Importing Devices
I’ve often wondered if people who recommend importing devices which are only available in specific countries realise it’s a self-defeating practice.
Companies monitor sales through channels, they don’t know where the end customers are. So if, for example, there’s a product only available in US, and you buy it from a US-based supplier, the company producing that product sees it as a US sale rather than one for the country you’re in.
If you, and many of the other early adopters of the product in your country, have imported it from a US-reseller, when the product does come to your country you’re unlikely to buy it again, and so demand in your country seems lower than it actually is (i.e. local demand appears to be locals who want it minus those who imported it)
So you end up in a vicious circle; Companies see good sales where they first release the product, and lower than expected demand in countries where it’s released later, and so prioritise making new products available in those first release countries, early adopters see this pattern so get used to ordering it from a reseller in a first-release country, which re-enforces the companies demand model for the first release countries, and so on, and so on.
So if you want to see products locally; don’t import them yourself. Contact local suppliers and the company producing the product and ask when it’s going to be available. If they won’t give you a date then hold off buying it. In the end that’s that only realistic way to show them that demand exists in your country and not lead them to believe that demand for their product is only strong in a few areas.