[digi-birder]

Having recently been trying to decide whether to change my camera or not, I have been looking at prices of various models and came across an American website that has some really good prices.

I checked the customs and excise website and it seems that there is no custom duty payable on digital cameras. Even taking into account paying VAT (if the parcel gets checked, that is) it still works out cheaper than buying one here.

Has anyone had any experience of purchasing a digicam from abroad?

I know about the situation with the Coolpix's different coloured flashes depending where it's purchased, and that Nikon UK would probably not want to service an imported camera. Can you tell the source of any brand of camera? The one I'm eyeing up looks exactly the same as on the UK sites.

Of course this could all be academic if I have, as it appears at last, got the hang of the 995!

[Leif]

I would be careful as there are some really dodgy American sites that will try and do you over good and proper. I have the impression that American consumer protection law is rather weak in comparison with ours.

This site has a page with customer feedback for a huge number of photo stores:

Photo Net

Note that of you buy in the States, you will have to pay import duty, shipping and VAT. The tax demand will come in the form of a letter after you receive the goods.

[jayhunter]

I bought my Fuji Finepix in Singapore was about £200-00 cheaper than Dixons at the time of purchase. But as with everything the prices in this country do come down, I haven't as yet come across any problems with the camera. I brought the camera in through Customs myself and bypassed the scrutiny of actually shipping it in from America with all the Customs Declaration forms, which almost infer you are going to get charged.

[robinm]

The other problem I have had heard is that it is difficult to get them fixed if they go wrong.

[digi-birder]

Gosh, this has come out of the archives!

I did a lot of research before deciding not to bother buying from the USA. There would, in fact, only have been VAT to pay, as digital cameras are duty free, but the shipping charges put it almost up to the UK prices. With this in mind, I didn't want to risk the camera going wrong and having a lot of expense shipping it all the way back.

In the end I found the best UK price at Amazon and went to Jessops, who price-matched it saving me £130.

I went for the Canon G3 and an excellent camera it is too.

[paulsnokia]

I would not purchase any equipment from abroad if was readily available in the UK.

Whats wrong with buying from your home base?????

Most decent retailers will price match..

[digi-birder]

Originally posted by paulsnokia
IWhats wrong with buying from your home base?????

Because sometimes the prices are way above what you can buy them for overseas, due to the UK being ripped off for most consumer goods.

Case in point - my EagleEye 5x OpticZoom. Check out EagleEye's own prices, remembering to add VAT to their website prices, and then look at Photosolve.com - even with postage it cost less than having it delivered from the UK.

[Blade]

perhapse I should check out the states for my weekly shop

Tesco's will be pleased when i stroll in and ask them to price match walmart in the states

Whats wrong with a good haggle

[alanhill]

I bought my Fuji s602Z from a company called DigiFocus in Singapore, e-mail: digifocus@f2s.com - I think there might also be a website. As far as I can remember I might have got the details from a recommendation on Birdforum. Anyway it was a lot cheaper than I could get it in the UK and it has been absolutely fine. The guy who runs the business mailed me several times to see if everything was OK. However I don't know what I'd do if anything went wrong with the camera, but (touch wood) I don't expect it to.

Alan Hill

[Leif]

5 years ago I bought some items from B&H Photovideo in the States at prices much lower than the UK. For example I bought 200mm macro lens for £500 + £100 shipping, import duty and tax. In the UK second hand examples were going for ~£800.

That was a few years ago and now the exchange rate is nothing like so favourable so it is probably not worth it.

[Grousemore]

In fact the exchange rate is currently about the same level as 5 years ago,but during those 5 years has fluctuated significantly.

[POP]

Alan with regard to your camera buying from abroad,do the customs and excise not tax you,i have bought from the states for jazz cds etc and have been stung by the customs.

John

[digi-birder]

John,

As I mentioned in one of my above posts, digital cameras are, at the moment, duty free. You will only be charged VAT.

[POP]

Diane I am afraid my mouth was in gear before my brain,after i had posted my message I read your intial posting on customs duty.

john

[digi-birder]

No probs.

[Roy191]

Here is an online shop in Auckland NZ to compare prices, i buy all my gear from here. I bought my Oly 750 for $849 NZ when they were retailing for $1299 in most other outlets. They are a wholesale outlet. address is ( etown.co.nz ) . Convert prices back to British pound, be hard to beat...Roy.

[ChrisK]

Alan, I have news for you. I have been looking for a S5000 from the states for a while now- before I started I asked Fuji in the UK where I stand with the warranty should anything happen to a camera I bought from overseas. I got a reply stating very clearly that ALL fuji cameras are covered by a World-wide warranty- all you need is your original reciept and the warranty card that is in the box. (I'm still trying to find a shop in the US that will ship it to the UK by internet order, but I'll get there)
Sorry for just jumping in, but I found this thread through Google, and thought you'd like to know.

[esmondb]

Originally Posted by ChrisK

Alan, I have news for you. I have been looking for a S5000 from the states for a while now- before I started I asked Fuji in the UK where I stand with the warranty should anything happen to a camera I bought from overseas. I got a reply stating very clearly that ALL fuji cameras are covered by a World-wide warranty- all you need is your original reciept and the warranty card that is in the box. (I'm still trying to find a shop in the US that will ship it to the UK by internet order, but I'll get there)
Sorry for just jumping in, but I found this thread through Google, and thought you'd like to know.

Is this advertising? B&H Photovideo ship worldwide.

Having bought cameras, lenses and microphones from them in the past, both over the 'net and in person (the shop has to be seen to be believed) I can heartily recommend them.
Customer service is second to none and all the staff I spoke to were extremely knowledgable.

When I visited they had customers who'd flown in from Japan to pick up goods - the prices even when including the cost of the flights made it worthwhile.

[ChrisK]

If youre talking about my post- no its not advertising.
Just thought I'd share the info

[Grousemore]

Originally Posted by ChrisK

If youre talking about my post- no its not advertising.
Just thought I'd share the info

I think Esmondb was asking whether his posting of a link to B&H Photovideo constituted advertising(which it did not)
If you put the mouse pointer on B&H,you get a direct link to their website.

And welcome to Bird Forum,we look forward to your further contributions;most people are,like Esmond,very helpful in providing information.

[Highway Man]

Originally Posted by digi-birder

John,

As I mentioned in one of my above posts, digital cameras are, at the moment, duty free. You will only be charged VAT.

Hi Diane

If only that were true we'd all be buying them from the States.

In my previous employment I worked for 10 years as a postman. Many times I would have to deliver parcels from outside the E.U which had been inspected at random by customs. Not only was there a request for the V.A.T (via a cash on delivery request) but also a customs handling charge and post office handling charge, coupled together these two were MORE than the V.A.T. Imagine one ladies face, when I turned up at her door with a silk suit from Hong Kong (costing a few hundred quid) and a C.O.D demand for nearly £200!!!

You have been warned.

As far as I know items purchased within the E.U are exempt from charges.

Mark

[Sven W]

Originally Posted by M N Reeder

In my previous employment I worked for 10 years as a postman. Many times I would have to deliver parcels from outside the E.U which had been inspected at random by customs. Not only was there a request for the V.A.T (via a cash on delivery request) but also a customs handling charge and post office handling charge, coupled together these two were MORE than the V.A.T. Imagine one ladies face, when I turned up at her door with a silk suit from Hong Kong (costing a few hundred quid) and a C.O.D demand for nearly £200!!!

You have been warned.

As far as I know items purchased within the E.U are exempt from charges.

Mark

Mark's observation is valid for the situaton in Sweden as well, and I think the same rules apply within the entire EU. Last year I bought a new digital camera, the prices in USA was about 25% lower so I did a check on which fees I would have to pay and it turned out to actually be quite a bit more expensive to import it.

As Mark noted, purchases within EU are exempt from charges. The only surprise might be the VAT which should be payed in the country of the seller or of the buyer depending how much the seller sells per year to the buyers country. The seller should be able to tell you before the deal. This might make a small difference. For instance last week I payed a software renewal to a company in Irland and payed Irish VAT instead of Swedish, a 4% saving for me.

It often pays off to look around a bit, but I normally stay within EU except in extreme cases.

[digi-birder]

Originally Posted by M N Reeder

Hi Diane

If only that were true we'd all be buying them from the States.

Well, I've just been to the TARIC website again, which is where I found my previous information about 0% duty from the USA. It looks like something's changed, as I couldn't find the category where digital cameras were showing 0%.

Searching under the Browse button on the above page goes through the photographic sections, but doesn't mention digital anywhere. You have to choose 'other' and you end up with 4.2% duty. They give the code as 9006590000.

However, I looked elsewhere through the site and found another search page where I searched on 'description' putting in camera, and this eventually gives you the code 8525401100, which does mention digital cameras and the duty is still indicated as 0%.

[gripper]

will everyone be happy when all the local independent camera shops close down because everybody is buying over the net and from overseas ??
and then moan because they cant get to see the latest camera/scope/bins before they buy and say things like 'was'nt it nice when we could walk into so and so's and talk to that knowlegable and helpfull assistant" and "ok so i had to pay £30 more but they were there when i had a problem' !!!!!
there is more to buying your new/camera/scope or bins than how cheap can i find them for !!

and yes i work in a camera shop and yes i am a birder and yes i get p@@@@@d off when someone comes in and takes and hour of my poorly paid time to get an in depth look at several cameras/bins/scopes , get all his questions answered using my knowledge built up over many years and then asks "can you match this price off the internet" (why do people think we make lots of profit on this stuff ?? we dont) or worse says 'thanks i will give it some thought" and then goes and buys off the net saving himself a few quid !

keep on like this and the camera shop will soon be a thing of the past !

tell me i am wrong !

[Grousemore]

Originally Posted by gripper

keep on like this and the camera shop will soon be a thing of the past !

tell me i am wrong !

I don't think you are wrong at all.