Buying overseas

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ratinakage

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Hi all,

After much research, I think the camera that I want is the Pentax K-x White. Seems like a very solid entry-level DSLR with great features.

Had a quick look online and it seems to cost upwards of R7000 in South Africa.

I have someone living in NY coming to SA soon. I can order the same camera online at NewEgg for $550 (R4000) or $500 on this site (R3500) which I never heard of before today. Thats like almost half the price!!

My question is, if I get my friend to order it there and bring it over here, will it be considered a grey import? Will I get any issues if it breaks and I need to take it to Pentax? I can't see anything looking at those sites about international warranties... Am I totally screwed if I run into problems with the camera??

Any advice would be appreciated...
 
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ratinakage said:
My question is, if I get my friend to order it there and bring it over here, will it be considered a grey import? Will I get any issues if it breaks and I need to take it to Pentax? I can't see anything looking at those sites about international warranties... Am I totally screwed if I run into problems with the camera??

Any help would be appreciated...
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In general (because I dont have any experience with Pentax) the camera's warranty is only good in the country/region it was purchased in. You probably could get it repaired locally but it wouldn't be free.

BTW - never heard of the site you mentioned. I used to get my stuff from B&H in NY (not to be confused with the on here in SA that are just trading off the name) but have recently started giving Adorama all my business.
 
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just a word of advice ...

make sure you consider availablity of accesories (lenses, batteries, car chargers etc) ... sometimes going for the cheapest option leads to frustrations down teh line ....

that is the reason i went for Canon. You can easily sell it, buy second hand lenses, generic batteries, etc locally.

to answer your question : if you are going to insure your kit, dont bother about the warrantees ... that is what all risk is there for. But yes, local Pentax will give you a hard time to honour the warranty.

If price is a constraint, the best advice i took was buying second hand. Gain experience and the option up if you want to.

my 2c worth.
 
@sdd - Thanks!! I did a quick search on the gumtree for Pentax. There seems to be some 2nd hand lenses for sale so I guess there are a few people using them locally... Do all Pentax lenses work on all Pentax cameras?? I also travel a fair deal so buying stuff shouldn't be too much of a pain. It takes AA batteries which are universal. I like the idea of getting a new one rather than 2nd hand. I would rather get something modern with lots of features like 720p video recording and sporty continuous shooting modes. And at that price, I recon you can't go wrong... No?

Anyone here use Pentax?? What are they like with service locally? How much does the average repair cost? Are we talking hundreds or thousands?
 
bwana said:
BTW - never heard of the site you mentioned. I used to get my stuff from B&H in NY (not to be confused with the on here in SA that are just trading off the name) but have recently started giving Adorama all my business.
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Thanks! I see they have international shipping and are actually not too expensive. Adorama has the camera for $500. B&H similar. Here's the links (you need to add it to the cart before you see the lowest price):

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/651674-REG/Pentax_16302_Pentax_K_x_Digital_SLR.html
http://www.adorama.com/Als/ProductPage/IPXKXWK1.html

I can't make out the whole international warranty thing though. Can I assume that if they ship it to SA, the warranty is for SA or at least international?

All thing being equal, I'd much rather have it shipped to SA than call in a favor getting my friend to bring it...
 
I used to work for a company that had the dealership rights to some branded sound systems- They would not repair a gray import- end of story, not even at a cost. Your best bet is to phone pentax themselves and ask the questions.
 
Go for it, Newegg is great.

I have ordered 2 complete PC’s in component form from Newegg, the first in 2007, the second in 2009 and brought these back to Durban with me from California. I had excellent service from Newegg, prompt delivery to my California address, no mistakes made in component selection or in the billing of my Visa card. The Visa card I use does have the California billing address to which the delivery from Newegg was made, so if this is an issue for you, make sure they will deliver to the USA address you want them to.
The selection of product at Newegg is really good, the prices are some of the best in the USA and they only stock the latest kit, so no obsolete stuff to be found there. I always over research anything I buy, so I am familiar with the online ordering game in the USA. In addition, by ordering ‘out of state’, you will avoid paying the any State Sales Tax that may be applicable if you shop at a local brick-and-mortar store. (You mention your friend being in NY and Newegg is based in California, so you should make a tax saving).
Regarding ‘grey imports’ and warranties. There is such a huge saving to be made buying in the USA compared to the rip-off pricing in South Africa that I felt the risk was worth taking in my case. Most warranties will not be honoured in SA because while it is the actual manufacturer that is distributing/supplying the goods in the USA, here in SA it is usually some greedy local ‘entrepreneur’ agent who will use his exclusive supply agreement to gouge as much out of you as he can. There is also the fact that SA is a country of ‘middlemen’ and each wants his profit. Remember, these ‘box movers’ have to finance their comfortable lifestyles out of as high a mark-up as the market will bear.
Should your item fail under warranty, you can always send it by courier to the USA for repair after registering it, (via the serial number), with customs in South Africa. No import duty will be payable upon its return. Despite the costs involved in using a courier service, the huge savings you originally made will more than cover this. In fact, the savings you made can be so large that you could just order another item in the USA, (perhaps a later model by then), and throw away the faulty one. Who says the product will fail anyway!
Hope this helps.
 
ratinakage said:
I have someone living in NY coming to SA soon. I can order the same camera online at NewEgg for $550 (R4000) or $500 on this site (R3500) which I never heard of before today. Thats like almost half the price!!
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I would much rather buy from B&H. They have an excellent after sales support reputation. And I've seen the store with my own eyes (always feel more comfortable about that!) - it's photographer nirvana...

B&H - $536.95 Annoyingly, they don't display the price until you put it in the basket - not sure why.

ratinakage said:
My question is, if I get my friend to order it there and bring it over here, will it be considered a grey import? Will I get any issues if it breaks and I need to take it to Pentax? I can't see anything looking at those sites about international warranties... Am I totally screwed if I run into problems with the camera??
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Read the bit about international warranties - it looks like they offer one post-sale:

http://www.pentaximaging.com/support/customer-care/
and
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/1376724.html

The K-x is pretty good bang for buck. Guys on the Pentax forums are selling their higher-end bodies in favour of the K-x
 
koffiejunkie said:
I would much rather buy from B&H. They have an excellent after sales support reputation. And I've seen the store with my own eyes (always feel more comfortable about that!) - it's photographer nirvana.
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Have you been into Adorama? I haven't been there in years but my mother pops in there from time to time for me and prefers them to B&H by a long shot.
 
bwana said:
Have you been into Adorama? I haven't been there in years but my mother pops in there from time to time for me and prefers them to B&H by a long shot.
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No, I haven't actually. Every time I've been to NY and planned to buy something, Adorama was more expensive. I'll check it out next time though.
 
koffiejunkie said:
No, I haven't actually. Every time I've been to NY and planned to buy something, Adorama was more expensive. I'll check it out next time though.
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After my last experience with B&H I'm ok with paying a little more in some cases. I paid less in others so I guess it balances out :)
 
What do you guys recon about choosing to have it shipped to SA? B&H as well as Adorama both seem to offer international shipping at not too much of a cost. It could cut out some of the hassle and also save me having to wait til the world cup when my mate comes down...

Will it be stopped at customs? Will I need to pay extra tax?
 
ratinakage said:
Will it be stopped at customs? Will I need to pay extra tax?
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Yes, there are some customs/duties. I sent my old man a camera two or so years ago and told DHL to charge any customs/duties to me. It ended up being £90 for a camera that cost me £300. I'm sure a big chunk of that was them their fee for dealing with it, but nevertheless, find out what the charge will be first. Also keep in mind that the prices advertised on US websites exclude sales tax (8.875% in NYC, I believe). If your buddy doesn't live in New York State, order it and have it delivered at his home. That way you won't pay sales tax on it.
 
koffiejunkie said:
Yes, there are some customs/duties. I sent my old man a camera two or so years ago and told DHL to charge any customs/duties to me. It ended up being £90 for a camera that cost me £300. I'm sure a big chunk of that was them their fee for dealing with it, but nevertheless, find out what the charge will be first. Also keep in mind that the prices advertised on US websites exclude sales tax (8.875% in NYC, I believe). If your buddy doesn't live in New York State, order it and have it delivered at his home. That way you won't pay sales tax on it.
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Thanks for that!

He does live in NY. So, he could even pick it up in person... Is that better or worse in terms of sales tax?

Found another on EBay for even cheaper. http://cgi.ebay.com/Pentax-K-X-Digi...wItemQQptZDigital_Cameras?hash=item45f232320f
 
ratinakage said:
He does live in NY. So, he could even pick it up in person... Is that better or worse in terms of sales tax?
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If he picks it up in person, he will pay sales tax. If he has a buddy across the Hudson in New Jersey, he could always have it shipped there and go pick it up there :)
 
Gocha! What about living in NY and having it delivered to NY? Does sales tax apply then?
 
koffiejunkie said:
No, I haven't actually. Every time I've been to NY and planned to buy something, Adorama was more expensive. I'll check it out next time though.
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We do make every effort to price match our (reputable!) competitors - on both unit cost and shipping.

If you need any advice or after-sales support, you are most welcome to email me directly.
 
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