Should I buy a camera in Poland or the States?

February 1, 2008 5:51 PM

Should I buy a camera in Poland or a camera in the States?

I move on Friday from the States to Poland for six months. I want to purchase a digital camera and cell phone. I'm deciding whether to buy in the States or in Poland. AskMefi answered the phone question well already, but I couldn't find anything on digital cameras.

I don't think I'll buy a camera in the parts of Europe on the Euro due to the exchange rate. Poland is still on the Zloty, which trades at 2.42 to 1USD.

I really like Canon's Elph, but something with better video would make me happy.

posted by Galen to Shopping (9 answers total)

See if it's cheaper through the magic of the internets. If so, and it probably will be a price here (amazon.com can't be beat usually if you factor in taxes) make sure the warranty is international and good in Poland since that is where you will be if something goes wrong.
posted by skepticallypleased at 5:57 PM on February 1, 2008

Best answer: New digital cameras will definitely be cheaper in the US. Any difference attributed to the exchange rate would be more than offset by the greater supply (and thus lower actual price) here. I don't think you can get new digital cameras cheaper anywhere else in the world aside from Japan. Even in Asia, you only get slight cost advantages when buying high-end photo equipment that's rare or not available in the US.
posted by junesix at 6:19 PM on February 1, 2008

Best answer: If you want an idea of prices in the U.S., I wouldn't think it's very hard to find. (Unless the big stores all block/filter by geolocated IP or something...I can't understand why they'd bother, though.) Amazon.com would be one place to check, Costco.com would also get you an idea of the minimum B&M-store prices.

Just as a single point, the Canon SD1000 Elph is $179.99 at Costco, after a $20 rebate. You might have to add on sales tax depending on where you are, so we'll round it up $190. That's about 465 zloty.

I tried looking around on Media Markt's website to get an idea of prices in Poland, but either they don't list prices on their website, or I'm just looking in the wrong place. (The Ixus 800is, equivalent to the Powershot SD700is in the US, is here.)
posted by Kadin2048 at 6:47 PM on February 1, 2008

It will be way cheaper in the States, no question about it.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 8:10 PM on February 1, 2008

Best answer: I remember being in Poland and cameras were something like 20% more expensive than in the U.S. even after the exchange rate (which was much more favorable at the time).

So nthing the idea that you should buy in the U.S.
posted by timelord at 8:45 PM on February 1, 2008

Best answer: Yeah, EU countries have a VAT (value-added tax) of 20-25% added on top of a lot of imported goods. The camera will be cheaper here.

You can check, but I doubt the warranty will still be good if you take the camera to Poland - they'd want you to ship it to a service center in the county in which you bought the camera.
posted by echo target at 10:10 PM on February 1, 2008

Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I'll buy it in the US for sure!
posted by Galen at 10:26 PM on February 1, 2008

Heck, if you want to pick up some cash, you might even buy an ipod or such to sell there.
posted by alexei at 5:23 AM on February 2, 2008

As someone who has a lot of cameras, most bought in Poland... get it in the states. Don't think about it, just get it. You'll get more camera for a lot less money, period. The place to check prices in poland is on allegro.pl, our auction site of choice. Buy now on the SD750 ($214 at amazon) is $306.
posted by jedrek at 1:41 PM on February 2, 2008