“I can’t believe that just happened, man!” My friend mumbled, still fuming from his experience upon arrival to the Quito airport.
“I just had to pay $250 in import tax for this TV I brought that doesn’t even cost that much in the States.” He continued.
“It comes out to about the same as just buying one here, and I wouldn’t have had to lug it around all day!”
I know.
It’s stupid.
Ecuador doesn’t even let you bring ONE TV over 25 inches with you from abroad, even if its for personal use.
With just about anything else, even cell phones and computers, they’ll let you bring one or two on your person as you travel to Ecuador as they’re deemed for personal use.
But not TVs.
Obviously, they’re trying to protect the raging Ecuadorian industry of TV production. (Insert sarcasm here.)
Thankfully, technology is always one step ahead.
And on my last trip back to the US about 2 weeks ago, I found a viable option.
It was my second to last day in the States, and as I walked through a Kohl’s store with my mom in Montana, I noticed something interesting.
Originally meant for gamers, I saw these new-age, ultra-cheap home projectors that you can plug directly into your Direct TV cable box, your XBox or DVD player that then project on any surface, but preferibly a white wall, a picture up to about 120 inches. Check out this guide from BuyDLP.com on the best projectors for reasonable prices.
And the resolution is surprisingly crisp.
Obviously not High-def.
But good.
And they only cost $55 as of the last week of December, 2014. And if you sign up for a Kohls card, you get 30% off. Total spent, $38.50.
They are not common in Ecuador, and upon arrival to Ecuador I quickly checked with a few of the biggest electronics stores to see if they carried them.
Nope. Not yet. But I think they could be BIG in Ecuador in the very-near future.
Especially if import restrictions continue to tighten on TVs.
What I really like about these are that they are more portable than a normal TV, and for someone with a property on the Ecuador coast… I feel more comfortable leaving this in there when I’m not there for long periods of time then an expensive TV (huge target for thieves).
Here’s one example of one for sale on Amazon complete with USB port for projecting images from a computer or smart phone as well as the HDMI and 3 pronged outlet cords for projecting TV programming from your cable box.
Here’s one example of one I found on Amazon… http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MAH0CTU?psc=1
In fact, can’t say I don’t practice what I preach… I’m in the market for about 10 of them right now.
So, if you’d like to bring one down with you let me know!
You could bring one or two down with you hassle-free for sure as they would surely be deemed for personal use.
Now, how to find the best-priced properties in Ecuador? For that and more subscribe to my weekly Ecuador Insiders Newsletter below, you can unsubscribe at any time: