[Raymo]

Hi, I was just wondering whether any1 had purchased a D200 or any camera for that matter from HK off ebay etc, and if it was worth it given the import duty? Also how much is the import duty roughly? Many Thanks.

[Dave]

I can recommend here :- Nikon D200 Camera Body - Onestop Digital as they promise no VAT or import duty. I & several other members have used them before. Someone may be able to crrect me, but I'm not sure if warranty for Nikon DSLR's is valid in UK...... I'm sure lenses are though.

Also try this link provided by Warspite, for UK best deals :- Camera Price Buster - UKs cheapest camera gear

[orangepeel]

iirc there's 10% import duty then 17.5% vat on top of that.

So £1000 becomes £1292.50

[Steve]

Onestop do not promise no duty or vat on import BUT they will refund it if you get caught.

Many of the members here have used them and are hppy with their service, I would be ok using them for lenses but for something like a body I would buy from my own country so I have a point of return I could visit if I hit any problems. Postage and time costs to return a faulty camera to a foreign country is simply not worth the potential saving for me personally.

Good luck with your choice

[spxxxx]

keaphoto on ebay have 9000+ feedback 100%

they have been going for years but don't guarantee no duty - just say will mark as gift etc.

I have heard that FEDEX is the best service to use to avoid duty - why I have no idea -

[dod]

Originally Posted by Steve

Onestop do not promise no duty or vat on import BUT they will refund it if you get caught.

Many of the members here have used them and are hppy with their service, I would be ok using them for lenses but for something like a body I would buy from my own country so I have a point of return I could visit if I hit any problems. Postage and time costs to return a faulty camera to a foreign country is simply not worth the potential saving for me personally.

Good luck with your choice

Absolutely agree.

[ftmftm]

another vote here for One Stop-Digital, used them alot and haven't had any problems with them, i did get a import duty tax from, but it was from FED EX which i sent to One Stop and they paid me back straight away. David

[Dutchie]

My canon powershot S45 comes from HK, bought from Ebay and never had a problem with the camera. My camcorder comes from USA, bought from Ebay and never had a problem with that either. Gladly though. But I have been considering buying the dslr from the USA and I think for the money it saves, it is not worth the hassle. I've got a limit to what I would buy from outside countries and this camera is simple to expensive. I don't want to send it to the USA if anything is wrong with it.

[Rob Barron]

Originally Posted by orangepeel

iirc there's 10% import duty then 17.5% vat on top of that.

So £1000 becomes £1292.50

That isn't strictly accurate. The customs rates are set for every item, not as a blanket rate. The current rate of import duty for a digital camera is zero though you still have to pay the VAT so a £1000 item would be £1,175.

Camera lenses are currently rated at 6.7% import duty and then the VAT so on the same £1000 the amount payable would be £67 import duty and then 17.5% VAT on the total bringing the entire bill to £1,253.72.

The biggest concern you have when buying something where the seller says 'I'll try and reduce it as much as I can for you' is that what they mean is they will declare it as a gift of no commercial value. The problem is, the sender is NOT legally liable for the declaration made as YOU, the buyer, are the person considered to be the importer of the goods and thus are legally responsible for what it says on the package. In general though, Customs and Excise will simply give you a bill to pay before releasing the goods to you.

Is it worth risking it? Well, it depends on your moral and ethical viewpoints really as to whether you feel you want to try and get the goods from abroad. I am not about to moralise as to what you should or should not do. Is it worth it in terms of 'will I end up likely to have to pay the duty>' the answer is quite honestly yes, you'll have a good chance of getting away with it. I stress here I am NOT CONDONING that, just stating the fact that approximately one in five of parcels are checked so you have about an 80% chance of the goods getting through without being checked.

The item itself will not be considered liable to import duty if the total import duty payable is less than £7 so a lens costing £95 would not be of interest to C&E. They would definitely be interested though in something they suspect to be of greater value than that declared.

And here's a real stinker for you: the value of an item is taken to be the value according to their huge tome listing everything under the sun. So, if a lens cost you £450 from Hong Kong but Customs decide your lens is worth £700 according to their list, you pay the duty on £700, not on £450 UNLESS you can show a printed receipt of exactly how much you paid, how you paid, etc.

This is a potential mindfield BUT most people do tend to consider it an acceptable risk and go ahead anyway. So, the choice is all yours. At least you know the facts and can decide whether paying it would still make that item a bargain. In a lot of cases it is still worth it even if you pay a bit of duty but in otehr cases it isn't.

I do however entirely agree with the recommendation of Onestop Digital who I have also bought from and have been very impressed with. They promise to and do refund duty if you do end up paying it.

Cheers,
Rob