Oh, prepare to be mind-blown. Let me tell you how it works. Someone goes to the US (such as a direct flight to NY or ATL), they hop off the plane, load a backpack full of laptops, then fly back and resell them without paying import taxes or VAT. It works even better if the person flying is flying for work and someone else buys the ticket.
It's not scalable, but works pretty good when a group of friends purchases them.
Cost of MBP in the US: $2,799 (€2,390)
Cost of MBP in NL: €3,199 ($3,746)
Cost of plane ticket from NL to US: (pre-covid) ~€600
You have to get rid of the packaging, and dump all the manuals etc or otherwise you might get a date with customs to explains why you have 10 unopened MBP's in your backpack and you get a nice import fee + VAT or you can leave them at the customs office. Also, you get about 10% tax added when buy.
I like processing through Newark, New Jersey the best. They seem to have the least propensity for wasting your (their) time, or else a very good nose on who the actual problems are in the crowd and focusing their attention on them. [edit: and these use beagles to check luggage! How cute is that.]
There is only anticlimax :) The ‘executive’ screener was kindly about helping me sort them into a line of individual trays and then back into the luggage and didn’t show the slightest curiosity about any of it.
It's not scalable, but works pretty good when a group of friends purchases them.
Cost of MBP in the US: $2,799 (€2,390)
Cost of MBP in NL: €3,199 ($3,746)
Cost of plane ticket from NL to US: (pre-covid) ~€600