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400mm F5.6 lens from Hong Kong (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Amarillo
- Start date
2slo
Well-known member
Hypothetically, if someone imports a lens from HK and doesn't pay the VAT they've got a good deal. If HMRC happened to get involved and levied VAT then the price becomes £1070 or in other words it's £20 more expensive than you could buy one for legally in the UK. Then there's the warranty issue. Do you get any valid UK warranty with the HK import? If so maybe it would be worth taking the risk. You pays your money...
frinky
Well-known member
Panamoz do that lens for 891+shipping, all VAT and duty paid. Avoiding VAT isn't just a good deal, it's illegal and the person buying it is the one responsible.
You won't get UK warranty without a UK invoice. Some importers (eg Panamoz and HDEW) do their own warranties of various types. You also might not be eligible for any UK rebates (even if you get a UK invoice they need to have European serial numbers).
I've just used Panamoz and they were generally ok although they messed me about a bit with split shipments and service is a little difficult with the time zone differences. I've used HK ebay traders for various bits and bobs but I wouldn't be too happy using them for an expensive lens.
Grey imports are ok if you stick to reliable companies, but they are still a bit of gamble.
You won't get UK warranty without a UK invoice. Some importers (eg Panamoz and HDEW) do their own warranties of various types. You also might not be eligible for any UK rebates (even if you get a UK invoice they need to have European serial numbers).
I've just used Panamoz and they were generally ok although they messed me about a bit with split shipments and service is a little difficult with the time zone differences. I've used HK ebay traders for various bits and bobs but I wouldn't be too happy using them for an expensive lens.
Grey imports are ok if you stick to reliable companies, but they are still a bit of gamble.
Jaff
Registered Member
Save yourself money and hassle at the same time and buy from here http://www.flashcamera.co.uk/canon-1/
Everyone knows who he is and that he and his stock are solid.
Everyone knows who he is and that he and his stock are solid.
Do Panamoz really pay duty and VAT on items? I know that it says it on their website but the prices seem far too low for it to be the case. The prices that they quote seem to be very close to the prices abroad just converted to GBP, the addition of 20% for VAT and 7.5% for duty would push these prices up massively. Do you get paperwork with the lens to prove that duty and VAT have been paid.
Just had a quick look at the pricing on the 400 f5.6. Panamoz list it at £892 and then you can get 5% off if you pay by BT so it would be down to £848. A quick look at prices in Hong Kong shows that the same lens sells for 11280 HKD (price from a well known HK camera retailer) which using a currency converter works out at ~£915! So Panamoz are selling the lens for less than in HK yet claiming it has VAT and duty paid, for the VAT and duty to have been paid the pre tax price would have to be down at about £665. If they supply their stock with VAT paperwork then they are definitely the cheapest legal option available.
driverpaul
The Trent Birder
Another thumbs up for flash camera(Kerso) here, i bought a 400 5.6 of him 6 months ago without any problems,think i paid £869 plus p&p....
Paul
frinky
Well-known member
I'll have to check but I'm pretty sure they don't supply a VAT invoice (their website even states they don't). It's a tricky one, they seem to be a reliable company but your calculations do seem to suggest that they're sneaking past VAT/duty when they can.
To echo Jaff's comment, Flash Camera are definitely above board IME (and HDEW from comments on here). If we didn't live in "Rip Off Britain" we wouldn't be so tempted by such deals! Oh well, we live and learn.
The pricing also looks too good to be try with HDEW when you look at the figures, but apparently they will supply a VAT receipt if you specifically request one. One of the things to look for is WHE the stock is shipped from (not that I can see and answer for HDEW), if it is delivered directly from abroad then the buyer is classed as the importer and expected to declare it to customs and pay the taxes due. If it is shipped from within the UK then the original importer should have dealt with customs so they buyer should not be liable (and isn't legally). From what I know of Flash Cameras they import stock from the USA and when I bought from them in the past hey did supply a VT receipt.
I was discussing this with a good friend last night and we both agreed that while we would love to pay less for our lenses we do appreciate things like NHS which are paid for by our taxes. I would hate to live somewhere where the decision about whether to take my child to the doctors was driven by cost rather than concern. I suspect that for many the amount they pay in taxes will work out less than the cost of their medical treatment on an annual basis. Opps not supposed to talk politics on here so I'll slap my own wrist for that, but I do find the whole "rip off Britain" thing a bit annoying.
frinky
Well-known member
Public funded healthcare is very nice, but Britain is far from the only country that has it, nor is it the most effective, so I don't really see why that should mean so much of our domestic pricing is so inflated. I certainly don't agree with companies having an unfair advantage by avoiding tax, but even without that we're paying more in a UK shop than we do elsewhere and not just on lenses. That's the rip-off; for a whole variety of reasons we end up paying more money for nothing extra compared to many other countries.
Opps, I shoudln't have so blatently sent the thread off topic! I won't argue the points with you as your opinion is just as valid (and quite possibly more sensible) than mine. Happy birding :t:
For those that feel the UK is a rip off, try buying a similar lens in East Europe (or virtually any other product from electronics to clothes) - in countries where salaries are a fraction of the UK, still these items cost more here than in the UK (even to the extent that occasionally it is cheaper to get on a plane and fly and buy a lens in the UK, the price saving more than the air ticket!)
And PS, the public funded health system is so efficient in this part of the world that it is routine to pay the doctors to ensure prompt service and a stae requirement that you pay for many services.
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Good points Jos. And its not just things like camera lenses - people are always whinging about fuel prices in the UK yet it costs around the same all across Europe where in many countries average earnings are less than half that of the UK.
The truth is we don't get ripped off in Britain, we just like a good whinge!
The truth is we don't get ripped off in Britain, we just like a good whinge!
Roy C
Occasional bird snapper
Well said Adam :clap:, these 'rip off Britain' post are so boring and a sure way to turn folks off a thread IMHO.
