People in BELGIUM, please help!!

Hello everyone,

My friend and I are going to Belgium at the end of this week, and she's put things off to the last minute...things like buying a camera.

We want to buy her a Canon S120, but here (in Korea), they're brutally expensive (nearly $600). So, I'm wondering if you could tell me how Belgian prices compare to American prices (this camera is $450 in the States, which she's more than happy to pay). Also, do you have any links to shops in Brussels (that's where we'll be landing, would be nice to get the camera right away)? Hopefully one where you can search products/prices?

So far I've only found one ( pch.be ), but they don't seem to list any of the S-series cameras.

Thank you!

So I'm reading on this, and most shops I'm finding (Kamera Express seems to be the best) are more expensive than the US.

HOWEVER....there's a VAT. Is the VAT included in the price they show on the website? Also, it looks like some VAT can be refunded at airports, etc...how does that work? Full refund of the sky-high 21%? Apparently only certain retailers participate...how do I know which ones?

Thank you!

I'm in the UK but the rules are pretty much the same across the EU (although the VAT rate itself is variable across different countries it's 20% in UK). Generally where goods are being sold to consumers the price has to be shown including the VAT. So the prices you see will be what you will pay, with all taxes added.

Yes it is possible to claim back the VAT when you take items permanently out of the EU. I know that in the UK (and I think most other EU countries) some businesses are part of a scheme that makes the paperwork a bit easier for you. However as long as you make sure that you get a receipt with the VAT details on it, including most importantly the sellers VAT registration number, you should be able to claim back the VAT.

One thing to note is that very small business may not be registered for VAT. Usually this requires the business to have a turnover of under (in the UK) about £50000. This really applies to service type business, retailers are usually better off registering anyway.

Hope this is of some help

Alan

BigAl007 wrote in post #17059297
I'm in the UK but the rules are pretty much the same across the EU (although the VAT rate itself is variable across different countries it's 20% in UK). Generally where goods are being sold to consumers the price has to be shown including the VAT. So the prices you see will be what you will pay, with all taxes added.

Yes it is possible to claim back the VAT when you take items permanently out of the EU. I know that in the UK (and I think most other EU countries) some businesses are part of a scheme that makes the paperwork a bit easier for you. However as long as you make sure that you get a receipt with the VAT details on it, including most importantly the sellers VAT registration number, you should be able to claim back the VAT.

One thing to note is that very small business may not be registered for VAT. Usually this requires the business to have a turnover of under (in the UK) about £50000. This really applies to service type business, retailers are usually better off registering anyway.

Hope this is of some help

Alan

This is excellent help, thank you! Yes, we're taking the camera permanently out of the EU, and the businesses we're looking at buying from are some of the biggest in Belgium, so their annual sales should be quite substantial.

How do we go about claiming the money?

Thanks again!

I live in Belgium, camera sales in shops (and thus prices advertised) are always including VAT. I don't know where exactly in Belgium you're gonna be staying, but I buy all my stuff from Art&Craft (near Ghent). This is the link to the camera you want: http://www.artencraft.​be …ale-camera---zwart-104072 . Appears not to be in stock, so you better pre-order it and have it ready for pickup.

By the way, why not consider the heavily discounted Sony RX100 ? Great travel camera and quite a bit better than the Canon. Costs even less than the Canon now (http://www.artencraft.​be …-camera---serp-list-64511) and is in stock. I have owned one and loved it, so much that I 'upgraded' to the RX100M3 now (also got a 5DMIII and a Sony a6000).

Brussels Airport website has some useful info - LINK Probably worth checking beforehand which stores can fill in the Tax Refund Form.

lapino wrote in post #17060708
I live in Belgium, camera sales in shops (and thus prices advertised) are always including VAT. I don't know where exactly in Belgium you're gonna be staying, but I buy all my stuff from Art&Craft (near Ghent). This is the link to the camera you want: http://www.artencraft.​be …ale-camera---zwart-104072 . Appears not to be in stock, so you better pre-order it and have it ready for pickup.

By the way, why not consider the heavily discounted Sony RX100 ? Great travel camera and quite a bit better than the Canon. Costs even less than the Canon now (http://www.artencraft.​be …-camera---serp-list-64511) and is in stock. I have owned one and loved it, so much that I 'upgraded' to the RX100M3 now (also got a 5DMIII and a Sony a6000).

Thanks for the info...I'm hoping to get something in Brussels...we'll be landing in Brussels and I kind of want to pick something up on the first day, so she can make the most of it! Any suggestions in Brussels? We've been emailing shops (about half a dozen so far) for the past couple of days for price/stock info, but any endorsement is appreciated!

Also, yeah, initially we started out looking at the RX100s, but after showing her a bunch of cameras and the difference between 24mm and 28mm, she said she wants something with a 24mm wide angle, and I can't blame her, I refuse to buy a compact that starts at 28mm as well. I have an S100 (although unfortunately in Canada...we're in Korea right now, so giving that to her isn't an option), and she likes what it can do. Thankfully the S120 has a better lens, sensor and processor than the S100, so I think she'll be plenty happy with that!

hollis_f wrote in post #17060861
Brussels Airport website has some useful info - LINK Probably worth checking beforehand which stores can fill in the Tax Refund Form.

Thanks for the link! I'll pass that onto her...also...congrats on your upcoming 10,000th post.

LowriderS10 wrote in post #17061125
congrats on your upcoming 10,000th post.

Blimey, I hadn't noticed.

I must save it up for something worthwhile.

If you reclaim the VAT that you pay in one country (you get the necessary paperwork at the airport for this), you will then have to pay VAT from your home country once you arrive back - the paperwork will lead a trail for them to claim money from you.

So sometimes, depending on where you live, people tend to discard all the packaging etc., and then not reclaim and pay home taxes on new equipment.

Hi,

I am also from Belgium. Hope this helps:

Canon PowerShot S120
http://www.fotokonijne​nberg.nl/canon-powershot-s120

349 euro
469 USD

The shop is located close to Antwerp:

Everdongenlaan 15 Unit 6 / 7
2300 Turnhout
Belgium

You can also easily buy it online and let it be shipped to your hotel for example.

Good luck and enjoy Belgium!

Harm wrote in post #17061169
If you reclaim the VAT that you pay in one country (you get the necessary paperwork at the airport for this), you will then have to pay VAT from your home country once you arrive back - the paperwork will lead a trail for them to claim money from you.

So sometimes, depending on where you live, people tend to discard all the packaging etc., and then not reclaim and pay home taxes on new equipment.

Oooh thanks...I was thinking of ditching the packaging for the purposes of not carrying an empty box for two weeks...

This is the first I've heard of them being able to claim VAT from my friend...how would they go about getting it? And even if we ditch the box, won't the paperwork be waiting for us? Thanks for the tip, this is all new territory for me (heck, it's not even for me! haha).

Armando Diva wrote in post #17061703
Hi,

I am also from Belgium. Hope this helps:

Canon PowerShot S120
http://www.fotokonijne​nberg.nl/canon-powershot-s120

349 euro
469 USD

The shop is located close to Antwerp:

Everdongenlaan 15 Unit 6 / 7
2300 Turnhout
Belgium

You can also easily buy it online and let it be shipped to your hotel for example.

Good luck and enjoy Belgium!

Awesome, thanks so much! We're going to Antwerp, although a little later on (Brussels, Amsterdam and then Antwerp), we're hoping to get a camera in Brussels, but if that fails, this sounds like an excellent option...thanks for taking the time to help me out!

I can't wait to be in Belgium, it looks absolutely gorgeous!!!

Cheers!

There is a large Mediamarkt in Brussels which might have some in stock, but they are not the cheapest.

Also from Belgium over here. If you're visiting Antwerp, you've got a few options:

1) Coolblue (Belgium)

Address:
Boomsesteenweg 560
2610 Antwerpen (that's Dutch for Antwerp)

2) Kamera-Express (Belgium)

Address:
Boomsesteenweg 81
2610 Wilrijk

3) Fotokonijnenberg (Belgium)

Address:
Everdongenlaan 15 Unit 6 / 7
2300 Turnhout

Please note that these 3 shops are originally from Holland (The Netherlands), so you can also find them in Holland. Coolblue can also be found in Amsterdam:

Address:
Gustav Mahlerlaan 316 A
1082 ME Amsterdam

Prices seem to vary between 349 and 369 euro (in the Belgian shops I mentioned above). According to XE that's about 467 to 494 USD. In Holland it's a bit cheaper (339 euro at Coolblue Holland which is about 454 USD).