Usually a false economy. The sticker price abroad looks tempting because it leaves out four costs that arrive later, and together they usually eat the gap.
Customs duty and IGST first. Anything beyond the personal baggage allowance is dutiable, and the rates on electronics are not small; I keep them unquantified here because they change, but assume the saving shrinks hard the moment you declare it, and assume worse if you do not and are asked to open the bag.
Warranty second. Manufacturer warranty is typically valid only in the region where you bought the unit. Bring an AVR back from the US and its warranty stays in the US. Indian service centres check the serial's import channel and can decline the unit, or quote a paid repair. On electronics-heavy gear, that is the biggest single risk.
Voltage and region third. Many products sold in 110 V markets have power supplies built for it, and some are not switchable. Region variants also affect things like tuner bands, menu languages and occasionally which streaming services appear. A transformer fixes the first problem and adds a box; nothing fixes the rest.
Shipping fourth. A 15 kg receiver or a pair of floorstanders survives a courier only with proper double-boxing, and if it arrives with a cracked cabinet, the overseas store's return policy is of limited use from India.
Where does the rule stop mattering? Small accessories: cables, a phono cartridge, a headphone amp, things with no warranty worth protecting and no voltage to argue with. Fine, bring them.
Anything with a power cord and a warranty card, official Indian stock almost always wins once you count the full cost. And there is a bonus the sticker price never shows: someone in India who answers the phone when the HDMI board misbehaves in month eight.
If a price abroad looks irresistible, send it to us with the model number and I will tell you what the landed cost realistically becomes and whether it is still worth it. Sometimes it is, for the right accessory. For a receiver, I have yet to see it.
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