26
[Help] Buying Steam Deck locally vs internationally (startrek.website)
submitted 4 months ago by xkbx@startrek.website to c/steamdeck@sopuli.xyz
17 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I was wondering, is there any reason why I should buy the Steam Deck abroad in France instead of in my home of Canada?

So I (Canadian) am surprising my friend (from France) with a Steam Deck in October when I go visit them. It will just be the cheaper LCD version, since they won’t care about (or notice) the difference in quality.

Aside from buying adapters for the plug, I literally can’t think of a reason why I should buy it directly in Europe as opposed to getting it in Canada. It would be a lot easier since I can have it delivered to my address, don’t need a specific day and time for it to be delivered, don’t have to deal with any issues of ordering things in a foreign country (sometimes you need to have a local address to order and have things delivered, etc)

That said, I wanted to still check and see if there’s something I’m forgetting or just outright unaware of. I know there’s specific power requirements for the Steam Deck, but mine worked just fine with an adapter when I was last there in January.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] mbirth@lemmy.ml 12 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

https://www.douane.gouv.fr/fiche/volume-and-value-based-customs-and-tax-allowances

Value-based allowances, which apply to goods you’re carrying (purchases or gifts), mean that you don’t have to fill in a customs declaration or pay tax or duty. You don’t have to declare goods (including gifts) so long as their total value or their quantity doesn’t exceed the allowance limits.

The overall market value of goods cannot exceed the following amounts:
Arriving by plane or ferry: €430

Any item whose value exceeds the limit must be declared and you will need to pay the amount of value added tax (VAT) and customs duties that would usually apply. These duties and taxes apply to the full purchase price on the receipt or an agreed-upon estimated value.

If you are bringing multiple items into the country, each item will count toward your overall limit; once you reach the limit, any surplus goods will be taxed.

Also note that the Steam Deck contains a Li-Ion battery and thus isn't allowed in the cargo hold. So you'd have to take this into your carry-on onto the plane.

EDIT: Oh, and since it has a Li-Ion battery, you'll have to take it out of its packaging and have it scanned separately during the security check. At least that's how it usually is when travelling in the EU.

[-] xkbx@startrek.website 1 points 4 months ago

I haven’t had any issues last time when I brought my OLED Steam Deck into France, and typically I only bring carry-on. Then again, I also really don’t mind traveling light.

this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2025
26 points (100.0% liked)

Steam Hardware

19887 readers
315 users here now

A place to discuss and support all Steam Hardware, including Steam Deck, Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and SteamOS in general.

As Lemmy doesn't have flairs yet, you can use these prefixes to indicate what type of post you have made, eg:
[Flair] My post title

The following is a list of suggested flairs:
[Deck] - Steam Deck related.
[Machine] - Steam Machine related.
[Frame] - Steam Frame related.
[Discussion] - General discussion.
[Help] - A request for help or support.
[News] - News about the deck.
[PSA] - Sharing important information.
[Game] - News / info about a game on the deck.
[Update] - An update to a previous post.
[Meta] - Discussion about this community.

If your post is only relevant to one hardware device (Deck/Machine/Frame/etc) please specify which one as part of the title or by using a device flair.

These are not enforced, but they are encouraged.

Rules:

Link to our Matrix Space

founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
Moxvallix@sopuli.xyz
Fubarberry@sopuli.xyz