Worried about cheap imports.

Is there any kind of proof within the box that this duty and such like has been paid? A company saying they're responsible is going to lead to customers assuming that it has all been dealt with in advance so they don't have to do anything.
 
FourRingCircus said:
Simple truth is that the companies who are sending stuff to the UK are taking advantage of our inadequate border controls, whilst the punters (you and me) are implicit in this too (knowingly or otherwise) by purchasing from them.

UK high street prices inclued VAT. The people exporting from HK/USA do not (and cannot) charge VAT and so they will always be cheaper. They send the goods packaged as 'toy parts' or 'sample product' or such like and our border controls are not looking for this sort of description.
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I have just bought £1500 of lenses from Digital Rev. They were delivered via DHL with the value of the goods on the outside of the packet. They also had clearly marked that any charges would be paid by their DHL account direct so no import duty to pay for me. They were £200 cheaper than buying from any shop in the UK.

I didn't have to leave my house. I didn't have to deal with a snotty "no we can't see it cheaper on Amazon even though you checked this morning so no discount" (I was asking for < 10% off the price and they basically called me a liar and the guy was quite cheerful about doing it too) attitude when I tried to by my last purchase at a camera shop, even though they said they would match reputable internet prices. I am also fully covered by a guarantee from DR. Would I buy from DR again. Yes, if the price was cheaper (it often isn't).

Unfortunately, bricks and mortar shops have to compete in the global market these days. Those that do compete will survive. Those that stick to RRP and don't understand how easy it can be to get high value goods from abroad, won't. Remember, we're talking about cameras and lenses that are produced to the same spec in the same factory here.

I was thinking today how marketing & sales has changed in 30 or so years. I was remembering as a young lad in 1979 buying an album and inside the sleeve was a flyer for the groups upcoming tour. I was ecstatic... my mate & I liked them and had found we could go and see the gig in a town 50 miles away the following March. We dutifully cut out the form and sent away our cheque and 10 days later the tickets turned up. That was how marketing & sales used to be done. Shops, flyers, newspaper ads (I'm sure we'd have found the gig in Sounds at some point)....

Now we have google, facebook and youtube. I can find out about the product, read reviews of it, see it in peoples hands without having to leave the house. I can also associate a public image of the company I am buying from half way across the world (DR section here and I rather like Kais reviews), order the product 24 hours of the day and track its progress across the world as it gets couriered to me. I can also browse concert footage of the group I went to see from the last 30 years as I do it....

The only thing I actually go to a shop for these days is food and clothes (I like to check things fit first!!). Everything else is bought online. I must have saved a fortune over the last 5-8 years.... I've certainly done my bit keeping the couriers afloat :D
 
the Uk government have this technically policed by the shipping agent who are unpaid tax collectors
with any system in place there are always ways around it like politicians expenses for example lol
 
srichards said:
Is there any kind of proof within the box that this duty and such like has been paid? A company saying they're responsible is going to lead to customers assuming that it has all been dealt with in advance so they don't have to do anything.
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Just did a price comparisson on a couple of items and Panamoz prices seem to be basically the HK price converted into sterling. If you take the HK price and add duty and VAT it would come out a lot higher.
 
dannyjo22 said:
People moan their highstreets having nothing on them yet buy everything from tesco.
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People will soon realise there are cheaper places to buy than from Tesco. The smart money shops elsewhere these days (and it isn't in Sainsburys, Asda or Morrisons either - they all compete with each other, but keep prices higher than elsewhere ;))
 
arad85 said:
People will soon realise there are cheaper places to buy than from Tesco. The smart money shops elsewhere these days (and it isn't in Sainsburys, Asda or Morrisons either
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You're preaching to the converted ;) I do all my work food shopping at aldi :D
 
dannyjo22 said:
You're preaching to the converted ;) I do all my work food shopping at aldi :D
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Lidl here (better choice than Aldi in the shops we have here and actually the closest supermarket to us) :)
 
postcardcv said:
Just did a price comparisson on a couple of items and Panamoz prices seem to be basically the HK price converted into sterling. If you take the HK price and add duty and VAT it would come out a lot higher.
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there is no import duty on cameras from Hong Kong only a vat liability
 
arad85 said:
I have just bought £1500 of lenses from Digital Rev. They were delivered via DHL with the value of the goods on the outside of the packet. They also had clearly marked that any charges would be paid by their DHL account direct so no import duty to pay for me. They were £200 cheaper than buying from any shop in the UK.
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I can't speak for DR as I haven't used them. By the sound of it, they are playing by the rules (certainly in your case) and the saving you made is comensurate with an on-line-only retailer cutting their margins (10% gross margin) versus a high street shop (25-40% gross margin). I'm not suggesting that on-line retailers are only making 10% across the board (though some are making even less than this), I'm suggesting they are capable of discounting to this level at will, whereas the high street retailer simply isn't. It certainly costs Jessops a lot more than 10% of turnover just to open their shops so they need to make a lot more than the others.

By contrast, Panamoz are cutting about 30%+ off the uk (vat inclusive) high street prices. We are talking about £2k for a camera costing £3k here. When you consider that the £3k camera is actually £2400+vat, you realise that Panamoz are only discounting £400 off the real price and then 'avoiding' or 'assisting the importer to avoid' the extra £600. IF they were being hit for the £600 retrospectively, then the other £400 discount would vapourise.
 
Rebel t3i said:
we were comparing settled market prices ie 600d 5dk3
you are looking at new releases which always have the must have premium like the i phone 5
The UK high street shops have massive overheads and the UK British workman that wants more money for doing less and more paid holidays
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And if you read the first reply to the thread

"I'm also a little unsure but the uk market is overpriced when it comes to newly launched cameras and I think it's about time the suppliers stop taking the ...."
 
By 'importing' yourself you are cutting out much more than just VAT. You are getting a sense of what it actually costs retailers in this country to stock the goods and sell the goods (own/rent property for storage and sale, hire, pay, train staff etc,.)

Camera gear is no different to anything else sold in the country in shops as they all have their overheads. The price the shop pays for the goods is typically 40% of the sale price and even those selling from Hong Kong are still making a profit.
Buy a UK made product from source and you would see the same differences as the shop will still be putting a whole load of extra cost on it.

With onset of the Internet, physical shops don't really have much of a chance anymore in areas where seeing the goods is of little benefit (i.e. music CDs) and while I can go into Jessops to look at things they never have the things I want to look at!
 
stu_the_flat said:
is it just me that is getting worried about the cheap imported gear?

I own allot of high stuff that I can't really afford Most of it bought second hand or from Jessops.) But I have always thought I can sell it if money gets tight.

but I'm noticing more and more people in classified threads are saying "XXX can sell it for the same price of a packet of smarties why should I buy it second hand?"

You can now get a D600 for under £1400 from one supplier ! it just makes no sense to buy it from the UK shops, or second hand,

Is it a good thing? I'm not so sure.
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Some items like a Sigma Lens may be better off sourced from a UK retailer as they offer a 3 year warranty. From what I have read around the forums and an email to sigma UK all repairs are free as long as you have the original UK reciept. This is quite valuable for re sell if the lens is still within 3 years old and maybe a better option than a new lens from HK. no reciept then it's going to be £££'s

Before purchasing your Sigma lens, please check with your retailer that the lens has been imported by Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd. If the lens has not been imported by us, the extended UK warranty will not be available.

http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/warranty/index.htm
 
Fla5h said:
Some items like a Sigma Lens may be better off sourced from a UK retailer as they offer a 3 year warranty. From what I have read around the forums and an email to sigma UK all repairs are free as long as you have the original UK reciept. This is quite valuable for re sell if the lens is still within 3 years old and maybe a better option than a new lens from HK. no reciept then it's going to be £££'s

Before purchasing your Sigma lens, please check with your retailer that the lens has been imported by Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd. If the lens has not been imported by us, the extended UK warranty will not be available.

http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/warranty/index.htm
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Panamoz maybe others offer a replacement warranty for free on sigma lenses, so if anything goes wrong you just send it to the UK office and they send out a new lens. This is only 12 months but if there is going to be a faulty it's usually come apparent by then. You could argue this is a more attractive option, how long would sigma have your lens for repair?

I was dead against imports too, but with some of there prices equal to second hand prices i think my next purchase will be import. I've been pricing up the d600 + Tamron 24-70 VC. Jessops price is £3095, panamoz price £2034!!! Thats over £1k saving!
 
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I got my first 2 L lenses (100-400 and 100 macro) from L.C.E. in Lincoln because I had the cash on me at the time, they had the stock available and I wanted the lenses 'there and then' because of impatience. However, since that purchase I've bought bodies and lenses from Hdew Cameras and Panamoz to get the best price I can. I really don't see any sense in paying the inflated prices we have over here just for the sake of it.
 
In response to what the OP said about "grey" imports affecting prices of UK supplied items maybe we need a new rule for classifieds that means if selling imported gear you need to state so. I know in several other markets if selling a grey import it tends to be overall worth less than a genuine UK item.

I for one would want to know if an item in the classifieds here is Uk or grey purely should problems arrise and I would need to get it fixed. Rather not send it off to the UK importer to get told it's an import and they refuse to touch it.
 
If you bought 2nd hand it wouldn't have a warranty anyway. I'm sure the manufactures will repair gear if you're are paying, they just will not do it free under a warranty.
 
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ian-83 said:
I for one would want to know if an item in the classifieds here is Uk or grey purely should problems arrise and I would need to get it fixed. Rather not send it off to the UK importer to get told it's an import and they refuse to touch it.
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That isn't going to happen anyway as:-

a) You are not going to get a transferable warranty on most S/H equipment. At best you get a 'for now' promise of someone breaching the terms of the warranty by pretending it still belongs to them, at worst they disappear and you never hear from them again.

b) There will always be someone who is willing to do a paid repair.
 
rjbell said:
If you bought 2nd hand it would have a warranty anyway. I'm sure the manufactures will repair gear if you're are paying, they just will not do it free under a warranty.
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I know 2nd hand you would get no warranty but some manufactures UK sites won't touch grey imports I know Nikon won't nor will Sigma. so even if your paying they will refuse. I know there is 3rd party repairs but i dunno if the difference between them and a UK manufactures site is the same as say main dealer for a car and a local garage.
 
ian-83 said:
I know 2nd hand you would get no warranty but some manufactures UK sites won't touch grey imports I know Nikon won't nor will Sigma. so even if your paying they will refuse. I know there is 3rd party repairs but i dunno if the difference between them and a UK manufactures site is the same as say main dealer for a car and a local garage.
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I was looking at a Sigma lens (UK Purchase) in the classifieds section and the seller said it had a back focus issue and was still under warranty.

I emailed Sigma UK and they said they would repair this under warranty as long I had the original reciept (which the seller had), All I had to do was cover postage costs

No reciept then it would have been £100 odd
 
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gramps said:
Don't Nikon use third-party repairers?
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No idea to be honest never had a camera repaired only going by what i could find on Nikon UK's site and also what I have read on here.

Like you said there will be someone out there who will repair non UK supplied camera's it's not like there is any actual difference between the products.
 
Are you sure they will not touch it? I can not see why the wouldn't do this. Surely if a overseas holiday maker wanted repairs done and they were paying they would do the work, whats the difference?
 
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