Buying a D80 in the US (from Canada)-Warranty

Hey all,

So the camera stores here in Vancouver refuse to price match the US store Kenmore Camera, so I'm planning to head across the border to buy the D80 and 16-85vr there.

However, I was just wondering if there would be any issues with warranty if I live in Canada. If the camera or lens breaks, can I just send it in for repairs here in Canada even though I bought it in the US? Or would I have to go to the US and give it to the store/dealer there to get it fixed? Hopefully someone knows the answer.

Thanks!

Mark

There are warranty issues - basically you will have to go back to the US to get your stuff fixed and you may even have trouble then. Have you looked at thecamerastore.com or cameracanada.com ? They offer more competitive prices.

I think you get a better warranty in Canada anyway.

Nikon Canada won't do warranty service on a camera purchased from a non-authorized Canadian dealer. http://www.nikon.ca/en/GreyMarket.aspx

That being said, I know some US dealers are willing to put your camera through the Nikon USA warranty process if you ship it back to them.

I'm not sure what the US warranty periods are, but in Canada its 2 years on the camera and 5 years on lenses.

ddmarkm said:

Hey all,

So the camera stores here in Vancouver refuse to price match the US
store Kenmore Camera, so I'm planning to head across the border to
buy the D80 and 16-85vr there.

Click to expand...

Where's Kenmore camera?

larsbc

Kenmore camera is near Seattle. Also, I'm pretty sure they're an authorized nikon dealer so its not like its grey market. I mean, I shouldn't have to bring it to the US to have it serviced should I? What if someone was American, bought their camera there, and then moved to Canada, it would be retarded if they would have to go back to the States just to get their camera fixed, when Nikon is based worldwide.

Also yes I have checked thecamerastore.com and camerascanada, both are $250 more expensive BEFORE tax for the d80+16-85vr, and since I won't have to pay tax in the US, the savings after tax are like 450$. For that amount of money I'll gladly go to the US to have my camera fixed on the off chance that something is actually wrong with it.

Mark,

The Camera Store price on that combination is only $209 higher than Kenmore and Camera Canada $218 higher, according to their online pricing. So with total taxes, that is only $220 more for the Camera Store (Alberta) than the untaxed US price. Remember that Alberta has no PST, only GST.

I think thou doth exaggerate far too much! $450 yeah right, do I LOL now?

Second, you will have to pay tax in Washington State if you purchase over the counter. If a Washington State retailer ships product directly out of state, they don't charge Washington State taxes.

Third, when you re-enter Canada after purchasing in person in Washington State, you will pay GST and PST on the full purchase price including the Washington State taxes. So that is tax on prior Wa state taxes. There is no duty or tariff on DSLR cameras, just the taxes.

Or, you are going to smuggle them back undeclared? Risking double the price in penalties (the typical fine/penalty for smuggled goods) on top of the the duty and taxes due anyway. That bill will work out to approx. $3000 fine and all the taxes that were due anyway. Possibly although not likely, it may even include forfeiture of your vehicle. Not to mention the whole inconvenience, legal costs and at least the record of the prior offence that will get you thoroughly searched every other time you ever return to Canada from abroad. Is it worth it for $220?

For the warranty question, why would Nikon Canada warrant your product when they received no compensation from the original sale? Maybe Nikon Canada would go bankrupt repairing cameras from all over the world for free even if they didn't sell them? Make any sense now? All the Nikon facilities are independant agents for their particular sales areas (i.e. Nikon Canada, Nikon USA, Nikon Japan), just like all the US cars that the Canadian auto dealers won't do warranty work on?

My suggestion, order your equipment online from B&H, Beach, Adorama or even Kenmore. Use UPS's International Expedite service (it includes the Broker fee that can otherwise be as much as $25 - $35 dollars alone). Or buy from one of your local retailers, build a relationship with them and figure that they bring value to your purchase when you can ask them questions or seek out future guidance/advice.
--
Sincerely,
BradV.

ddmarkm said:

Kenmore camera is near Seattle. Also, I'm pretty sure they're an
authorized nikon dealer so its not like its grey market.

Click to expand...

Good to know. I always wondered what camera stores were worth checking out down there.

ddmarkm said:

I mean, I
shouldn't have to bring it to the US to have it serviced should I?
What if someone was American, bought their camera there, and then
moved to Canada, it would be retarded if they would have to go back
to the States just to get their camera fixed, when Nikon is based
worldwide.

Click to expand...

Nikon USA is a separate company from Nikon Canada. If you have a warranty problem here (Canada) with gear you bought from Nikon USA, you will definitely have to send it back to Nikon USA. You don't have to do that with Canon because, AFAIK, Canon Canada is a subsidiary of Canon USA.

ddmarkm said:

Also yes I have checked thecamerastore.com and camerascanada, both
are $250 more expensive BEFORE tax for the d80+16-85vr, and since I
won't have to pay tax in the US, the savings after tax are like 450$.

Click to expand...

PST/GST are applicable, even if you buy in the USA. Plus there's WA sales tax.

larsbc

I have only been charged duty and GST when importing into BC.

The other issue not brought up here is that I think Nikon USA will not honour your warranty unless you have a US address. I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

If you are buying from the US and shipping to Canada, your freight fees will be astronomical - probably in the $30-$50 range (compare with $10 from the Camera store). Add to that the taxes assessed and you will probably be around the $100 to $120 range. The body is not subject to duty, but the lens will be.

So, based on the minimal savings and the better warranty in Canada, IMHO you are better off to cough up the extra cash and buy in Canada. I only buy out of the US if I can honestly say that I can afford to lose the use of the equipment (low replacement value).
--
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.katscan.smugmug.com

I contacted Kenmore by email and they said if I showed ID (e.g Canadian driver's license) when purchasing there, they would not charge me WA sales tax.

Also yes, I was planning not to declare it when I cross the border -I've never been searched before at the border + even if they see the camera they can't prove I just bought it in the US.

So if I don't declare and don't have to pay WA sales tax, its over $400 cheaper than anything here in Canada.

I recently bought a D40 to Henry's in Ottawa and had to shipped it to Mississauga while I was in Iceland for repairs, hot stripe and hot pixels .

The warranty for this camera is only 1 year.

--will you get the 2 year nikon canada warranty in the US???
Berghof G.C.

By the way, anybody has experience dealing with Thecamerastore.com?
how is their service? Sorry for hijack this thread.

Kathryne,

Typical SLR lenses have no duty/tariff. Only a few very specialized lense types have any duty/tariff rate.

The 2008 Tariff rates:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/trade-commerce/tariff-tarif/2008/01-99/tblmod-1-eng.html

Section 90 for photgraphic equipment.

--
Sincerely,
BradV.

Mark,

Well obviously you failed simple math. Please show me how you can possibly get to $400 dollars difference with tax rates of well less than 10% on a roughly $200 difference in price. It would take more than six 10% taxes compounded atop one another to get to an over $400 cost difference. So again you still exaggerate wildly.

Don't believe me, then pick up a calculator and try it. It would take eight 10% taxes compounded on each other to reach $400 or more, from an initial $200 price difference.

It is called the "72 rule" to those involved with interest and familiar with common math. Take any amount, to figure out the time period to double that amount at a simple compound interest rate, divide 72 by the interest rate (tax rate in this case), the answer is the period of time (in years) that it would take to double your money. So, using 10% as a tax rate it would take 7.2 compound applications of that tax rate to double the initial price difference amount.

Our Canadian prices are higher than the US prices, I don't argue that. But nowhere near the difference that you are exaggerating on the particular items you are shopping for.

You had better hope that the CBSA doesn't search you when you make your return trip, don't you think they doing more random searches since Canadians are shopping in the US at rates higher than they have been for more than 10 years? The fines will cost you the same as buying a total of 3 cameras and lense sets. Ignorance of the law is no excuse and the CBSA operates with more power and authority than the RCMP. They don't need to supply proof, nor warrants and you are guilty until you can reasonably prove otherwise. (How can they prove anything? You are the only party that can prove when/where it was purchased, therefore the onus is on you as opposed to the normal presumption of innocence in common law.)

--
Sincerely,
BradV.

burnaby said:

By the way, anybody has experience dealing with Thecamerastore.com?
how is their service? Sorry for hijack this thread.

Click to expand...

Sorry, nope. But I have dealt with dvshop.ca and they won't charge their provincial tax if you're not in Ontario.

larsbc

I bought my D300 there and my Sigma 10-20. I have been there in person and bought online. They are an excellent company to deal with.
--
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.katscan.smugmug.com

Hi

Guess it's the same taking stuff from USA to Europe? Customs will check serial numbers and that will tell them just where and when the items were sold. So even if you get checked later you will still be in doodoo. Got to admit it's tempting though.

I was charged duty on importing a Sigma lens. My brokerage was covered by the shipper and I was assessed the GST and import duty at 3.5% (or something close to that). I know it was not brokerage because I confirmed with UPS that there were no brokerage fees on the freight service I used.
--
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.katscan.smugmug.com

@bradvr: Cost of d80+ 16-85 at lens&shutter in Vancouver, BC: 830+770 = $1600; price after tax = 1600x1.12 = 1792

Cost at Kenmore Camera in the US: 730+ 620 = $1350 US$ (assume 1cd = 1 us approximately)

So, since I won't have to pay the final washington state sales tax of 9%, the price for me is 1350. If I don't declare at the border, that remains 1350.

That saves me: 1792-1350 = $442

So, I most certainly DO NOT fail at simple math.

However based on some of the advice in this thread, I think I will wait for thecamerastore to have a sale on their d80 again for 770-then I will buy it there and get the Canadian warranty on it, and it will only be like 50$ more for the body than in the US. However, I'm still planning to buy the 16-85 in the US, since a) the price difference for this lens is WAY bigger than for the body and b) I don't really care as much about warranty for a lens, since I would think a lens is not nearly as prone to failure/problems as a camera body is.

kathryne,

Blame UPS! I have also had duty assessed by UPS brokers on items that were clearly not dutiable and correctly documented by the shipper as not dutiable. They sometimes think that they know better than the shipper what exactly the item is and how it should be categorized? Remember though that all they see is a single line description of the item on the paperwork. So errors or alternate interpretations are easily arrived at.

There is a simple process where you can apply for the duty and any applicable taxes back directly by mail from CCRA, give them a call and they will either point you to the website form or mail you a copy of it. You only need the original documentation showing UPS' categorization of the item. Took mine approx. 3 weeks and I had a cheque back in the mail for the erroneous duty and the portion of the taxes there on.

Your lense should have been classified as 9002.11.10.10. If you have the documentation, UPS undoubtedly used some other category. They probably erroneously used 9002.20.90.00 or 9002.90.90.90 which are 3.5%. Good Luck.
--
Sincerely,
BradV.