Where do you buy your stuff (UK)

syn3rgy

Hi All,

I am looking to purchase the Nikon D600 and most probably the 28-300 lens ( Trip coming up to India)
Anyways, I have been looking around and there are so many places on the next to buy equipment from, I am a little concerned around shops that seems to sell "Grey imports" though, not quite sure what this is exactly meant to mean and how it would affect the warranty etc.

My questions are:

1) where do UK shoppers here buy their equipment from (online stores\Physical stores)
2) Have you shopped at places like SLRHut, DigitalRev ProCameraShop.co.uk


Rob

DJBee49

You might consider buying camera bodies and any kit which is likely to need any sort of warranty claim, from a 'proper' UK outlet. I usually buy from Wex in Norwich. They have a real shop with real people there and you can try stuff out. They give good service in my opinion and their prices are fairly good.

Items less likely to go wrong, including lenses, I have bought from grey importers, or directly from outlets in the States, as they are usually quite a bit cheaper. If you do this though, you can have the item seized by HRMC and held hostage until you stump up a whole load of money as ransom (they call it VAT)! It has not happened to me but it could!

Beware of some of the internet importers from Hong Kong though, as there are some rather alarming tales of dodgy deals there with no come-back. I have also bought from HDEW Cameras in Wallington and Foto Koninijnenberg in the Netherlands with good service.

Msmoto

Check the buying guide:
http://nikonrumors.com/prices/

Gitzo

First of all, let's get "grey" market out of the way; if you buy a camera or lens in a reputable store in the U.S. it will have a U.S. warranty on it; the very same camera or lens that is "grey market" will have NO warranty on it; I assume the same is true in the U.K.
Many / most retailers in the U.S. will sell and ship to, buyers in the U.K. and yes, prices here are much less than they are there; that's the price you pay when living where the "government" must "take care" of everyone.
As far as parcels being "seized" by HRMC..........I'm really not qualified to discuss that; I did have one very positive transaction with a gentleman in the U.K. wherein I purchased a fairly expensive item he had listed on eBay, and we were both so pleased that we became friends and were in email touch for several years afterwards. He was thinking at the time of having me purchasing a few things for him at B&H Camera in NYC, but we just never got around to it. I'm thinking there is a possibility that if you were to send B&H an email, they may be able to shed some light on the possibilities of buying here and shipping it there.

I would definitely advise against buying anything that is "grey market" UNLESS it's an item ( such as a quick release plate ) or anything where the warranty doesn't make that much difference. I have been buying camera equipment on eBay for 15 years now, all with no warranty, but of course when you pay much less, you can always take more risk. I all depends on what you buy, and how important the warranty is to you.

I can tell you this; if you ever have occasion to buy anything in the U.S. and have it shipped to "where ever", have NO fear in dealing with B&H Photo in NYC; their return policy, and all of their business practices are the absolute best you will find anywhere. Very few big retailers will actually "cheat" you, but many are not so great when it comes to needing to return things.

sevencrossing

I am in the UK ( near the Seven Crossing)
I buy my cameras and own brand accessories from Calumet
I buy some accessories from amazon , eBay, Harrison's and speed graphic
If they are significantly cheaper, I will but accessories from one stop digital in Hong Kong

DJBee49

Gitso.
The risk of a VAT charge on a non-UK import is real. It does happen and parcels are seized and held by HMRC until the VAT is paid. Not so sure if that applies to second hand items though. It might.

The Nikon warranty situation here in Europe is less clear, to me at least. It would be interesting to hear from someone who knew for certain what it is.

paulr

Unfortunately all goods coming into to the Uk are vat liable. Except from other EU countries were vat has been paid. Customs and excise tend not to charge for items under £100 00 but this is at their discretion. Now that the main players in discount have gone in the Uk Jacobs and Jepson's, we are at the mercy of WEX Park Cameras and other major players.
With regard to grey imports in the Uk, I have spoken to Nikon Uk and they say that would honour the second year warranty on camera bodies providing that a invoice from the supplying dealer shows that VAT as been paid. The only other dealer from HongKong is Digital Rev who sell to the UK consumers at the price stated with no other charges
There may be some deals available this week-end at the Focus Exhibition in Birmingham which ends on the 6th March so you will have to be quick

Golf007sd

Here is a list of all Nikon Authorized Dealers.

Gitzo

@sevencrossing..........So, when you buy from Calumet or Amazon......do you declare the value when the items arrive and pay the Vat then? Or how doest that work; or does either Calumet or Amazon have facilities in the UK ? I probably buy more things from Amazon than any place; but I still do quite a bit on eBay; I have had extremely good luck on eBay overall. Some things on eBay I get for no shipping, no tax, but with eBay it's all in who the seller is; they all do things differently.
Another thing....how is Vat figured, as a % of the retail price ?

syn3rgy

How do you buy things on Amazon, what i mean is.

When you look up Nikon D600 you may get a few results, however, you will see that some are sold through other companies on Amazon and are not "Sold" by Amazon.
I found a Nikon D600 on Amazon for just over £1300, this is sold through another company on Amazon.

I emailed them to find out more about them and their warranty etc and this is the reply i received.

------------- Begin message -------------

Yes it is sourced from within the UK. It comes with Nikon's worldwide warranty (as we are not one of the few authorised Nikon dealers and cannot offer their UK warranty) which we will administer on your behlaf for 12 months. We are based in Burton on trent. We fully adhere to Amazon's returns policy. Kind regards

---------------------------------------


To me, this is a little bit of a cheak as you now cant just go to amazon and buy stuff thinking that everything is ok, you have to look to see if it is sold by Amazon and not some other company through Amazon who is not in a position and\or is an authorised re seller.

Im not sure if this is worth taking the chance or to just buy from somewhere like WEX even though it is quite a bit more

here are some of the links i was looking at

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B009A689TE/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

sevencrossing

Calumet certaily have braches in the UK


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