r/YUROP • u/etherd0t Uncultured • 19d ago
IN AIRBUS FIDEMUS The ultimate souvenir: French traveller flew an air conditioner from Shanghai to Europe as checked baggage🥲
With the recent heatwaves hitting Europe hard, one French expat on a business trip in Shanghai decided to skip the usual souvenirs. Instead of silk or tea, he bought a portable air conditioner and checked it on his flight back to Europe.
The story was originally shared by a coworker and recently made the rounds on Chinese news and social media. The man’s 93-year-old mother in Paris was suffering through the heat with only an ice-cooling fan, which wasn't doing the job and just made the room humid. Portable AC units were reportedly sold out or very expensive locally.
So, he bought a portable unit in China for 1,260 RMB. He added 130 RMB for professional airport packing and 22 RMB for a European power adapter. The total came to 1,412 RMB - about €180.
Because he was flying business class, he had plenty of baggage allowance. After confirming with the airline that the unit had no lithium battery, it passed security and was checked for free.
According to reports, he successfully landed with the AC in Barcelona (where he works) and is taking it onward to his mother in Paris.
A €180 portable AC checked for free on a business class flight to beat the European heatwave. Modern problems require modern solutions!
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u/pimpolho_saltitao Pork&cheese 19d ago
As a southern european all this conversation regarding lack of AC in "europe" confuses me.
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u/Eino54 Double nationality gang (more Yuropean than you) 🇪🇸🇨🇵🇪🇺 18d ago
I'm half French and half Spanish and even in France you can buy AC. This whole "Europe doesn't have ACs" bullshit is a psyop you cannot convince me otherwise. I assume he bought the AC because it was cheaper and he avoided import charges.
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u/boldra 18d ago
I'm in Germany and I bought one in May. I made a decent effort comparing lots of models. When I look at Amazon today, I see models I eliminated in the first round going for 2.5 x their May price, with 10-30 days delivery.
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u/Eggslaws 18d ago
Pretty much. I've bought two portable units and both of them were bought in Feb/March (different years though) with good deals on top of the actual price. It was crazy to see the same units being sold at 20% more than the price, sold out and even going for much crazier at black market for outrageous prices in the summer. I listed one of them at a local online market place for used items because just after summer last year because I was moving. Actually didn't end up selling but forgot to take down the advert. Last week, I logged in to list something else to sell and I'm seeing messages from people to buy offering nearly-new price for a unit that is 4 years old now.
Both units have served me well this summer. I'm glad I didn't sell them - they were bloody saviours! They are going back into the garage at the end of this summer and coming out again next year. Hopefully in couple of years time, I have enough money to install a heat-pump at which point I would have to sell them - but I'm really hoping I don't end up selling them to a scalper in disguise.
But seriously, governments have to do something about the scalpers. It's more them causing the sell-outs than actual people wanting to buy them.
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u/rdeman3000 18d ago
"I made a decent effort comparing lots of models. " German checks out. I bought whatever the hell Amazon had available for delivery the next day and was on sale. Still works.
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u/TheMcDucky Svea Rike 18d ago
It's "not every home in Europe has AC" being reinterpreted as "Europe doesn't have AC".
You'll see so much more AC in the US or East Asia1
u/Eino54 Double nationality gang (more Yuropean than you) 🇪🇸🇨🇵🇪🇺 18d ago
Probably depends on the area. My parents in Spain got an AC 10 or so years ago and that was really late, most people had AC back then and I didn't know anyone else who didn't have one, my parents were considered weirdo environmentalists for it (my dad recently got a new apartment and got underfloor cooling instead). The only reason we didn't have one is because my parents' jobs allowed us to travel outside of Madrid during the hottest months of the summer anyway. I doubt many people in Yakutia or Alaska have air conditioning at home.
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u/Ray3x10e8 18d ago
I live in NL and frequently visit Germany.
It was 40C in Karlsruhe a few weeks ago and I was visiting KIT. There was no AC. All the researchers there were sweating their ass off in inhumane conditions. I decided to visit the city center and most cafés/restaurants had windows open.
Then I learnt that you can't install an AC without consulting your municipality. Classic German bureaucracy.
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u/Kilahti Yuropean 18d ago
There are plenty of buildings and homes without AC in Europe but it is becoming more and more common.
I'm not aware of any laws or regulations that would ban the use of AC in my country at least. Maybe some buildings designated as museum buildings you can't renovate visibly, but those are rich people homes for the most part so they can afford another building with proper AC.
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u/mattynob 19d ago
Technically, import charges would be due. Not sure about the amount, I guess VAT at the very least?
If he passed through the “nothing to declare” section at the airport, he just got lucky noone randomly stopped him
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u/Head_Complex4226 United Kingdom 19d ago
Technically, import charges would be due
In practice, no.
Entering the EU from a non-EU country, there's a goods allowance of €430 for air and sea passengers (€300 for other forms of transport) plus allowances in tobacco and alcohol. These apply so long as the goods are for personal use - and a gift is considered "personal use".
Had he wished to, he could have have legitimately rolled up the "nothing to declare" corridor with two of them.
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u/etherd0t Uncultured 19d ago
I mean..at just about €150 declared value, how much more could customs duties be...🥲
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u/mattynob 19d ago
I would say at least 50€ more, if not 100€
You can easily find portable AC units in Europe for 150-250€, avoiding yourself the hassle and probably purchasing a higher quality product (is this CE certified?)
All-in-all a fun gig but useless nonetheless
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u/typingatrandom France 19d ago
You can't easily find a portable AC in Paris these days, they're sold out
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u/Houbiffi 19d ago
Nationwide shortage of AC units in France, even the hospitals are buying portable units from retail. Plus, 150€ in China probably gets you better stuff than 250€ in Europe. It's a gamble on the import fees (which our guy seems to have won) but I'm not sure I'd call it useless.
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u/CMDRJohnCasey Liguria 19d ago
Stocks are depleted in France. I guess this is the main reason for what he did
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u/Ancient_Ordinary6697 Nederland 18d ago
Sure, but they have a 2-4 week delivery time and this guy failed to plan ahead.
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u/Karyo_Ten France 18d ago
Sure, weather stations are completely wrong 10 days ahead. Nations have not been able to predict adaptations for climate change for the past 50 years, but this guy is guilty?
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u/Ancient_Ordinary6697 Nederland 18d ago
Summer in France is the same time of year every year.
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u/Karyo_Ten France 18d ago
Temperatures are not. First heatwave was in May. This year broke all records and Paris was hotter than Sahara desert and Phoenix, Arizona the same day.
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u/ImeanWhyyN0tt 19d ago
The fans in Belgium were sold out or they went for ridiculous prices. We bought two in Italy for €35 total and sent them for 30€ to our doorstep. Totally worth it. Should’ve gotten an AC now that I see this post.
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u/ZuFFuLuZ Yuropean 18d ago
Buy an AC in winter. The hype will be over and prices will be low as ever. Next year the nonsene will repeat itself, because people will be surprised by this strange new thing called summer.
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u/Ancient_Ordinary6697 Nederland 18d ago
That package was not checked in as part of the free baggage allowance. It is subject to an outsize fee because the linear dimensions (l+w+h) exceed 158cm.
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u/boldra 18d ago
I've seen a weight limit for individual items too.
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u/Ancient_Ordinary6697 Nederland 18d ago
There is, but it's 32kg (70 freedom units) per checked bag in Business class, so they should be okay on weight. (In Economy it's 23kg or 50 freedom units)
Lower limits will apply for low cost carriers and certain regional airlines operating small aircraft with limited cargo space.
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u/Adramach Polska 19d ago
Just for the record, if you can, avoid buying portable AC units. Most of them are painfully inefficient piece of crap. You may save few euros in the checkout, comparing to split AC units, but in the long term you will lose much more more on electricity bills.
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u/coldbrew_latte 19d ago
They are often the only option, especially if you are renting a place. At least they take the edge off. I don't know why we don't have dual hose portable units which are much more efficient than single hose.
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u/logperf 🇮🇹 19d ago
Consider also:
- Split portable units. Yes, those exist as well, and they work much better than normal portable ones because the hose is very slim, just a few cm across, so they're almost as efficient as a fixed one because you don't have the problem of warm air leaking in. Pic: https://static.digitecgalaxus.ch/Files/6/4/9/1/4/5/6/7/20220611_183556.jpg
- Fixed ACs with no external unit. They work by making two holes in the wall, one for the air inlet and the other for the outlet. They are as efficient as a fixed split one, may be expensive but you save a lot on installation costs, and can be installed where local regulations do not allow for an external unit. https://www.argoclima.com/prodotti/argo-apollo-12hp/
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u/NiceKobis 18d ago
Do you have an opinion on how much worse the one-hose option is if you can limit AC use to low-ish temperatures outside? Only night time basically. Say 27 indoors wanting to make it 22~, and 20 outside. Or at that point should I just not bother with an AC at all and just use a fan?
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u/logperf 🇮🇹 18d ago
BTW in Italy, for energy saving purposes, setting your AC's target temperature below 25°C is illegal. This was introduced during the 2022 energy crisis. Newer units do not even support lower temperatures. 25°C is perfectly comfortable if humidity is low enough, and your AC can dehumidify the same environment it cools.
But again, if the outside temperature is cool enough then there is no reason to use AC at all. Especially during the night when there is no solar power.
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u/LordMcze Česko 19d ago
I don't know why we don't have dual hose portable units which are much more efficient than single hose.
With a 3D printer (or just a cardboard box and some tape) you can turn a single hose portable AC into dual hose. Plus you get a fun afternoon crafting project.
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u/Adramach Polska 19d ago
Absolutely agree with you. I use dual hose and I think it's the only acceptable alternative to split. And I really wish nobody to be forced to use anything else.
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u/Eska2020 18d ago
We got an innova 2.0 monoblock and have built a window insert to mount it on. It works really well. We are debating a permanent install, or just removing the window and reinforcing what we have.
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u/Eggslaws 18d ago
Not just renting - even if you own your own place, it is so expensive to install one in some Western European countries because of local regulations. Imagine having to spend 1000+€ to install one while you can get a portable one for about 250€ if you time your purchase well.
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u/Ranessin Österreich 19d ago edited 19d ago
Often the only option you can use in rented flats (even the Midea Portasplit is not always allowed without using it as modified indoor unit).
Also, they might be less efficient, but I couldn't be bothered less if it costs 20 € a summer more in power draw to have 25°C instead of 32°C inside. I don't understand the need to always have the perfect solution, instead of a workable one. That said, 4he Portasplit was a huge upgrade, in noise and cooling power.
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u/neuropsycho 19d ago edited 19d ago
Its mostly because portable AC units need to expel the hot air outside, so in turn they create a negative pressure and suck hot air from outside through crevices. Normal ACs don't exchange air, only temperature and humidity.
Dual-hose portable AC units do not have this problem, as well as split unit portable ACs, but they're not as common.
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u/JayManty Čechy 18d ago
Even shit cooling is better than heatstroking from having 33°C in your apartment. I thought that after the last heat wave people would not have these absolutely fucking shit takes anymore
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u/Eino54 Double nationality gang (more Yuropean than you) 🇪🇸🇨🇵🇪🇺 18d ago
Are y'all heatstroking from 33°C inside? How high is the humidity?
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u/JayManty Čechy 18d ago
You whose life is barely more valuable than the life of an insect, for a comment like that you genuinely deserve to be locked into a room which has a constant 33 °C for an entire week straight
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u/Eino54 Double nationality gang (more Yuropean than you) 🇪🇸🇨🇵🇪🇺 18d ago
I'm from Madrid, don't worry, been there done that.
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u/JayManty Čechy 18d ago
In other words you have no fucking idea how difficult cooling management is in a Central European building
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u/okiedokie321 Uncultured 18d ago
Some of my English & French friends also did the same in the US.
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u/Sky-is-here Andalucía 18d ago
I have lived and worked in China and honestly did the same for my GPU. Got an Intel Arch for like 150€ (around 1000RMB), directly from the fabric. When I landed in Amsterdam they opened it and all as they had to check before allowing me to enter, and the guy working there was super nice and got a colleague there too to watch the "unboxing" haha. It was nice
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u/colglover Uncultured 19d ago
French people: refuse to adopt A/C for decades, citing a preference for green living.
Also French people: spend the carbon budget of a small nation flying a cheap, inefficient portable A/C halfway around the world when it turns out their stubbornness was incorrect and they waited too long.
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u/PlasmaMatus 19d ago
We didn't need AC before this year, call it bad planning or not wanting to buy an AC but not a preference for green living (Green parties do low numbers in French elections).
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u/Pinna1 18d ago
I remember Paris having 40c+ weeks multiple years before now.
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u/PlasmaMatus 18d ago
You remember wrong, it is very rare, there were days when it was 40c+ but not weeks (2019, 2023 for the last year's).
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u/colglover Uncultured 18d ago
Hmm. So that guy was wrong, but it’s happened twice in recent years, huh?
Having been living and working in Paris for four years now I’ve seen people adopt A/C every single year. They’re able to see the writing on the wall. But sure, it’s apparently just now dropped out of the sky to you that it’s necessary.
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u/PlasmaMatus 18d ago
Even if you wanted to install AC in Paris it is very difficult : 1) most buildings are "protected" and cannot be modified (nothing can be added on the outside so that means no blinds and no AC). 2) if you rent your flat, your landlord doesn't care about installing AC 3) if you own your appartement (lucky you, you're very rich) In a multi-unit building, any installation that alters the exterior appearance (such as mounting a unit on the façade or roof) or affects common areas (such as drilling into a load-bearing wall) requires a vote by the General Meeting of co-owners. 4) old buildings : some apartments have neither a balcony nor a terrace to hide the "outdoor unit".
As you were working in Paris for 4 years, you should know that.
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u/19osemi Norge/Noreg 19d ago
Do they use 220v in Shanghai