An Apple Authorized Retailer in Taiwan, not the Apple Store

How to Buy a Laptop in Taiwan

Shopping for laptop computers in Taiwan is designed to make the buyer feel they won a great deal through a series of flexible promotions. What an experience. A great deal has good CP值, cost-performance ratio, the all-important (yet entirely vague) metric for people who activate their Asian grandma bargaining powers.

1. The advantage of buying computers online is being able to return items and clearer pricing.
2. Things change at physical stores, where if you’re feeling lucky, you can negotiate a little more CP值.

Returns… ?

Laptops at Costco in Beitou, Taiwan. Costco is almost the same as America — same 90-day return policy, longer lines for free samples. The best return policy in Taiwan.

If the laptop is already broken, the store must take it back. Otherwise sellers don’t have much of a return policy, if at all. ‘No returns’ can be just as annoying as it sounds, especially if it doesn’t work the way we thought. The things we often use cost more than money.

“All sales final. No refund or exchange.” — Taipei electronics store

So how do we know we’re getting what we paid for? The solution Taiwanese stores came up with is when we buy a laptop:

• The salesperson opens…