Calling to all INTERNATIONAL buyers...

mgal · Jan 22, 2002

I am looking for a reputable e-retailer to order my s85 from. I live in New Zealand, and so far only stumbled upon sites that do not do International orders, or too dodgy (hellocamera,etc).

(i am not worried about loosing warranty, etc. For the money i save i can easily fix it 3 times

)

So far sites like 800.com are my prefered choice, but their prices are nearly a RRP (and i still save a fortune).

So if you bought from anyone and you live outside US, i would love to hear from you. What do you think of familyphotoandvideo.com?

I much appreciate your help...

EdOz · Jan 22, 2002

mgal said:
I am looking for a reputable e-retailer to order my s85 from. I
live in New Zealand,

I live in Australia and I'm looking to buy a 707. Can't understand why, but the 707 does not get released in Australia until end of March. The rest of the world has had it for more than 6 months!?

Also, the price on most US websites is US$1000 or less. This is about AU$2000. Yet the RRP on the sony.com.au site is AU$2999? Why so much more?

To make matters worse, why do all the big-name reputable US websites advertise that they have "manufacturer distribution agreements" to not ship outside US and Cananda?

mgal said:
and so far only stumbled upon sites that do
not do International orders, or too dodgy (hellocamera,etc).

I hadn't heard of hellocamera before. Just checked it out. Why do you say its dodgy?

mgal said:
(i am not worried about loosing warranty, etc. For the money i save
i can easily fix it 3 times )

Agreed.

mgal said:
So far sites like 800.com are my prefered choice, but their prices
are nearly a RRP (and i still save a fortune).

Unfortunately they don't have the 707 :-(

mgal said:
What do you think of familyphotoandvideo.com?

Looks good to me... but I'd never heard of them before either.

Ed.

Little Pooter · Jan 22, 2002

I'm from Canada.

I used Family Photo and Video last year for my 505V, and service was fine. I got the camera with all accessories sealed in the factory box. It wasn't until months later that I learned of these grey market cameras, and sure enough, I had one, a European model. No Canadian warranty.

If you are not concerned about the warranty, Family Photo and Video should be fine, just make sure they are selling "complete" cameras with all accessories, sealed in the box.

Good Luck.

EdOz said:
mgal said:

I am looking for a reputable e-retailer to order my s85 from. I
live in New Zealand,

Click to expand...

I live in Australia and I'm looking to buy a 707. Can't understand
why, but the 707 does not get released in Australia until end of
March. The rest of the world has had it for more than 6 months!?

Also, the price on most US websites is US$1000 or less. This is
about AU$2000. Yet the RRP on the sony.com.au site is AU$2999?
Why so much more?

To make matters worse, why do all the big-name reputable US
websites advertise that they have "manufacturer distribution
agreements" to not ship outside US and Cananda?

EdOz said:

and so far only stumbled upon sites that do
not do International orders, or too dodgy (hellocamera,etc).

Click to expand...

I hadn't heard of hellocamera before. Just checked it out. Why do
you say its dodgy?

EdOz said:

(i am not worried about loosing warranty, etc. For the money i save
i can easily fix it 3 times )

Click to expand...

Agreed.

EdOz said:

So far sites like 800.com are my prefered choice, but their prices
are nearly a RRP (and i still save a fortune).

Click to expand...

Unfortunately they don't have the 707 :-(

EdOz said:

What do you think of familyphotoandvideo.com?

Click to expand...

Looks good to me... but I'd never heard of them before either.

Ed.

--MarkF707, LEVBFS but lovin every minute of it!Infrared-o-maniacStickers on, dangling cap. http://www.pbase.com/little_pooter

steelwheels · Jan 22, 2002

Have you ever tried Camera Canada ? They have good prices, but I don't know about their reputation. They sound trust worthy though.

Little Pooter said:
Good Luck.

EdOz said:

mgal said:

I am looking for a reputable e-retailer to order my s85 from. I
live in New Zealand,

Click to expand...

I live in Australia and I'm looking to buy a 707. Can't understand
why, but the 707 does not get released in Australia until end of
March. The rest of the world has had it for more than 6 months!?

Also, the price on most US websites is US$1000 or less. This is
about AU$2000. Yet the RRP on the sony.com.au site is AU$2999?
Why so much more?

To make matters worse, why do all the big-name reputable US
websites advertise that they have "manufacturer distribution
agreements" to not ship outside US and Cananda?

Member said:

and so far only stumbled upon sites that do
not do International orders, or too dodgy (hellocamera,etc).

Click to expand...

I hadn't heard of hellocamera before. Just checked it out. Why do
you say its dodgy?

Member said:

(i am not worried about loosing warranty, etc. For the money i save
i can easily fix it 3 times )

Click to expand...

Agreed.

Member said:

So far sites like 800.com are my prefered choice, but their prices
are nearly a RRP (and i still save a fortune).

Click to expand...

Unfortunately they don't have the 707 :-(

Member said:

What do you think of familyphotoandvideo.com?

Click to expand...

Looks good to me... but I'd never heard of them before either.

Ed.

Click to expand...

--
Mark
F707, LEVBFS but lovin every minute of it!
Infrared-o-maniac
Stickers on, dangling cap.
http://www.pbase.com/little_pooter

--steelwheels

Simon Wing-Tang · Jan 22, 2002

Interesting re: the F707 not being released in Australia. I just picked mine up 3 hours ago. Mind you though I had to wait over a month to get it. I believe that the real story is that the camera is released in Australia, but Sony are only shipping in limited quantities.

I got mine from TasmanAV here in Melbourne, http://www.tasmanav.com.au and for the $3000 mark got the camera and a 128MB memory stick. The camera is also advertised at http://www.cws.net.au but the memory sticks are more expensive.

Simon.

EdOz said:
mgal said:

I am looking for a reputable e-retailer to order my s85 from. I
live in New Zealand,

Click to expand...

I live in Australia and I'm looking to buy a 707. Can't understand
why, but the 707 does not get released in Australia until end of
March. The rest of the world has had it for more than 6 months!?

Also, the price on most US websites is US$1000 or less. This is
about AU$2000. Yet the RRP on the sony.com.au site is AU$2999?
Why so much more?

To make matters worse, why do all the big-name reputable US
websites advertise that they have "manufacturer distribution
agreements" to not ship outside US and Cananda?

EdOz said:

and so far only stumbled upon sites that do
not do International orders, or too dodgy (hellocamera,etc).

Click to expand...

I hadn't heard of hellocamera before. Just checked it out. Why do
you say its dodgy?

EdOz said:

(i am not worried about loosing warranty, etc. For the money i save
i can easily fix it 3 times )

Click to expand...

Agreed.

EdOz said:

So far sites like 800.com are my prefered choice, but their prices
are nearly a RRP (and i still save a fortune).

Click to expand...

Unfortunately they don't have the 707 :-(

EdOz said:

What do you think of familyphotoandvideo.com?

Click to expand...

Looks good to me... but I'd never heard of them before either.

Ed.

Wayne Real · Jan 22, 2002

I took delivery of my DSC F707 on the 19.12.2001 from Harvey Norman complete with 4 year parts and labor warranty for around $3000
Very happy with it to date.
I also am on the lookout for good competitive reliable US exporting dealership.
Kind regards
Wayne

EdOz said:
mgal said:

I am looking for a reputable e-retailer to order my s85 from. I
live in New Zealand,

Click to expand...

I live in Australia and I'm looking to buy a 707. Can't understand
why, but the 707 does not get released in Australia until end of
March. The rest of the world has had it for more than 6 months!?

Also, the price on most US websites is US$1000 or less. This is
about AU$2000. Yet the RRP on the sony.com.au site is AU$2999?
Why so much more?

To make matters worse, why do all the big-name reputable US
websites advertise that they have "manufacturer distribution
agreements" to not ship outside US and Cananda?

EdOz said:

and so far only stumbled upon sites that do
not do International orders, or too dodgy (hellocamera,etc).

Click to expand...

I hadn't heard of hellocamera before. Just checked it out. Why do
you say its dodgy?

EdOz said:

(i am not worried about loosing warranty, etc. For the money i save
i can easily fix it 3 times )

Click to expand...

Agreed.

EdOz said:

So far sites like 800.com are my prefered choice, but their prices
are nearly a RRP (and i still save a fortune).

Click to expand...

Unfortunately they don't have the 707 :-(

EdOz said:

What do you think of familyphotoandvideo.com?

Click to expand...

Looks good to me... but I'd never heard of them before either.

Ed.

--Since 1963 ..... Zeiss Icon Compact, Practica, Pentax K2, Agfa 110, Nikon 808, Canon Prima Super 115, Casio QV 10A, Canon Powershot 600, More recently....Sony DSC F505Presently ..... Sony DSC F707

EdOz · Jan 22, 2002

Simon Wing-Tang said:
Interesting re: the F707 not being released in Australia. I just
picked mine up 3 hours ago. Mind you though I had to wait over a
month to get it. I believe that the real story is that the camera
is released in Australia, but Sony are only shipping in limited quantities.

Well there you go. Shouldn't believe everything you are told. I've spoken to the top two camera stores in Canberra, both said they will have them at the end of March. Thanks very much for sorting that out.

Simon Wing-Tang said:
I got mine from TasmanAV here in Melbourne,
http://www.tasmanav.com.au and for the $3000 mark got the camera
and a 128MB memory stick. The camera is also advertised at
http://www.cws.net.au but the memory sticks are more expensive.

Thanks, I'm seriously considering ordering it from one of these two. Price is still an issue though. A lot more expensive than the equivalent price in the US or UK.

Ed.

EdOz · Jan 22, 2002

Wayne Real said:
I took delivery of my DSC F707 on the 19.12.2001 from Harvey Norman
complete with 4 year parts and labor warranty for around $3000

Thanks for the info. I'll have to go and grill the guys at my local camera store

Wayne Real said:
Very happy with it to date.

Did you have to send it back to fix BFS, or was it already fixed?

Ed.

mgal · Jan 22, 2002

EdOz said:
mgal said:

I am looking for a reputable e-retailer to order my s85 from. I
live in New Zealand,

Click to expand...

I live in Australia and I'm looking to buy a 707. Can't understand
why, but the 707 does not get released in Australia until end of
March. The rest of the world has had it for more than 6 months!?

Well its released here in NZ, allright. And it costs 3500NZ$ (too much for my taste)

EdOz said:
Also, the price on most US websites is US$1000 or less. This is
about AU$2000. Yet the RRP on the sony.com.au site is AU$2999?
Why so much more?

When i spoke to Sonys sales ****, he says its because they get 50 cameras and US get 500,000. They get huge discounts over there cause they buy more.

mgal · Jan 22, 2002

Thanks everyone, but it still doesnt solve my problem. Sure you can get s85 for 2500NZ$, but why would you want to do that when you can get it from US for 500-800NZ$ less?!

Sometimes i feel jellous of US buyers, as they can use Amex cards, etc to pricematch, and with all these rebates you can significantly cut the cost. I wish they would do the same in New Zealand.

What about China? Can you get it cheap from there?

Heee i would do anything to get it cheap..

))..I am desperate..Haahha

EdOz · Jan 22, 2002

mgal said:
Well its released here in NZ, allright. And it costs 3500NZ$ (too
much for my taste)

Yep, I've just found out its here too. There's my lesson for the day: don't rely on the advice of the first camera saleperson you speak too.

And I got to hold it today, for the first time! I felt all warm and fuzzy. Aren't I pathetic?

It was a little smaller in real life than I had imagined. Don't they say that about movie starts too? But thats a good thing, easier to take with me...

mgal said:
When i spoke to Sonys sales ****, he says its because they get 50
cameras and US get 500,000. They get huge discounts over there
cause they buy more.

Not quite a "global economy" yet is it?

EdOz · Jan 22, 2002

mgal said:
Thanks everyone, but it still doesnt solve my problem. Sure you can
get s85 for 2500NZ$, but why would you want to do that when you can
get it from US for 500-800NZ$ less?!

The only advantage I can see of buying locally at a higher price is warranty/service. The salesperson I spoke to today said that the demo 707 they showed me had a faulty flash as soon as it came out of the box. If you've just shipped a camera from the US, and you open the box to find something obvious doesn't work, how annoying will it be to ship it back...

mgal said:
Sometimes i feel jellous of US buyers, as they can use Amex cards,
etc to pricematch, and with all these rebates you can significantly
cut the cost. I wish they would do the same in New Zealand.

What about China? Can you get it cheap from there?

Heee i would do anything to get it cheap..))..I am desperate..Haahha

Why don't you just take a holiday to the US? With a minor detour to a camera store.

I'm trying to convince my wife that we should take a trip to Hong Kong...

Moshe Cohen · Jan 22, 2002

Look at

http://www01.bhphotovideo.com/default.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=BackToRoot__ALeftNavBar_html___SID=EBC7B348AB0
I purchased my 707 from them and they are very reliable.

mgal said:
(i am not worried about loosing warranty, etc. For the money i save
i can easily fix it 3 times )

So far sites like 800.com are my prefered choice, but their prices
are nearly a RRP (and i still save a fortune).

So if you bought from anyone and you live outside US, i would love
to hear from you. What do you think of familyphotoandvideo.com?

I much appreciate your help...

Niramol · Jan 22, 2002

AU$2,789 at ninemsn shopping
http://www.coshopper.com/network/NineMSN/offer.asp?order=1&id=242349

AU$2,649 at eBay.com.au
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1324336452

another one is currently on bid at sold.com.au
http://au.page.sold.yahoo.com/au/auction/510539183?aucview=search

EdOz said:
Wayne Real said:

I took delivery of my DSC F707 on the 19.12.2001 from Harvey Norman
complete with 4 year parts and labor warranty for around $3000

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I'll have to go and grill the guys at my
local camera store

EdOz said:

Very happy with it to date.

Click to expand...

Did you have to send it back to fix BFS, or was it already fixed?

Ed.

Skippy · Jan 23, 2002

Hello Mgal,

I live in Australia and have just returned home from a 2 month vacation in America, I had in fact pre-ordered the camera from Camera House in Melbourne Australia in October last year, but it did not arrive in time for my overseas trip.......so I brought it in Oklahoma USA.

Saved hundreds and hundreds on the price I would have had to have paid if I had of brought it here in Australia...I paid $980 USA compared to $3000
Australian.

I brought an extra battery, PCI Card, 2 x 64mg Memory Sticks, a Circular Polarizing Filter, and Camera Bag.

The stores name is EPPERSON PHOTO 3110 N. May Avenue, Oklahoma City OK. 73112 phone 043-1047 fax 943-1047 the salesmans name was Richard Teague.

I am extremely happy with the service I received from this store, and would quite happily buy from them again.
I am not sure about shipping, but you could always contact them and ask.
Good Luck
Skippy (Australia)

mgal said:
(i am not worried about loosing warranty, etc. For the money i save
i can easily fix it 3 times )

So far sites like 800.com are my prefered choice, but their prices
are nearly a RRP (and i still save a fortune).

So if you bought from anyone and you live outside US, i would love
to hear from you. What do you think of familyphotoandvideo.com?

I much appreciate your help...

EdOz · Jan 23, 2002

Skippy said:
Hello Mgal,
I live in Australia and have just returned home from a 2 month
vacation in America, I had in fact pre-ordered the camera from
Camera House in Melbourne Australia in October last year, but it
did not arrive in time for my overseas trip.......so I brought it
in Oklahoma USA.
Saved hundreds and hundreds on the price I would have had to have
paid if I had of brought it here in Australia...I paid $980 USA
compared to $3000

So what happens with warranty? Do you have to ship it back to the US? Or a Sony dealer in Australia? Did you ask about this before you bought it, and what was the salesperson's reaction?

Skippy · Jan 23, 2002

Hi EdOz,
The warranty did not concern me because I am going back to America

I have always brought my camera gear overseas, the warranty is never for long anyways, but I do insure my gear against theft and for outdoor use.
Skippy (Australia)

EdOz said:
Skippy said:

Hello Mgal,
I live in Australia and have just returned home from a 2 month
vacation in America, I had in fact pre-ordered the camera from
Camera House in Melbourne Australia in October last year, but it
did not arrive in time for my overseas trip.......so I brought it
in Oklahoma USA.
Saved hundreds and hundreds on the price I would have had to have
paid if I had of brought it here in Australia...I paid $980 USA
compared to $3000

Click to expand...

So what happens with warranty? Do you have to ship it back to the
US? Or a Sony dealer in Australia? Did you ask about this before
you bought it, and what was the salesperson's reaction?

Ken_L72804 · Jan 23, 2002

About Sony Warranty:

Sony has the worst warranty when compared to Nikon etc.
Sony offer only 90 days parts and 1 yr labour,
There is a US$148 flat fee within the 90 days period

(which was what I paid last time), Sony reserves the right to charge or not to charge. On top you have to pay the shipping fee which is about
US$25-45 UPS shipping.

Hence, forget about Sony warranty, go for the extra warranty
(if less than $100) that many shops offer. It is a better warranty,
that is my own experience. ask about this warranty before you buy,
make sure you can ship to this shop for warranty.

Nikon offer 1 full year warranty, free shipping. I have a Nikon 990 sent to Nikon for warranty repair, including a broken battery door,
and replacement for some dead pixels in the CCD (happend on the
11 th months within the warranty period), free shipping too.

Nikon took one week to replace the CCD on the Nikon 990
versus Sony took 1 1/2 month to replace a plastic ring in front the camera.
Sony's explanation was they did not have parts in North America.

They are all my own experience about Sony and Nikon.

Ken_L

Skippy said:
EdOz said:

Skippy said:

Hello Mgal,
I live in Australia and have just returned home from a 2 month
vacation in America, I had in fact pre-ordered the camera from
Camera House in Melbourne Australia in October last year, but it
did not arrive in time for my overseas trip.......so I brought it
in Oklahoma USA.
Saved hundreds and hundreds on the price I would have had to have
paid if I had of brought it here in Australia...I paid $980 USA
compared to $3000

Click to expand...

So what happens with warranty? Do you have to ship it back to the
US? Or a Sony dealer in Australia? Did you ask about this before
you bought it, and what was the salesperson's reaction?

Click to expand...

mgal · Jan 23, 2002

Yes bhphotovideo.com seems to be very good, but hell look at their prices. They are full RRP, and the best buy you can probably get is 505v for 650$, other than that s85-800$ and 707-1000$.

Heehhe is 505v any good?

))

The chances of me going to Oklahoma are pretty slim (especially with all that bombing and biological threats), but thanks anyway.

Us warranty says that the product(camera) must be used within US and if not then you cannt claim it. My bro is going to Fiji soon and he can get it duty free (300NZ$ cheaper)...but its still not good enough.

Speaking of Sony warranty....How reliable camera are? Like if you have a traditional SLR it will last and last and last. I hope digitals are not quite like computers and will not give me some bullsh*t after a month of use.
Any comments?

Glenn Barber · Jan 23, 2002

I would talk to Canoga Camera in Los Angeles (Canoga Park). They have a stellar reportion in the Nikon and Canon forums from international buyers. And the best prices anywhere...

http://www.canogacamera.com

Calling to all INTERNATIONAL buyers...

Member

Member

Little Pooter

Guest

Active member

New member

Active member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Active member

Member

Skippy

Guest

Member

Skippy

Guest

Leading Member

Member

Glenn Barber

Guest

Similar threads

Keyboard shortcuts