Buying From Japan.

Dale.

Dale.

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Dale.
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This is a curiosity post more than anything but I will note opinions and experiences for future.

It's seems to be a crazy notion to me, seeing a used lens on EBay, that is located in Japan and it's £2k. The postage is the best part of £90, which is actually ok. There may be import taxes but I'm not sure if that applies to used goods.

I can't get my head around that, £2k, on EBay, buying from a total stranger. I know you can do feedback checks and there's probably some kind of EBay protection as well as credit card insurance, etc etc.

I don't think I could sleep well until the lens arrived though, infact, I know I'd be so anxious about it that I wouldn't do it and that anxiety alone would prevent me from buying a lens this way.

That said, I don't know, I have no experience of such dealings and I may be wrong about being anxious.

Has anybody else dealt this way and how did it go?
 
I'd never import a used £2K item from eBay. As you say too much hassle if things go wrong even with all the protections.

But I have locally bought and sold items of that much value and I am comfortable doing that.

There would be import tax yes. You'll pay 20% extra on top.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Tax and Duty will apply to even used goods. Hence the whole guitar world buying used guitars from the EU has basically disappeared overnight after Brexit. Well, went up 25% in cost at least.
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And as charges apply to services, not just to the items bought, it means the freight costs are included in the valuation for Tax and Duty...
 
Raymond Lin said:
Tax and Duty will apply to even used goods. Hence the whole guitar world buying used guitars from the EU has basically disappeared overnight after Brexit. Well, went up 25% in cost at least.
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Yes it’s such a shame I used to buy all sorts of bits and pieces from Europe motorcycle parts for example but it’s not worth doing anymore
:(
 
As well as the extra duties , the japs tend rate there lenses by exterior condition rather than whether or not it may be full of fungus etc . But really whether to buy or not depends on if it’s a good deal overall
 
Hi all, looking to buy an em5 mk3 (or an em1 mk2). Prices on ebay from Japanese sellers are around £550, vs 750 from MPB. I thought that the listings showed if something may be liable to duties or other charges, but these listings show no such warning. E.g. this listing. Is this just an 'oversight' form the seller, or are some things exempt from charges, or as is the case with some Amazon listings, the duty included in the price?
 
Rapscallion said:
Hi all, looking to buy an em5 mk3 (or an em1 mk2). Prices on ebay from Japanese sellers are around £550, vs 750 from MPB. I thought that the listings showed if something may be liable to duties or other charges, but these listings show no such warning. E.g. this listing. Is this just an 'oversight' form the seller, or are some things exempt from charges, or as is the case with some Amazon listings, the duty included in the price?
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Very much doubt that duty is included, considering the new price of a Mk3 some around the £700 (opened never used etc) seem good deals.
I picked up two 'new' for around £700 each and they are great - there were also some ex-display new units from Jessops being sold by a camera shop in Swindon.
www.ebay.co.uk

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III 20.4MP Body Only Mirrorless Camera - Silver for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III 20.4MP Body Only Mirrorless Camera - Silver at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!
www.ebay.co.uk
 
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Rapscallion said:
Hi all, looking to buy an em5 mk3 (or an em1 mk2). Prices on ebay from Japanese sellers are around £550, vs 750 from MPB. I thought that the listings showed if something may be liable to duties or other charges, but these listings show no such warning. E.g. this listing. Is this just an 'oversight' form the seller, or are some things exempt from charges, or as is the case with some Amazon listings, the duty included in the price?
Click to expand...

Duty is only a small p[ercentage of the price and often rated at 0% but its the the VAT (20%) that you will be charged on importation

£700 for a s/h unit from Harrisons which will be less than Japanese unit + shipping + VAT) and has 12 months warranty

usedlens.co.uk

Used Cameras and Lenses

Search used cameras and lenses from over 60 UK retailers. Price comparison for used digital, film, lenses, medium and large format cameras
usedlens.co.uk usedlens.co.uk
 
Only place I could find an "old" Nikon PB6 in excellent condition so I use Japan as a method when all other avenues are exhausted. Chose my supplier after some searching and what protection I would have. Expected import duty and VAT so I was not disappointed !

Love the PB6 !
 
I bought a mint Nikon 35mm F2D off an ebay seller in Japan. was advertised as free postage. It arrived via FEDEX within 7 days and 2 weeks later got an invoice for VAT.

The lens was as described... mint!!! Even after paying the import charges to FEDEX still worked out cheaper than buying a mint/excellent example in the UK.
 
I'm considering a Canon 5D mk2 and some of the Japanese sellers look quite good. As to them the Canons' are a home produced product,
I'd like to think I might get a good deal. Only thing that will kill my enthusiasm is the VAT.
 
I've bought several lenses and other camera related items from Japan. Condition usually exceeds what you might expect. Mint really is mint especially when you're buying from an established company. You will however, need to factor in delivery, import duty, VAT and an admin charge. It's not cheap, but in my experience, the quality of goods received makes up for it.
 
THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
You will be charged tax by eBay at the point of sale.
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Only for some sellers, read post #13.... with my purchase of a lens from Japan no VAT was charged by eBay and FEDEX invoiced me after delivery for the VAT which they had paid on my behalf. It still worked out cheaper than purchasing that lens in the UK.

I'll buy from Japan again if I come across something else I want.
 
TheFiend said:
Only for some sellers, read post #13.... with my purchase of a lens from Japan no VAT was charged by eBay and FEDEX invoiced me after delivery for the VAT which they had paid on my behalf. It still worked out cheaper than purchasing that lens in the UK.

I'll buy from Japan again if I come across something else I want.
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I tend to pause buying from Japan. Most of the sellers have a ridiculous grading system where everything seems listed as either mint or mint +++ etc.. I received a lens and converter from Japan that were both infused with fungus. I’d paid tax to eBay, then FedEx demanded more tax as the seller had not completed the invoice correctly and when I returned the items getting tax back from FedEx was impossible and HMRC were not interested. I tend to stick to UK sellers now.
 
THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
I tend to pause buying from Japan. Most of the sellers have a ridiculous grading system where everything seems listed as either mint or mint +++ etc.. I received a lens and converter from Japan that were both infused with fungus. I’d paid tax to eBay, then FedEx demanded more tax as the seller had not completed the invoice correctly and when I returned the items getting tax back from FedEx was impossible and HMRC were not interested. I tend to stick to UK sellers now.
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The lens I bought was mint, there wasn't a mark on it. It looked like it had never been on a camera,.I also checked out the sellers feedback prior to ordering.
 
I've just ordered another lens off the ebay seller in Japan that I got my mint Nikon 35mm F2D from..... Ordered Tuesday evening and expecting delivery on Monday.. Ebay also allowed me to use a 10% off voucher code for this order... :giggle:

.
 
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Now this is impressive..... Ordered from Japan Tuesday evening.and delivered to me 68 hours later!!! The lens is another mint one!!!

Going by my previous purchase I'll get the import charge invoice within a week or so.. It has still worked out cheaper than any that were for sale in the UK.
 
TheFiend said:
Now this is impressive..... Ordered from Japan Tuesday evening.and delivered to me 68 hours later!!! The lens is another mint one!!!

Going by my previous purchase I'll get the import charge invoice within a week or so.. It has still worked out cheaper than any that were for sale in the UK.
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That's very good, grey isn't any faster.
 
Dale. said:
That's very good, grey isn't any faster.
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It doesn't matter to me that it's a "Grey" import.... It's at old Nikon AF D lens so warranty issues don't come into it. What does matter to me is condition and the seller i bought it from specialises is selling mint condition stuff.
 
They have all the large format gear on the planet and great film gear in great condition. Their photos and descriptions for me so far have been spot on. I got stung on a £300 Pentax 67 50-100 that cost an extra £100...ouch

However my last 3 large format lenses at £200 each sailed through no problem and I got a very good deal on them
 
Came across a Japanese seller who was selling new Nikon rear lens caps in lots of 5 on ebay and they were priced at £16 for 5 with free international shipping. I ordered some. He messaged me saying he'd send them expedited instead of via the Japanese mail system due to delays being caused by the virus and mentioned he was actually losing money on this sale due to the shipping costs. He's now doubled the price on them but still works out cheaper than buying the same quantity from a UK seller.
 
TheFiend said:
It doesn't matter to me that it's a "Grey" import.... It's at old Nikon AF D lens so warranty issues don't come into it. What does matter to me is condition and the seller i bought it from specialises is selling mint condition stuff.
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Sorry, by 'grey' I meant the likes of Panamoz, Digital Rev, etc. (y)
 
Dale. said:
This is a curiosity post more than anything but I will note opinions and experiences for future.

It's seems to be a crazy notion to me, seeing a used lens on EBay, that is located in Japan and it's £2k. The postage is the best part of £90, which is actually ok. There may be import taxes but I'm not sure if that applies to used goods.

I can't get my head around that, £2k, on EBay, buying from a total stranger. I know you can do feedback checks and there's probably some kind of EBay protection as well as credit card insurance, etc etc.

I don't think I could sleep well until the lens arrived though, infact, I know I'd be so anxious about it that I wouldn't do it and that anxiety alone would prevent me from buying a lens this way.

That said, I don't know, I have no experience of such dealings and I may be wrong about being anxious.

Has anybody else dealt this way and how did it go?
Click to expand...
I couldn't do it, same as you Dale I would worry too much.
Slightly different scenario but I had a £500 Russian metal detector once, the control box needed a repair and I had to send it over. I was having kittens until it came back (after about 6 weeks) and sold the machine soon after. I only buy from the UK now.
 
Since my last post I've got a few more items from Ebays sellers in Japan and a couple of which have arrived without having to pay any import duty. This was for items costing under £135 (including postage) and Ebay charged the VAT at time of order so no import duty and FedEx fees to pay.

One was a lens that Nikon stopped making in 1995 and it was mint, boxed and looked like it had never been mounted on a camera, and even came with the hood still in the original unopened wrapping.
 
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