Associate
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- 117
has anyone used digital rev?
- Thread starter Something Else
- Start date
Exactly that's what makes me laugh so much, people on this forum so quick to point the finger in GD at tax avoiding benefit claiming scum but quite happy to dodge tax themselves when it suits a high value purchase.
If you buy from Digital Rev you are avoiding paying tax/duty on an item. Digital Rev aren't paying it unless you get caught. Ask them for proof they have paid the duty. Ask them if they are paying it and they will lie to you.
Buy from Digital Rev you are no better than someone claiming money they aren't entitled too or any other form of tax cheating.
Sadly Canon aren't protecting the UK retailers enough, they should make sure they don't service any grey bodies and offer longer warranties on what is uk stock to make the price difference not worth the loss/reduction in warranty.
Too many people complain about the loss of highstreet shops then in the same breathe happy to become a tax dodger when it suits.
I couldn't agree more. I really despise the likes of digitalrev who make it harder for Uk retailers to remain viable but only because they are selling illegally and have an illegal boost in sticker price.
I've mentioned before that it is very 2 faced of people to complain bitterly in GD of the likes of Amazon who legally mitigate tax exposure while happily supporting illegal tax evasion buying from HK.
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Not really sure why you guys are assuming some kind of moral high ground here.
Surely its the person sending it who is responsible for the goods, given that they have to fill out a customs declaration and its in their name. The receiver if necessary, just has to pay whatever custom fee is levied on whatever has been declared. I don't see how anyone buying from abroad is doing anything illegal, its the sellers responsibility to properly declare the goods, especially given they likely lose any insurance coverage if its incorrectly marked. I believe a lot of this is down to UK customs and Hong Kong specifically, perhaps if something is changed or tightened up, this might all change in a heartbeat.
At the end of the day, the reason such companies are so successful in the UK is because of just how expensive it is to buy here. D.P., I believe in a previous discussion on this very topic, it was pointed out that given you live in the US, its actually cheaper for you to buy in your own country anyway.
I used Digital Rev last year and can't fault them, they delivered quicker from Hong Kong that retailers in the UK have managed. I'm now self employed though, so buying from UK retailers for business purposes. If it wasn't for that though, I wouldn't hesitate to continue to buy from where is cheapest, albeit there is a slight level of risk involved with grey imports.
Surely its the person sending it who is responsible for the goods, given that they have to fill out a customs declaration and its in their name. The receiver if necessary, just has to pay whatever custom fee is levied on whatever has been declared. I don't see how anyone buying from abroad is doing anything illegal, its the sellers responsibility to properly declare the goods, especially given they likely lose any insurance coverage if its incorrectly marked. I believe a lot of this is down to UK customs and Hong Kong specifically, perhaps if something is changed or tightened up, this might all change in a heartbeat.
At the end of the day, the reason such companies are so successful in the UK is because of just how expensive it is to buy here. D.P., I believe in a previous discussion on this very topic, it was pointed out that given you live in the US, its actually cheaper for you to buy in your own country anyway.
I used Digital Rev last year and can't fault them, they delivered quicker from Hong Kong that retailers in the UK have managed. I'm now self employed though, so buying from UK retailers for business purposes. If it wasn't for that though, I wouldn't hesitate to continue to buy from where is cheapest, albeit there is a slight level of risk involved with grey imports.
After even a few purchases from digital rev, perhaps 2 good lenses and a body you have already saved enough to buy a whole new lens. Even if one of those went wrong AND the warranty didn't hold you still will have lost nothing
It's quite hard to stomach the uk body prices. The difference often 30% ish
That's a lot of money
My morals are pretty loose when it comes to this, it's not as if canon are loosing out, I don't care much for retail outlets anyway, no need to prop up a sinking ship
Digital rev have the 70d for 850
The cheapest UK retail is about 1070
I found canon to be worse than nikon with the difference
It's quite hard to stomach the uk body prices. The difference often 30% ish
That's a lot of money
My morals are pretty loose when it comes to this, it's not as if canon are loosing out, I don't care much for retail outlets anyway, no need to prop up a sinking ship
Digital rev have the 70d for 850
The cheapest UK retail is about 1070
I found canon to be worse than nikon with the difference
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I am not assuming some kind of high ground, I am just very amused at the hypocrisy of some forum members.
At the end of the day, the reason some companies are successful is because they illegally change valuations to avoid paying duty & taxes and the customers knowingly avoid the duty and taxes. If it was a level playing field and Digitalrev customers or the company paid the taxes due then they wouldn't be successful.
How can people complain at the lack of good local camera stores or high prices when they support illegal selling methods?
And no, the prices in the UK are not so much more expensive once you equalize for tax and duty.
E.g., a D800 in the US has a retail price of $3000 (there is currently a $200 cash back so you can buy form some places for $2800, but that is not the standard price and will likely end soon). This price excludes any sales tax, if you buy in store in most states add about 8% so $3240 ($3024 wit rebate)
The D800 in the is 1962GBP including all taxes with a pickup form a high street store in the UK. That is a mere $3035, so actually the UK is cheaper to buy a D800 at standard prices than the US!
Lets look at a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G. $1900 from reputable online place, add *% sales tax for buying in a store so $2052. The same lens can be picked up from a nice family run shop in Manchester with great customer care (or free delivery) for 1235GBP so $1909 including taxes. Oh look, the UK purchase is cheaper!
And that is looking at cheap online places in the US (B&H etc.), if you want to buy form a high street store the actual prices are way higher, you will pay a few hundred tio buy froma store and then pay the 8% on top again.
I might be back in the UK for Christmas so I am seriously looking to buy a D800 form the UK from a high street shop as it will be cheaper than buying in the US!
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On B&H a Canon 60D Body only works out at about £414 using today's exchange rate, thats including a sales tax from one of the more expensive states.
The cheapest UK price today on Camera Price Buster is £583.99 from Camera Centre UK.
I bought a Canon 24-70 f/2.8L II for £1779 on Wednesday. It works out to be about £1,595.92 from B&H if I lived in California, thats roughly £184 difference.
Digital Rev are selling the same lens for £1,399, thats a huge difference over the UK price, so you can see why people buy from them.
The cheapest UK price today on Camera Price Buster is £583.99 from Camera Centre UK.
I bought a Canon 24-70 f/2.8L II for £1779 on Wednesday. It works out to be about £1,595.92 from B&H if I lived in California, thats roughly £184 difference.
Digital Rev are selling the same lens for £1,399, thats a huge difference over the UK price, so you can see why people buy from them.
Caporegime
Don't forget to declare the D800 when you enter the US! 
Soldato
$ to £ price is a silly idea though. Look at most laptops/tablets etc... and they're more expensive in the UK by some way once you've converted it.
kd
the macro lens i got was £100 cheaper, the difference is less with lenses than bodies however.
Id buy from uk if the warranties were longer, but often they are not
Don't forget to declare the D800 when you enter the US!
If I do buy a D800 in the UK i will certainly declare the purchase, there is a VAT refund form in the airports and a few months later I will get the VAT refunded less US duty and sales tax, so works out cheaper again - and that is the legal route.
Did that with all purchases i did in the UK when taking back to Switzerland.
Otherwise you cannot get the VAT removed in the UK.
It works out well, I get 20% off UK list price due to VAT refund. I pay US state sales taxes, luckily I happen to live in a state without sales tax so don;t pay that back. There is an import fee of around $10 and a charge of another $10 usually for handling the refund.
It is all automatic and easy to do, when making the purchase in the UK you get the shop to fill out a VAT declaration, you shove this in an envelope with a form filled out that has your foreign address and bank details. Just takes time, up to 3 months to process.
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So all you can conclude is it depends on exactly what gear you are buying. TO Say the UK is more expensive in general is wrong and misleading.
Also doing a straight conversion of currency is misleading. UK is expensive for many things, houses, cars, computers, TVs. You have to factor in other market factors here. A D800 is relatively much more expensive in the US than in the UK compared to the buying power of the currency. E.g., considering how much cheaper it is to buy a car in US camera equipment is relatively expensive compared to the UK.
and this is ignoring things like warranties and distant selling regs, you have much more behind the scenes benefits compared to a US purchase.
I don't really care how people purchase there gear but illegally avoiding duty and taxes does have broader consequences.
The one I care most about is that UK stores cannot compete legally with illegal over seas purchases. I far prefer walking into a shop, testing gear and buying it in person. The loss of good camera shop is really sad, using sites like Digital rev is putting the nails in the coffin.
Secondly, such purchases deny tax revenue entering the general pool. People complain that the tories are making too many cuts, companies aren't paying enough taxes, the rich avoid taxes, schools and NHS don't have enough budget, etc. Illegally avoiding the taxes by making dodgy foreign purchases is only contributing to this issue. yeah, it is small in the grand scheme of things but tax dodging is tax dodging.
I personally don't care where anyone buys their gear from, I am not judging you. But be aware of the consequences.
I hope the government can close this loop hole and tighten up the import checks.
Caporegime
Which is down to the taxation which gives us the benefits of free or affordable education at all levels,one of the best university systems in the world and a good national healthcare system and all the other benefits of living in a welfare state. Also,even when compared to Hong Kong which has reasonably high wages(by Chinese standards),even an unskilled worker will be paid more here anyway.
Most people's jobs here could be done for far less in many countries,and it is partly down to the lower standard of living for the average person and the social nets they lack.
Try living in a country where you need to pay for most of your healthcare,and your education out of your pocket,you will find unless you are an educated person,own a business or have legacy wealth you tend to be rather poorly off. If you cannot work or are disabled you will be on the street unless family or friends can help you. If you have a serious illness and are poor or middle class,you better hope your family can sell enough of their belongings or someone can pay for medical treatment otherwise you are in deep crap. Occupational health. Yeah,right.
I lived in a poor country for a few years and it made appreciate what we have here even more. We don't seem to appreciate what we have.
People complain way too much here as other countries around the world can have much greater taxation on average and higher prices for electronics goods. The UK is not overpriced when it comes to many items in the scheme of things,but we like moaning a lot. Its a British tradition.
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That's all well and good, but those people who aren't very well off aren't likely to be buying a Nikon D800 in the first place, regardless of what country it is. I know a big tv is pretty much an essential purchase for those living of the welfare state here, but nearly 2k on a camera, not so much.
My point about price was more down to the fact that it's expensive when you consider that somebody is willing to offer you the same product for perhaps £400 less, that is not change, so that's why it makes the price look so.
Yes the cost of living is different in each country, along with whatever mitigating effects there are in terms of welfare, which may be down to the individual, or provided as company benefits. Going by what I've seen on photography forums, there aren't anything like the numbers of Americans as there are British people buying from Digital Rev and such grey importers.
My point about price was more down to the fact that it's expensive when you consider that somebody is willing to offer you the same product for perhaps £400 less, that is not change, so that's why it makes the price look so.
Yes the cost of living is different in each country, along with whatever mitigating effects there are in terms of welfare, which may be down to the individual, or provided as company benefits. Going by what I've seen on photography forums, there aren't anything like the numbers of Americans as there are British people buying from Digital Rev and such grey importers.
Associate
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The thing is, it's not so much we're being charged more for nothing, legitimate UK companies/stores/shops pay taxes, employ staff, have overheads etc & support our economy. The foreign importers don't!
If an Asian supplier brings goods into the country & pays what they should, fine, but then they won't be cheaper.
Our high streets are in serious decline as it is & when the camera shops/stores are all gone, these suppliers will have us at their mercy.
If an Asian supplier brings goods into the country & pays what they should, fine, but then they won't be cheaper.
Our high streets are in serious decline as it is & when the camera shops/stores are all gone, these suppliers will have us at their mercy.
but they wont, they will still have competition from other retailers
and yes it is a shame camera shops are going, but i cant personally justify 20-30% just to have that "i buy british" feeling
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Associate
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Like anything else in life, if I can't afford it I do without, or save up until I can.
It isn't right or proper to buy cheap stolen goods (even to save 30%+) & neither is it right to defraud the government/the rest of us.
They are only cheaper because they aren't legit!
It isn't right or proper to buy cheap stolen goods (even to save 30%+) & neither is it right to defraud the government/the rest of us.
They are only cheaper because they aren't legit!
It isn't so much a "I buy British" feeling, it is a "I pay the legal taxes on the purchases I make".
TBH, if you can't justify the 20% taxes hat you are illegally avoiding then the simply solution is just buy camera gear that is 20% less expensive.
TBH, if you can't justify the 20% taxes hat you are illegally avoiding then the simply solution is just buy camera gear that is 20% less expensive.