Rip off Britain again

[Roger Alexander]

I was very excited when Nikon announced their new Coolpix P7000 and estimated that the launch price would be $499, that is £333 at 1.5 $ to £. Today I see Amazon are advertising at £489. Why?

[pburness]

Don't know for sure but probably some or all of the below....
Import duty, Importers profit, shipping costs, VAT, Accountancy exchange rates versus spot rates, ability to pay, cost of living in UK (sellers have to live here too and therefore require UK salaries).

Can you find a supplier in the US that will sell you it and ship to UK?

This can be cost effective, ignore the warranty issues - purchase by credit card and that generally gives 3 months warranty, household insurance usually covers an amount for personal possessions so this extends the cover (although could be subject to excess), or take out specific insurance for your photographic equipment if you have a lot. I bank with NatWest and they actually provide free insurance for camera's, mobile phones and stuff upto about £1000 I think. I bought a Canon G10 this way, saved about £100.

I also look to upgrade my equipment every 2 years or so (to stay with technology), but this also means I actually sell it very close to the price I paid for it.

Not selling the G10 though - Love it!

Phil

[karenoliver]

Everything is more expensive here :-( I buy most of my camera gear as imports from hdew simply to save the money. Keep an eye on ebay or consider imports if you want to save some money. I know some people say to avoid imports but I have never had any issues.

Karen

[Roger Alexander]

Interested in the response, Phil all you said also applies to US suppliers. It's not that there is some cheap internet supplier I've found, $499 is Nikons suggested price in US. I haven't got around to finding a supplier who will ship from US as the camera is still in pre-order stage, but would be interested in any suggestions and how to limit customs charges. I suspect the duty and delivery charges will make it not worthwhile and I guess that is how UK suppliers set their rip off prices.

[pburness]

Originally Posted by Roger Alexander

Interested in the response, Phil all you said also applies to US suppliers. It's not that there is some cheap internet supplier I've found, $499 is Nikons suggested price in US. I haven't got around to finding a supplier who will ship from US as the camera is still in pre-order stage, but would be interested in any suggestions and how to limit customs charges. I suspect the duty and delivery charges will make it not worthwhile and I guess that is how UK suppliers set their rip off prices.

Roger,
Your right, but I think the rates applied are different, i.e import duty, relative salaries, taxes, etc.

You could try to order from here http://www.adorama.com/INKCPP7000.html they are taking pre-order bookings @$499.
Some things to note:
The exchange rate on your credit card will be at the date the charges hit your card, not necessarily the date the order was placed.
Your credit card handler may charge you commission on the currency exchange.
When I ordered my G10 I did not get charged VAT or import duty, I don't know why and I never looked in to it
Delivery took about 1 week.

You can probably find other stores, use google.com not google.co.uk, look for a store that seems reputable. If possible phone them and talk to them first, although I've never had any trouble purchasing this way.

Good Luck! let me know if you decide to proceed and how you get on. But importantly, don't overlook the Canon G10/G11 - I've got Nikon DLSR's and wouldn't change them, but the Canon goes everywhere with me and is so simple to use.

Phil

[Roger Alexander]

Tanks Phil, I'll look into it. I think the Canon G10/G11 look good, but the 7X zoom on the Nikon is swaying me at the moment.
Roger

[GeoffWessex]

As a user of the G10 I'm afraid I can't recommend it.... it went a few MegaPixels too far for its sensor and it's very noisy in less than perfect light - and I still can't get the hang of the viewfinder that seems to have such a different view on things to the lens. In good light at ISO100, it's excellent.

The G11 was the correction to the MegaPixels mistake and would suit me nicely...... but now along comes the G12 - what I could have done with in the first place if I hadn't been in such a hurry. Similar to the G11 but with much improved image processing, although that mainly affects the Jpeg output and I shoot Raw, so I'm holding my breath until I read the big review here.