How to import a Steam Deck with MyUS

[Shas'o Kais]

Gents you might want to look here it seems this might be lekker way to get it

https://www.amazon.com/Valve-Steam-Deck-64-GB/dp/B0BFC555RF/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_ci_mcx_mr_mp_m_0?pd_rd_w=4CWnj&content-id=amzn1.sym.8d9df0b1-324b-4c0a-a13b-e10a9334cd53&pf_rd_p=8d9df0b1-324b-4c0a-a13b-e10a9334cd53&pf_rd_r=SQ31Q9XKD0MNRQDM6ZZA&pd_rd_wg=sqLdx&pd_rd_r=80ec1b5f-2acc-4d71-bd8e-137ea40da0e3&pd_rd_i=B0BFC555RF

 

[WolfGod]

For what it's worth this doesn't seem to work with Steam, I still paid US tax on my Steam Deck which boosted the price to around $425. I have successfully ordered other stuff in the US also via myus.com using their tax free zip code which did work correctly (i.e., no US taxes) so I think it's just that Steam checkout process doesn't recognize this or something, I supposed one could contact them and ask but I chose to rather just pay the $25 than risk them just cancelling my order.

So I just ordered the 64GB model and upgraded the SSD to 512GB myself (which I found very easy to do), it works out way cheaper than the official 512GB, personally I don't care about things like an exclusive case, I guess the anti-glare screen coating would be nice but not worth the extra cost to me, haven't had any issues with glare to be honest.

Hi how did you pay using a South African credit card or did you use paypal at checkout or did you provide the myus address as the billing address as well?

 

[WolfGod]

Hi I'm also new here and would like to know how the payment step works when using South African credit card do I use the myus address as billing details or will paypal work somehow or do i switch to south african payment at the last step or something?

 

[redarrow]

Hi I'm also new here and would like to know how the payment step works when using South African credit card do I use the myus address as billing details or will paypal work somehow or do i switch to south african payment at the last step or something?

I used a debit card, paypal didn't work. I used the myus.com address as the billing address.

 

[WolfGod]

I used a debit card, paypal didn't work. I used the myus.com address as the billing address.

My payment failed with my credit card its probably because I used the wrong billing info

 

[WolfGod]

I used a debit card, paypal didn't work. I used the myus.com address as the billing address.

Can you say what bank that debit card belongs to maybe its just that valve got a bit wiser and patched it

 

[Cpt.DipStick]

Hi I'm also new here and would like to know how the payment step works when using South African credit card do I use the myus address as billing details or will paypal work somehow or do i switch to south african payment at the last step or something?

Sup,
Credit card should have worked, did you get a reason as to why it failed? I usually use the forwarding address as my billing address.
But even adding your personal address as a billing address wouldn't be a problem. I see mixed responses online as to using forwarding addresses as your billing address

 

[redarrow]

Can you say what bank that debit card belongs to maybe its just that valve got a bit wiser and patched it

It was my Capitec virtual debit card. I did first try using my FNB credit card and that failed for some reason.

 

[WolfGod]

Sup,
Credit card should have worked, did you get a reason as to why it failed? I usually use the forwarding address as my billing address.
But even adding your personal address as a billing address wouldn't be a problem. I see mixed responses online as to using forwarding addresses as your billing address

The first time it said rejected by bank the 2nd time it said an error occurred please try again in a few minutes, I then tried paypal and it failed to verify my paypal region with the myus forwarding address now paypal is holding my payment as a pending payment which should be returned in a couple days maybe, could it be possible because I was trying to make a payment with the vpn still on? I saw another post from J Briggs he didnt use a vpn during payment step and seems to have worked for him

 

[WolfGod]

It was my Capitec virtual debit card. I did first try using my FNB credit card and that failed for some reason.

Did you make payment with or without the vpn on?

 

[redarrow]

Did you make payment with or without the vpn on?

I only used a VPN to open the US based Steam account, after that I never used it again.

 

[WolfGod]

Well I have to wait awhile before I get my money back from paypal to even think of trying again

 

[Cpt.DipStick]

Looks like Incredible Connection are selling them now -

Prices are slightly marked up from what it would cost to import them, but might be worthwhile since should anything go wrong you can handle the warranty through them?

https://www.incredible.co.za/catalogsearch/result/?q=Steam+deck

 

[Shas'o Kais]

Looks like Incredible Connection are selling them now -

Prices are slightly marked up from what it would cost to import them, but might be worthwhile since should anything go wrong you can handle the warranty through them?

https://www.incredible.co.za/catalogsearch/result/?q=Steam+deck

Yeah I checked out a few other stores aswell in SA but them prices dam

Might consider the Asus ally if its going to be cheaper

 

[Cpt.DipStick]

Yeah I checked out a few other stores aswell in SA but them prices dam

Might consider the Asus ally if its going to be cheaper

Phew yea those prices are spicy 😂 I basically got my 512Gb cheaper than the price of a 64Gb locally... But having someone to assist with the warranty locally is a big plus - and this also means someone could finance it and pay it off instead of dropping that cash which might be suitable for some

That Asus handheld looks super interesting 😯 hope you get one soon man!

 

[Fatmaninhell11]

Howdy all -

I commented on another post regarding importing a Steam Deck with Aramex and had a lot of queries on how that would work, I thought I'd summarise it for everyone here.

T's & C's
Take this with a pinch of salt, the reality of it is importing into SA is risky regardless of who you're doing it with, so make sure you're covered for such events. I've heard stories from a retro gaming community I interacted with of someone losing a massive shipment with a trusted shipping company, so make sure you're covered from opportunistic individuals.

I haven't imported a Deck myself, but this is how I'm planning to do so.

I'm not affiliated with Valve or MyUS/Aramex, so following this guide, is at your own risk.

Steam Deck box weight/dimensions
Using this post as an estimate to work from, which roughly equates to:
1.81437 kg, 45.72 x 15.24 x 12.7 cm

What is MyUS.com?
Similar to Aramex Global Shopper, they are a company that offers forwarding addresses in the US and UK. They ship through other shipping companies - like FedEX, DHL, etc.

Standard MyUS account is free.

Sidenote:
Duties are where you might get a surcharge, and is dependent on how the courier sets the product category. Gaming, for example, is 0% according to EasyShip. I'll be using 9% in my calculations according to the SARS import duties document I came across, on the last page.

I'm open to some insight into this for someone more familiar

Shipping cost roughly equates to:
USD 58.65 - FedEx Economy (2 - 5 days)
USD 73.49 - DHL Express (1 - 4 days)
MyUS charges an additional $6 to handle placing a fire hazard sticker as it has a LiPo battery.
Shipping insurance with MyUS is slightly more expensive @ $2.99 per $100 of the items value, so let's assume it costs $11.96

I'll be using the DHL option in my example, as I know that they do handle shipping dangerous goods.
Assuming you have your MyUS account setup:

1. Get your favourite VPN
2. Set it to use a North American server
3. Create a new Steam account
4. Set your address to the MyUS Forwarding Address in America ( you could set it elsewhere, but... Defeats the whole purpose)
5. Order your Deck
6. Await delivery to the MyUS address
7. Upon delivery, give MyUS a day or so to process & link it to your account.
8. Shipping will be calculated here, which you can choose to pay or at a later stage
9. Your deck will be shipped to SA, you'll see some photos of the parcel etc uploaded on the MyUS tracking page
10. When it comes into the country, you'll need to provide the invoice of what you paid for it (screenshot the email you received when making the purchase)
11. Make the customs payment, you can choose to make the shipping payment together at this point too
12. After customs has cleared it, it'll be delivered to your house
13. ???
14. Play with your Deck

Estimated cost breakdown:

MyUS account: R0
Steam Deck (64Gb): $399 (R6929,39)
MyUS Insurance: $11.96 (R207,71)
MyUS shipping via DHL: $73.49 (1276,29)
VAT: $59.85 (R1037,13)
Duties: R609,54 (9% of $399 according to above, $35.19)

Total: R10060.06

Spoiler: Original content for Aramex

What is Aramex/Aramex Global Shopper?
Aramex is a shipping company. Aramex Global Shopper is a service they offer, allowing parcels delivered to one of their designated offices (hereby referred to as forwarding addresses) worldwide, where they will ship a package to you locally, handling the transport from your originating country to SA (in this context), assisting with Customs/tax payment and local delivery.
AGS offers a standard once-off account and a Flex (per month/per year) (Premium account) which reduces some shipping costs depending on weight and has some additional features.
For high-value items, AGS offers AGS Protect, which insures your item for $1 per $100 of value over an initial $100 value.

Standard AGS account: R75 once-off

Steam Deck box weight/dimensions
Using this post as an estimate to work from, which roughly equates to:
1.81437 kg, 45.72 x 15.24 x 12.7 cm

Shipping cost roughly equates to:
840.40 ZAR without Flex
687.50 ZAR with Flex

Ordering your Deck
The following is what I did to create an account to get a Steam Link when they were being sold at a ridiculously low price when Valve cleared their stock.

Sidenote:
Duties are where you might get a surcharge, and is dependent on how the courier sets the product category. Gaming, for example, is 0% according to EasyShip. I'll be using 9% in my calculations according to the SARS import duties document I came across, on the last page.

I'm open to some insight into this for someone more familiar


Assuming you have your AGS account setup:

1. Get your favourite VPN
2. Set it to use a North American server
3. Create a new Steam account
4. Set your address to the Aramex Forwarding Address in America ( you could set it elsewhere, but... Defeats the whole purpose)
5. Order your Deck
6. Await delivery to the Aramex address
7. Upon delivery, give Aramex a day or so to process & link it to your account.
8. Shipping will be calculated here, which you can choose to pay or at a later stage
9. Your deck will be shipped to SA, you'll see some photos of the parcel etc uploaded on the AGS tracking page
10. When it comes into the country, you'll need to provide the invoice of what you paid for it (screenshot the email you received when making the purchase)
11. Make the customs payment, you can choose to make the shipping payment together at this point too
12. After customs has cleared it, it'll be delivered to your house
13. ???
14. Play with your Deck

Estimated cost breakdown:

AGS account: R75
Steam Deck (64Gb): $399 (R6914,18)
AGS Protect: $3 (R51,99)
AGS Shipping: R840.40
VAT: $59.85 (R1037,13)
Duties: R609,54 (9% of $399 according to above, $35.19)

Total: R9528.24

If I forgor💀 anything, let me know and I'll update.

Edit 1:

• There may be a shipping charge when purchasing your Steam Deck and getting it delivered to Aramex in the US. Not sure what this is offhand.
• Keep in mind the regular import rules from our beloved SARS - in a calendar year, no more than 3 items, or exceeding the value of R50 000 - otherwise you'll need to get an importers code.

Edit 2:

• Updated to use MyUS instead of Aramex - as noted, Aramex doesn't ship hazardous items (and since this has a LiPo battery...)
• I'm not planning on doing a group buy at this point, it's a lot to navigate regarding risk & finances, and I'd like to stay away from SARS' radar as much as I can

thank u for this, is this still the best method to get a deck oled for example ? in terms of payment can u use your local bank card or done through paypal ?

 

[Cpt.DipStick]

thank u for this, is this still the best method to get a deck oled for example ? in terms of payment can u use your local bank card or done through paypal ?

Phew, it's been a while since I've checked the details of this post, so take it with a pinch of salt.

PayPal will probably be beneficial if you have issues receiving your Steam Deck and want to lodge a dispute - but personally, if you use a trusted retailer and courier like AGS or Scotts Shipping then I wouldn't bother with PayPal and just make the payment out right.

 

[Fatmaninhell11]

Phew, it's been a while since I've checked the details of this post, so take it with a pinch of salt.

PayPal will probably be beneficial if you have issues receiving your Steam Deck and want to lodge a dispute - but personally, if you use a trusted retailer and courier like AGS or Scotts Shipping then I wouldn't bother with PayPal and just make the payment out right.

Thank u for this, has anybody tried mygsm ? I can post the details later but it works out to 2337 AED which is R 11842 with supposed door to door shipping. But I'm not sure how reputable they are. It seems this device is from the UAE. It just that the oled on takealot is so expensive and with it not really coming here other than parralell imports we not going to get many second hand units. So just exploring the options out there