Is it cheaper to buy Nikon lens in USA?

[heroneverdie]

Hi guys and gals,
I will be going over to US for a period of time. Is it cheaper to buy lens there than in Singapore? thinking of buying the AF-S 24-70 f2.8. The online prices in US works out to be around 2400+

 

[Errz]

Hi guys and gals,
I will be going over to US for a period of time. Is it cheaper to buy lens there than in Singapore? thinking of buying the AF-S 24-70 f2.8. The online prices in US works out to be around 2400+

have u include the tax (+ shipping) ?

 

[Zertelle]

including tax and shipping, some lenses I bought online from the US are about 100 cheaper than Singapore. not sure about the 24-70 though

 

[daredevil123]

Might as well buy in HK or JB... cheaper than what you listed.

 

[manise]

Most of the time the price in US is cheaper than in Singapore. Better do your market research since you will have ample of time. Beware of USA vs. grey market vs. store only warranty if you are buying new.

 

[playhard]

you can call the shops here, then compare. In rough guess it is cheaper to buy in US when you are there since you do not need to ship back to singapore.

 

[diediealsomustdive]

Yes it is cheaper. Probably cheaper still if you get through Amazon. And IIRC the lens will have free shipping as well.

When you return to Singapore, make sure you have the original receipt and maintained proof that you were living in the US at the time of purchase, to claim warranty with NSC. Selected overseas product purchased overseas (lens in this case) remained covered by international warranty. IIRC the extended warranty offered by Nikon USA will not apply here.

Camera bodies, however, will have only local warranty regardless of the above.

 

[heroneverdie]

Wow! Thanks for all the advice. If I buy from store, would I risk getting a grey set? Heard that the lens come with one year international warranty and 5 years US local warranty!

 

[albertsy2]

Just compare prices at Amazon, BnH, and Clubsnap BnS; you'll see that it IS cheaper in the US. Assuming you don't pay for shipping (which you won't since you'll be travelling).

 

[daredevil123]

Just compare prices at Amazon, BnH, and Clubsnap BnS; you'll see that it IS cheaper in the US. Assuming you don't pay for shipping (which you won't since you'll be travelling).

US is cheaper than SG... but is it that much cheaper than HK or JB to make it worthwhile? I got my 24-70 across the causeway cheaper than what TS mentioned. The best situation to buy in USA is when they have some sort of rebates (instant rebate being the best).

 

[coolthought]

The initial conversion from USD to SGD may seems attractive but GST and shipping cost will kill off most if not all of the savings.

 

[coolthought]

including tax and shipping, some lenses I bought online from the US are about 100 cheaper than Singapore. not sure about the 24-70 though

imo, a saving of just $100 for the 24-70 may not be such a wise choice after taking other factors into consideration....

 

[UncleFai]

Someone just posted on BnS trying to sell his 55-300mm that he bought at amazon.com for US$390+. It is available in SG for S$390+.

 

[nickzkcin]

I recently moved back to Singapore from Southern California.

Prior to last year, Amazon did not charge for shipping or sales tax and I was able to get some lens for much cheaper than anywhere else I've found(I'm also a HK PR and fly there regularly). They now charge sales tax, so things might be different now. There is also a few lens that I've found is cheaper in Hong Kong. The most expensive place I've found is still Singapore.

A few lens off the top of my head that I've purchased over the years:

Brand New:
55-200mm - USD$100
AF-S 50mm 1.4 - USD$430 (did a price check on this the other day at Cathay and MS colour, quoted SGD$840 and SGD$820 respectively)
35mm f/1.8 DX - USD$200

Second hand:
AF-D 80-200mm 2 ring - USD$450
85mm f/1.8 - USD$250

There's quite a lot of lenses that you can purchase brand new for less than the price of a second hand model in Singapore. For eg, a 16-35mm goes for around 1.5k ~ 1.6k SGD second hand in Singapore, but is about 1.1k ~ 1.2k USD brand new.

 

[torque6]

If TS worried about cost. Would it be more prefered to buy from B/S? It would be 20% less than US price + near mint + local warrenty and can inspect on the spot.

I feel if the price is good, 1 month local warrenty is still good. Just remember to use the lens "extensively" for that month and send for cleaning/servicing during the last week.

 

[albertsy2]

Here's a quick comparison based on the lenses I am currently looking for. The only cheap lens I found in SG is the 50 f/1.8.

The price from Price.HK.com is very iffy, I think, since the HK shop prices are probably going to be much higher, IMO.

 

[daredevil123]

Here's a quick comparison based on the lenses I am currently looking for. The only cheap lens I found in SG is the 50 f/1.8.

The price from Price.HK.com is very iffy, I think, since the HK shop prices are probably going to be much higher, IMO.

Wait till you see prices of Canon gear in Jakarta...

 

[albertsy2]

Please also note that price.hk.com as well as BnS show the lowest reported prices. Anyhow, a quick check around the shops here in SG shows that SG is still the most expensive place to buy (at least, in my list).

I'm sticking to BnH for my stuff.

 

[nickzkcin]

If TS worried about cost. Would it be more prefered to buy from B/S? It would be 20% less than US price + near mint + local warrenty and can inspect on the spot.

I feel if the price is good, 1 month local warrenty is still good. Just remember to use the lens "extensively" for that month and send for cleaning/servicing during the last week.

As I mentioned, for certain lenses, brand new from US is cheaper than 2nd hand in Singapore

 

[UncleFai]

Wait till you see prices of Canon gear in Jakarta...

Is it? Funny one sales person at CP told me Indonesians are their best customers - got one even one shot buyD700 and all 3 trinity lenses.