Where in the world should I buy a camera?

July 20, 2006 8:14 PM

Where is the cheapest place to buy a digital camera? Ebay, London, Dubai, Qatar, or Bangkok

I want to buy a Canon EOS 20D, and will be travelling to all of the above in the coming month, I've tried searching online for camera prices but can only find them for London/Ebay. Assuming I don't have to pay VAT (I'm not resident in any of the places listed), where would I get the best deal?

posted by MrC to Travel & Transportation (11 answers total)

Where do you live? Warranties are typically good only in the country where you purchased the camera. Is it worth it to you to save $75 if the warranty is worthless once you get home?
posted by Brian James at 8:22 PM on July 20, 2006

As Brian James stated, warranty is very important. So, you should really focus on the cheapest store at the country you reside in. If it is US, I don't think you can find any place to beat adorama or J&R. There are actually people who buy cameras from these places using some coupons (or when they're on sale) and turn around and sell on ebay (and make money!).
posted by eebs at 8:29 PM on July 20, 2006

3rd vote on the warranty. I have 2 Nikon D70's. One of them has been in for covered repair twice and 3 of 4 batteries were recalled / exchanged.
posted by scheptech at 8:35 PM on July 20, 2006

Response by poster: I live in Nepal, but my permanant address (non-resident) is in the UK. I thought that Canon had a worldwide warranty? You can buy them here (Nepal) but they are all grey imports, and do not come with warranty.
posted by MrC at 8:52 PM on July 20, 2006

My recommendation is B&H in NY, it's not on your location list but they'll post anywhere. US prices are in general a lot better than UK/EU. I can't speak for your other cities except to say that Singapore is reasonably cheap, certainly cheaper than London. I understand (perhaps incorrectly) that Dubai is very laissez-faire with the taxation and regulation, so stuff should be very cheap there.

Be careful with the warranty; how that works will depend on what you buy and I'm not familiar with Canon's terms.

I've been bitten by an invalid Minolta warranty: my flash was DOA and cost me AUD300 to repair. That sucks, but paying USD300 plus AUD300 was still better (barring hassle) than paying AUD1100 to a local shop with a valid warranty.
posted by polyglot at 9:06 PM on July 20, 2006

B&H is solid. I buy a moderate amount of camera equipment and in all honesty they have good prices and are trustworthy. You can find cheaper prices, but by and large you take a BIG hit in dependability. Grey market, and non disclosed grey market, you can drop a few c notes less, then you takes your chances that the camera doesn't crap out a month later.
Cheapest is not always bestest, especially with high end electronics.
Same thing with ebay...
posted by edgeways at 9:52 PM on July 20, 2006

I'll give a 3rd rec for B&H. The best place to buy things is typically not the place with the best advertised price. Realistically prices are set by the manufacturer so if you see a camera with a price that is too good to be true, then it is too good to be true.
posted by JJ86 at 5:57 AM on July 21, 2006

To answer the question as posted - I've been to 3/4 of your possible locations (not Qatar). Bangkok definitely offers the right mix of "better prices" and "not terribly sketchy."

Friends of mine have bought laptops, cameras, cell phones, etc., there; all at prices I'd consider good (wrt US) and without having things crap out on them within the year.

Most of these electronics were purchased at MBK. Please though, bring along someone who knows how to haggle (I bet you do) and if you can, someone who can haggle and speaks Thai, basically to do this all for you...

(London is definitely expensive but not sketchy, Dubai is relatively low sketch but I didn't find the prices to be that amazing, either.)
posted by whatzit at 6:37 AM on July 21, 2006

You're probably at most going to save a hundred someodd dollars US. Wouldn't you be better off buying the camera before your trip and playing around with it so that you're familiar with the controls, limitations, etc. before you get to these once in a lifetime destinations?

I'm not even sure if they're selling new 20D's now. 30D is the current model.
posted by alidarbac at 6:47 AM on July 21, 2006

Seconding alidarbac, get your camera before going on your trip.
posted by Sharcho at 8:54 PM on July 21, 2006

Bangkok is not the place to buy quality electronics. Electronics imported into Thailand are subject to a hefty duty (although I'm not sure exactly just how much). The people I know who live in Thailand go to Singapore or Hong Kong for high-ticket-item purchases.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 6:07 PM on July 22, 2006