5D Mark III

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Just noticed that the 5D Mark III can be had for as low as £1880 from procamerashop.co.uk and £1910 from onestop-digital.com. Both prices can be obtained through the pay by bank transfer option. I've had confirmation that the cameras will definitely be foreign sourced, so if that is an issue please do not comment.
 
I've bought from abroad many times in the past (including some items from Onestop Digital) and would do so again for the right price/risk, so it's not an "issue" for me.

However, at £1929 from a UK supplier, including three year warranty (first year with Canon UK), payment by credit card (with cash back of 1%) and all the European/UK consumer protection you can eat, I'd go with these guys....

http://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-body-961-p.asp

Oh, wait a minute, I already did. :D
 
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Research ANY supplier before purchasing, especially for high value gear.
Paying by direct bank transfer isn't the safest choice tbh if you have any issues.
 
tdodd said:
I've bought from abroad many times in the past (including some items from Onestop Digital) and would do so again for the right price/risk, so it's not an "issue" for me.

However, at £1929 from a UK supplier, including three year warranty (first year with Canon UK), payment by credit card (with cash back of 1%) and all the European/UK consumer protection you can eat, I'd go with these guys....

http://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-body-961-p.asp

Oh, wait a minute, I already did. :D
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Thank you for the link, just ordered with HDEW
 
Nice one. Be sure to ask for a VAT receipt. I don't know why it is necessary to ask, but that seems to be the protocol. I asked and I received. The VAT receipt will satisfy Canon UK if you require warranty service from them. Probably handy for insurance purposes too.
 
5D Mark III arrived today, it appeared to arrive from HK. It has no mention of HDEW anywhere, although the value was stated as $2500 USD. The box was also opened and whilst everything looks new, there was a photocopied english manual. I'll be calling HDEW tomorrow to obtain a UK invoice as I'm not entirely convinced this is any different to any other grey import.
 
The camera HDEW supplied to me last August was European stock and was despatched from within the UK. Absolutely no hint that Hong Kong had anything to do with it.
 
yeah, I'm not too impressed to be honest. I'll be calling them tomorrow.
 
hsuffyan said:
5D Mark III arrived today, it appeared to arrive from HK. It has no mention of HDEW anywhere, although the value was stated as $2500 USD. The box was also opened and whilst everything looks new, there was a photocopied english manual. I'll be calling HDEW tomorrow to obtain a UK invoice as I'm not entirely convinced this is any different to any other grey import.
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nice one :gag: how do I always get myself to **** like that?! Did they reply to your emails in timely fashion? Mine got ignored for a whole day now from yesterday. I'm phoning them up tomorrow. For all I know they are UK company and I could cancel the sale there and then depending on the answers
 
Everytime I spoke to them, they seemed personable and honest. However, I have been doing some digging and it really feels like they are just the face of a larger HK based outfit. They've been 'dormant' at companies house for the past two years, so clearly not putting stuff through books in the UK. The address on the invoice simply says 'T.V' and it reads like a private residence in HK.
 
My receipt is shown in this post....

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=5278412&postcount=680

Nothing to suggest Hong Kong there, and nothing here either....

http://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/about-us-1-w.asp

VAT number matches up with address....

20130507_214017_.JPG



Communications before and after sale were good, both via email and phone. It is impossible to criticise the service I received, especially the refund paid promptly when the price dropped further between order and delivery.
 
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That's strange Tim, my receipt looks nothing like that. Will see what they tomorrow. I'm wondering if the camera I received was from Procamerashop, as I cancelled my order with them last week to go with HDEW. I did get my refund from before I placed the order, so it's extremely unlikely that they accidentally dispatched anyway, but who knows!
 
I really should be thinking about getting one but I am thinking and HDEW sounds really good and nice price but hsuffyan's issue is making me a bit wary. I will be interested to hear how this one pans out.

If you did get one sent in error then I'll take it off your hands. :D
 
I just spoke to them on the phone and they reassured me this would be inc VAT invoice as long as I requested one, and sent from within the UK. But they may take a little longer to deliver than wanted - probably next week. It didn't sound too bad, os we'll see how this turns out.
 
Typically I doubt they hold stock on site in the UK - especially for big ticket items - and have to get it shipped in and then sent out again. That was the case for me. It took three days from order (Tuesday) to shipment (Friday) and then it was next day delivery before 12:00, which unfortunately was split by a weekend, so received on Monday.
 
I had a reply from HDEW and they said a UK invoice and warranty would be on its way. Essentially it was drop shipped from HK.
 
I have received mine just now. It came in a 24-105 kit box (no lens obviously inside) and a note that the 4GB card will come later. Serial number matches up and there is some sort of receipt from them. My only concern is that it does not contain their VAT number nor serial number. Should I ask them for another one?
 
daugirdas said:
I have received mine just now. It came in a 24-105 kit box (no lens obviously inside) and a note that the 4GB card will come later. Serial number matches up and there is some sort of receipt from them. My only concern is that it does not contain their VAT number nor serial number. Should I ask them for another one?
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I think they'll send one if you ask.

Quite how it works is another matter.......:thinking:
 
I really don't know what the deal is with the VAT receipts either, and quite why you have to request one, God only knows, but ask and ye shall receive (supposedly).
 
I had a call from UPS today asking for my VAT number in relation to the camera. Sounds like there may be a tax bill coming my way, which i'll be promptly forwarding to HDEW.
 
jerry12953 said:
That's very bad news if your suspicions are correct. Please let us know the outcome.
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I forgot to update the thread, but basically they sent out a warranty and UK invoice in the post the following day. I always knew it would be foreign sourced, just wasn't expecting it to be sent directly from HK.
 
hsuffyan said:
I forgot to update the thread, but basically they sent out a warranty and UK invoice in the post the following day. I always knew it would be foreign sourced, just wasn't expecting it to be sent directly from HK.
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well where the heck is my VAT invoice then? Phone call coming first thing tomorrow if they ignore emails
 
daugirdas said:
well where the heck is my VAT invoice then? Phone call coming first thing tomorrow if they ignore emails
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Well, one phone call and the invoice was in my email inbox very quickly

The morale is - they are fine, but to get the most out of it phone and ask.
 
I've come across a few companies in HK that will dropship the 5dmk3 directly to the UK for as little as £1700. I think thats pretty much what HDEW and others do.
 
hsuffyan said:
I've come across a few companies in HK that will dropship the 5dmk3 directly to the UK for as little as £1700. I think thats pretty much what HDEW and others do.
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Do these other companies also provide a three year warranty, UK/EU consumer protection and local (i.e. within the same country rather than across continents) after sales support?
 
tdodd said:
Do these other companies also provide a three year warranty, UK/EU consumer protection and local (i.e. within the same country rather than across continents) after sales support?
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No but you can weigh up how much you value those things and make an informed choice. Just as people do when buying 2nd hand.
 
Still waiting for my new camera from HDEW, but the 7D I ordered last year, whilst obviously grey (including wrong adapter and photocopied manual as I was expecting), was onwards shipped in the UK from them. The impression I get is that for the expensive camera bodies at least, they are sent in from HK after order has taken place. I think some of their other stock they hold locally (there's a noticeable difference in dispatch times for expensive versus less expensive stuff I've ordered from them). They are a real shop though, and you definitely talk to someone in the UK when you phone, unlike the UK end of most of the HK suppliers where it's a private address. They effectively act as local UK shipment agents with regard to this stock (the real HK shops don't in the same way as they are mostly not registered here).
 
fred_bt said:
Still waiting for my new camera from HDEW, but the 7D I ordered last year, whilst obviously grey (including wrong adapter and photocopied manual as I was expecting), was onwards shipped in the UK from them. The impression I get is that for the expensive camera bodies at least, they are sent in from HK after order has taken place. I think some of their other stock they hold locally (there's a noticeable difference in dispatch times for expensive versus less expensive stuff I've ordered from them). They are a real shop though, and you definitely talk to someone in the UK when you phone, unlike the UK end of most of the HK suppliers where it's a private address. They effectively act as local UK shipment agents with regard to this stock (the real HK shops don't in the same way as they are mostly not registered here).
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I agree, I think the HDEW business model is based on dropshipping expensive models from HK and providing sales support and aftercare. I believe the additional two year warranty is provided by an extended warranty company that HDEW may have a large businesstype scheme with. I'm not sure how it's covered by Canon in year 1 though, as the camera is still a grey import.

Just to reiterate, I'm not criticising HDEW. I had a pleasant experience with them. This is just a discussion of different options and prices available for purchasing a new 5DMK3.
 
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Absolutely - if I was a pro I doubt I'd use the grey market since the cost after VAT is knocked off is very similar. But as a humble amateur, I'll go for the cheapest with a real UK presence... Which pretty much confines things to HDEW and Flash Camera (though at least you'd get a real manual in English with the latter!)
 
Just to add my own experience here - I've just taken delivery of a 5DMkIII with 24-105L from HDEW. I did the same virtual "kicking the tyres" exercise beforehand, and then decided to go for it. All's turned out fine, and useful things to note are:

1. I asked for a VAT invoice to accompany the camera - and got one, so no problem there
2. Ordered on a Thursday, received the following Tuesday, by Royal Mail if I recall
3. It came with a normal English manual and accessories - UK plug for the charger etc
4. I think it must have come from Hong Kong or thereabouts - the box has Japanese translations for the feature text, and installing the software gives me the option of Asia or Oceania (no Europe). Everything still installs fine.
5. My CPS membership accepted the serial numbers for the body and the lens no problem

Hope this helps,

Cheers,
Mark
 
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Hello,

hsuffyan I didn't really understand if you paid customs or not. Also, I've just sent an email to Hdew and they said that their products are all dispatched from Uk.

Could you please clarify this point?

Thank you very much.:)
 
I paid the price advertised by HDEW at the time.
 
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