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Incedible price difference USA versus Europe for 350D

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John van Hulst

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Although for sure I'm going to buy a Canon EOS 350D, I am very disappointed by the rather extreme price difference in the USA versus Europe.

List price (dpreview information)
(body only)
• US: 899 dollar
• Europe: 899 euro
List price
(kit inc. lens)
• US: 999 dollar
• Europe: 1099 euro

Which means that 'the kit' is about 40% more expensive (1 euro = 1,30 $) in Europe than in the USA! Could anybody give any reason why this in my opinion EXTREME price difference exists? If I buy one in the USA, and pay VAT in Europe, it still would be a difference of 20%.

Kind regards, John van Hulst
 
It has always been like this for digital SLR's, but also accesories.

My guess that that competition in the US is much harder and that drives the price down. Just look at B&H photo and compare the prices.

It's not just VAT, it's a policy. The NMA (I believe you are Dutch, right) might have a case here.
 
I bought the black 300D kit (kit lens is compulsory for black 300D) half a year ago. If I were allowed to choose, I would not have taken the kit lens. I sold the kit lens at half price to somebody who were planning to diassemble it for fun!!

If you're going to get 350D I would suggest sourcing another lens to go with the body too. So why bother?

Rudolf.
John van Hulst said:
Although for sure I'm going to buy a Canon EOS 350D, I am very
disappointed by the rather extreme price difference in the USA
versus Europe.

List price (dpreview information)
(body only)
• US: 899 dollar
• Europe: 899 euro
List price
(kit inc. lens)
• US: 999 dollar
• Europe: 1099 euro

Which means that 'the kit' is about 40% more expensive (1 euro =
1,30 $) in Europe than in the USA! Could anybody give any reason
why this in my opinion EXTREME price difference exists? If I buy
one in the USA, and pay VAT in Europe, it still would be a
difference of 20%.

Kind regards, John van Hulst
Click to expand...
 
Me too. When I bought the kit about an year back, it was 1455 euros [kit lense with 512 MB card] in a local shop in Italy, while it was pricing 1050 US$ at the same time.

Now I started buying the additional lenses and accessories through ebay..The problem with ebay is, some times the shipment is stopped for TAX and some times not, depends on my luck.
John van Hulst said:
Although for sure I'm going to buy a Canon EOS 350D, I am very
disappointed by the rather extreme price difference in the USA
versus Europe.

List price (dpreview information)
(body only)
• US: 899 dollar
• Europe: 899 euro
List price
(kit inc. lens)
• US: 999 dollar
• Europe: 1099 euro

Which means that 'the kit' is about 40% more expensive (1 euro =
1,30 $) in Europe than in the USA! Could anybody give any reason
why this in my opinion EXTREME price difference exists? If I buy
one in the USA, and pay VAT in Europe, it still would be a
difference of 20%.

Kind regards, John van Hulst
Click to expand...
--
http://www.foto.rajkumar.info
 
Hey.

Eventhough that would IMHO not make such a big price diffrence, I think it's partly due to the Warranty. At least here in germany you get 2 years warranty on everything you buy. IMHO in the US it is only 1 year.

That makes it a little easier to stand.

Greetz
Y
John van Hulst said:
Although for sure I'm going to buy a Canon EOS 350D, I am very
disappointed by the rather extreme price difference in the USA
versus Europe.

List price (dpreview information)
(body only)
• US: 899 dollar
• Europe: 899 euro
List price
(kit inc. lens)
• US: 999 dollar
• Europe: 1099 euro

Which means that 'the kit' is about 40% more expensive (1 euro =
1,30 $) in Europe than in the USA! Could anybody give any reason
why this in my opinion EXTREME price difference exists? If I buy
one in the USA, and pay VAT in Europe, it still would be a
difference of 20%.

Kind regards, John van Hulst
Click to expand...
--
-------------------------------------------
http://www.pbase.com/ypsilon
 
RudolfNgan said:
I bought the black 300D kit (kit lens is compulsory for black 300D)
half a year ago. If I were allowed to choose, I would not have
taken the kit lens. I sold the kit lens at half price to somebody
who were planning to diassemble it for fun!!
If you're going to get 350D I would suggest sourcing another lens
to go with the body too. So why bother?

Rudolf.
Click to expand...
Yes, although it's still galling to pay through the nose in Europe, this is one time WE do have a better say.

The BLACK 300D was only sold in UK by Jessops chain - they had exclusive on it --AS A KIT. But with the 350 it is being sold as BODY ONLY, and although Silver is supposed to be available I believe it is generally a BLACK 350 when it comes.

So - buy a BLACK 350D BODY ... then find if you can a BLACK kit-lens IN THE USM form as Jessops sold. OR - just buy a not terribly expensive but probably better standard Canon lens to go with the body...and I think both will work out at an acceptable price/quality 'buy' that way. The lifted restriction on the WHOLE KIT buy I think will work out better than we think.

--
ericN

 
and people in Europe always complain about the difference in price but they never complain about the fact that in general they get paid more than Americans ;-)

Also the dollar is super weak at the moment so the US prices seem even cheaper in comparison to the pound or dollar than they usually do.
 
John van Hulst said:
Although for sure I'm going to buy a Canon EOS 350D, I am very
disappointed by the rather extreme price difference in the USA
versus Europe.

List price (dpreview information)
(body only)
• US: 899 dollar
• Europe: 899 euro
List price
(kit inc. lens)
• US: 999 dollar
• Europe: 1099 euro
Click to expand...
You missed the fact that in the UK the list price will be 750 GBP. body only.
800 GBP with 18-55 lens.
Hmmm, 50 GBP for the lens sounds reasonable.
I know that our VAT rates are higher, but that much!
 
Well ... the problem is that euro and dollar should have the same rate.
The american economy made the dollar weak to boost the economy, and it works ...
How many european will buy online stuff in $ now ?

How many exchange will continue to be in dollar even if the euro is stronger and a lot more interesting for many countries ;)
They created this situation and they are happy with it.

So am I, since i plan to buy a 350d online in $, witch is a great deal for me, i save about 200 euro :)
John van Hulst said:
Although for sure I'm going to buy a Canon EOS 350D, I am very
disappointed by the rather extreme price difference in the USA
versus Europe.

List price (dpreview information)
(body only)
• US: 899 dollar
• Europe: 899 euro
List price
(kit inc. lens)
• US: 999 dollar
• Europe: 1099 euro

Which means that 'the kit' is about 40% more expensive (1 euro =
1,30 $) in Europe than in the USA! Could anybody give any reason
why this in my opinion EXTREME price difference exists? If I buy
one in the USA, and pay VAT in Europe, it still would be a
difference of 20%.

Kind regards, John van Hulst
Click to expand...
 
I don’t think that those who understand what’s going on in the world currency markets are happy with what the Bush administration has done to the dollar (unless you bought Euros cheap before Bush ruined things). It's a disgrace and moronic, but it’s something we Americans brought on ourselves and will have to endure for another 4 years.

As an American, it’s depressing to think that people voted to keep these policies in place (the last election) but most people don’t even realize what they’ve done to themselves. Enjoy the weak dollar if, and while, you can.

Jim
Jacques Renier said:
So am I, since i plan to buy a 350d online in $, witch is a great
deal for me, i save about 200 euro :)
John van Hulst said:
Although for sure I'm going to buy a Canon EOS 350D, I am very
disappointed by the rather extreme price difference in the USA
versus Europe.

List price (dpreview information)
(body only)
• US: 899 dollar
• Europe: 899 euro
List price
(kit inc. lens)
• US: 999 dollar
• Europe: 1099 euro

Which means that 'the kit' is about 40% more expensive (1 euro =
1,30 $) in Europe than in the USA! Could anybody give any reason
why this in my opinion EXTREME price difference exists? If I buy
one in the USA, and pay VAT in Europe, it still would be a
difference of 20%.

Kind regards, John van Hulst
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I totally agree, and i'm sad for you, and for all those americans with a brain who didnt want that.
But as I am european, it's only advantage for now.

No i'll not loose the waranty, i'll just need to go there if something happened, but I would need a lot of back luck.
Jim F. said:
As an American, it’s depressing to think that people voted to keep
these policies in place (the last election) but most people don’t
even realize what they’ve done to themselves. Enjoy the weak dollar
if, and while, you can.

Jim
Jacques Renier said:
So am I, since i plan to buy a 350d online in $, witch is a great
deal for me, i save about 200 euro :)
John van Hulst said:
Although for sure I'm going to buy a Canon EOS 350D, I am very
disappointed by the rather extreme price difference in the USA
versus Europe.

List price (dpreview information)
(body only)
• US: 899 dollar
• Europe: 899 euro
List price
(kit inc. lens)
• US: 999 dollar
• Europe: 1099 euro

Which means that 'the kit' is about 40% more expensive (1 euro =
1,30 $) in Europe than in the USA! Could anybody give any reason
why this in my opinion EXTREME price difference exists? If I buy
one in the USA, and pay VAT in Europe, it still would be a
difference of 20%.

Kind regards, John van Hulst
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I buy a lot of stuff online, including from the US in order to benefit from the USD/EUR exchange rate. This includes lenses I bought from B&H which, after paying import duties and VAT, were still way cheaper than their list price here in Portugal and somewhat cheaper than the best European online sites prices.

Depending on the exact VAT tax applied in Belgium, your math maybe a little off...Applying the 19% VAT stipulated here in Portugal plus import duties would give about 150 Euro from the intended US list price over the European intended list price plus the same 19% VAT. Even less if, as usual, vendors like http://www.technikdirekt.de mark it below list price.

Although a strongly advocate buying on line, from the US, things like Canon lenses (which benefit from a global warranty), I would advise against buying a camera online from the US just to spare around 100 Euros.

Cameras are delicate electronic/mechanical devices prone to fail which maybe quite expensive to repair.

Just a word of advice.

(Of course, should you or anyone else on your behalf get the camera there and bring it along into Belgium avoiding taxes that’s another different equation, worth considering...)

PK

--
“Loose praise may feed my ego but constructive criticism advances my skills”
*************************************************************
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.pbase.com/photokhan
(Pbase Supporter)
 
Keithgg said:
You missed the fact that in the UK the list price will be 750 GBP.
body only.
800 GBP with 18-55 lens.
Hmmm, 50 GBP for the lens sounds reasonable.
I know that our VAT rates are higher, but that much!
Click to expand...
Read my own note relating to this 'cheap' lens below.

I think it has a significance , although how they do it STILL beats me. But I think it IS to a great extent £50 ill-spent...

--
ericN

 
EJN said:
Member said:
You missed the fact that in the UK the list price will be 750 GBP.
body only.
800 GBP with 18-55 lens.
Hmmm, 50 GBP for the lens sounds reasonable.
I know that our VAT rates are higher, but that much!
Click to expand...
Read my own note relating to this 'cheap' lens below.
I think it has a significance , although how they do it STILL beats
me. But I think it IS to a great extent £50 ill-spent...
Click to expand...
Sorry - the 'below' was actually in another thread althoughon similar lines...
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1031&message=12320670

--
ericN

 
I'm a happy "konijnenberg customer". This is the most popular store in the Netherlands, and for europe it has mostly reasonable prices. But capitalism works everywhere, including there. The price for the new EF-S lenses for instance is way too high. When I bought my Tamron 17-35 it was 499 at konijnenberg (now 449 i believe). I got it from a German on-line store for 399. You just have to shop around to find good prices. It is something europeans are still not as good in as americans, mostly because borders and widely different legal systems still exist much more so than in the US. Price differences of 25% and more are not unusual in Europe.

I am pretty relaxed about it. If a European store has something for 120% of 108% of the B&H price I consider it good enough. The 399 for the Tamron was good enough. So basically, if I come out ahead by going to B&H, paying NY sales tax and paying VAT at customs on arrival in europe then I consider it worth getting something at B&H when I'm in New York. If the 120% of 108% of B&H is equivalent then I will buy it in europe.
Lex Augusteijn said:
It has always been like this for digital SLR's, but also accesories.
My guess that that competition in the US is much harder and that
drives the price down. Just look at B&H photo and compare the
prices.
It's not just VAT, it's a policy. The NMA (I believe you are Dutch,
right) might have a case here.
Click to expand...
--
Still learning to use the DRebel (only around 10.500 shots)
Public pictures at http://wwwis.win.tue.nl/~debra/photos/
 
Thanks for the comment, you are right.

I didnt know it was not possible to avoid the import duties and VAT when buying from online website. I bought some parfume in hong kong and i didnt have to pay any taxes. You are right when you say i shouldnt play to save 100$, it doesnt worth the stretch in that case.

Anyway, i still have 2 other possibilities :
  • ask a friend of mine who life in arizona to buy it in america and send it in a different package as a "present". (they cannot ask VAT from presents)
  • ask somebody who goes to america to take the package back by plane, avoiding any taxes. But that person dont have an address in america, so it's hard to buy online. And online IS cheaper than real stores.
PhotoKhan said:
I buy a lot of stuff online, including from the US in order to
benefit from the USD/EUR exchange rate. This includes lenses I
bought from B&H which, after paying import duties and VAT, were
still way cheaper than their list price here in Portugal and
somewhat cheaper than the best European online sites prices.

Depending on the exact VAT tax applied in Belgium, your math maybe
a little off...Applying the 19% VAT stipulated here in Portugal
plus import duties would give about 150 Euro from the intended US
list price over the European intended list price plus the same 19%
VAT. Even less if, as usual, vendors like http://www.technikdirekt.de mark
it below list price.

Although a strongly advocate buying on line, from the US, things
like Canon lenses (which benefit from a global warranty), I would
advise against buying a camera online from the US just to spare
around 100 Euros.

Cameras are delicate electronic/mechanical devices prone to fail
which maybe quite expensive to repair.

Just a word of advice.

(Of course, should you or anyone else on your behalf get the camera
there and bring it along into Belgium avoiding taxes that’s another
different equation, worth considering...)

PK

--
“Loose praise may feed my ego but constructive criticism advances
my skills”
*************************************************************
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.pbase.com/photokhan
(Pbase Supporter)
-------------------------------------------------
Click to expand...
 
Jacques Renier said:
(they cannot ask VAT from presents)
Click to expand...
I believe they can. That's why the commercial value has to be mentioned on the package. Even, if something like "Sample/No commercial value" or "Gift" is stamped into the package they may attribute an arbitrary value to it.

If that's actually going to happen, it's more something of a gamble...

Still, I think your stakes are somehow lower in Belgium than in Portugal. Being from a poorer and more unorganized country, Portuguese Customs have a tradition of being understaffed, hence more likely to let things "slip through" just to expedite their volume of work. On the other hand, being better staffed and organized, I'll bet Belgium Customs are more likely to have a definite set of rules to apply to these kinds of "bypasses"...
Jacques Renier said:
  • ask somebody who goes to america to take the package back by
plane, avoiding any taxes. But that person dont have an address in
america, so it's hard to buy online. And online IS cheaper than
real stores.
Click to expand...
You should really try to get some kind of US address to set this up, as B&H allows for sending of an order to a shipping address different from the billing address as long as the former is an US address.

I have recently done this, when buying my 17-40L, and it was so sweet, it almost hurt...520 EUR (as opposed to 720 from http://www.technikdirekt.de and 850 list price in Portugal).

PK

--
“Loose praise may feed my ego but constructive criticism advances my skills”
*************************************************************
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.pbase.com/photokhan
(Pbase Supporter)
 
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