buying from Japan.?

Yardbent

Yardbent

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has anyone bought a used camera from Japan

my D300 wont 'boot' and I love the D300 so am looking to buy a used low count example

Japan has several mint examples (well many) for sale - shipping is a bit high thought, and there's maybe Customs

however - anyone have experience...?....thanks
 
I've purchased lenses from Japan in the last few years, sellers tend to be cautious in their descriptions so if you read excellent, imo actually mint.

I've only purchased boxed examples and the service has always been superb, expect plus 20% min for customs charges on top of the purchase price.
 
Could you get stung for import duty at the door?

I got charged once when I bought a hard to find lens from the USA. The charge turned what was actually quite a bargain into a middle of the road price but I was still happy enough as it was in good condition and was a hard to find lens.

If buying from abroad I'd factor in import duty just in case.
 
VAT may rear its ugly head too - worth checking I imagine.
 
Just another question... being Japanese I hope you can reset the language to English?

I remember reading somewhere about someone who couldn't reset the language as of course if the option was there it was in foreign, I can't remember what language it was in that instance.

Worth checking before buying maybe?
 
woof woof said:
Just another question... being Japanese I hope you can reset the language to English?

I remember reading somewhere about someone who couldn't reset the language as of course if the option was there it was in foreign, I can't remember what language it was in that instance.

Worth checking before buying maybe?
Click to expand...

You should be able the find the language setting by position. On the D300, it's the last (8th) item on the first page of the Setup menu (the one with the spanner symbol).

9781933952345_section_1_colon_setup_menu_image01.png
 
Yardbent said:
has anyone bought a used camera from Japan

my D300 wont 'boot' and I love the D300 so am looking to buy a used low count example

Japan has several mint examples (well many) for sale - shipping is a bit high thought, and there's maybe Customs

however - anyone have experience...?....thanks
Click to expand...
Expect Import Duty & VAT (25% all in isn't going to be far off the mark) plus a handling charge by the carrier (1.5% to £25 depending on the carrier and whether it's delivered to a domestic or business address).
 
That is a high chance of import duty buying from Japan, I would say 95% so budget for that. Through all the years importing stuff, anything from DVDs to figurines to lenses, guitars and pedals, chances are you will need to pay. Not to mention the Japanese are very on top of their form filling and will fill in the customs form correctly so meaning there is little chance of it being labeled as a toy for $10.
 
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realspeed said:
Have you tried this, you download to an SD card and then the camera reads the card.
might just clear your problem. I did the firmware upgrade on my D300 just folllow the instructions exactly. Might kickstart the boot startup
worth a try at least
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thanks - I updated my D90 last week so I'm OK with the download procedure

did as you suggested ..........copied to a CF card ............no joy I'm afraid ............(n)
 
hunnymonster said:
Expect Import Duty & VAT (25% all in isn't going to be far off the mark) plus a handling charge by the carrier (1.5% to £25 depending on the carrier and whether it's delivered to a domestic or business address).
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well the consensus seems to be prob cheaper to buy in UK...thanks for the feedback..!
 
gramps said:
I have no experience but with an older camera I think I would rather get it in the UK
WEX Shutter count 3000 and 12 month warranty.

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/nikon-d300-digital-slr-camera-body-1021976/#product-tab-used-9-
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thanks for the link ....(y)................... but not too impressed by description

Camera shows little use (?), the camera exhibits a few marks including light clouding to the rear LCD screen, marks to both LCD screens, light marks and wear to the lens mount, light wear and light discolouration rubber grips, light shining and marks to the controls and dials and light marks and shining to the body edges

I am prepared to pay extra to find a 'mint/vgc' item
 
Yardbent said:
thanks for the link ....(y)................... but not too impressed by description

Camera shows little use (?), the camera exhibits a few marks including light clouding to the rear LCD screen, marks to both LCD screens, light marks and wear to the lens mount, light wear and light discolouration rubber grips, light shining and marks to the controls and dials and light marks and shining to the body edges

I am prepared to pay extra to find a 'mint/vgc' item
Click to expand...

I find their descriptions odd, everyone seems to say that the goods they buy from them are great, I do think their descriptions are over-cautious, as with this one it doesn't match a 9- Grade. Could always reject it of course if it didn't meet your requirements.
 
My D300 still only has under 30, 000 shutter releases and still takes good photos ( just taken a moment ago). too good to sell worth more to me
DSC_2034a.jpg
unedited and a nikon 50mm f1.4G lens. trees about 55ft away
I did thing the rear screen was a bit hazy but I had it set to +3 brightness, now at -1 and perfect
 
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Just had a thought! it is not a case of replacing/recharging the internal battery by any chance . this can happen if batteries are left out of the camera for some time.
Put in a fully charged battery and leave for 24 hours ,see if that does the trick
 
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Every time I look up lenses on ebay I get a string of juicky excellent con options from Japan. Oft tempted, but I just know I will get hit by customs, then the price isn't so attractive, but ... if you allow for this, you know it'll be precisely as described. They do tend to have the best copies of older lenses in particular, personally I wouldn't chance a camera from that far out. With any gear from Japan you know you're going to be pleased - they are very proud and tend to be very honest from what I've heard from others who did take the chance - but will you save money in the end? probably not, and you could be in for a bit of a wait
 
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realspeed said:
Just had a thought! it is not a case of replacing/recharging the internal battery by any chance . this can happen if batteries are left out of the camera for some time.
Put in a fully charged battery and leave for 24 hours ,see if that does the trick
Click to expand...

not used for nearly 2 years so I'll give it a try..!
 
gramps said:
@Elvis75 has my old D300s for sale HERE and it was a really excellent example with grip etc, might be worth a look.
Click to expand...

well he's had 2 requests to ask if still available - has been online too.................:thinking:
 
I have bought several used lenses from eBay sellers in the UK and my experience has been goof. BUT, you clearly have to be very careful - buyer beware! You cannot necessarily trust either the photos (are they actually of the item you are buying?) or the seller's previous reviews (these days it is easy and not that expensive to buy whatever reviews you want). So research the seller as much as you can, ask them questions, and try to judge whether you think they are genuine.

I haven't bough used gear from outside the UK, but I have bought new items via eBay from USA, Hong Kong, and Singapore. In these cases, you are liable to pay import duty and VAT on such items. I have no idea if this applies to second hand gear. My experience is that for low cost items, like filters, batteries, etc., you may well 'get away with it'. But for bigger purchase, you will get a bill from HMRC which you will have to pay before they release the parcel to you. It is very difficult to work out what the import duty will be. Their website is a bit opaque in this area. I bought an expensive accessory from the USA ($499) and tried to get an answer by phone, but without much success. The answer seemed to be, you won't know definitively what class of goods they considered it to be - therefore the rate of import duty - until the bill arrives! It seems that, how an item is classified is pretty much down to the opimion of the officer dealing with it at the time. So factor in something like 10-15% import duty and then VAT on the whole amount (including the duty) when you compare prices.
 
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realspeed said:
Just had a thought! it is not a case of replacing/recharging the internal battery by any chance . this can happen if batteries are left out of the camera for some time.
Put in a fully charged battery and leave for 24 hours ,see if that does the trick
Click to expand...

30 hours - a good idea - but no cigar.................(n)
 
Just a wild idea but why not get a quote for repair from Nikon? It might be a cheap fix.
 
Bristolian said:
Just a wild idea but why not get a quote for repair from Nikon? It might be a cheap fix.
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:):).....that's what Miles Whitehead suggested - selling prices hover about £150/200
- mine is in MINT condition ---so, yes,, it's being posted to Nikon Service Centre tomorrow

prob wont be cheap as Miles think it's a main circuit board ...so wait and see
 
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