Buying Gear in Europe (France)

[Johnathan]

I'm looking to pick up some sound equipment and a tripod, anyone know of the cheapest place to go in Paris, close by or online? Anyone have experience ordering/importing from B&H to Europe? Were there ridiculous taxes/customs charges tacked on to your purchase? Where should I go for used gear?

 

[CTN]

I buy some of my gear from B&H, photo lenses mostly but also HMC batteries, accesories that I can't find in Romania and Barry's book . Although I usually pay VAT and customs taxes, I still end up paying less than buying from local stores.

However, these taxes are different from country to country. I'm not sure what taxes apply in France but I can tell you that in Romania we pay 19% VAT and a customs tax depending on the nature of the object (for example, electronics are free of custom taxes).

As for other options, bear in mind that there are no customs taxes applied to goods purchased inside the European Union.