by this country. In Poland we will meet MediaMarkt (him again!), and Poles also like to go to the “crypts” of the RTV Euro AGD, Komputronik and Mediaexpert networks for equipment.

In Poland, VAT will be refunded if the product costs more than 300 zlotys (about 4,400 rubles), the tax itself is 23%. You can issue a refund at the airport or at the border with Belarus (by the way, you can also stamp Tax Free checks and other EU countries there if you are traveling by car).

Should you go to Finland to buy electronics?

Finland is considered one of the most expensive countries European Union. It is all the more interesting to compare prices in Finnish electronics stores with Russian ones. There are several large chains here, the most famous of which are multi-brand stores with both retail outlets in many cities and online representation - Verkkokauppa, Gigantti and Expert.

The tax refund amount varies depending on the type of product, the total amount, and the method of receipt; for simplicity, we took the average value - 13%. The minimum cost of goods is 40 euros.

Are there any pitfalls?

Certainly. Here are some tips on how to avoid bumping into them:

• You can always check prices on the store’s website. But not all of them, as it turned out, welcome visitors from other countries. For example, to explore the Fnac website, we had to use a VPN connection.
• As you already understand, the benefits become especially noticeable if you receive a Tax Free refund. Usually, the chain stores we wrote about have no problems with issuing Tax Free checks, but just in case, it’s worth clarifying this issue before purchasing.
• IN different countries European Union different rules registration of checks at customs. In some, customs officers turn a blind eye to the fact that the purchased device has been opened and is already in use; in others, on the contrary, they are required to present the goods in the original packaging. In any case, it is better not to throw away the box.
• It is also worth clarifying the issue with the guarantee. Manufacturers often provide a single guarantee that is valid in all European countries, including Russia, but not always. In this case, it's up to you to decide whether the savings by purchasing are worth losing the free service during a year.