jim_mcdonald1 Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Hi I'm using a 20D and have finally decided to take the plunge and buy a Canon 100 macro. I've seen te reviews and comments here and reckon I could really benefit from it. It's the age-old problem in rip-off UK though; the cost here is around �400/$750 and that's before I buy the hood. I see it at B&H around $430. Of course, I'll order from the US and take the 25% hit when it reaches my doorstep but I just hate being "taken". Maybe it's cheaper to take a day's flight into Europe and purchase there but I guess Canon have it sewn up. Don't know why I'm writing really other than to moan and secretly hope someone can point me to a cheaper option than the UK sharks. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george_lupton Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 you can get new lenses on ebay from sellers in the uk for a decent price. Also you will probably find that it is more than 30% when it reaches your doorstep. i.e. 17.5% vat and ~15% import duty then the royal mail handling fee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_mcdonald1 Posted May 18, 2006 Author Share Posted May 18, 2006 Thanks George, I feel better already......not. :( Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitmstr Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 That's what I call a "royal" pain in the arse ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george_lupton Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 I got stung once - importing something from australia when i could have brought it back in my luggage perfectly legally and it wouldn't have cost me a penny. the royal mail fee is around ﾣ8 or it was a couple of years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_mcdonald1 Posted May 18, 2006 Author Share Posted May 18, 2006 A friend's son just got seriously scammed by a British re-seller on e*** and so I'm psychologically averse to the site. I'll probably check the prices in Europe and just buy there. At least then I get a decent meal, some sunshine and the opportunity to photograph elsewhere. Now, where are the retailers? The research could take days..... Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovcom_photo Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 ....UK dealer says "We are NOT Communists!"--The Godfather Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_mcdonald1 Posted May 18, 2006 Author Share Posted May 18, 2006 ......also not Capitalists. It's the worst of all worlds. No real competition within an effete market means that prices level up. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risa_kozel Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 I bought nearly new on Ebay for 290�... happy with it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lheusinkveld Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 ...before you rush off to buy outside the UK, have you checked with dealers other than the obvious Jessops etc? Last lens I bought in UK was priced very close to what I would have paid in the US, and I got an excellent deal on a trade-in at the same time. Check with some of the more reputable advertisers in the back of Practical Photography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quynh_nguyen Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Hi Jim, I am on the same situation as well, found it outrageously expensive here. Thinking about switching to Tamron 90mm Macro or waiting for a friend to go to US to come back with the Canon 100 macro. The Tamron has good price tag from eBay, make sure you get the one from HongKong which says free UK tax. I have bought a couple of things from them and it all came out nicely. If they have done 10k transaction successfully, no reason they will fail you. Good luck, Quinn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.photo.netphotosegan Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Hi Jim I bought mine from ebay but made sure I could meet the seller locally and paid cash. That way I could see what I was getting. Paid �325 G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timcorridan Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 by the way, can we borrow Tony Blair for awhile....were not too sure about ours... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christian deichert Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 One advantage of being stationed in Europe: I keep my US address and pay no VAT, so my 5D and lenses were much less than what I would have paid on the economy. (Downside is, when I don't want to shop on post, my cost of living allowance isn't even close to covering the difference between the ever-dropping dollar and European currency...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjmeade Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 Jim, you can probable save up to about 100GBP on the price of a lens by looking around. People like park cameras, digital first or warehouse express may be the answer. Another way to consider is to have one of your friends in the US buy the lens and send it as a gift. Import duty on gifts of that value will be 38GBP, I think. I did that with PS CS2, very effective. Tim C, there's no point in having Blair, he just does what Bush tells him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niels_de_boissezon1 Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 Do what many other EU-photographers do: buy in Germany. Prices there, while not as low as the US, are the most reasonable in Europe. Some items are actually cheaper there than in the US(i.e. Sigma lenses) try preissuchmaschine.de and browse their prices. I've had good experiences with either lagu.de, ac-foto.de and technikdirekt.de. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry_smith2 Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 Topvision is another good German seller and they also have a shop in Luxembourg. Try their website. There's also a large camera shop in Aachen, the name of which escapes me. Might make a good weekend break to go to either place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark from thailand Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 Try Fixation in London - I've found their prices great in the past. http://www.fixationuk.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex j loveridge Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 I have noticed that prices on LCEdirect.co.uk can often be 10% cheaper than Jessops, and if you don't live near their branches you can order from the website and sometimes get an online discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_mcdonald1 Posted May 20, 2006 Author Share Posted May 20, 2006 Thank you all for your replies. Uncharacteristically I just wanted a bit of a moan the other night-sorry. I am trying to build my kit slowly and thoughtfully within my budget and the UK pricing is a bit of a take-down. So far, I've managed a 70-200 /4, 17-40 /4, 50 /1.8 as a result of contributions I've read here. I'm delighted with all of them with minor reservations about the 17-40 (though that's probably more to do with technique). I was fortunate enough to have a kind friend think of me a year or so ago while in the US and "gift" me a Gitso CF legset and Markins head. She also had the foresight to pack an RRS plate for my camera. So that saved me a great deal. My body is the humble old 300D but I'll always be learning while it soldiers on. I figured that the bottleneck in my production would be a) my rotten technique and b) the crummy kit lens. I find the trouble with this hobby is that it's so addictive and that unnerves me because I'm not that type of person in the flesh. Regardless, I'm hooked for life and absolutely loving it. I'll abandon the essay at this point folks. Thanks again to you all for writing. Briefly: Louise - that'll give me something to do on a cold rainy day here. Quinn - I've decided to stick with Canon not least because of the 100's great reviews. Also, before I opted for Canon I figured I would want to build up some decent gear and that I was choosing a system rather than a camera. I'm just not confident with e*** sellers. In this respect I probably sound rather old-fashioned I'll admit. Gerry - was yours "boxed as new" whatever that means? If you're pleased with it it was obviously a great price. Tim C - you can have Blur as (speaking only for myself) he's neither use nor ornament. Well done Christian, you seem to have the best of both worlds. I wouldn't say I'm jealous but .... Peter - I hadn't realised that the tax on gifts of this value was as low as �38. This might be a way forward for me as I have a friend in the US. Thank you also to Joe and Alex and for the other links. I've ckecked them all and the base price on this lens varies between �370 and �410 and that's before carriage (a quaint expression don't you think?) and any other taxes somebody will invent in the meantime. Sorry to go on but wait till I start looking for the 5D later this year! Thank you for your helpful feedback. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denisbergeron Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Write to Canon UK until they lower the price ! In Canada we have the same probleme until last year, price for same Canon lens are usualy twice than in the USA ! I write to Canon Canada each month to show them all the lens I get from the USA, and show them that I buy Sigma or Tamron lens insteed of Canon because of they price policy! I ask other canadian photographers to do the same. Last week I buy the new 85mm f1.2 for 100$ less in Montreal, qc, Canada that I will pay from B&H in USA ! Write to Canon UK, it will paid somehow in the future ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_mcdonald1 Posted May 22, 2006 Author Share Posted May 22, 2006 Thanks for the idea Denis, I'll follow your lead. I'm genuinely surprised that your efforts bore fruit. My understanding is that the big multi-nationals are completely impervious and rely on the inertia of the public as they play their cynical games. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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