Three import paths and what each costs
Path 1 · Personal carry (handheld in baggage): cleanest. Personal-use MacBooks fall under Pakistan's customs allowance for travellers. Up to one laptop per traveller is generally allowed duty-free for personal use; the second one may attract duty.
Path 2 · Courier (DHL, FedEx, ARAMEX): customs duty + sales tax assessed on arrival. Typical effective rate 20-35% of declared value. Add courier fees for a laptop and customs clearance handling.
Path 3 · Commercial import (for resale): proper HS-code declaration, full GST registration needed. Effective tax + duty 30-40%.
Worked example · MacBook Air M3 13"
US retail looks cheaper on paper, but after 20-30% duty + tax on the courier route, plus DHL and exchange margin, the landed cost climbs sharply.
Same Mac in Lahore through AppleForce (officially imported, customs paid): WhatsApp for the current figure. After tax math, the difference is much smaller than people expect · and you save the import hassle.
When importing makes sense
Spec configurations not commonly stocked in Pakistan (M4 Max with 64GB RAM and 4TB SSD; specific keyboard layouts other than US English; refurbished from Apple's US/EU stores with full warranty).
Frequent traveller already going abroad with luggage capacity · single Mac duty-free is feasible.
Bulk purchase where a per-unit difference becomes meaningful over 5-10 Macs.
When importing doesn't make sense
Standard spec MacBook Air or Pro: our Lahore retail is competitive with US retail + import duty + courier + your time. The difference is usually small · not worth the hassle.
If you'll need Apple warranty service in Pakistan: regional warranty is honoured globally for hardware faults but AASP service availability varies. We handle warranty work on all regions but it's an extra step.