[AMA] I Bought a Steam Deck

drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 10:08
Last edited 25/11/2022 - 10:39

I bought a Steam Deck (64GB) from Valve using a VPN then had it shipped to AU using Reship.

All in, it cost me $794.75 AUD

Purchased from Valve 02/11 and arrived in Wacol QLD 17/11. (Spent about 1 day with Reship in the middle)

I really love it. Amazingly tuned piece of hardware and extremely versatile if you're happy to put in a bit of extra effort to get things working in Linux.

How I purchased it:

  1. Sign up with Reship to get USA address
  2. Wise Debit card for USA billing address and USA currency (also better exchange rates)
  3. Used Windscribe USA VPN (not actually sure if this is required) to change my Steam wallet(currency) to USA and bought $5 USA credit using Wise. There's some prompts involved like changing your address but Wise has a NY address you can use if you Google it.
  4. Purchase the Steam Deck and get it sent to Reship using your USA address. Use Wise NY address for billing address.
  5. When it arrives at Reship, pay them to send it to your AU address. It's all online. They'll ask for the value of the item and will sort out customs and duty.

Hopefully I haven't missed anything - if you want to try and have issues, DM me :)

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Comments

    • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 10:21
      +7

      Fair enough… I just found there to be little info about what's involved in buying a Steam Deck from AU when I was looking. Thanks for your feedback!

      • cmdwedge on 25/11/2022 - 10:28
        +11

        Don't listen to him. This is a somewhat difficult item to get into Australia, so an AMA is really useful.

    • Synticulous on 25/11/2022 - 10:26
      +10

      I care?

    • RetroMetro on 25/11/2022 - 10:43
      +6

      People who are actually interested in buying one maybe…

    • DASHCAM NOW DUDE on 28/11/2022 - 21:47
      +8

      Bro, you literally did the same thing.

      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/725256

      • Vool on 01/12/2022 - 02:07
        +1

        Incredible

      • kev98 on 05/12/2022 - 23:14

        He is just bitter because he drives a BYD

  • Tee Rex Arms on 25/11/2022 - 10:20
    +1

    Thought this was a steam mop not the incessant computery stuff that fills the front page

  • FireRunner on 25/11/2022 - 10:23
    +1

    That’s not a bad price. How much would a 256GB version cost?

    • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 10:26
      +1

      From my calculations it would would be an extra $186 for the unit + $18.60 GST, so should be roughly $998 all in. Rounded off the numbers since there's exchange rate and shipping factors which would throw off my estimate anyway

      • FireRunner on 25/11/2022 - 10:27
        +1

        I guess you figured the 64GB was best value?

        • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 10:29
          +3

          Yes, I figured I would upgrade to NVME myself "down the track" which should be cheaper, in theory

          • FireRunner on 25/11/2022 - 10:31
            +1

            @drakarn_123: Yeah that’s fair

          • tabz on 25/11/2022 - 10:57
            +1

            @drakarn_123: This is what I did with my partner's 64GB model. Bought a 1TB 2230 NVMe from eBay which was $253.19 shipped. Worked out cheaper than my 512GB model.

            • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 10:59

              @tabz: Awesome! Thanks for that :) I'll definitely be doing that once I'm tired of swapping games on my 256GB MicroSDXC

  • Synticulous on 25/11/2022 - 10:30

    What is the service centre situation over here? Would you need to send it back to the US or to a closer service centre in TW/KR/HK?

    Only thing holding me back from getting one of these, also the biggest factor keeping me from considering the alternatives as well.

    • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 10:32
      +1

      That is something I haven't looked into, sorry. However I assume that if I have an issue, I would need to send it to Reship, then ask them to send it to Valve repairs. Or possibly I would send it directly to the service centre and have them send it to Reship. Pretty messy. Definitely wouldn't enjoy that part of the process if anything bad happens.

    • Ultimate Gattai on 26/11/2022 - 16:25

      I did this once with a GPU from Newegg before they're Australian division was a thing (not that the Australian option is that good), GPU failed several months later, would not recommend. Hence why I'm waiting on the Steam Deck instead of taking my chances.

      • drakarn_123 on 26/11/2022 - 16:39

        Damn, sorry to hear that. I think waiting is the obvious "sensible" option. I'm really hoping I don't have issues with my Steam Deck

        • Ultimate Gattai on 26/11/2022 - 17:03
          +1

          Yeah, I thought I was getting a good deal, but in the end, it costs me more than it would have buying from Scoptech or PCCasegear, lesson learned though.

    • Vool on 01/12/2022 - 02:27
      +1

      Someone on Reddit says they accepted the RMA from Aus, they just had to pay the shipping costs.

      https://old.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/yjnxwn/shout_out…

  • FireRunner on 25/11/2022 - 10:32
    +1

    Could you give a step-by-step guide for how you purchased and imported?

    • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 10:39
      +4

      Added to OP :)

      • FireRunner on 25/11/2022 - 10:49

        Did you make a new Steam account to purchase it? Or did you change regions when buying?

        • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 10:51
          +1

          changed my existing AU Steam account. I thought about making a USA account but wasn't sure if it would get flagged as a scam. Didn't want to risk having my money held up.

          • trankillity on 26/11/2022 - 07:49

            @drakarn_123: This was wise. I had a fried make a new US Steam account to be able to buy one and every time he tried to add more than $50 funds to it, it got flagged. He was back and forth with Valve support for a few weeks trying to get it all sorted.

            • drakarn_123 on 26/11/2022 - 11:21

              @trankillity: Wow, looks like I dodged a bullet! Thanks for sharing, I'll make sure that I don't recommend that if helping anyone else through the process

  • scotty on 25/11/2022 - 10:35
    +2

    What games are you playing on it? Display settings & performance?

    • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 10:44
      +1

      My backlog currently… Trying to get through new DOOM, Witcher 3 and some… Switch emulation. Performance is really good with everything I've tried since the resolution is 800p. I have played it on my monitor using a cheap dock which works fine. I was impressed it worked at 3840 * 1080 60hz with the dock.

  • Switchblade88 on 25/11/2022 - 10:39
    +4

    But does it run Crysis??

  • Ghost47 on 25/11/2022 - 10:43

    So essentially the only foreign thing about it is the plug right? Other than that there’s nothing else localised about it?

    Sort of like buying a grey import Apple product?

    • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 10:46
      +1

      Exactly. I read that the charger works at 240v but I don't have any adapters so I've been using an HP PD 65w charger. I haven't found anything else localised

      • trankillity on 26/11/2022 - 07:50

        You can also use the included plug as it's auto-sensing 110-240v. Just need the socket converter.

  • RetroMetro on 25/11/2022 - 10:55
    +1

    Nice I also just bought a steam deck. Was only used for about 2 months. Was considering importing but I found a good local deal

    • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 11:00

      Awesome! Are you happy? Do you mind me asking which variant you got and how much you paid?

      • RetroMetro on 25/11/2022 - 11:45
        +1

        256gb also came with a 512 gb micro sd card. All up was about $1030. Still coming in the mail. Will give an update once it arrives

      • RetroMetro on 29/11/2022 - 10:25
        +1

        I finally got my deck I'm very impressed with it. Only thing I'm looking for now is a power bank to charge on the go. Have you purchased any power bank for the deck?

        • Porker on 08/12/2022 - 14:49

          Was this a one off purchase or through a seller of sorts?

          Looking to get one too without all the steps

  • Ryanek on 25/11/2022 - 11:00

    How much was the re-shipping service? Always wanted an American address but finding it hard to motivate myself lol

    • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 11:04
      +2

      Reship charged me:
      $7USD "receiving fee"
      $54.96USD "shipping" (I paid for standard FedEx but it got upgraded to express somehow)
      $46.10 "GST"

      Total charged to my debit card was $108.06USD from Reship.

      Pretty reasonable I think. Shipping from USA is expensive.

      • Ryanek on 25/11/2022 - 11:05

        Cool thanks for the info! Is that price based on size and weight?

        • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 11:06

          Yes, they weigh/measure it, they open the package, take a photo and send it to you and fill out the customs declaration. Really impressed with their service

          • MrBear on 28/11/2022 - 10:00

            @drakarn_123: That's probably cheaper than USPS. I'm going to look into them, thanks.

            Does Reship have addresses in states that don't have sales tax (or low sales tax)?

            Edit: I just looked and they are in Oregon which has no sales tax. Awesome!

  • CrispyChrispy on 25/11/2022 - 11:08

    Very nice! What's the battery life like on it? Considering putting Windows on it?

    • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 11:13
      +1

      I thought about loading Windows, but honestly enjoying tinkering with Linux so far. Also I watched the LTT video and its fascinating seeing how choppy the performance is on Windows. SteamOS has heaps of performance tweaking options which is a button push away, and the performance scales really well with lower wattages compared to all the competitors. Battery obviously depends on what you're playing but if I was playing a AAA title like DOOM at full wattage and brightness then I'm guessing I would only get 2 hours, but I'm yet to have such a long session.

    • trankillity on 26/11/2022 - 07:52

      Windows is only really worth it if you want to play games that flat out don't support WINE/Proton (such as Destiny/Modern Warfare). Steam OS and the version of Arch it's built off works really well.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 25/11/2022 - 11:08
    +1

    Not worried about warranty?

    • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 11:15

      Yes, its a concern. I think if it died I would probably sell it for parts to try and recover some costs. Since parts are hard to come by I think they would be valuable in AU.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 25/11/2022 - 11:17
        +3

        i guess it depends how easy it is to pull it apart…

        i still am interested in steam deck but I think at this rate we might as well wait for gen 2 to land in AUS…somewhere in the year 2069 LOL

        • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 11:18
          +2

          Yeah exactly! I'm hoping they do start shipping to AU directly at some point. I decided to go ahead with the purchase anyway, because they never released the Valve Index here.

        • trankillity on 26/11/2022 - 07:54

          They're pretty easy to pull apart and there's parts officially available from iFixIt. From what I understand, about the only thing that's not really replaceable is the battery/mainboard.

  • brendanm on 25/11/2022 - 14:27
    +6

    Wacol QLD

    Inmates really have it all these days.

  • impoze on 25/11/2022 - 21:48

    When is aus release date?

    • drakarn_123 on 25/11/2022 - 21:58
      +1

      I don't think any announcements have been made yet for an AU release

    • trankillity on 26/11/2022 - 07:55
      +1

      It took Valve over 2 years to let EB sell the Index. I wouldn't expect it in AU before 2024, if at all.

      • drakarn_123 on 26/11/2022 - 11:23

        Oh man, I've been living under a rock. I didn't realise EB sold the index

        • Ippy1 on 26/11/2022 - 12:36
          +1

          Yeah, I bought an Index on the second round of releases last year. So tempted to do what OP did and buy via a reshipper, but with all the scare stories about hardware issues I didn't want to buy without a warranty. That said, when I asked EB games about it, they said supply was so tight that in the event of a problem they probably wouldn't even do a repair/replacement, they'd just refund it.

  • Isoleaf on 26/11/2022 - 17:24

    Hey there! Thanks so much for the brief walkthrough 😁 Trying it at the moment but am stuck on the phone part of the steam purchase - how did you set this up?

    • Isoleaf on 27/11/2022 - 15:49

      Just an update! I tried creating a new steam account using a VPN set in the US but eventually, after inputting all of the required billing details/numbers (using the wise details), steam, unfortunately, flagged the account as fraudulent 😅

      So, as per one of the previous posts on this thread, it might better to change your current account to a US region 🏈 However! This may put a temporary change lock which you can't alter for 3 months - a bit of a downside. But if you're willing to go through the hoops, this could work! 🤔 The reason this most likely would work is because steam recognized your established library as legitimate. Any changes will also be a bit more believable from Steam's perspective.

      I'd definitely like to know what phone number you put for the billing details on first purchase - would this be transferwise's number? The billing details I put in were those of transfer wise's address in New York City.

      😫 This whole process is a pain, but I don't feel like throwing in the towel just yet. After spending an agonizing day on setting up reship, wise and all that good stuff, the main blockage for me was the billing phone and billing address on first puchase in Steam. Verification of the wise card also didn't budge 😢 However, money was noticeably taken out.

      • drakarn_123 on 16/04/2023 - 08:59

        Hey bro, I'm so sorry to hear the troubles you had. I stopped getting notifications for some reason so I just assumed this thread was dead. Did you manage to get things sorted? I don't recall getting caught up with the phone number, maybe I used my own? I guess Steam knows my phone number is legit.

        Billing address is the Wise NY address from their website

    • Isoleaf on 27/11/2022 - 15:50

      Also! Would you guys say that $890 AUD an acceptable price to pay for the 64gb model? I feel like its ok as it isn't too far off from OP's price but wanted to know your thoughts 🤔

      • trankillity on 28/11/2022 - 09:52

        Yes, easily. Especially if it's through eBay as you have buyer protection then.

        That being said, 64gb is kinda a joke due to shader caches and you will need to upgrade that SSD pretty quickly. If you don't feel comfortable cracking open electronics and doing some DIY upgrading - would recommend going with 256gb.

      • DASHCAM NOW DUDE on 28/11/2022 - 21:50

        It would have to be main gaming device to want to drop that kind of money on it.

        • trankillity on 01/12/2022 - 09:04

          You are not the target market…

          • DASHCAM NOW DUDE on 01/12/2022 - 09:14

            @trankillity: I can assure you that I am but not worth the extra costs involved by importing it.

            • trankillity on 02/12/2022 - 10:30

              @DASHCAM NOW DUDE: Let's break it down then.

              Base cost = $399USD (~$585AUD direct conversion with no conversion fees)
              Shipping with insurance = ~$100-120AUD due to weight/battery component
              Tax/customs duty = ~$80AUD

              That equates to around the $770-800AUD mark just at a baseline. Then (if buying from eBay), take into account seller's fee and the seller is basically making $0 by charging $890AUD for it.

              So which of these "extra costs" seem unreasonable to you? Genuinely curious if it's anything specific or just some general consumer dissonance happening about the cost of goods and services.

  • GhatT on 16/12/2022 - 00:51

    Wise Debit card for USA billing address

    Sorry, I'm confuesd by this. Are you saying that Wise gives you a billing address in the US that you can use for buying things?

  • deedend on 19/12/2022 - 10:47
    +1

    Hi, Any suggestion about a good and compact power brick for the Deck with an AU plug? If it fits in the back pocket of the case, it would be a massive bonus. I'm currently using a wall plug adaptor, but it's less than ideal

    • blueastro on 20/12/2022 - 02:13

      I’d like to know about this too

      • Pelilah on 06/01/2023 - 19:36

        Id recommend a GAN charger. Theyre tiny and usually have multiple ports. ~$50

    • trankillity on 07/01/2023 - 17:25

      If you ever see yourself taking your Steam Deck with some controllers to a mate's place, I would HIGHLY recommend this charger/dock combo. All you need then is a slimline US pin adapter like these and you're sorted. This allows you to just chuck the power plug in the Deck case then plug in the USB as well as the HDMI for external display.

      Their case for the Steam Deck is also quite a bit better than the stock case. The storage is internal, rather than external plus it has slots for SD cards and a little fold with velcro to prevent your Steam Deck from falling out of an open case.

  • sharky_k on 24/03/2023 - 11:14

    I know this is an old thread, but as I used this method almost exactly to buy the 64gb model with the current 10% off from Valve I thought I would share.
    It cost me about A$540 for the steam deck ($359USD)
    + A$80 for shipping ($63.20USD minus $10 using coupon NOBORDERS with reship).
    I used the cheapest option (FedEx Intl Economy).
    The reship site implies GST/import costs are all factored in, but it was cheaper than I expected, so I'm a little uncertain if I have another cost coming.
    So far only $620AUD in.

    • drakarn_123 on 24/03/2023 - 11:50

      NICE! thanks for sharing!

    • cat-party on 15/04/2023 - 23:46

      Hey mate just wondering if you got your steam deck yet? I ordered mine during the steam sale too but still waiting for it to arrive.

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