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Where to buy?
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As far as I can remember, the forum had a section called “Where to buy?” but now it is gone. Can we at least share our bad/good experiences with Irish/UK/EU based photographic vendors? I was looking at warehouse express, they seem to have good prices on their list but i am avare that Gerry had a problem with their delivery to Ireland. So please share your recommendation and warnings.
Thanks,
UnalOver the years I’ve bought from lot’s of different suppliers, mainly in the UK. My list of favourites includes the following – none of these have ever let me down no matter how large or small the order was:
? B&H New York (online)
? Barker Photographic (Cork trade outlet)
? Conns Cameras (Dublin shop)
? Camera World (Cork shop)
? Mifsuds (online)
? Ffordes (online)
? MXV (online)
? Speedgraphic (online)
? Fotosense (online)
? Robert White (online)
? Bristol Cameras (online)
? Waltersphotovideo (online)
? AC-Foto (online, Germany)
? Technikdirekt (online, Germany)Cheers for all the links there Thorsten. I wouldn’t have a clue where to start looking so it’s always good to have recommendations.
Thanks Thorsten,
B&H is my favorite, I bought nearly all my equipment from them. but this time I will stay with EU/UK based companies to get proper EU warranty.
Unal
Mark wrote:
I assume that you get stung for customs/excise from b+h ?
Mark
Yes, it is something you need to factor in to your calculations. I’ve found that the savings to be had by buying from B&H are no longer as attractive as they used to be, given the global economy we are now living in. Prices within the EU have come down somewhat and of course exchange rates have changed as well, so I haven’t really bought from B&H in a while.
I bought a flashgun from B&H last may for USD369 and had to pay ?86 customs/excise, overall price was still under european vendors’ price. it is all good for saving couple of euros but you end up as good as with no warranty.
Unal
I have bought from lensmateonline.com. I ordered on a Saturday and delivery was on the following Wednesday, with no customs/excise/tax etc to pay. They are based in Seattle.
shop4memory.com [in Celbridge] delivered next day.
Great online english store…lots of quality secondhand stuff also.
https://secure.ffordes.com/index.htm
Also found EU ebay to be great.
For anyone interested in on-line suppliers of film, paper, chemicals, mounting materials, storage boxes etc., try http://www.retrophotographic.com and http://www.silverprint.co.uk
Both are good companies to deal with.
Peter
I second URGalaxy, in fact I’ve bought all (err yes, all) of my digital kit from yer man. I use Canon, I don’t know what he’s like for other brands but he does stock 3rd party vendors too (Sigma, Tamron..). Although his emails are “efficient” (I think this is the politically correct term) he is no-nonsense straight up and has never let me down. He’s Hong Kong based and ships international business priority via UK. Prices are tax free and include shipping.
This week I rushed an order through for a Tamron 28-70 f2.8 Di. His price 210 GBP (318 euro) left HK on Wed and was delivered on Friday morning. On Thursday I got the news that I wasn’t needed for a gig tonight :( so I’ll have to find another use for it in the meantime… Ho hum.
PM me if you’d like his contact.
It certainly pays to shop around. I’ve been looking to get the Sigma 12-24 F4.5-5.6 EX DG… lens and the price in Conns Cameras is EU854. The same lens from fordes (https://secure.ffordes.com/index.htm) is UK 435, which, even when adding post etc. is a saving of EU150+.
I prefer if possible to buy in Ireland but with savings like the one above can’t always do so. Steve Byford in ffordes is a real gent, I have bought many pieces from him over the years and find them very efficient and helpfull, but they can also be a bit pricey for the second hand gear, but it is usually excellent quality.
Rgds
Kevin
Yes Steve Byford is great to deal with, very honest and upfront. I got a lot of second hand equipment from him and it may still have been pricey but everything looked and operated like new.
rymus wrote:
Also, Kea-Photo and URGalaxy on ebay are worth a look.
I’ve bought from URGalaxy without a hitch and delivery very quick, excellent to deal with.
Below is link to his site: –http://stores.ebay.ie/UR-Galaxy-Ltd-Photo-Electronics_Canon-gear_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQftidZ2QQtZkm
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