[rupixelated]

Anybody with experience or info on prices and availabillity of Canon or Tamron lenses in China , Cant find much info on the net.
Many thanks
Peter

[stepheno]

If you can afford the loss if things go wrong then go ahead. Ihave no experience of China but, personally, I just don't trust them...yet. Not the sellers but the bureaucracy of the regime. If it gets lost in the post I wouldn't fancy being in the middle of that argument.

Looking at it practically though I only buy abroad to the value of what I'm prepared to lose which to me is about £100. Cameras I always buy from a shop then I can physically return it if it goes wrong. Lenses I always buy in this country - I have used internet buying for lenses but not off Ebay. Thats just my opinion. HTH.

[Rob Barron]

There are any number of sellers in Hong Kong with prices considerably lower than mostly available in the UK. There are of course issues regarding the potential for import duty and VAT but some sellers on Ebay offer a tax guarantee whereby they will refund any tax you have to pay.

I strongly recommend looking at Onestop Digital as they are a reputable seller with an online shop and excellent prices. They sell all Canon and Tamron as well as lots of others. Unusually, their listed prices include postage and a guarantee that they will refund any VAT paid... and they do without any problem.

Onestop Digital - Camera equipment at the lowest prices

That is a link to their website.

Cheers,
Rob

[rupixelated]

Actualy buying in China , not on-line Just hoped somebody else had any experience, warranty not a problem i need worry about. Thanks for the links I will check it out
Ta
Peter

[stepheno]

Is that mainland or Hong Kong? Lenses generally have international warranty and if the price is good then I suppose why not?

[abirkill]

I've certainly had excellent service at Man Shing and Wing Shing in Mongkok, Hong Kong. They're recommended on a number of sites on the 'net, and went out of their way to help - they let me try out the lenses (with a supplied 5D, although I'm sure if I'd taken my camera I could have used that), and also took extra care to show me the international warranty cards, and even demonstrate that the serial number on the lens and card matched.

I picked up a Sigma 10-20mm CAF for 225 quid (£291 on OneStop), and a Canon 50mm 1.8 II for 43 quid (£60 on OneStop), both with international warranties. Both stores (they are owned by the same company) do not haggle, so the price you get quoted is the lowest they will sell it for. As you can see from the prices above though, you're getting a pretty fantastic deal!

I would be cautious of buying from a shop I didn't have a recommendation for - in Hong Kong at least, there are a lot of unscrupulous sellers, who will sell you non-warranteed goods with fake warranty forms, sell you the lens but charge you extra for the case/hood/etc (when they should be included), and so on. If you know what you're looking for and are confident, then you might be able to get an even better deal, but be careful - and make sure that what they put in the bag is what you bought, too!

This is a very useful page (scroll down) - it lists the prices which the HK stores sell kit at, so you can see what the price is likely to be. Bear in mind that it's not an official site, and the prices do fluctuate, so it's a guideline rather than a promise. As you can see, most of the prices are from Man Shing, Wing Shing or DC Fever (I don't know why they mis-spell the names - maybe so the camera shops don't find out...)

It's also worth pointing out that Sigma UK don't like honouring non-UK market equipment even with international warranties - they request a VAT receipt, which obviously requires you to have paid VAT on the item, which usually makes the price more expensive than that from the cheaper UK dealers. Some people have had luck in getting them to honour the warranty without a VAT receipt (the legality of their stand is dubious), but bear it in mind. Sigma have a rather predictably over-dramatic PDF on grey-market goods here.

[stepheno]

Thanks for that information abirkill - some good stuff in your reply.

[rupixelated]

thank you all for replies, daughter going to mainland china shanghai so i have given her my shopping list and instructions. i will let you know how it turns out
Thanks
Peter