Anyone going off to US?


fadliz86

New Member
May 14, 2011
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I went to penisula n funan but unable to find e lens i want.. sooo dissapointed.. some 1 or 2 shop have e lens but take advantage n sell ridiculous price up to 1k.. i do online research n they only sell us$459 equall to $600 but wanna save more on e shipping but they will provide free shipping within US.. will b great if anyone of u can help me buy:)
 

aniway e lens im looking for is sigma 18-250mm for sony mount with OS:)
 

Short of asking other members to ship, You can try services like vpost for shipping ( but u have to bear in mind added shipping costs , GST charges .. )

Ryan
 

I doubt anyone who do not know you well personally will go through all the hassleand risks to do it for you foc.
 

What incentive are you offering to the person who is going through this trouble to bring back an item for you?
This person will have to hand-carry it in his/her carry-on luggage, and in the (perhaps unlikely) circumstance that it gets damaged during transit, who bears the responsibility?
 

since you seems to be inclined on getting lower selling price (after comparing), why don't you try eBay, Adorama, DD Electronics or BH Photo? But they do come with additional shipping cost, not to mention our local GST as giantcanopy has mentioned. perhaps a second hand copy for you? to ask anyone in here randomly to buy for you...emmm it'll take a while if someone is willing to that :)
 

of coz i will give tips. i und e trouble he have to go through.. aniway im just asking n trying my luck looking for kind soul.. aniway its ok, my colleague going us to buy for me.. thk for yur concern:).. appreciate it so much
 

I live in the US and will be going back to SG in October. If anyone needs me to carry a lens back and can wait till October, I can help, FOC. This is provided the lens is not too big. I will be carrying two bodies and two lenses of my own. PM me.
 

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I live in the US and will be going back to SG in October. If anyone needs me to carry a lens back and can wait till October, I can help, FOC. This is provided the lens is not too big. I will be carrying two bodies and two lenses of my own. PM me.

that's cool. nice offer from you!
 

Hi neeche,
nice offer:).. At least u r one of a kind soul here.. evet since i join, i been making lot of enemy than fren.. seem like wateva i say, they take it so real.. im just a beginner aniway.. if june i got bonus, i ask u to buy somethg for me.. thx
 

Actually it also goes the other way. Will u give $600 to a stranger and hope that he will return home with your lens? I think asking your friend is a much better solution.
 

Actually it also goes the other way. Will u give $600 to a stranger and hope that he will return home with your lens? I think asking your friend is a much better solution.

Yea, and the other issue is what if on the way the item gets lost? Who is gonna bear this risk?
 

Hi neeche,
nice offer:).. At least u r one of a kind soul here.. evet since i join, i been making lot of enemy than fren.. seem like wateva i say, they take it so real.. im just a beginner aniway.. if june i got bonus, i ask u to buy somethg for me.. thx

neech7 has really put up a generous offer :)

My personal take on this is that I wouldn't take up the offer. I feel it's not so right to burden someone with such a responsibility, especially if I don't know him well. Heck, I think I wouldn't even want to burden my friend with such a task, for fear it might sour the relationship should anything unexpected happen (eg lens not good condition, lost, damaged in transit, etc) ....

From your first post, the potential savings are about $400, which is probably significant enough to have a good think about it.
Good luck! :)
 

Indeed there are a few issues to consider. Who pays first? If I pay first, I worry the buyer changes his mind later and simply 'disappear' on me. If he pays first, he worries I 'disappear'. And as mentioned, there is the potential of loss or damage in transit. But in any case, if anyone still wants to do it, let me know via PM.
 

i often buy stuff from overseas for friends, but i only offer to those that are closer and whom i know that will trust me. actually it's not just the lost in transit or damage, but u have to consider the GST factor -> rightfully, neech will need to declare this item as it's more than S$400.
 

Not to mention the infamous lens calibration issue,
if the lens need calibration, and the local agent don't want to entertain it because of not imported by them, or charge very expensive for the calibration services.
will the buyer blame his "friend" for getting "lemon" lens??
 

Well, a lens is not like a ball head or softbox or light tent. It is expensive, fragile and a lot of concerns in condition like scratches, de-centered elements, focusing issues. Buying and transporting and storing lenses requires a lot of care and effort just to make sure. So if you ask some one to buy and bring back, will you indemnify him/her from all responsibility? If not, who is responsible for what? If nothing happens and you get a perfect copy, all is nice and great. But what if there are problems? Warranty will not cover everything. What if the person go to the shop you pointed out and the price is different? What if the lens is shipped to the wrong address and cannot make it in time for the flight? What if the person get stopped at customs and is asked to pay gst? What if there is sales taxes at the location of purchase( sales tax is now as high as 10% in some cities)? Always ask the what ifs.

It is not just about if someone will disappear with the money. So much can go wrong from lens selection, to pricing variation, to technical problems of the lens, to transportation risks, to problems in lens deliveries to hotels or wrong addresses, to wrong item shipped, etc etc.

When people here tell you is hard for strangers to do it for you, it is not because they are not kind or they are out to make life difficult for you. But most have done it before and have gone through the problems. If you think it is a simple help-me-buy-bring-back-all-is-happy, you are being too optimistic and over simplifying the whole thing.

To neech7, it is gracious of you to offer to be the mule for TS. I strongly suggest that you not handle any money. Money is always very sensitive. Better to let TS do an online credit card purchase and put your address as the shipping address. All you do is to bring the package back to SG. That is the best approach for all overseas purchases. I do that even with extremely good friends or family members overseas.

Anyway, good luck.
 

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