View Full Version : anybody buy from Ebay?
Hey guys,
I'm still hooked on finding a Zenitar 16mm F2.8 Fisheye. Has anybody bought camera stuff from Ebay recently? What are the custom duties like etc? Can it get delivered to your house etc?
I can get one online for about R2300... I'm still trying to figure out if its worth the risk :confused:
Bm
BigAl-sa
23-10-2008, 01:47 PM
Hey guys,
I'm still hooked on finding a Zenitar 16mm F2.8 Fisheye. Has anybody bought camera stuff from Ebay recently? What are the custom duties like etc? Can it get delivered to your house etc?
I can get one online for about R2300... I'm still trying to figure out if its worth the risk :confused:
BmI bought a set of Kenko extension tubes from someone in Hong Kong. I got it without any problems within 2 weeks. I didn't have to pay tax or vat either. From what I can gather from other folks though, buying ebay stuff is a bit of a lottery. Someone at the PO or Customs & Excise may take a liking to whatever you buy and you don't see it.
To get it delivered to your door, you will have to see whether the seller is willing to courier the item, and for a lens I'd definitely look at a courier.
hoegh
23-10-2008, 03:47 PM
with respect to customs it all boils down to declared value and purpose, normal citizens are allowed to bring in a certain value of goods per year, once you exceed that limit you will have to pay vat, and depending on what the item is, duties as well. With respect to purpose, if something is brought in as a sample then you shouldn't pay any vat or duties, same would apply to goods under a certain value brought in for personal use, if you bring in something to sell, then you legally have to declare it to customs, pass a bill of entry and pay vat and applicable duties.
Also, customs will basically never see your item any way so they won't be the ones stealing it, all customs see is the paper work declaring what the parcel is, if they think you're a drug dealer or under declaring something they will stop it for an inspection, and then they will inspect it and release. Generally speaking if you ship via a courier you shouldn't have any problems with regard to theft as the items are tracked all the way through, and if you want to avoid paying vat or duties have the shipper declare the value at USD 1 and that they are samples of what ever you are buying. But courier fees are very expensive, you can usually phone up most couriers and describe what you want shipped from where to where with a weight and they will be able to give you a quote over the phone, I have used a company called Dawnwing and they were pretty good.
CaTcH21
23-10-2008, 04:45 PM
I buy off ebay all the time. Maybe 5/100 items dissapeared but thats why insurance is offered.
You can always ask the seller to ship a GIFT to you, and the item you want is quite small so customs will let it slip by. Remember, alot of the time, your item can get lost at the country of the seller, not here in S.A, so try not to use a shipping method longer than 10 days.
koffiejunkie
23-10-2008, 04:57 PM
I've bought two film bodies and a handful of lenses from private sellers on eBay. I've also bought my 40D from DigitalRev through eBay. No problems at all.
You have buyer protection via Paypal (not sure of the details, I haven't really bothered to look yet). Might be worth investigating.
Shot! You guys have been uber helpful.
I found a SA guy who can import one for me, but with the dollar up to so much crap it will cost closer to 4k. I'm going to order it directly from russia.
koffiejunkie
23-10-2008, 06:24 PM
Do note, I'm not telling you you won't get schnaaid, just that I haven't had any problems (yet). Check the reseller rating and feedback.
Is this the fisheye?
PeterCH
23-10-2008, 07:24 PM
I buy off ebay all the time. Maybe 5/100 items dissapeared but thats why insurance is offered.
You can always ask the seller to ship a GIFT to you, and the item you want is quite small so customs will let it slip by. Remember, alot of the time, your item can get lost at the country of the seller, not here in S.A, so try not to use a shipping method longer than 10 days.
Well considering that shipping time by airmail is a full 2 weeks from US or Canada to us that sort of makes courier or EMS your only alternative for
those countries.
bwana
23-10-2008, 07:58 PM
I've bought two film bodies and a handful of lenses from private sellers on eBay. I've also bought my 40D from DigitalRev through eBay. No problems at all.
You have buyer protection via Paypal (not sure of the details, I haven't really bothered to look yet). Might be worth investigating.How much of this was shipped to SA and how much to UK?
koffiejunkie
24-10-2008, 05:00 AM
How much of this was shipped to SA and how much to UK?
All was shipped to the UK. But that's not relevant - we're talking about eBay, not SAPOST, right?
bwana
24-10-2008, 08:03 AM
All was shipped to the UK. But that's not relevant - we're talking about eBay, not SAPOST, right?He was asking about customs, delivery, and especially risk so I think the entire experience from auction to delivery is pertinent.
Also if you purchased from the UK ebay site you might have more/some recourse in the event of a problem as compared to 10,000km away.
koffiejunkie
24-10-2008, 08:22 AM
Apologies - reading like my arse again