Tell me what you think and about buying at NY on Saturdays

[EuropeanSwallow]

Hi,

I will be taking the plunge to SLR between this month and the following. I'm going to buy the 350D here in Europe (body only), and I'm taking advantage that my parents are going to the US to buy me some glass and accessories. I mainly photograph landscape/architecture and portrait/candids, so I'm aiming at buying the following:

- 17-40 f4L (about $680)
- 85 f1.8 + hood (about $370)
- 580EX + omnibouncer (about $400)

All prices plus local 8.625% tax.

I'm planning on using both lenses as walkaround ones. Any comments or suggestions otherwise for the same amount of cash?

Other thing is the place to make the buy. They will be staying at Miami first for about a week and then will move to NY (were I believe prices are better), were they will stay from afternoon Friday to (very) early Sunday, so its a close call and it seems that Saturday will be the only available day. But from checking the sites for B&H, 17th Street Photo, Calumet and Adorama, it seems only Calumet is open at Saturdays. Have you got any suggestion on other reputable brick&mortar shops on Manhattan they could survey or pose as alternatives if Calumet is out of stock on some items? Or perhaps suggest a Miami alternative?

Thanks!

[Carzee]

Well you are planning things pretty thoroughly.

Have you booked a taxi? If your parents go ahead and risk a taxi, chances are that the cost may equal the obvious alternative - the UPS charges if you buy online...

[Andy_T]

Europeanswallow,

have you looked at www.canonextrapromotion.com???

With your 350D, you will receive a booklet of rebate vouchers for the following rebates in Portugal:

Speedlite 580EX (€50)
Speedlite 420EX (€50)
Extensor EF 1.4x II (€50)
Extensor EF 2x II (€50)
Flash Macro MR-14EX (€50)
EF 20mm f/2.8 USM (€50)
EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM (€50)
EF-S 60mm Macro (€50)
Impressora i9950 (€50)
EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM (€100)
EF 17-40 mm f/4L USM (€100)
EF 70-200 mm f/4 L USM (€100)
EF 300 mm f/4L IS USM (€150)

If you deduct that from the prices you have to pay if you order from a German mail order store like www.digitalpear.de:


Canon 17-40 EUR 699,50 -> EUR 599,50
Canon 580 EUR 398,50 -> EUR 298,50
Canon 85/1.8 EUR 358 -> EUR 358

To this, you will have to add your shipping costs from Germany ... but I assume you will also find cheap vendors in Portugal.

Of course, you will have to wait for some time to get the refund ... but it might be worth it.

You will note that it might not really pay to risk buying in the US (return of defective products, possibility of getting stung by customs)

Hope that helps....

Best regards,
Andy

[EuropeanSwallow]

Europeanswallow,

have you looked at www.canonextrapromotion.com???

[...]

To this, you will have to add your shipping costs from Germany ... but I assume you will also find cheap vendors in Portugal.

Of course, you will have to wait for some time to get the refund ... but it might be worth it.

You will note that it might not really pay to risk buying in the US (return of defective products, possibility of getting stung by customs)

Hope that helps....

Best regards,
Andy

Andy,

Yes, I've heard of the rebate campaign, but here are the crude facts:

1.25xUSD=EUR (pessimistic)

US prices (with tax)

- 17-40 f4L (about 500EUR)
- 85 f1.8 + hood (about 320EUR)
- 580EX + omnibouncer (about 350EUR)

Total: 1170EUR

Prices at computeruniverse.net (http://www.computeruniverse.net/), with VAT for shipping to Portugal less P&P:

- 17-40 f4L (about 785EUR)
- 85 f1.8 + hood (about 430EUR)
- 580EX less omnibouncer (about 500EUR)

Total: 1715EUR

Minus 150EUR rebate: 1565.

That's an almost 400EUR difference! And not counting P&P... Pretty tempting!

Did your price quote include VAT (19% for Portugal)?

As for vendors here in Portugal, both online and brick&mortar, forget it! ;) Our market is very uncompetitive and you can hardly find any good stuff. To give you an idea, the 580EX costs 659EUR (http://www.fnac.pt/produto.aspx?catalogo=foto&categoria=flashes&produto=4960999243832) at FNAC.

I'm taking the risk on getting good copies of the lenses (aparently there are not so many bad copies of both 17-40 and 85 around), and on the fact that I believe the warranty for lenses is worldwide and lenses unfreaquently break down. As for the customs I believe it is also worth the risk for 400EUR. And even if I have to pay tax, which I had when I was brought my G2, it was about 140EUR, on a camera that costed about 750EUR at the time.

Thanks!

[su719]

You are kinda screwed if they are arriving Friday night an leaving Sunday early. Most of the Jewish Camera Stores (B&H, Adorama, etc) are closed Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. I would suggest they buy your stuff in Miami as they will not get to the store while in NYC.

[mr.photoguy]

I don't really bother with buying anything on Saturdays, especially from B-n-H. You are better off to either purchase on Saturday, or Sunday.. I also doubt they will be open early on Sunday.

[Andy_T]

Did your price quote include VAT (19% for Portugal)?


Nope, that most likely made all the difference :confused:

Does that mean if you travel to Germany and come back with your new lens, the customs official will ask you if you have paid the proper VAT ???

Sounds awful to me!

Best regards,
Andy

[EuropeanSwallow]

You are kinda screwed if they are arriving Friday night an leaving Sunday early. Most of the Jewish Camera Stores (B&H, Adorama, etc) are closed Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. I would suggest they buy your stuff in Miami as they will not get to the store while in NYC.

Are there no other (non-Jewish?) stores? Because I believe the prices at Miami will be much higher...

[su719]

There is J&R by city hall, but they do not usually have specialized camera gear beyond bodies and P&S's. Most all of the camera stores I have ever dealt with in NYC are owned by Jews. Not sure if you can find one that is not. It will be a very little known one if you can. So it may not have better prices than Miami

[EuropeanSwallow]

Nope, that most likely made all the difference :confused:

Does that mean if you travel to Germany and come back with your new lens, the customs official will ask you if you have paid the proper VAT ???

Sounds awful to me!

Best regards,
Andy

I believe it works like this:

if I go physically to Germany, I will be charged German VAT on the buy. I won't have to stop at the customs because the trip is inside EU, but I could be stopped by the "economic police" (even if I would go by car), that could force me to prove I had payed VAT (whatever and wherever it was) on the goods I was travelling with, if they suspected the items were new or could be reselable.

If I order it online from Germany, the package will be precessed by the customs to check if VAT was payed. It seems online stores (it happened to me both with Amazon UK and computeruniverse.net) are obliged to charge not the VAT of where thay are located, but the VAT of the buyers country. So there you have it... :(

[Gavster]

Why not buy the goods on-line with one of the NY stores and have it shipped to Miami, where your parents pick up the good and travel back, they dont have to do go out shopping and if there is a problem with any of the kit they are travelling to NY anyway!

[EuropeanSwallow]

Why not buy the goods on-line with one of the NY stores and have it shipped to Miami, where your parents pick up the good and travel back, they dont have to do go out shopping and if there is a problem with any of the kit they are travelling to NY anyway!

I thought of that, but I believe usualy the stores do not ship to hotel addresses. Also, a delay on the delivery would be fatal ;)

[Gavster]

My only answer to that is ask, some are more co-operative than others! Most are just trying to stop internet fraud which I can understand, so they will probably ask for additional verification, copies of passports etc. If you are legit customer there should be no problem.

If they are staying in a hotel then you could order it before and have it waiting, (may want to speak to the hotel first about that one) or pay for a better delivery to arrive on the Monday (or day of your choosing). You won’t be paying local tax so the saving can be spent on delivery? Plus the bonus of a hotel delivery is there is always someone there to receive the delivery, although I have found some charge for the privilege.
Most deliveries now do online tracking, so you can watch your parcel tour America!

[Rob612]

Actually I do believe that if you have the stuff shipped at the hotel (talk to them first, as somebody else pointed out) your parents can pick it up over there directly. Throw away the boxes and slip in their hand luggage (used stuff). Or if you want to keep the boxes, let the have them in their standard luggage (higher risk if they have everything opened up). If they do not leave tomorrow for Miami, I do believe you have plenty of time to have your stuff shipped at the hotel. In the US the shipping is usually faster than in EU. And in the worst case, you can have the hotel ship everything to you. But if you have, let's say 10 days before the departure of your parents, and they stay a week in Miami, that makes about 17 days for the merchandise to get at the hotel. I doubt that you will have a delay that long. Just make sure that what you order is available in stock and not backordered.

[EuropeanSwallow]

Thanks all you guys!

I have forwarded the info to my parents and have my fingers crossed! :)