Author Topic: European Buyers: Where do you buy your equipment? (Read 9107 times)

Daneel · « **on:** August 19, 2007, 13:10 »

Hi all,

I'm in the market for some medium to advanced Canon EOS equipment (flashes, lenses). Buying this stuff directly in Europe is out of the question, since you often pay more than the same price which you would pay in Dollars, but just in Euro (1/3 to 1/4 more expensive than in the USA).

Last time I bought something I was lucky, since I've been on a trip in the USA and could buy my equipment there.

Mail order from the USA (e.g., B&H) is quite risky because of potential taxes to be paid.

I heard of some Asian / Hong Kong online stores which are supposed to be even more reasonably priced than buying from the USA.

So all you european buyers: Where do you get your advanced Canon equipment? It would be great if you could share your insights / experiences. If you would like to contact me directly with your advices, please simply e-mail me at: [email protected]

Many thanks and all the best,
Michael

null · « **Reply #1 on:** August 20, 2007, 02:14 »

Quote from: Daneel on August 19, 2007, 13:10

I heard of some Asian / Hong Kong online stores which are supposed to be even more reasonably priced than buying from the USA.

You better watch out buying Asian. I'm half of the year in South-East Asia and you're never sure about getting crap or not. There is also the issue of warranty. Imagine sending your cam back to the store in HK (gone already, with the monsoon) when something goes wrong.

I buy all my stuff in Europe with a long established family business. They try to compete with the online stores price-wise and if something goes wrong, they will help you properly. A cam is not a hamburger.

leaf · « **Reply #2 on:** August 20, 2007, 04:26 »

well if you are going to pay taxes on B&H stuff you will pay taxes on stuff from asia as well.

I buy my stuff from B&H or locally - whichever is cheaper. Yes i pay taxes on it when it comes into the country, but if i was living in the states i would be paying taxes on the purchase at B&H as well. I am happy with that. I know what the taxes are here so i know what to expect.

sharply_done · « **Reply #3 on:** August 20, 2007, 12:46 »

Quote from: leaf on August 20, 2007, 04:26

... Yes i pay taxes on it when it comes into the country, but if i was living in the states i would be paying taxes on the purchase at B&H as well.

You only pay sales tax in the USA if you live in the same state as the company you are purchasing the item(s) from. Unless you live in NY, B&H purchases are tax free.

Daneel · « **Reply #4 on:** August 20, 2007, 13:10 »

Quote from: sharply_done on August 20, 2007, 12:46

Quote from: leaf on August 20, 2007, 04:26
... Yes i pay taxes on it when it comes into the country, but if i was living in the states i would be paying taxes on the purchase at B&H as well.
You only pay sales tax in the USA if you live in the same state as the company you are purchasing the item(s) from. Unless you live in NY, B&H purchases are tax free.

...exactly, which is why I envy them so much. I've compared prices for a Canon 100 mm Macro lens and a 430EX flash. In Europe (more exactly: Austria) I would pay 757,- Euros for this combination. At B&H I would pay 511,- Euros for it.

It's depressing :-/.

All the best,
Michael

Freezingpictures · « **Reply #5 on:** August 20, 2007, 13:23 »

Yes thats why we Europeans are so bad photographers we cannot afford the equipment

Daneel · « **Reply #6 on:** August 20, 2007, 14:07 »

LoL ;-)

The interesting thing is that you can go to NY for 5 days (including Hotel) for arond 500,- Euros...

Pixart · « **Reply #7 on:** August 20, 2007, 15:31 »

Quote from: Freezingpictures on August 20, 2007, 13:23

Yes thats why we Europeans are so bad photographers we cannot afford the equipment

Ha ha, funny coming from the guy who is a finalist for Istock's punctum awards.

Huge congrats by the way. Are you keeping a scrapbook? Your momma must be so proud.

hatman12 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 20, 2007, 15:35 »

I buy my camera bodies brand new.

But all my lenses I buy used from eBay. I tend to use prime lenses which have lost their popularity as everyone seems to want to use zooms nowadays. Personally I've found that prime lenses give me much better results than zoom lenses, and, as everyone seems to want to get rid of their primes, I am a willing buyer at knock down prices.

A few months ago I bought a Nikkor 35mm F2 AF for about $250. Wow, what a great lens - I use it almost every day.

I'm just waiting delivery of a Nikkor 20mm F2.8 AF, bought last week for AUD $320 (about US $270).

I always buy full frame lenses, just in case I ever feel the need to upgrade to a Nikon FF DSLR if and when they launch one.

leaf · « **Reply #9 on:** August 20, 2007, 16:12 »

yeah used zoom prices are CRAZY. When i was looking to buy the 70-200 2.8 I was bidding on one on ebay (the seller was located in canada). Anyhow the end price went for MORE than the B&H price.... now THAT is silly.

needless to say the winning bid wasn't me.

sharply_done · « **Reply #10 on:** August 20, 2007, 16:16 »

Quote from: Pixart on August 20, 2007, 15:31

Quote from: Freezingpictures on August 20, 2007, 13:23
Yes thats why we Europeans are so bad photographers we cannot afford the equipment
Ha ha, funny coming from the guy who is a finalist for Istock's punctum awards.

Huge congrats by the way. Are you keeping a scrapbook? Your momma must be so proud.

Way to go, Freezingpics!

hatman12 · « **Reply #11 on:** August 20, 2007, 17:13 »

Yep - that is a great, great image Jan - a classic of all time.

Daneel · « **Reply #12 on:** August 21, 2007, 03:28 »

Hi all,

I think ebay is a good alternative. I'll definitely investigate this, since I'm currently in the market for a prime (Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro). There are also many Asian Power Sellers which sell this equipment as new at very good prices and which have a positive rating of over 99% with more than 5000 customers. Those can't be so bad :-).

I once ordered a point and shoot camera with http://www.digitalrev.com/ and was very satisfied.

Some of those power sellers seem to also go out of their way to avoid unnecessary taxes for you. I have never shopped with one of these, but it looks interesting.

I think the best alternative is to have a friend who either travels to the USA or lives there and can buy the equipment from B&H at their cheap prices for you.

All the best,
Michael

fleitao · « **Reply #13 on:** August 21, 2007, 16:27 »

Hi,

I have bought much stuff at www.digiwowo.com. They're nice... it works only on the net but they have a good volume and although their speed is not the best characteristic, they're trustable. They are specialized in photography, have loads of material, including all the pro stuff. To me it's the best resource.

The prices are normally lower than many other stores and so far i bought one camera, 3 lenses, one flash and much other small material like batteries, filters, cards, and stuff. My only complaint was being 4 months waiting for an EOS300D on the days that they couldn't produce enough cameras to sell....

Thus it's advisable before making a purchase to contact them by mail and check the availability of the material.

Regards

Francisco Leitão

Suvakov · « **Reply #14 on:** October 21, 2007, 22:21 »

www.ebay.de - works fine for me!

Freezingpictures · « **Reply #15 on:** October 22, 2007, 06:10 »

If you are German or can speak German, try out www.geizkragen.de. There you will find the best offers from various online shops. Not only photography..

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Author Topic: European Buyers: Where do you buy your equipment? (Read 9107 times)

Daneel

null

leaf

sharply_done

Daneel

Freezingpictures

Daneel

Pixart

hatman12

leaf

sharply_done

hatman12

Daneel

fleitao

Suvakov

Freezingpictures

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