Buying a Lens of the net

Paul Tomlinson

Paul Tomlinson

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Paul Tomlinson
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As anyone bought a len or a camera from Onestop-Digital before and if so did things go well and would you recomend them to others.

Paul(y)
 
I did some time ago, no complaints from me the tracking service was spot on. It did take about a week to arrive as I recall.
 
I have used them a couple of times, great service and both items delivered in less than a week.
Allan
 
Used them a few times - I have found prices have been creeping up, and I tend to stay away from Grey Imports unless its a big saving - the loss of a genuine UK warranty is false economy IMHO, particularly for Sigma EX lenses.
 
puddleduck said:
Used them a few times - I have found prices have been creeping up, and I tend to stay away from Grey Imports unless its a big saving - the loss of a genuine UK warranty is false economy IMHO, particularly for Sigma EX lenses.
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How would i know if it is a gray import? the lens is £899 from Onestop-Digital and it is £850 from Kerso. How would i know if both are not gray imports?.
 
Both are sourced from overseas so will be "Grey" from Sigma's point of view.

Unless your lens is supplied by Sigma UK it's "Grey" and you won't get warranty unless you can prove VAT has been paid. This is all on their site.

http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/quicklinks/going_grey/going_grey.htm

I recently bought a Sigma 150mm macro lens (UK sourced) and it was faulty. Within 5 days they had sent me a brand new lens.

They also repaired a Sigma 10-20 for me (free of charge) with a focusing problem between 10 to 14mm.

Its your call whether the saving is worth the loss of warranty. On some occasions I will import, but with the weak US dollar (HK matches the US dollar) I don't think its worth it at the moment.
 
onestop-digital - very recommended! takes a week to arrive :)
 
The lens is a Canon EF 16-35mm L USM, if this is going to be a gray import then i'll buy somewhere else, What about Warehouse Express i think it's called is this imported stuff?
 
Paul Tomlinson said:
The lens is a Canon EF 16-35mm L USM, if this is going to be a gray import then i'll buy somewhere else, What about Warehouse Express i think it's called is this imported stuff?
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You are importing it. OneStop are in Hong Kong. It WILL be Gray. There is no debate here.
 
Bought a lens from One Stop Digital the other week....despatched Monday and delivered just before 9.00am on the Wednesday (y)
 
Paul Tomlinson said:
So to save the warranty i must buy from a shop and if i pay VAT then the lens is from the uk, is this correct
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I am not sure what lens you are buying and it varies manufacturer from manufacturer. You will need to check.
 
grumpybadger said:
Canon UK honour lens warranties globably so no problem.

I've just spend over £3000 with Kerso and am very happy with the service.
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I have heard lots of people talk good about this Kerso, I thought that a gray import was a copy, this is not so then it means its just a import and its a vat factor.
 
I thought that a gray import was a copy

No - where did you get that idea?

Lenses all come from the same factory and are identical - what makes a lens "Grey" is whether its imported officially via the local importer, or sourced via other means.

For example Nikon do not offer a warranty on bodies that have not been imported by themselves, and Sigma / Tokina and Tamron will not honour "Greys" either.

Its just something to bear in mind - a £50 saving short term can lead to a repair bill into the ££££ later.
 
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Yup - pretty much. The deal (I think) with Sigma is that Sigma UK offer a 3 year warranty that Sigma globally don't.

Basically, I've just bought a 300/2.8 and a 400/5.6 from Kerso. The saving is about the same as the VAT. They are made in the same factory, to the same standards (the smell when you open the case for the first time is even the same) but they are sourced abroad (USA for Kerso) and imported.

One benefit of Kerso is that he imports to the UK and then posts to you so there is no chance of getting stung with import duty. The HK dealers ship straight to you and you may get charged VAT and import duty - but you may not.

Paul
 
Got the Picture now Puddleduck, I'll see how much the saving will be and i would sooner buy from a shop but all this stuff is so expensive
 
Another option - and I tend to favour this over buying from HK - is to buy used from a trusted seller in the Classified here, or on other reputable forums.

You can probably get sample images etc from the seller, and ensure the lens is a good sample.
 
The lens i am looking is £1,155 there is going to be a saving of £350 and this £350 is all VAT, i think i will take a chance and save myself £350
 
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