13 replies to this topic

[johnjvv]

Hello...

Has anyone passed through Hong Kong Duty free.

Is is a good place to buy SLR cameras and lenses, is it well stocked and would it be cheaper than ordering it online from Hong Kong to Australia

Would appreciate your thoughts!

Cheers,
John

[pmooney]

I believe HK Airport duty free will be more expensive than you can source similar products via the online grey channels from the comfort of your lounge room.

Plus your likely to encounter issues at the border on import - if you declare that is !!

Warranty / Service issues also need to be considered.

My view - it's not worth the hassle.

Edited by pmooney, 12 February 2013 - 01:38 AM.

[johnjvv]

I see what you are saying, I think getting the camera local is a good idea as you can refer warranty issues back however lenses is a different story....

[JackConnick]

John;

My experience with airport duty-free is that it is over-priced. If you can go into HK itself you can find better pricing. Prices in Singapore are about the same in the US.

As far as warranties are involved, it really varies. Nikon is usually country by country or region. Olympus however has a world-wide warranty.

Read the fine print!

Jack

[johnjvv]

Thanks Jack, it is incredible what differences there are between HK and here...

D600 in Aus is 2,500 Aud
D600 in HK is 1,500 Aud plus 10% plus shipping

Ok you don't get a manufacturers warranty but i think you would be unlucky to have a defect....

[JimSwims]

If you are going for the D600 you might want to get them to throw in a Sensor Cleaning kit with it!

http://nikonrumors.c...000-shots.aspx/

Cheers,
Jim.

[johnjvv]

Jim,

Called Nikon's service center that is a $100 to get a full frame sensor cleaned....Since the problem goes away after 3,000 shots you could theoretically hold the button down with the high fps speed till it gets to 3000, then drop it off for a clean.

1500 +150 tax + 50 shipping + 100 cleaning = 1,800

Saves $700 which in my opinion is worth the stuffing around...

Cheers,
John

[Drew]

If you have more than 4 hrs for the stop over, head over to Tsim Sha Tsui. A few shops like Tin Cheung are great little gems of places. The Airport express will get you to TST station in 30 mins. Takes another 20 mins to get to Tin Cheung from the station. I'd give yourself 30-40 mins to bargain and pay. The Airport express train is very punctual and can reliably get you back to the airport 1 hr before the flight, which is all I need. I don't usually shop but go to town to meet with friends etc. It's a very reliable service.
With the HKD-AUD exchange so favorable right now, it's worth investigating. Hong Kong is probably the best place to shop in Asia.

[JackConnick]

John;

You might investigate buying a 3rd party warranty. The Mack warranties are great, cover everything including water damage, other than fire or theft. They also include a free sensor cleanning.

One other note, probably minor, is that an imported version may fetch less resale later on...

Jack

[johnjvv]

Thanks Jack....I will look into it. I did not know that existed....I imagine at the point of reselling a camera the warranty period would be over anyway....they (cameras) dont seem to be the best investments...purely from a money point of view though!

BTW I somehow managed to pop my in camera flash yesterday evening...at least I know where to get it fixed after talking to the Melbourne Nikon service center about sensor cleaning earlier the day!

Edited by johnjvv, 13 February 2013 - 04:04 PM.

[errbrr]

I bought my 100mm lens from Cameras Direct in December, they import from Hong Kong and sell in Australia from Queensland. The CBD shops in Melbourne couldn't do better than $1400, and those guys shipped it to me for less than $850 total. Local pricing is ridiculous.

I rang them before purchase and got an actual person with a local accent, who was friendly and knew their stuff. Their order tracking is good, domestic shipping is free, and you get an after market (as opposed to manufacturer's) warranty. Then you can take your purchase overseas and claim the GST back!

Might be an easier way to do things than trains across Hong Kong?

[johnjvv]

Thanks Liz...I called them and out of Big Norman, Eglobal, DGI....Cameras Direct was the only one that answered...and I recognised the local accent as the guy called me "mate" although I was expecting "brother" from a QLD shop

They are not the cheapest but seems like a compromise between best of both worlds...thanks for pointing me in their direction...

[ChristianG]

I, also, have a dSLR, with appropriate lenses which I bought out of B&H Noo Yoick, with whom, today, I have a pretty good relationship. What you need to remember is that Oz Customs are only interested in the collective total of the purchase, and if it's over $Au1000, they will charge you 10% GST. As a result I've been known to split things like lenses up to get below that barrier. My housing is German, basically carbon fibre, and I bought it direct from the manufacturer (no representation, then at least, in Oz). I was restricted to this housing because it was the only one available for my camera but it's been terrific. I was, needless to say, also concerned about delivery of the housing and ports from an Oz Customs point of view and I saved myself 10% by being reasonably intelligent about the whole thing. Of course, sometimes (albeit rarely) the 10% saving is not worth the extra cost of the postage of the goods - you need to be wary of this.

 

Yes, I could perhaps save a few dollars (not many at all) by going to the likes of Adorama, but B&H does me very nicely indeed. For the sake of a few dollars I see absolutely no need to change. Incidentally, B&H (and some others, such as, perhaps, Adorama) sell more such equipment in any given period than is bought in the whole of Oz in the same period. These people are not small time operators (and their delivery service is nothing short of exemplary). Five days door to door, including week ends and including Oz Customs, is usually all it takes. Not bad from New York to little old Terrigal NSW, and, but of course, you can track it all the way (whatever did we do without barcodes in those "good old days"?).

Edited by ChristianG, 26 February 2013 - 06:04 AM.

[johnjvv]

Thanks Christian, I think Cameras Direct plus a 3 year Mack warranty is the way to go for Aus having shopped it around a little. Not the cheapest but what I'd feel most comfortable with.