Purchasing issues

M

Matt bland

New member
Here's my query:

I am in the UK, looking to purchase the XH A1. Now, from what I’ve read around, it’s advisable to get a PAL format camera (XH A1E) as getting an NTSC will provide me with to much hassle to justify the savings in cost.

So this comes to the issue of where I can get a XH A1E for a good price. I have looked at bhphotovideo.com, and they sell the XH A1E for a lower price than I’ve seen it at in the UK (especially with the exchange rate as it is), even including the $160 shipping. However, they don't tell me if there is any import tax on the purchase, and the government websites here are pretty useless at providing useful information. It would also probably mean that my warranty is only valid in the USA.

Basically what I need to know is

1) Does anyone know what the UK import tax would be on a $4000 camera?

2) Does anyone know any UK dealers which sell the XH A1 for less than £2300 ($4600) and are reliable?

If anyone could give me some help that would be much appreciated, as this issue is seriously wearing me down. Its times like this that I wish I was just in the states.....

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
Well, the main issue will be warranty. Purchasing at B&H means that your warranty isn't valid in the UK. If you don't care about that, then I recommend getting an NTSC camera ($3200) and paying for a $500 software upgrade from Canon to give it PAL functionality. Might end up saving a few hundred dollars.
 
Yeah, I was considering that as an idea, and I know that Canon offer the modification for $500 in the USA, but I can’t seem to find the equivalent here. I could get the camera done in the USA when my dad is over there, but then I don’t know how long it will take.

Do you know if there is the same service offered here in the UK?
and how long it takes to get the modification done in the USA?

thanks.
 
Here's a link to the HMRC website with info

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channels...ntent&id=HMCE_CL_001454&propertyType=document

And here's a link with some examples:

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channels...ent&id=HMCE_PROD_009989&propertyType=document

You'll see that the duty on the camcorder will be from 4.9% to 14% (I have no idea how they decide - I don't even have any ideea if *they* have any idea how they decide), and VAT will be 17.5%. With the NTSC to PAL conversion, and shipping costs, that will more than wipe out any saving.

I should note that Customs sometimes miss items and don't charge the duty or tax - but that's exteremely unpredictable. Most of the big carriers (DHL and the like) actively collect the charges ofr HMRC.

These guys have it for £2090 - I got mine from them and had no problems

Edit - forgot link!

http://www.simplyelectronics.net/search.php

Ebay has them for £1900 + £99 shipping, PAL, tax/duty paid. Here's an example of a seller who seems to have good feedback

If it was me (which it was 2 montsh ago) I wouldn't wear myself out with a USA purchase)

Hope this helps

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-XH-A1-X...ryZ11724QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Hope this helps
 
Matt bland said:
Right, I can see the cost building up rapidly.....

what sort of company are www.simplyelectronics.net? is it grey market products they are selling?

how was your experience with them?
Click to expand...

They were fine for me. Ordered on a Tuesday, got the camera Thursday. Well packed, everything OK. Their communications were very good, and they responded quickly to emaiils (they'd sent me a tracking number, but I couldn't get it to work, so they gave me a direct link).

Don't know whether they're grey market - didn't really register.

Hope that helps

N
 
well what I'm asking basically is whether it was provided with canon warranty?

Other than that it seems like the best deal I've seen so far.
 
Hmm... believe it or not, it didn't register with me whether it did or didn't (I don't have much faith in mfr warranties, and I've never had to claim on one).

I just checked their site and they offer a 12 month in-house warranty. Don't know if that' a dealbreaker for you
 
NickG said:
Hmm... believe it or not, it didn't register with me whether it did or didn't (I don't have much faith in mfr warranties, and I've never had to claim on one).

I just checked their site and they offer a 12 month in-house warranty. Don't know if that' a dealbreaker for you
Click to expand...

That'll teach me not to tempt fate. The firewire port on my XH-A1 failed, and I had to invoke Simply's warranty.

They took it in, no problems, shipped it off to Canon for repair within a couple of days. Canon then had it for 2 months (ouch!), and I've just got it back. Canon appear to be very slow turning these things round, from what I've read, so I can't blame Simply.

What was very frustrating was that, having shipped it off to Canon, Simply had no control or influence on what happened, and were unable to give any kind of indication of how long it would take. Response times to email queries varied, and the responses weren't that helpful. One other point - their telephone helpline was never available.

Just posting this for info - hope it's helpful
 
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