"Camera In The Post" Anyone used them?

Hello!

I recently came across this site -

http://www.camerainthepost.com/index.php?osCsid=489696de4b44fe3c949ee372b31f5054

and wondered if anyone had used them before..some of the prices seem really cheap and without the need of paying any import tax/VAT it looks too good to be true. Are they grey market?

any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Mike

Hong Kong with a unit in a trading estate in Scotland.

Do you really believe that they will refund import duties, fees, VAT etc should you need to pay them?

Up to you, but I don't think I would.

Avoid. They are definitely grey market (i.e. no UK warranty).
Have a look at this...

http://www.scamadviser.com/check-website/camerainthepost.com

Best wishes
--
Mike
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/mikeward

Hmm I feel slightly sceptical now and spending that sort of money I think I should definitely be confident from where i'm purchasing.

Thank you for your help!

I got my 5D Mark III from camerainthepost 3 weeks ago, their price is the best I could find at that time £2124 with free FedEx delivery. The delivery was quick, placed the order on Sunday, had the camera on Wendesday. Did receive import tax invoice from FedEx 2 weeks after the delivery, called camerainthepost (btw, they have an office in Scotland, easy to get contact) and get my import tax cost reimbursed in less than 10 minutes. The reimbursed was made as a partial refund of my payment to them. I've ordered from other Hong Kong sellers like DigitalRev etc., no problem from those sellers so far and always get my import tax cost refunded as those sellers promised. Happy with the money saved

Good to hear for future reference. You never know which of these are good and which are not and the review sites can't always be trusted as scammers will get their employees to provide favourable reviews. So genuine feedback from someone who has used them is very valuable.

Did your items have the manufacturer's international warranty, or was it only a warranty provided by the seller?

Best wishes
--
Mike
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/mikeward

Mike, the warranty is a seller's 1 year warranty, if there is any problem occured, the camera need to be returned back to their UK office for repair, actually, when buying from outside the UK, it is unlikely you can get any manufacture warranty in the UK. Considering I saved more than £500 on the purchase, a warranty from the seller is acceptable from my view.

Besides, I've done my research before placed the order and found camerainthepost is the same company as eBay seller 'chinaarts' who has a perfect feedback record since 1999, http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=chinaarts&ftab=AllFeedback , that make me feel safe and comfortable wit the seller's promise on warranty terms. eedback2&userid=chinaarts&ftab=AllFeedback , that make me feel safe and confortable when buying from them.

Thanks Derek. Pity they don't stock Pentax gear... oh well!
Best wishes
--
Mike
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/mikeward

I must admit that I was a bit skeptical but as they are the same company as Chinanarts on eBay with whom I have had satisfactory dealings and they are very upfront about addresses and phone numbers and have a service unit in Dundee I decided to take a chance and ordered a Panasonic MFT 12-35mm lens from them saving about £100 on UK prices.

The order went through very easily and I was given a FedEx tracking number. Ordered late on 21st August goods arrived 24th. Everything fine. I have not been charged any import duty and the paperwork contains an International Warranty. They also give details of how to claim under warranty which involves sending the item to their unit in Dundee.

All seems very professional. Payments are taken by credit card or Paypal via Sage Pay.

I would be happy to use them again.

As an update to my post, today I received an invoice from FedEx for duty and handling. I logged on to the Camerainthepost and completed their online claim form. Within 10 minutes I received an email advising me that my PayPal account had received a partial refund of the amount that FedEx charged.

They seem to be an honest and very efficient company. I will be happy to buy from them again.

By "Partial Refund" you mean part of your original price, or part of the amount charged by FedEx? How much more (if any) did you pay over the advertised cost on the web site?

They have the Olympus 17 f/1.8 at an attractive price.

Thanks

- Richard

Further: Their site now says we're responsible for duties and VAT:

http://www.camerainthepost.com/faqdesk_info.php?faqdesk_id=58

Which makes Amazon.co.uk more attractive.

Further Further:

According to http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/ £263 becomes £336.74. The price on Amazon is £330.43, so I'll go for the UK supplier. "Dispatched from and sold by Amazon."

I bought brand new a7s3 for £2,850

Very happy. Camera arrived in perfect condition, well packaged, great comms, obviously from Hong Kong, that's why it's £950 cheaper than standard UK price.

They provide their own warranty and add a UK power adapter. Will definitely use again.