one_for__all Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 Hello, I am looking for any type of feedback on following 2 vendors out of Hong Kong. Before I transact Hassy equipment from Hong Kong.First one has a call sign of "ETEFORE" on Ebay, with a website hksupplies.com.Second one has a call sign of amhlee on Ebay, with a websiteaccphoto.com.Both seem to have positive feedbacks. Any of you out there who can provide feedback both good and/or bad would be most appreciated.If the experience has been a good one for you out there, I am thinking of purchasing some Hassy equipment from one of these 2 outfits. Their price seem to be very good. Substantially less than BH or Adorama.In addition, if you had purchased from them, did you have to pay duty?If so, approximately what percentage of the value is considered as a duty?Thank you all for your replies, as always, I value your opion and advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 I did transact four times with "ETEFORE", both on ebay or not when I asked for a lens not offered on ebay. In all, over US$7k without problems, on the contrary, everything was exactly as described and arrived in Paris three days after payment. Can't comment on duty as I'm not in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostly sports Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 I bought a Rollei GX from Anthony "amhlee" on eBay. I held my breath while I wired almost $2,000 to the other side of the world, but the camera arrived in four days, perfect in every respect, no duty. But it has no USA warranty, and I won't feel like shipping it back to Hong Kong if it needs any work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank_peter Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 I bought a Sekonic light meter from Anthony ("amhlee") a few months ago. Friendly e-mails, prompt shipping, smooth transaction, fantastic saving. I would certainly recommend him. I did not have to pay custom fee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tak_ming_leung Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 I can attest to the great service and value offered by these two vendors in Hong Kong. Last month I bought two Bronica PE lenses and a Velbon carbon fiber tripod from ETEFORE at a GREAT price (40% less than B&H)! My experience in buying photo equipment (especially medium format gear) in Hong Kong or from these sites in Hong Kong has been most positive. I think Hong Kong businessmen are very trustworthy, reliable and very savvy when it comes to selling cameras and lenses. They are also extremely knowledgeable and well-informed about the latest products, partly because they serve a sophisticated buying public (Hong Kong photo enthusiasts) that is willing to spend and to learn. In addition, Hong Kong is a transportation hub for S.E. Asia and a lot of business travelers pass through its door looking for good deals in photo equipment. Hong Kong's tax-free shopping environment also encourages prospective foreign buyers to go spending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_tanner Posted May 12, 2002 Share Posted May 12, 2002 There are some equipment differences for instance the Pocket Wizard frequency on the Sekonic 608 light meter is different than the USA versions. But once you have answered the equipment differences the dealers are reliable. There are also vendors from the US who sell stuff that has entered this country on the same site. My last camera purchase was from a US dealer and I did have a problem with the flash which was covered by warranty so i am glad that I had a US version on this camera as the repair was expensive and the Minolta USA picked up the bill. There are special demo deals on the Hasselblad usa site you may want to explore for big savings as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew_schank Posted May 12, 2002 Share Posted May 12, 2002 There has been discussions here before on the merits and perils of overseas purchasing. My experience has been that there are reliable dealers from Hong Kong and Japan, and it can be a good deal if everything goes well. I did have to pay duty on most overseas purchases(I live in California), and that made the deal less attractive. Also, if an item is damaged or lost in shipping or malfunctions a few weeks after purchasing it, (which does happen unfortunately), you will wish you had purchased it from a more local source. the risks involved are reflected in the pricing-no free lunch here.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_henry Posted May 12, 2002 Share Posted May 12, 2002 I can say that the service and prices I have obtained from Poon, who sells at Ebay under the trading name "etefore", have both been excellent. I just received a 905SWC from Hong Kong, four days from mailing (three, if you count one missed delivery when I was out), honest, quick, reliable and a great deal as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one_for__all Posted May 12, 2002 Author Share Posted May 12, 2002 Thank you all for your active and positive involvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studio jb Posted May 12, 2002 Share Posted May 12, 2002 If you don't want headache buying from Honk Kong, buy it from USA. There is Tony Rose (Sunny California) at E-Bay as cheap as Hong Kong. Also you don't have to wire money to the other side of the world, and pay customs. I purchased 350mm SuperAchromat Hasselblad lens from him over $4,000 and have no problem at all! Trust me on this, he is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny1 Posted May 16, 2002 Share Posted May 16, 2002 I believe Amhlee and Meleica is the same person but I might be wrong. Anyway, I never delt with Etefore nor Amhlee, but I do deal with Meleica quite often. He's a real pro. He sells international equipments that work flawlessly. I purchased a 503CW package w/80 lens & A12 back, a 150 lens, prism 45 and a A24 back for around 5000. All new and all working great and the 503CW package is about a year old now. I just recently ordered a NEW "USA" Nikon LS8000 scanner for only 2600. Can't beat that! And if you want USA, he'll get you the best price from SAMYS and other local camera shops around Los Angeles. I highly recommend him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny1 Posted May 16, 2002 Share Posted May 16, 2002 By the way, I am speaking of the same person as James. Meleica is Tony Rose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photojerry Posted May 16, 2002 Share Posted May 16, 2002 I have purchased from Anhlee Mr. Anthony Lee I am very pleased Shipped from Hong Kong to the USA in 4 days. I have ordered Hasselblad that were not listed on Ebay and they were delivered as promised. Why should I pay 40% more for Hasselblad Equipment in the USA when I can purchase from Hong Kong. I have purchased from DeltaInternational.Com in NEwYork. They sell Gray Market and on major Hasselblad Items they are about 15% to 20% more than Mr Lee though much cheaper than B and H. I have NOT paid duty from Hong Kong. What I have saved by purchasing from Hong Kong I could throw away any item that is defective and I could not get repaired and still would have saved money if I had paid the high price from Band H or Delta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_urban3 Posted May 16, 2002 Share Posted May 16, 2002 Any chance some of the previous posters can give us the web link for contacting the sellers mentioned? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny1 Posted May 16, 2002 Share Posted May 16, 2002 Tony Rose's email address is: leicashop@hotmail.com. He carries Mamiya, Leica, Hasselblad, and Contax. He also goes by the name of Meleica on the "forbidden" EB@Y website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one_for__all Posted May 18, 2002 Author Share Posted May 18, 2002 I followed the suggestions of just keeping my purchase to U.S. vendors. Through pure accident, I came across "MELEICA" on the auction. When I contacted him, it turned out to be Tony Rose that last 3 or 4 respondents were talking about. Lo and Behold, I am here to tell you that this fellow saved me approximately 42% from B&H or Adorama pricing. Needless to say, based on his pricing, no need for me to go to KEH for used equipment either. And as Jerald Rosenfeld has put it quite succinctly, anything that cannot be repaired or repaired expensively, should be tossed out and be replace with the new equipment; in my case, from Tony Rose. What I will say is that the packaging, the shipment, and the price were impressive to say the least. Folks, I just hope that Tony makes enough profit from all of his sales activity so that he can stay around for a long time. I am a firm believer that if you want a vendor to stay around and service your needs, he needs to make profit so that he can stay in business. My purchase consisted of Hassy 503CW, CW Winder, 120mm Makro CFE, Hassy Hood and Hassy Sklylight Filter. All brand new. I decided to deal directly so that he can save some service fee he has to pay to that "auction" site, and in return, he saved me on the shipping, since all these were shipped together at once. At this rate, I am certainly going to expand my collection of Med Format equipment as well as 35mm equipment. I am at total ease of recommending this fellow to you all out there. So my thanks to James Birkan and Danny Liao, your suggestions have been invaluable. I will let you know as soon as I take some test shots with the lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_lindsay Posted May 22, 2002 Share Posted May 22, 2002 As another sick, addicted Hassy, Leica, and Nikon person, I have dealt with Anthony Lee personally on a couple of occasions lately and found him first rate. It's apparent by the questions herein that many have not experienced Hong Kong camera dealers before. I've been shopping with HK dealers since the early 1970s. They are generally first rate and knowledgeable. With eBay doing their advertising for them at cheap prices, more people are starting to learn what we knew about HK for decades. ETEFORE is equally reliable. Of course, as you have also noted, you can deal with "Meleica" in Thousand Oaks California and Tony Rose will be glad to assist you. (Tony used to own a shop or two in Santa Barbara, CA,--and is missed). Tony is a very fair and honest man as well. Most of the HK dealer know the tricks about US Customs and will generally get you through them unscathed, however even with the modest customs tariffs, you can't get a much better price than HK. Why on EARTH buy a used Hassy for MORE than you can buy one new in box from HK. If something happens, just send it back and Anthony Lee (Amhlee) will handle it for you. With international postage at an all time low (thank you Atlas Air and FedEx!) it is virtually dirt cheap to just ship things back across the planet for service than to deal with the guy across the street sometimes. Keep in mind that the US Customs service is more concerned about watching out for the WRONG things coming into this country and hardly concerned about a guy buying a camera and a lens for his personal use. I'll do this again in a second! Dan Lindsay Santa Barbara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_lindsay Posted May 22, 2002 Share Posted May 22, 2002 As another sick, addicted Hassy, Leica, and Nikon person, I have dealt with Anthony Lee personally on a couple of occasions lately and found him first rate. It's apparent by the questions herein that many have not experienced Hong Kong camera dealers before. I've been shopping with HK dealers since the early 1970s. They are generally first rate and knowledgeable. With eBay doing their advertising for them at cheap prices, more people are starting to learn what we knew about HK for decades. ETEFORE is equally reliable. Of course, as you have also noted, you can deal with "Meleica" in Thousand Oaks California and Tony Rose will be glad to assist you. (Tony used to own a shop or two in Santa Barbara, CA,--and is missed). Tony is a very fair and honest man as well. Most of the HK dealers know the tricks about US Customs and will generally get you through them unscathed, however even with the modest customs tariffs, you can't get a much better price than HK. Why on EARTH buy a used Hassy for MORE than you can buy one new in box from HK. If something happens, just send it back and Anthony Lee (Amhlee) will handle it for you. With international postage at an all time low (thank you Atlas Air and FedEx!) it is virtually dirt cheap to just ship things back across the planet for service than to deal with the guy across the street sometimes. Keep in mind that the US Customs service is more concerned about watching out for the WRONG things coming into this country and hardly concerned about a guy buying a camera and a lens for his personal use. I'll do this again in a second! Dan Lindsay Santa Barbara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brant_carroll Posted May 23, 2002 Share Posted May 23, 2002 [http://dataweb.usitc.gov/SCRIPTS/tariff/0202c90.pdf] Should provide duty rates. As I read it a medium format camera carries no duty but a lens only does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeknobloch Posted June 4, 2002 Share Posted June 4, 2002 to get on the bandwagon, i can't say enough good stuff about Tony Rose... he has sold me hassie backs, lenses, prism, accessories, etc... he always takes care of me, handles any problems/issues that might come up and puts up with my high-standards and gear-anxiety really well!!! salespeople at stores can have alterior motives, online transactions with strangers are always risky -- but Tony is the genuine article!... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? CALL HIM NOWWWWWWWW!!!!!! (seriously -- he's awesome.) m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msitaraman Posted June 4, 2002 Share Posted June 4, 2002 etefore is at <a href=http://www.hksupplies.com>www.hksupplies.com</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philippe_doll_ Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 I just bought a brand new Contax 645 complete kit from hksupplies through ebay.That was my first transaction both with ebay and with hksupplies and all I can do is just enthousiastically recommend this e-shop to anyone who is still hesitating.I spared 60% of what I would have paid from regular shop in Switzerland, VAT included!Mr. Poon is a really nice person, I got all in 24h. in perfect condition, with the original packing and international guarantees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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