10D twice the price in Europe compared to USA?

[aaron emanuel litvinoff]

I recently heard that the EOS 10D is TWICE the price in Europe as it

is in the USA.

 

1.) Why is this?

 

2.) I live in the UK, and I was wondering how I could purchase an

import with an international warranty.

 

cheers from a frustrated poverty stricken student

[peter nelson]

We just had this discussion here on P.N.<P>

 

1. Make sure you're making an apples-to-apples comparison. US prices are quoted PRE-tax (becauses taxes vary from state to state and some states, e.g., New Hampshire, don't have ANY sales tax). But European prices, I'm told, are quoted INCLUDING tax.<P>

 

2. The prices in some tiny countries, e.g., Slovakia, with tiny markets and inefficient distribution systems may be higher because of that but they are not representative of European prices in general.

[john clark]

Aaron,

 

I was the poster who asked just this question not three weeks ago. The basic deal is that it is possible to buy a 10D for around the equivalent of £1000 including US sales tax, but excluding UK VAT and Import Duty. Canon UK confirmed to me by telephone that they would NOT honour a non-EU warranty (I assume by this they mean a US warranty). They did say that it would be possible to pay for repairs, however.

 

Secondly, unless you personally import the camera (and don't let on that it is new by, say, wearing it around your neck through customs - and this is a risk in itself) you will be liable for import VAT and a small levy - so, 17.5% on top of £1000 plus say £30. All of a sudden the downside is that your non EU 10D has cost you as much as a cheap UK one, but you have no reliable warranty.

 

What you need to do is decide if you want to take the gamble. For me, though the price differential was sorely tempting, I felt that the extra money - £1240 was what I paid from a UK dealer, versus a Seattle* price of around £1000+8% tax+risk of UK VAT+no warranty - was worth paying for (a) peace of mind, and (b) mitigation of risk. Secondly, buying in the UK guarantees me a few weeks prior to my trip to get accustomed to the camera.

 

John

 

* I am heading there to help shoot a wedding in around 4 weeks, and had previously filtered with the idea of purchasing the camera there.

[aaron emanuel litvinoff]

Thanks a lot for your helpful answer mate, you helped sort that one out! :o)

[joseph_wisniewski]

It's not just the tax differences (although those are formidible), it's a very complicated system of tightly controlled distribution channels and state sponsored monopolies in the UK. There's a simple procedure for correcting both problems.

 

First, you find a big harbor, and an awful lot of tea....

 

Ciao!

 

Joe

[peter nelson]

State sales taxes in the US are typically about 5%. Some area bit higher and some have no sales tax at all. <P>

 

If there is an import duty here it must be tiny because the last two times I was in Japan and Hong Kong I brought copies of US camera magazines with mail-order ads to compare prices, and the US prices were significantly lower than the local ones.<P>

 

How come those big import duties aren't considered a violation of GATT?

[RaymondC]

I am in New Zealand. I emailed Nikon USA in the past. The response I got was film product, flashes, lenses are worldwide warranty. Digital is not, it can only be warranted in the USA.

 

Well if it saves you so much, get the grey product in the USA from one of their reputable mailorders! Hey least u have 1/2 the camera price to bargain for and the warranty is only 1yr. Up to you to decide....

 

Raymond.

[nick_anderson]

I'm an airline pilot and in the market for an EOS 10D so I have been looking around. Prices in the US are a couple of hundred pounds below the UK value but with VAT and Duty to be paid on return it's just not worth it. Be very carefull of not declaring your goods on return. Customs can tell from the serial number exactly where you got it and EVERY time you take your camera out of the UK you will have to go through the same worry when you return.

 

Tokyo isn't too bad at the moment as the Yen is favourable and Hong Kong can give the odd good deal but FYI I have always gone for a UK internet purchase and had the piece of mind of a valid warrenty and no customs hassles. May I recommend Camerasdirect.co.uk as my Nikon 5700 went back to them twice and on both occasions they had a courier on my doorstep with a replacement camera the day after ringing them and all I had to do was a simple exchange. Their current price for the 10D is around £1157. Not bad...

 

Nick