D3, USA price -V- UK price

[almark]

1. Can anyone explain why / how Nikon can sell the D3 in the US at $4,999

roughly ?2,500, when the same camera is ?3399 in the UK?

2. What is to stop someone taking a risk on the warranty and buying in the US,

posting home the cardboard (or just binning it).

[hans_janssen]

Tax?

[pge]

Mark, us Canadians have been doing that for years. With our dollar at par or greater than the US dollar, things often cost 25% less in the US. Nothing is stopping you, plus you don't give up your warranty as far as I know, you will just have to deal with shipping costs if you need warranty service.

 

Phil

[anthony_bez]

You will be liable to pay VAT/Import Duty. If you get through customs the first time, they can still charge you any time you travel.

 

The can tell from a database whether duty has been paid or not.

[john_n._wall]

I am not sure of all the reasons for the higher price for the D3 in England, but I do know two things. 1. The English price includes their VAT or value-added tax which adds somewhere between 15%-20% to the cost and 2. the English price of Nikon gear has historically been higher than in the USA, so the D3 is no exception, perhaps because its a smaller market or because that's what the market will bear.

 

I have heard of people in the UK claiming they could fly to NYC and buy Nikon gear at B&H to take home, paying for their round-trip airfare with the difference. I think the international warranty would still be good even if the USA warranty would not be. There is the matter of getting the gear through customs on the way back, however.

[vivek iyer]

I feel that B&H, Adorama, etc are going to have a field day from EU customers.

 

The price differences simply ridiculous.

[oskar_ojala]

I've heard that the initial place in Finland would be something on the order of 4000 euros, which would place it far below the UK price (and the tax is higher here). So I think the UK price you quote is quite high.

[ShunCheung]

All of this is nothing new. In the late 1990's, I used to visit B&H at least once a month on Sundays, and every time it was very crowded with a lot of European tourists.

 

As far as I know, for some DSLRs such as the D200, B&H will not ship to Canada. Most likely similar restrictions will apply to the D3, but that doesn't prevent you from getting one through friends in the US.

I know some guy in the Netherlands bought a D40x from B&H that way. :-)

[john_n._wall]

The further wrinkle in trying to beat a price is to figure out how to get B&H to ship the camera to a real address outside of NY where you can pick it up and not pay NY state tax on the purchase. Will save you another bit of change, but it helps to have a friend in New Jersey or Connecticut who will hold it for you. Apparently hotel and motel addresses will not work.

[theodore_papageorgiou]

Because I have bought many things from Bay, I know that everything from UK, is more expensive than USA.

If the items you want, are used ones, you could find some options so as to pay less, besides customs.

I know something about it.

[tom_burke3]

?3399 inc VAT is the equivalent to a price of ?2892.75 before the addition of VAT. At today's

exchange rate of ?1 = $2.08, that would be a dollar price of $6016.95.

 

$4999 converted into sterling at today's rate would be ?2403.36 before VAT, and ?2823.95

inc VAT.

[sam_ellis]

If you want to buy a D3, you can ship it to my house in Delaware tax free. Email me and I'll send you my address LOL! I'll have to hold it for six months to make sure everything is legitimate though! Then just pay the shipping to England and I'll send it right out.HA HA HA HA HA!!!

 

Sam

[patrick_mchugh]

The EU are looking into corporations setting US prices and European prices differently. I

know that some computer manufacturers are currently being examined. We have always

been charged more in Europe even though cameras are manufactured in Asia!

Anyway, more to the point I think it is possible to import a camera and if you are

registered for VAT you can claim the 17% back that will be charged by customs. I believe a

duty will also be charged but I believe it is only 2% or less. Maybe someone could confirm

this from experience.

Another consideration, if you buy it in New York they will add on 8.25% sales task at the

checkout, but if you have it shipped abroad the charge will not apply.

And last but not least-I believe most Pro Camera Shops have an agreement with Nikon

USA not to ship cameras to Europe. I believe if you check with B&H they won't oblige. It is

to protect the higher price they list in Europe.

[tim_knight]

Are other camera companies pricing like Nikon in the UK?

[mountainvisions]

Just wanted to note something.

 

A few years ago (about 2000) when the Euro was about .85 to the US dollar, I was ordering my climbing gear (rock climbing, ice climbing and skiing) from france and spain.

 

Why? Forgetting about shipping and tarriffs the cost was 50-70% less for products. Even US products like black diamond and 5.10 were mind boggling less. This didn't match the less than 15% value of the currency.

 

What happened? these mail order companies got so popular climbing companies made them restrict shipping to the US. Also, MEC in canada, cannot ship certain things to the US. Because 5 years ago when the US dollar was 1.65 to the Canadian dollar the MEC prices were the same. So essentially, if I shipped it from canada I saved almost 50% over US retail. it was such a good price difference it paid for my short drive to montreal/ottawa and weekend of fun.

 

Regional pricing has been a fact of life for decades, and it's part of a free market. The seller has the right to ask what the market will bear.

 

The UK does seem to get hosed on everything, but it seems to be because you are willing to pay for it.

 

I do, however, think the EU is getting a bit to big for it's britches. If it's going to set prices for the free market, you now have a socialist economy. And while I am from the US, and i have no issues with europe or the EU, but I do have issues with a socialist economy posing as a free market.

 

Also, I'm kinda wondering how customs knows if your camera is new? Or how it knows it's the same camera? Most of my border crossings are canada/mexico so maybe I'm naive. I'd put a Nikon D40 in my bag, fly to the US, sell it, or give it away, or ship it back to myself, and fly home with a D300/D3 in the bag. Or if I was climbing, I'd climb on pitch on my near gear, and take it home as used.

[walterh]

Justin cameras as well as lenses have serial numbers. So in principle one can check if the tax and duty have been payed already. Any time you import any item of value it is your obligation to prove that you exported it otherwise you may have to pay at the border. So customs does not need to "know" they can just ask for proof. They may be confused but at least customs here in Germany will not take it from you that your D3 is an old thing used for years^^.

[Rene11664880918]

Well... The USA is not a kingdom! How you thought about that? There is not a royal family to

support! These is what most of my british costumers say when they come to japan so please

don't blame me!

[jose_angel]

"... the English price of Nikon gear has historically been higher... " I think this is one of the reasons, not only for the UK but even worst for other european countries. This is also one if not the main reason (at least in the pre-digital era) for the Canon leadership in that countries. Taxes and import duties has not been the reason but the main excuse.

 

Actually, in that countries, most second-hand old Nikon gear prices are substantially over B&H`s "new" prices; it`s funny to see the same old unsold gear over the shelves throughout the years. I can`t imagine doing this at my own business, I can`t understand why they act in this way. B&H is making a lot money thanks to this european dealers.

 

Lately, I have seen some current Nikon digital SLR bodies at moreless the same price than in the US; but when you ask for the lens the price is still much higher than in the US (it means even -double- after all taxes).

[oskar_ojala]

<i>I think it is possible to import a camera and if you are registered for VAT you can claim the 17% back that will be charged by customs. I believe a duty will also be charged but I believe it is only 2% or less.</i>

 

<p>This is true, but you need to have a business to be registered (don't know if this is true for every country. Alternatively, you could find the lowest VAT in Europe and have it brought there. The duty is something like 3% for lenses.

 

<p><i>EU is getting a bit to big for it's britches. If it's going to set prices for the free market, you now have a socialist economy.</i>

 

<p>The EU doesn't control prices, it has actually done a lot to improve the free flow of goods. But even in the EU, there are anti-trust laws and lately they've been taking a harder bite at companies engaging in price-fixing...

 

<p><i>This is also one if not the main reason (at least in the pre-digital era) for the Canon leadership in that countries.</i>

 

<p>The C-brand still seems to have a more fair pricing scheme.

[allan_jamieson2]

I was thinking the same thing last night looking at the different prices for the

D3 in the UK compared to the USA. At 2500 UK pounds I might be tempted to

buy a D3, but not at 3400 UK pounds.

 

The camera specs look good, but being honest with myself, a lot of the

features that the D3 has would only be of limited use to me. I'm not really into

action photography using high shutter speeds or high ISO ratings. I don't

really need autofocus with 51 points on it either, or the ability to take loads of

images back to back. The full frame size would be good and image quality is

probably going to be excellent too, but what I'd like is a few more megapixels

for landscape type photography, with some of the extra features stripped out

and a simpler camera which I can use without having to refer to the manual

constantly to work out what all the hidden functions in the menu actually do!

 

I'm currently using a D80 which can produce excellent results, but my last

camera was a Pentax 67II, which was so much easier to use; all the controls

that were needed were exactly to hand, nothing was there that wasn't needed,

which is not something that I can say about the D80, which has a ridiculous

number of hidden functions. I used that camera on a recent trip to the

Highlands and had terrible problems getting lenses to focus properly, it took a

trip to Ffordes on the way home to work out that somehow the autofocus

settings had been changed so that the camera would only focus on the

righthandside of each image. It took the guy there about 1/4 of an hour to work

out how to sort it out. That kind of fine control is something that some people

might need, but to me it is just a nuisance, there is still a lot to be said for

using manual focus lenses! Or, maybe I'm just too old fashioned?

[allan_jamieson2]

PS The main reason that cameras like the D3 are so expensive is probably to

do with the enormous amount of research & development that Nikon and

others do to give us all these extra features on their cameras, sometimes less

is more. The camera that I liked best from using in the 1980's into the 1990's

was the Olympus OM4ti, simple spot metering and highlight/shadow control to

hand with the ability to adjust exposure by small increments. You don't need

much more than this to create good landscape images.

[kipling]

just saw an ad in the paper that the d3 will be selling for 4,950 euros. the exact same amount that it will be selling for in the states, but in dollars. the euro costs nearly $1,50 as of today...that's like 7,425 dollars! i can fly round trip to nyc with emarites for 400 euros, stay for a week in a nice hotel, eat steak every night, see a broadway musical, go shopping in soho, tip everyone like i'm the duke of york and come home with a d3 and some spare change. crazy.

[bobar57]

Patrick , I quote you:"And last but not least-I believe most Pro Camera Shops have an agreement with Nikon USA not to ship cameras to Europe. I believe if you check with B&H they won't oblige. It is to protect the higher price they list in Europe."

This is from B&H site:

"International Customers

 

Ordering Rules:

 

 

If you are a first time mail order or online customer, or if you are using a new or different credit card for the first time at B&H, upon completing your on-line order, you must upload or fax a copy of both sides of your credit card to 877-667-7950 or 212-239-7753. (Does NOT apply to customers from Canada ).

 

Please include the invoice number (that you will get when completing your order) along with the copy of your card. Your card will be charged & the merchandise committed upon submission of your order.

 

If you have previously ordered online or by phone/fax with this credit card and it is already on file, no fax is required. (Note: If you have ordered before, the only way the web site system can recognize you as a repeat customer is if you use exactly the same name, address and phone number information. Any variation will cause the web site to conclude that you're a first time customer and hold the order pending receipt of the fax.)

 

We don't accept PayPal payments for international customers, please select another payment method.

 

You pay sales tax only if bought at our NY store or shipped to a NY address. This tax is not a VAT, and cannot be recovered by non-USA visitors when returning home."

So it looks they accept international orders anyway ;)

Cheers

[miffy o]

What happens at EU customs if someone resident in the USA has bought a D3 as a 'gift' for someone visiting/returning to the UK?