US Citizen Interested in moving to Buenos Aries

[Sequoia1321]

you don't.

you buy from mercado libre, which is argentina's version of amazon basically. amazon does reach here, but the products that will ship internationally are not as many and you will pay a fortune in import taxes probably. if you want something from the outside, you bring it in yourself.

the ease of e-commerce in the US is not the same here.

Is it a problem finding good quality products and variety of products? Are things like computers and cell phones more expensive there? Can I find locally things like Google Pixel phones, various popular tablets, laptops, etc. for similar prices as here? Also, what about Roku?

 

[sts7049]

Is it a problem finding good quality products and variety of products? Are things like computers and cell phones more expensive there? Can I find locally things like Google Pixel phones, various popular tablets, laptops, etc. for similar prices as here? Also, what about Roku?

electronics are much more expensive here. particularly apple products, but generally everything is probably 20-30% more expensive at least, depending on what it is.

i've never bought a phone here, i have a pixel 2 with google fi. works great for me here.

computers or tablets, i would never buy here. you won't find the latest stuff, and it will still cost you much more than outside.

i don't have roku, i use netflix and hulu but with VPNs, to access the US content.

 

[Ceviche]

What's it like purchasing products online, from Amazon, Ebay, or other online stores?

Use Mercado Libre. Its basically for products fabricated or made in Argentina or sold 2nd hand here. But works pretty much like amazon without the international variety like amazon has. But its super efficient.

 

[jlynch]

electronics are much more expensive here. particularly apple products, but generally everything is probably 20-30% more expensive at least, depending on what it is.

i've never bought a phone here, i have a pixel 2 with google fi. works great for me here.

computers or tablets, i would never buy here. you won't find the latest stuff, and it will still cost you much more than outside.

i don't have roku, i use netflix and hulu but with VPNs, to access the US content.

from my experience a lot of imported products (electronics or bicycles/components) can be between 2x (blue rate) - 3x (official rate) times the US/European prices....if they are not assembled in Argentina. You buy something on amazon from here they take 100% deposit of Cost + Insurance + Freight to pay customs duty....and you are unlikely to get much of it back.

have a look here https://www.linio.com.ar/ and compare prices between Argentina and Chile for same electronics product on the website.

Some devices may be cheaper at blue rate, but seem to be "assembled" in argentina or through other agreements.

Hay modelos de celulares que, en dólares, se consiguen más baratos en Argentina que en EEUU o Chile

Hay smartphones que en el país valen, teniendo en cuenta la cotización del dolar blue, un 30% menos. En el caso de las computadoras, en la mayoría de los casos los equipos siguen siendo más caros a nivel local

www.infobae.com

 

[Sequoia1321]

from my experience a lot of imported products (electronics or bicycles/components) can be between 2x (blue rate) - 3x (official rate) times the US/European prices....if they are not assembled in Argentina. You buy something on amazon from here they take 100% deposit of Cost + Insurance + Freight to pay customs duty....and you are unlikely to get much of it back.

have a look here https://www.linio.com.ar/ and compare prices between Argentina and Chile for same electronics product on the website.

Some devices may be cheaper at blue rate, but seem to be "assembled" in argentina or through other agreements.

Hay modelos de celulares que, en dólares, se consiguen más baratos en Argentina que en EEUU o Chile

Hay smartphones que en el país valen, teniendo en cuenta la cotización del dolar blue, un 30% menos. En el caso de las computadoras, en la mayoría de los casos los equipos siguen siendo más caros a nivel local

www.infobae.com

Are the products that are made in Argentina good quality?

 

[EL_TIGRE_de_Tigre]

That's interesting. So you think 25K a year could be earned remotely? What kind of work? The 500K would be nice to have, but not everyone has that kind of cash, and it sounds like it can be done for less, especially if you can work remotely. Are you an investor? Might you tweak your strategy with some investments, natural gas, crude oil, maybe put 50-100K of it in those while they're at relative low levels and just wait for a pop and get 50% or double your money, assuming it doesn't go to negative like it did before, which seems very rare. Or what about VIX futures when they come back down, buy some of those and wait for a pop, never tried it but something I would be interested in. Tell me about what you think about this strategy that is more for my own personal situation:

I have a couple of books that I've been writing but almost never get a chance to because of full time work. If I move to Buenos Aries with 200 or 300K, can I find work online, this time part time, and make ends meet, while spending the rest of the time finishing the books?

NO! That's not what I said!

I said >>> "In my opinion, a person can be BULLET PROOF with $500K in the bank and annual income of $25K in USD."

The 25K or more can come from something as simple as social security, a pension plan or an annuity ... assuming the person is of retirement age. If the person is of working age and they have amassed a lot, they could simply draw down 25K per year from their bank vault ... assuming they had one.

Income levels of $25K+ year are few and far between in Argentina for the masses ... So it's not happening any other way except for remotely. And I can think of many ways a person can hit that number walking backwards, let alone making a significantly higher number if they were to actually make some effort.

To save you the trouble of asking me ... Moving containers of goods from Argentina to EE UU can be very lucrative if you have the connections and you know what you are doing. This can be a source of significant income (6 figures or more) if you make hay when the sun is shining and roll up your sleeves. (I will not share what I would target, but each person can use their own imagination on this one.) But the important thing here is that the direction is from Argentina to ROW (Rest of World.) because no one can afford to pay anything in this country to let you make a profit ... assuming you were bold enough to have employees in this crazy place.

Depending upon your specialty, (You are an attorney.) you could make any number of things work with serving clients remotely ... anything that is not overly dependent upon personal consultation, or in partnership with someone based in EE UU who would benefit from you being remote.

And if you are in the financial services industry and know what you are doing, you can still advise clients, run your own operation or trade your own account. This is a territory for pros only. Anything short of that and you will lose your shirt trying to trade.

There is more, but these are a few examples to think about that have a lot of headroom to make a lot of money.

No not everyone will have 500K, but again, I am sharing what I think the minimum number is TO BE BULLET PROOF in Argentina.

As for your line of questions that begin with ... Are you an investor?

None of what you are talking about is suitable for anyone who is not a professional market participant. You will simply lose your money and get very sick over it. And if you were to actually make any money in the face of not being a pro ... it would be dumb luck and nearly impossible to be consistent.

So you aspire to be an author? I can't evaluate that, but I can be confident that is is competitive like anything else out there. BUT I WILL SAY THIS ... Don't let me or anyone else dissuade you from following your path in life ... you may be quite good at what you do and be the next mega author. Nothing ventured, nothing ever can be gained.

 

[EL_TIGRE_de_Tigre]

from my experience a lot of imported products (electronics or bicycles/components) can be between 2x (blue rate) - 3x (official rate) times the US/European prices....if they are not assembled in Argentina. You buy something on amazon from here they take 100% deposit of Cost + Insurance + Freight to pay customs duty....and you are unlikely to get much of it back.

have a look here https://www.linio.com.ar/ and compare prices between Argentina and Chile for same electronics product on the website.

Some devices may be cheaper at blue rate, but seem to be "assembled" in argentina or through other agreements.

Hay modelos de celulares que, en dólares, se consiguen más baratos en Argentina que en EEUU o Chile

Hay smartphones que en el país valen, teniendo en cuenta la cotización del dolar blue, un 30% menos. En el caso de las computadoras, en la mayoría de los casos los equipos siguen siendo más caros a nivel local

www.infobae.com

I once bought a bicycle in Argentina as a present for a very deserving child. I paid 3 to 4 times what that same bicycle would cost in another country ... and I was fully aware of it all. Regardless, the child enjoyed a magic moment and I am glad I made it happen.

Prices for a lot of things in Argentina are silly and that is a good part of the problem why the country is eternally stuck in reverse.

 

[Sequoia1321]

NO! That's not what I said!

I said >>> "In my opinion, a person can be BULLET PROOF with $500K in the bank and annual income of $25K in USD."

The 25K or more can come from something as simple as social security, a pension plan or an annuity ... assuming the person is of retirement age. If the person is of working age and they have amassed a lot, they could simply draw down 25K per year from their bank vault ... assuming they had one.

Income levels of $25K+ year are few and far between in Argentina for the masses ... So it's not happening any other way except for remotely. And I can think of many ways a person can hit that number walking backwards, let alone making a significantly higher number if they were to actually make some effort.

To save you the trouble of asking me ... Moving containers of goods from Argentina to EE UU can be very lucrative if you have the connections and you know what you are doing. This can be a source of significant income (6 figures or more) if you make hay when the sun is shining and roll up your sleeves. (I will not share what I would target, but each person can use their own imagination on this one.) But the important thing here is that the direction is from Argentina to ROW (Rest of World.) because no one can afford to pay anything in this country to let you make a profit ... assuming you were bold enough to have employees in this crazy place.

Depending upon your specialty, (You are an attorney.) you could make any number of things work with serving clients remotely ... anything that is not overly dependent upon personal consultation, or in partnership with someone based in EE UU who would benefit from you being remote.

And if you are in the financial services industry and know what you are doing, you can still advise clients, run your own operation or trade your own account. This is a territory for pros only. Anything short of that and you will lose your shirt trying to trade.

There is more, but these are a few examples to think about that have a lot of headroom to make a lot of money.

No not everyone will have 500K, but again, I am sharing what I think the minimum number is TO BE BULLET PROOF in Argentina.

As for your line of questions that begin with ... Are you an investor?

None of what you are talking about is suitable for anyone who is not a professional market participant. You will simply lose your money and get very sick over it. And if you were to actually make any money in the face of not being a pro ... it would be dumb luck and nearly impossible to be consistent.

So you aspire to be an author? I can't evaluate that, but I can be confident that is is competitive like anything else out there. BUT I WILL SAY THIS ... Don't let me or anyone else dissuade you from following your path in life ... you may be quite good at what you do and be the next mega author. Nothing ventured, nothing ever can be gained.

Thanks. That sounds like useful info. I'm an attorney but work in a very specialized areas where I don't work with clients. I just review documents for companies, so I'm very dependent on them. I can't just do it on my own as far as I can tell. I may have to find a new line of work online, but since cost of living is so low in Argentina should not be difficult to get started. I agree trading is a tough business and I already tried it and failed. But investing is another story. Buying low, selling high, without a stop loss is not as difficult as professional trading or day trading. Can you tell me more about the container business? Sounds interesting. It makes sense that exporting from Argentina is the way to go. My books are more of an interest, maybe hobby, that might make money as well. Not necessarily what I"m counting on to pay the bills.

 

[Iznogud]

Electronics rule of thumb: everything costs at least twice as much (biggest problem is people hardly earn half as much). Apple officialy does NOT exist in Argentina but is a major status symbol. Therefore you'll see plenty of devices around in certain areas and circles but the stuff was bought and brought/smuggled from abroad. Here is almost unaffordable and there's absolutely NO official support. You might risk dealing with pseudo-specialists. A gamble.
Apple stuff also makes you a thief-magnet.
Computer related goods are basic and choice extremely limited. It's a tiny market all things considered so the bulk of what gets imported is for the basic, funds starved user.
Most computer goods chains have vanished for lack of customers. Retainwrs offer the exact same products. People have turned mostly to online vendors.
Chile is where you want to get your electronics.
BUT you can bring all your goodies without questions. Only nationals get shaken at Customs. You may bring an elefant between two slices of bread and declare it as a meat sandwich and no one will ask questions.
Phone brands are few down here. Samsung is the most popular along with LG maybe. Phones might make you a target in the upcoming economy. Discretion is welcomed.

Iz

 

[antipodean]

Is it a problem finding good quality products and variety of products? Are things like computers and cell phones more expensive there? Can I find locally things like Google Pixel phones, various popular tablets, laptops, etc. for similar prices as here? Also, what about Roku?

Forget anything that is imported.
Import taxes can be 100% of the items value.
A new basic MacBook costs A$450.000. A new (Small) car costs A$1.000.000.
The price you would pay for a MacBook in the US you would pay for a crappy HP here.

It is essential to understand that Argentina is (and has been for a very, very long time) a closed economy. You just won’t find most of the brands and products you are used to at home. And if you do, you pay many times more for it. Consumer products that are available are mostly low quality and extremely expensive for what they are. If “things” are important to you then you need to have a budget to travel to the US and shop at least once a year.