DSLR from US, problems?

El Gringo

El Gringo

El Gringo

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Joined
6 May 2003
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I'm possibly going to the US in a few weeks, and it would be silly of me not to take advantage of the obscene difference in prices. I'd love to take the opportunity to buy a 400D and a lens, but is there anything I have to bear in mind when buying from the US? Anyone done it?

Thanks!
 
The warranty on Canon bodies only covers the country of purchase so you'll need to buy a third party worldwide warranty from the likes of Mack at the same time. Shouldn't be that expensive. Lenses on the other hand come with a worldwide warranty.

Obviously the battery charger power cable will be a US one but the charger itself should be 100-250V autosensing so should just be a simple swap.
 
Fantastic... That's it? Crikey, brilliant.
I was looking at the prices and you can easily shave off 150 quid off the UK price of the camera, it's insane, we pay through our noses.
I'm looking forward to this :) I want to get a 200mm or so zoom lens as well as the "stock" 30-50mm (?) one, are there any lenses in particular I should look out for?
Many thanks :)
 
Customs charges. They suck.

I bought a used 70-200mm f/4L from the US recently for £215 all in, and got shafted an extra £55 in VAT, import tax and Parcel Force handling charges. Just as cheap to buy here second hand. That said, it's the first time I've had to pay anything on imports, and my 17-40 f/4L went unchecked, saving me about £80.

Camera bodies are import tax free, and incur VAT at 17.5%. Lenses have a tax surcharge of 6.7% and VAT at 17.5% again.

You may well be lucky though and you parcel(s) may go unchecked, therefore avoiding charges.
 
The same customs bloke must have been on shift when the lenses I bought came in this week as well then. Bought a minolta 135mm F2.8 and the minolta equivalent of a nifty from a us seller on ebay and got stung for the charges. I came out probably just ahead on what they are going for here, and also just glad to get them in the end cos I was getting bad vibes about the guy, but I was hoping it would go through unoticed like.
 
Vertigo1 said:
Can get it new for another £20 !
Click to expand...

The absolute cheapest I can find it for new is on eBay for £275. Shipping is another £40-odd on top. Then there's the possibility of having to pay import charges aswell. You're looking at just about £400 if it gets stopped. I am of course presuming you're loking at the chinese ones on eBay.:confused:
 
Don't forget that in the US you need to add local tax to advertised prices. It varies from State to State; I'm currently in Florida and it's 6.5%
 
THing is I'm going there myself, so surely not THAT much added on, right? And that's if I declare it at all. Never been in this situation so don't really know what to expect.
I'd be looking for a lens no more than £150 or so, but that would be US prices so £200 or so here. Should start reading up :)
 
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