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Shopping in the South East??
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Folks,
Do any of you know of any photography outlets in the South East? I know McCauleys do photography equipment but a recent visit showed that this term was used loosely. I had being purchasing of Ebay but for some reason VAT + DUTY + the ignorance of the men to my wife that deliver I could well do without (is photography equipment targetted for Duty, etc coz’ I never had this “trouble” before).
Anyway, if there’s a local outlet with knowledge I’d be most appreciated…or do I just have to go and travel to the big smoke?? :(
VAT or Duty should never be an issue if you purchase within the EU and there are plenty of reputable suppliers on the internet (there’s a small but good selection listed in this thread) – you just need to do a bit of research first if you want to get the best deal.
Heading up to the “big smoke” is certainly on option as is heading down to the “small smoke”, Cork :wink: , where Paddy Barker provides an excellent service. However, you should check before you travel that the items you are interested in purchasing are in stock and available. There’s nothing more frustrating than making a journey only to find out when you get there that what you’re after is not in stock.
Thanks Thorsten, that link is great, exactly what I wanted. It’s preferrable to test something before committing to big bucks but no duty is a close second.
Parts recently have come from HK & China hence the duty, etc.
The duty is only 3% (or 4%), so that’s unlikely to ever be an issue unless they raise it. It’s the 21% VAT that’s the real killer over here and what’s worse is that the duty is applied first and then the VAT so you end up paying VAT on the duty :evil:
If you want to stay “Local” Try Hennerby’s camera shop on the Quay in Waterford or Whites Pharmacy in Kilkenny, both will order in anything that is not a “stock” item, and have the knowledge!
-Paddy BarkerI went into Hennerbys a while back to buy something (can’t remember what exactly at this stage), and was rather underwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the service, so haven’t really been in a rush back.
Buying online in the EU, Germany generally has the best prices (lower VAT rate). Anything by Canon is horrendously marked up in Ireland (not the retailers markup mind you, it’s the wholesale price from Canon apparently – it obviously costs a lot to stick a lens on a ferry). Conversely in my experience Sigma gear will frequently work out as cheap, or cheaper in shops in Ireland than online.
JMcL wrote:
…it obviously costs a lot to stick a lens on a ferry).
Most ferries that I know of don’t have a suitable lens mount, so I’d say there’s quite a cost involved in adapting the ferry in order to mount the lens on it :D
On a more serious note, the VAT rate in Germany went up this year from 16.5% to 19% – the first rate increase in years as far as I can recall. It’s still less than Ireland 21.5% of course.
I’ve found it really does pay to do your research though – I’ve occasionally found things cheaper in the UK than in Germany for example and on other occasions it was cheaper to purchase here. Always always factor in the cost of shipping when making prices comparisons!
Here is a great site for looking up the cheapest prices in the UK:
http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/
Thanks Guys.
I’m toying with the idea of a Sigma 50-500 for my Sony A100 (minolta mount). Prices seem to be going up by the day in Germany (now over E1000) so shopping I may go.
Check out Holland as well. Cheap flights and perfect English.
I don’t even bother shopping for camera bodies/lenses down in Wexford. I get my framing, etc done in Carty’s in the square in Enniscorthy. When first checking out DSLR’s they told me to save my money and buy from the net, e.g. Germany. They couldn’t compete because of distributor (Canon Ireland) pricing.
If you want other gear from a local seller, they are great. The couple who own the store are very enthusiastic and I often end up spending 5 minutes buying something and 90 minutes chatting about photography with them. And as for framing … they will not let you out of the shop unless they are happy with your decision on frame and mount. They’ll spend ages with you getting things right.
Example … I was heading off to a dusty environment last year. I went int o get a CCD cleaning kit and a rocket blower. They had neither in stock. They sold me his own rocket blower from his bag at a discount and loaned me his CCD cleaning kit which I luckilly didn’t need. That was VERY cool.
They are way better than Whites (who appear like they wouldn’t care if you died in their store).
depends on what your looking for…. whites pharmacy in kilkenny have quite a few lenses/ tripods/ camera bags etc upstairs. friendly folk who know what theyre talking about too…. not a huge selection, if travelling to kilkenny takes more than an hour, id suggest going to conns in dublin for a better selection and a more worth while day out…..
happy shopping!
carrie
carrieday wrote:
id suggest going to conns in dublin
Lord, you must enjoy overpaying!!! Hate that place with a passion and I’m not alone in that. Asked them a few weeks ago why they are charging between 200 and 400 euros more than anyone else in Ireland for a 1D mkIII and one of them went off on a rant.
I’ve got a loaner lens from Conns while my own is being repaired out of warranty-
They are as good as their word when it comes to that,
and its up to you whether you think that level of service and customer care is worth it for you-You will save a few hundred quid elsewhere,
just a bit of a gamble should something go wrong-I don’t think Digital Rev do loaners-
j
jb7 wrote:
I don’t think Digital Rev do loaners-
j
Heck, I wasn’t even referring to HK suppliers. I could probably save 800 or more when those guys get the 1D mk III in stock. I was referring to sellers that are within walking distance of Conns.
Aidan
Another thing that conns do as par of the service is sensor cleaning whenever you want, Even if you buy one of the systems like visible dust (100 euro approx) by getting the camera from conns you save that cost and gain the fact that if they screw it up its their problem.
I guess if you live any distance away then it sort of negates this, but just saving that cost and the fact that they will give you a loan camera while yours is say being repaired, over the life of the camera could easily add up to the difference in price between them and another supplier in town (200- 400 on the 2DmkIII)
But I will say for some things they just seem expensive for no reason.
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