Anyone ever imported stuff from overseas?

[scenar]

Hi Everyone,

I am kind of new here, I am currently using a canon S2,
but am looking to upgrade to a slr, but prob is $$$

Then I happened to surf to http://www.bhphotovideo.com
to find stuff there much cheaper!!

for e.g. Canon 28-135 f3.5-5.6 IS can be bought for USD419.95.
Shipping to Singapore is from US$36.25-US$87.50
Say we choose "normal UPS shipping" lah, US$41.50.
taking a 1.71 conversion rate:
1.71*(41.50+419.95)=$789 !!

goto
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont....x=0&image.y=0
to see the actual thing.

That's like $120 cheaper than the quoted price under the "SLR LENS PRICE" thread!!!
Not to mention there's this CANON REBATE thingy
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/re...hread=15220266

SO if u got lobang, someone in US can help you submit!
save EVEN MORE!!

Sooooo, has anyone tried this b4??
Who wants to go AP, CP, or watever "P" shop in singapore???

As for the warranty, they state that if u buy an item marked "USA" :-
"A "USA" warrantied item is a manufacture's warranty that would be repaired by any manufacturer's authorized service facility worldwide if the item required in-warranty service."

Does anyone see a catch here? (maybe other than the lens may not survive the trip to spore?)

[+evenstar]

Yes, we do sometimes conduct MO in CS to purchase items from B&H. Check out Consumers Corner

[scenar]

OIC!

Sorry for my "blur" ah,

thanks for pointing me in the rite direction

[Bryan831]

it really depends on the item. if you are buying things like cable release (only $15++) why order overseas? but if ur ordering cameras and such, and there is quite a difference in price then its ok.
Also, buying lenses overseas means u cannot feel (actually check) the lens before u buy. what if this particular lens has a quality control problem?

[xl1]

Originally Posted by scenar Hi Everyone, I am kind of new here, I am currently using a canon S2, but am looking to upgrade to a slr, but prob is $$$ Then I happened to surf to http://www.bhphotovideo.com to find stuff there much cheaper!! for e.g. Canon 28-135 f3.5-5.6 IS can be bought for USD419.95. Shipping to Singapore is from US$36.25-US$87.50 Say we choose "normal UPS shipping" lah, US$41.50. taking a 1.71 conversion rate: 1.71*(41.50+419.95)=$789 !! goto http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont....x=0&image.y=0 to see the actual thing. That's like $120 cheaper than the quoted price under the "SLR LENS PRICE" thread!!! Not to mention there's this CANON REBATE thingy http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/re...hread=15220266 SO if u got lobang, someone in US can help you submit! save EVEN MORE!! Sooooo, has anyone tried this b4?? Who wants to go AP, CP, or watever "P" shop in singapore??? As for the warranty, they state that if u buy an item marked "USA" :- "A "USA" warrantied item is a manufacture's warranty that would be repaired by any manufacturer's authorized service facility worldwide if the item required in-warranty service." Does anyone see a catch here? (maybe other than the lens may not survive the trip to spore?)

i order a lot from them and many seller from US, normally they ship via fedex or Ups and will given you tracking number, but for the pricing, after you total the items, if the amount is more than SGD$400, you have to pay a 5% tax singapore govt.

and if you buy directly from them, let say u have friends there to help you buy, you still need to pay 8.625% NY Tax, so, calculate your self, if it is worthed, then order.

for lens, if you order grey set, there will be no Warranty to cover, but if you order International warranty, Canon singapore will honor 6 month warranty, provided that you can show the reciept, but AFAIK this 6 month is only for CPS member.

hope its help

[fleek]

Personally I would think it is not worth the trouble, i have ordered from B&H and they dun allow UPS ground for overseas, the shipping charges will be around 100+ USD.

[scenar]

Yikes ok,

seems like a real bad idea now...warranty, shipping, cant "test" lens/camera b4 buying
ok then..mmm.. back to AP/CP/whatever "p" for me...

or...
Guess i'll stick with my S2 in the meantime!

[Nic1302]

Originally Posted by xl1 i order a lot from them and many seller from US, normally they ship via fedex or Ups and will given you tracking number, but for the pricing, after you total the items, if the amount is more than SGD$400, you have to pay a 5% tax singapore govt. and if you buy directly from them, let say u have friends there to help you buy, you still need to pay 8.625% NY Tax, so, calculate your self, if it is worthed, then order. for lens, if you order grey set, there will be no Warranty to cover, but if you order International warranty, Canon singapore will honor 6 month warranty, provided that you can show the reciept, but AFAIK this 6 month is only for CPS member. hope its help

Normally you can avoid the 8.25% US sales tax through Internet order. If you have friends in US order for you, US ground ship is quite minimum and some shops offer free shipping for certain items. I don't quite understand why Canon singapore only covers 6 months warranty period if it is considered as "International". The email that I got from Canon Singapore regarding to this issue sometime ago didn't mentioned that the coverage was only for CPS members as well. It did mention that digital camera bodys and EFS lens are not covered, the EF lens are covered under international warranty as long as it is not a gray set.

Ordering things from US to me has been quite a pleasent experience - this has put me a bit more faith to Canon's QC, especially for the L lenses. Mind you, it did save quite a fair bit, given the fact that Singapore retailer prices are much higher for most of the stuff, especially the popular ones. I noticed that some lenses, for example 135L and 400mm/f5.6L, prices in SG have no much differences compared with US. But the 85mm/f1.8, 17/40/f4 etc., different story.

Besides, B&H is not the only place that you search for bargins. You can also find better prices at other shops and in places like Japan and HK. Sometimes you find it is worth having a trip there if you are to buy a lot of stuff, the savings will make it a free trip.