Buying in New York
Im going to New your in a couple of months, what would be the down side of me buying from B&H
Im looking at a EF 50mm F1.2 L priced at $1300 same lens would cost £1,269.00 in the Uk after converting $ to £ that would cost only £840 thats a big saving.
Or perhaps the 85mm version priced at $1859 which is only £1200 uk pounds compared to £1700 some big savings to be made :-)
Any views, I take it I would get a world wide warranty 12 months, also would I get any dollar tax rebates ??
Thanks guys.
Most places if you buy from the brick and mortar store you pay sales tax. I looked up the rate for the store zip code, it is 8.875%. This would be on top of the price you see online. In the US if we buy and are from another state B&H does not charge the sales tax, but we are supposed to pay the sales tax to the state ourselves in most places.Originally Posted by peterborough_photography
Not sure what you mean by dollar tax rebates. Anything that was ever sent out in the US that was called a "tax rebate" was a sham IMHO. But there will be no rebate on any tax that I know of.
"would I get any dollar tax rebates"
I think I know what you are getting at. For instance, I know North Dakota allows Canadians to apply for and receive a refund on any state sales tax they pay on purchases over a certain amount. Conversely, I know Minnesota does not. I just did a quick Google check and it looks like New York state doesn't offer a sales tax refund, although you might want to double check for yourself.
Last edited by bigblue1ca; 01-12-2012 at 06:54 PM.
This is off of B&H website and looks like it answers the question:
B&H only collects New York sales tax for purchases made in our New York Superstore or for orders shipped to an address within New York State. Sales tax is not a VAT, and cannot be recovered by non-USA visitors when returning home.
Does the £1269 price include VAT? Would you not have to pay customs duties and VAT on the lens(es) when you return to the UK?
From HMRC:
"If you exceed the allowances and/or don't meet the additional conditions set out above you will have to pay the appropriate charges which may include:
You can bring in other goods worth up to £390 without having to pay tax and/or duty...If you bring in any single item worth more than your allowance, you must pay duty and/or tax on the full item value, not just the value above the allowance."
- Customs Duty
- Import VAT (VAT will also be due on any duties that may be charged)
So, you'd pay sales tax to the State of New York, a customs duty of 5-9% (average), and import VAT (same rate as for goods purchased at home - 20%, right?).
So, let's see...the 50L at £840 x (8.875% NY sales tax + say 7% customs duty + 20% VAT + 1.4% VAT on the 7% duty) = £840 + £312 = £1152. Still cheaper, but perhaps not the bargain you were hoping for? Plus, you'd have to pay Customs on the spot (do they take credit cards?) or I expect they'd seize the goods until you paid the taxes.
Also, the warranty for Canon products sold in the USA states:
"The limited warranty set forth below is given by Canon U.S.A., Inc. (Canon U.S.A.) in the United States and Canon Canada Inc., in Canada (herein referred to collectively as "Canon") with respect to the Canon Binoculars and Photographic Lens Products packaged with this Limited Warranty and identified by model number on this limited warranty card (each a "Product")when purchased and used in the United States or Canada."
I have heard that the warranty for Canon products bought in the USA may be honored by Canon outside of the US/Canada (similarly, Canon USA reportedly services grey market purchases)...but, they do have the legal right to deny coverage and charge you for any necessary service based on the terms of the warranty.
I guess you need to decide if saving £118 is worth the risk of no warranty coverage. OTOH, if the £1269 price does include the VAT, then you would realize a significant savings by buying in NY.
Last edited by neuroanatomist; 01-12-2012 at 07:49 PM.
VAT, Customs and Duty. This sounds similar to what I hear from the guys at the local camera shop every time I buy from B&H. They remind me I have to pay the sales tax myself. They are a kill joy.
Looking at Canon's warranty quote Neuro posted, I would buy the grey market "Imported" lens from B&H and save a few more dollars. When you get back home no matter which you buy it will be grey market.
The local camera shop is right, of course. But then, your state revenue department isn't going to look through your house for gear you bought online - customs agents have a bit more leeway in that regard...
Good idea about getting it gray market, though. Unless there's a Canon USA rebate on, since the gray market lenses aren't eligible.
hmm food for thought perhaps. I thought the online price included the sales tax.
In the US prices are almost always quoted or posted not including sales tax.
B&H ships internationally. They say they can collect the appropriate VAT and duty taxes. Have you not tried to do that? I am curious if the prices you mentioned above would be the same as B&H's once they added the VAT and duty tax to it.
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