Views on Hong Kong Imports?

8utters

8utters

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Ok so I know that imports from Hong Kong won't be able to be serviced by Canon here in the UK, but are there any other reasons why it's not a good idea to import from HK?

It's just SO much cheaper (40Ds are going for well under £600 from HK), i'm concidering it.

Anyone got any experiences importing camera equipment from Hong Kong?

It also works out cheaper importing one from the US via B&H - the camera is about £500 and then about £25 shipping (3-5 day). Also quite tempting.
 
Bought loads from DigitalRev, and never had a problem.

Expect to be caught with import duty (up to £40 ish), but depending on the seller, you can claim this back.
 
Your main concern there is import duty and vat which could well be added to any price you pay. Guarantees are not problem, you can buy a third party one if you want.

Onestopdigital in HK will sell you a 40D body only for £649 including delivery and any import duty will be refunded.
 
hi
i have bought from Hk too with no problem - although i did this through our HK office and as i used an approved dealer if there it comes with 1 year warranty which if i ever need to use i will post back to them or take back on one of my trips

i bought Nikon but got the approved HK dealers through there website
 
I have imported a few of my more expensive bits from Hong Kong (Ebay).

Got my 70-200 from there and a few other lenses.

I buy from digital-rev or urgalaxy. Make sure you only bid on items that have a "no vat or duty" guarantee.
 
I've used Digitalrev a few times and they are great and really quick. If you can't get what you need from Kerso (I find him about the best in the UK for service and price) try them.
 
hmmp, they're doing nothing on d300's:(
 
Chillimonster said:
Bought loads from DigitalRev, and never had a problem.

Expect to be caught with import duty (up to £40 ish), but depending on the seller, you can claim this back.
Click to expand...

Do DigitalRev refund the duty?
 
They do two different types of auctions for the same products.

One type has the guarantee and is slightly more expensive .... The other type has no guarantee and is slightly cheaper.

Make sure you read the whole of the ad.
 
Mark said:
Do DigitalRev refund the duty?
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They do on a lot of products but you need to check on each advert as not all of them have this offer.
 
You can also buy through digitalrev's site. They calculate VAT and duty at the time so no surprises when it gets to your front door.
 
DigitalRev will refund the duty if the auction or sale says they do - I've always known them to be very clear whether this is the case or not.

I tend to use HK a lot (don't like UK prices!) and have never had any problem, whether shipping, duty, returns or whatever. Everything dealt with very professionally. I suspect with these operations the margins (per item) is slimmer, so volumes are high. They will want any issue dealt with and out of their hair asap to avoid eating up time on it.
 
Hmmm I think i'l go with an HK import then, the price difference is really good. So much cheaper.

I had a look at One Stop Digital a while ago and have heard VERY bad things about them - arn't they a bait and switch site or whatever it's called? (where they claim that it's out of stock and try and get you to let them send you an alternative, cheaper, product instead?)

DigitalRev seem a good way to go, I was looking at a listing of theirs earlier - £580 for a 40D body with loads of extras (cleaning products, bag, screen protector, hand strap).

Or £680 with BG-EN2 grip included - that's a really good deal, I was gonna buy a grip with it anyway. Plus they will remburse any VAT/Duty you have to pay. Awesome!
 
Just one thing to note. If there is a duty to pay, the couriers will pay it and then charge you when it's delivered. The couriers may charge you a brokerage fee for paying the duty. I wouldn't of thought you would get that back from digitalrev.
 
Mark said:
Do DigitalRev refund the duty?
Click to expand...

Look in each individual advert, they do for some things but not others.

I would add another vote for Digital Rev !! Very quick, very good price and they even repaid the import duty on the two most expensive items.
 
How quick do DigitialRev take for delivery? It's quite important that it's delivered quickly as i'm heading back up to university.

It says 3-5 day delivery, how long did it take for your guys stuff to arrive?
 
Having anything delivered at this time of year is a bit hit and miss .... Even from the next county, let alone Hong Kong

I have had stuff arrive from Hong Kong in three to ten days normally.
 
8utters said:
How quick do DigitialRev take for delivery? It's quite important that it's delivered quickly as i'm heading back up to university.

It says 3-5 day delivery, how long did it take for your guys stuff to arrive?
Click to expand...

I placed the order and paid at 6:15pm on
Friday and all my stuff arrived Thursday morning at about 10am!

I was quite pleased!
 
i buy directly from suppliers and import from different countries and i sell them.completely same thing.some times manual can be photocopy .that.s all.and this kind of products probably u don.t face problems easily.
 
hypnotic - Yeah XMas and New Year is a pretty bad time to order something, i'm not gonna order it until the 4th, i'm still waiting for some money to clear into my account so I reckon it will be ok around then.

Not really bothered about a manual to be honest, I know enough about photography and Canon DSLRs that I don't really need one.

I think I used the manual for my 400D like once or twice.

A photocopy woulden't really bother me anyway.

The DigitalRev one comes with a software manual anyway.

I reckon i'm gonna go with the DigitalRev £620 deal. 40D Body Only + Canon BG-EN2 Grip + loads of extras. Plus they remburse any VAT or customs. Looks awesome, the cheapest I could get a body only outside eBay was like £700 from Amazon.co.uk.

Thanks for all the comments guys! :)
 
Try Kerso (on here/ebay/potn), cheap price and UK Warranty.

Carl.
 
8utters said:
The DigitalRev one comes with a software manual anyway.

I reckon i'm gonna go with the DigitalRev £620 deal. 40D Body Only + Canon BG-EN2 Grip + loads of extras. Plus they remburse any VAT or customs. Looks awesome, the cheapest I could get a body only outside eBay was like £700 from Amazon.co.uk.

Thanks for all the comments guys! :)
Click to expand...

I have used them for an order of nearly £3000 and had no problems at all. They even gave a discount for paying by bank transfer but thats upto you! Lots of little extras included like a cleaning kit, bag, memory card holder etc. Quick delivery too.
 
I already emailed Kerso about it but he didn't reply. He's not got any 40Ds on sale on his eBay store.

Cheaper to order from HK aswel, even tho Kerso's prices are very reasonable. I got my 17-40 and 430EX from him.
 
I wish I'd seen this thread before getting clobbered by the custom fairies ....
 
I am sure Canon would service a camera or lens, as this is not a warranty issue. You pay them, they service it.

Warranty issues may depend if the item has a regional or worldwide warranty.
 
8utters said:
DigitalRev seem a good way to go, I was looking at a listing of theirs earlier - £580 for a 40D body with loads of extras (cleaning products, bag, screen protector, hand strap).

Or £680 with BG-EN2 grip included - that's a really good deal, I was gonna buy a grip with it anyway. Plus they will remburse any VAT/Duty you have to pay. Awesome!
Click to expand...

This is what i went for from them. With the Grip too. took 4 days to arrive and £38 import tax which was refunded within 3-4 days (well it was over christmas).

No hassle at all. The bag you get with it is useless with a 40D and grip though, not wide enough. It was the same bag i got from them when i got the 350D which fitted in it a dream lol.

Id defo recommed getting the grip (you should get an extra battery with it too for that price :thumbs: )

I did ask Kerso 1st for a price as usual, but he couldnt get to close to this price from DR (not with the grip and extra battery) he quoted me something like £650, obviously just before chrimbo i would have got £50 back off canon too.
 
i wonder if digitalrev is an authorised dealer, so i can take advantage of the Nikon cashback offer as well?
 
just email them Wolf and ask.
 
Talisman said:
This is what i went for from them. With the Grip too. took 4 days to arrive and £38 import tax which was refunded within 3-4 days (well it was over christmas).

No hassle at all. The bag you get with it is useless with a 40D and grip though, not wide enough. It was the same bag i got from them when i got the 350D which fitted in it a dream lol.

Id defo recommed getting the grip (you should get an extra battery with it too for that price :thumbs: )

I did ask Kerso 1st for a price as usual, but he couldnt get to close to this price from DR (not with the grip and extra battery) he quoted me something like £650, obviously just before chrimbo i would have got £50 back off canon too.
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Yep, I have a grip with my 400D and i'm never gonna use a camera again which dosen't have a grip, love them. Definatly worth the extra.

And bundled with all the other stuff all for £680 including shipping is a great deal. Especially since they refund the customs tax.

I wasen't planning to use the bag, I already have one of my own so i'l probably sell it or something.


Also I heard that Canon can't actuall tell where you purchased your camera from so you could claim cashback on an import and they'yd give it to ya.

Too late for me now as the promotion has ended but that's just what someone told me.
 
TheWolf said:
i wonder if digitalrev is an authorised dealer, so i can take advantage of the Nikon cashback offer as well?
Click to expand...

Yes they are but not in the UK! According to Nikon a few months ago it didn't count but things might have changed. It will still be cheaper even taking that into account. Also Nikon's warranty is WORLDWIDE so it counts here plus they give you a warranty with each item anyway just look at the advert!
 
Talisman said:
ah well i didnt know that.... b****r too late now i guess.

heres a link of the 40D next to a 350D (so similar to your 400D)

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=42517
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Yeah i'v already seen some comparisons, heres some of a 400D vs 40D.

Canon-EOS-40D-Compared-to-30D-Back.jpg


Canon-EOS-40D-Compared-to-XTi-Top.jpg


And next to a 1D:

Canon-EOS-40D-Compared-to-1D-Mark-III-Back.jpg


With a grip it will be around the same size as a 1D. I'v also seen some size comparisons against the 5D. The 5D is only a tiny bit bigger than the 40D.

The 400D/350D looks so small compared to the 40D.

Anyway, I just ordered my 40D! Can't wait for it to arrive! :D
 
I have used URgalaxy a few times, very quick Fedex delivery with tracking, and normally arrive in 2 -3 days
never had to pay any tax either a bonus,

I have bought from them:
nikon 105 micro 2.8vr
nifty fifty
55-200 vr ed
sigma 10-20 hsm
even filters are going for a song:thumbs:
 
8utters said:
I had a look at One Stop Digital a while ago and have heard VERY bad things about them - arn't they a bait and switch site or whatever it's called? (where they claim that it's out of stock and try and get you to let them send you an alternative, cheaper, product instead?)
Click to expand...

I can't beleive no-one has addressed this statement, as it seems many of you have used them!! Has anyone experience this kind of behaviour? I've bought many things from OSD, inc a couple of lenses and a flash, and have never had any problems with them. Also, I have never read of anything bad about OSD, until now.

As regards to DR, a mate bought a D80 from them, and many months later the mirror jammed. I can't remeber the specifics, but DR wanted him to jump through so many hoops backwards, that in the end he ended up paying for the repair himself!! Of course, most online retailers turn out like this. They are OK when nothing goes wrong, but are a nightmare when they do.

Oh, and the reason i was here in the first place - I have no problems importing from HK. As above, i have had a couple of lenses from there. I have also imported form the US (thru ebay) also, without any problems. Only got caught by customs once, and OSD refunded the charges, without hassle.
 
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