Camera store in Seattle

Hi all,

 

I?ll be visiting the Seattle area this summer and want to buy a Canon

lens there to profit from the favourable exchange rate between the

Euro and the Dollar. Does anyone know of a store that has sharp

prices?

If i buy online and have it shipped to me in the Netherlands i?ll pay

25% import tax so thats why i want to buy the lens at a store.

 

Other option would be to send it Poste Restante to a postoffice but

i?m not sure if that is still possible in the US.

 

Your thoughts on this matter would be most welcome!

 

Nick

Many shops in Seattle carry many consumer Canon lenses and some shops carry pro equipment, but likely

<a href="http://www.glazerscamera.com/">Glazer's Camera</a>

carries the most professional equipement. In addition

<a href="http://www.optechscamera.com/">OpTechs</a>

also carries Canon equipment. Both stores are between downtown and Lake Union, Interstate 5 and the Seattle Center.

Hi Nick,

 

As Scott says, Glazers are probably your best bet. Don't forget that you'll need to add about 8% sales tax in Seattle.

 

One way to make even bigger savings, if you don't mind not seeing the equipment first, is to buy from one of the New York retailers. BH Photo or Adorama are 2 respectable outfits (many in New York are not). I live in Seattle and have bought equipment for my father this way. He lives in the UK. The savings are almost 50% over what you pay in Europe these days.

 

Hope that's useful to you.

 

John

To buy in person, either Glaziers or Optech are fine. You won't find much difference in price, IMO. Indeed do prepare to pay close to 9% in sales tax.

 

Depending on how long will you visit and if you can use the address for shipping, you can order from either BH Photo Video or Adorama (both in NY) as they often would have sharper pricing. You will not have to pay sales tax and only have to pay minimal shipping charge (granted that you use their economy shipping service which takes around 3-5 business days.)

The prices at Glazer are indeed a lot better than in Europe and about the same as Adorama and B&H. Very good suggestion!

About the sales tax? Do i have to pay that since i?m not a resident of the US?

Having my equipment shipped to a adress in the US is not really an option because i?ll be traveling around a lot and need it pretty much from day 1.

 

Thanks again for your suggestions!

 

Nick

I'm not sure about the ability to reclaim sales tax. I would imagine it to be quite an onerous thing to do. Even with sales tax, you're getting a good deal compared with Europe. If you find yourself in Oregon then you may want to buy there. They have no sales tax.

 

John

If you happen to go across the Columbia River in to Portland along the way, you can get your gear at CameraWorld and not pay sales tax. If not, don't worry about the sales tax as it still a better deal than getting your gear in EU. Just go downtown, pick up the gear, and shoot away! You'll already be very close to <a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=452166">Seattle Center</a> already by then.