Remote work and its challenges

Part of the challenges of remote working in Argentina are due to the limited selection of electronics/IT products compared to abroad. they are usually older models and with a price tag higher than elsewhere. Remember my odyssey to find a large monitor when I had to replace my iMac and the best shot I had was to buy a Macbook abroad and connect it to a larger screen, which proved challenging.

One thing that works well for me is the time zone, as most of my clients are based in the US. It was very hard to work with them when I spent a month in the UAE, and when I am in Europe I get inquiries when I am ready to go to bed. This results in me going to bed at 1-2 AM, which is not an issue if I can get up at 9 AM.

One thing I loathe, is that when I shop for a computer or phone abroad, I can only take back one computer or one phone. As a result, when I had to replace my phone and computer I left the old ones in Buenos Aires, planning on buying the new ones shortly after my arrival on the other side of the ocean.

However, my plan didn't work as I got stuck in Italy due to covid, and I was phone-less and computer-less for a week. This may sound a detox vacation, except that being unplanned it was more of a nightmare.

I just returned from 7 weeks in Italy and I loved being able to order stuff online and return them if I didn't like them. I also found out that nowadays it is perfectly acceptable to order multiple items to compare them at home, and return those you don't like. This applies both to electronics and clothing.

While I was away, my husband's iMac started playing funny and he was using my external monitor. However, he first bought a cable on ML that wasn't the correct one. He wasn't able to return it through ML (I don't know the details, he eventually to the matter into his own hands and drove to the shop to explain the issue and exchanged the first cable for a better one - he was lucky that the shop carried also the better cable).

Then he decided to try with a 4k cable that was NOT available in Argentina, and that I was able to source in Italy and bring back. What if I wasn't traveling while he was experiencing these issues?

The inability to receive stuff from abroad is very limiting!

I was ready to fight with Aduana if they were going to have a say on the stuff I brought back.

Quote from GlasgowJohn

If you are bringing in electronics, you will not be detained. But your new electronics may be confiscated.

I heard a story about a chap just off a Miami Flight with 15 I-Phones which had escaped the Customs Official's attention, as they had been hidden in various parts of his overcoat. However as his suitcase passed through the X-ray machine he was asked to explain 15 boxes in his large suitcase. The boxes were empty and he was unable to provide a convincing explanation why he had them and why they were empty. He was invited to visit the search room adjacent to the main Customs Hall and of course, the I phones were found.

They were confiscated and he was fined.

That wasn't very wise of him. Between us, I have always found extremely painful to sell expensive electronics in Argentina. Not worth the hassle/risk, imho. And I was just selling my used electronics when I replaced them with new items bought abroad.

I was bringing home items for our new STR - curtains, accessories, table sets, etc. Nothing fancy, just Ikea and Chinese crap that is impossible or very time consuming/expensive to find here. The convenience of buying everything in a single place is priceless. However, here in Argentina no business is large enough to have a comparable selection.

I can think only of supermarkets like Jumbo, Disco, Coto, Carrefour, but still their selection of home accessories (pots, pans, cutlery, sheets, etc.) is limited and quality is very low, while prices are higher than in Europe because it is all imported.

Some stuff is available also here, but from small importers that have a limited selection. Here in Villa Crespo there are many of these shops that sell anything from cutlery to scented candles, beauty accessories, bins, dishware etc.