in country buying...

back alley

back alley

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Jul 30, 2003
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between the currency exchange rate and shipping costs it doesn't seem worthwhile to buy any gear from outside the country.
some new fuji lenses are 200 bucks off till the end of the month...the exchange rate kills any real deals if buying from, say, the states! better to buy local, get it faster and no hassle if it might need some repair work done.
 
Yes, me too. By the time the savage USPS rates and the weak Canadian dollar have been factored in, the costs can be alarming. I recently decided to buy a US$24 item and by the time I'd reached the end of the PayPal checkout, it was up to $72 CDN! Naturally, I killed the deal. Local camera stores here in Richmond, BC, are very keen with their pricing and that's where I'm going right now, except for oddball used stuff that's unobtainable elsewhere. Of course, the shipping costs from China are fine, as are the prices. Cheers...Tony
 
Wednesday Aug 12th. 107 USD ebay, after PayPal - $145.07 CAD.

It still depends. I'm after rare gear, not new one. If buying new here, taxes rip-off will apply.

But I don't like USA only ebay scam with charging of not existing export duties and taxes.
Ebay takes this money, no duties, no taxes paid and they are using shaddy shipping companies without tracking available.

Some local prices for used gear are very good. But some items just not available. Try to find in GTA made in Ontario Leitz RF lenses.

I buying small new things from China with free shipping. Nothing for this price locally.
I have ten thermometers from China with free shipping and price of one made in China similar thermometer from DrugMart, before taxes.
 
I was fed up with trying to find them. I did the same as I did with scissors previously. I purchased two dozens of them and distribute them around house evenly. My next project is usb chargers and cables. Thinking of one multiple output with different cables glued in, the unit itself glued into the power extension cord at least 5 meters long and fixed with gym weight for maximum prevention from disappearance.
 
back alley said:
between the currency exchange rate and shipping costs it doesn't seem worthwhile to buy any gear from outside the country.
some new fuji lenses are 200 bucks off till the end of the month...the exchange rate kills any real deals if buying from, say, the states! better to buy local, get it faster and no hassle if it might need some repair work done.
Click to expand...

I still think it's worthwhile to shop around and this includes checking EU, Japan and Hong Kong pricing, depending on the item.

10 years ago the US market was typically the place with the lowest prices (for photo gear) as manufacturers competed pretty fiercely with each other. Now it seems many, after suffering through the strong JPY vs. USD of a few years ago, are looking to take advantage of the strong USD by keeping US prices unchanged (high). Zeiss seemed to be doing this for a while until they finally offered some substantial US rebates on the ZE/ZF lenses (but not ZM). When I was in Japan a few months ago, I was surprised to see one could buy Zeiss and Voigtlander lenses for substantial savings relative to US and Canadian retail prices. Here we in Canada seem to be at a disadvantage because local pricing for these products appears to be set relative to the US market... I guess Zeiss products are imported from the US.

For example, a little bird told me the US cost on the ZM35/1.4 is ~$1850. The Japan domestic retail price for the same lens is as low as $1750, depending on where you shop. Meanwhile US retail is about $2300, or near $3000 CA.

Yes, the weak CAD is hurting us when buying from the US, but IMO, it seems to be a compounded problem of many items being high priced in the US compared to other markets. Therefore, as stated earlier, expand your shopping search.
 
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