Buying in HK???

fraggle101

fraggle101

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Tony
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Can anyone tell me if there is any benefit buying in Hong Kong these days?

I have a fiend out there on holiday atm and he said that he was very disappointed at the prices.. he has a compact Canon that he bought in the UK just before leaving and has found it in the shops over there MORE expensive that here!

Is he missing a trick or is that the state of play these days??



Tony..
 
I've not found the prices in HK particularly attractive for new items. You can find some really interesting used stuff there. Last time I found a set of Hasselblad leather lens cases at really low price.

Remember there is always the possibility of getting stopped and charged duty on entering the UK.
 
Some places in HK are alot cheaper than the UK for electronic but you have to barter on them. Yes you can get stuffed when bringing them back in to the UK but do as a friend of mine does.

Edit : Something naughty
 
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I was there a couple of years ago and bought my Bigma 50-500. I saved several hunders of ££££s so am very happy with that.
 
Thanks guys, it was about 2 years ago the prices started to rocket!

My mate paid £190 for his camera, he saw it in HK for £200+ thats not great news! even if you CAN barter with them!
 
I'm sure there have been some threads on buying in HK, with recommendations for stores, before. Try the search facility?

We lived there years ago and found that the best way of getting a good deal was to know what you wanted, and ask a Chinese friend or colleague to buy it for you. No much help if you're on holiday I suppose, but worth bearing in mind if you have contacts there.
 
I've been there in recent times - August and before that a couple of years ago. Prices in general are nothing special. Most smaller items can be had off ebay for less even from HK dealers, taking in to account any postage too. The higher priced items have a similar price to what you'd find online here. Maybe a few quid less so nothing to get excited about. The last time I had a good high price deal there was in 2003 saving £400 off a £1200 lens from a reputable dealer, but those days are long gone.

Having said that, there are a few bargains to be had if you look around. On my trip two years ago my suitcase containing my walk-around camera bag didn't arrive with me on my plane so I had to find a cheap one to tide me over. I found a Lowepro Slingshot 100 - then around £50-60 here - for £20 on sale.
 
I saved at least £100 on a Sigma 135-400 a couple of years ago but I don't see any benefit now.
Just bought myself a Canon 70-200 f/4 L and the cheapest I could find was via Kerso.
 
As i thought.. the well is empty!! oh dear, lets hope the economy improves soon.. i love a bargain me!! lol..

Thanks for the replies guys..
 
yeah due to the exchange rate lenses are not much cheaper but you can still bag a good deal on bodies.

For example the 60d is only HK$7,000 or around £580. The 5DMk II is around £1375 and the 7D is about £900. (these prices are based on the exchange rate of £1 = $12).
But yeah prices are not what they used to be!
 
I got my 100-400 about 3 years ago for around £800 from digital rev in Hong kong at the time saving about £150 on the UK prices. (they paid the import duty) so was well happy!! and with the prices as they are now it is a bargin lol :D
 
Hongsta299 said:
yeah due to the exchange rate lenses are not much cheaper but you can still bag a good deal on bodies.

For example the 60d is only HK$7,000 or around £580. The 5DMk II is around £1375 and the 7D is about £900. (these prices are based on the exchange rate of £1 = $12).
But yeah prices are not what they used to be!
Click to expand...

Any idea of the Nikon prices? I'm after another D700 and possibly stopping there next month.
 
Just checked and echo photo in Tsim sha tsui does it for hk$15,900 so about £1,300 or there abouts. Roland lim (search for his blog on google) has a price list (although I'm not sure how frequently he updates it but his current one seems up to date) under the camera street price entry. If you go to any other store bargain and be prepared to walk away to get these prices, if you're a tourist they'll try and mug you. Hth
 
Thanks very much. That's a much better price than I was expecting. That date he put next to it states it was only a couple of weeks ago too. Now I just have to make sure my flight to New Zealand goes through Hong Kong as they cost around £2K down under! Puts me in a real quandry whether to play safe and get one here first or take a chance on picking one up for that kind of price in HK. :s
 
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