Asian Sellers on eBay

Biro

Hall of Famer
Location
Jersey Shore
Name
Steve
To any U.S. members... have you purchased any photo gear from Asian sellers (specifically Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan) on eBay? If so, how did the deal go? Are there any specific retailers/sellers you can recommend? And, finally, what were the customs fees for your purchase and how were they handled? The prices on some brand-new Fuji lenses and cameras like the Canon G7X from these sellers has my interest.
 
I purchased a G7X before it was released in the US from HK seller t-dimension3. t-dimension3 on eBay It arrived on Tuesday after I ordered it on Sunday evening. Good price and no issues. The question would be if you do have an issue how well the resolution goes. I'd use them again without hesitation based on this transaction.
 
I purchased a X100 SE and X100S from Hong Kong Dealers... no problem with either purchase and the gear arrived very quickly. I can look up the actual vendor names if you are interested, but I usually just make sure they have a good deal of transactions and positive feedback.

I would recommend doing some research on customs rules, but I do not believe that the US charges duties on camera gear coming in for personal use. I know that I did not get a customs/tax bill on either of my cameras.
 
+1 for t-dimension3. It was my first camera purchase outside of US. It took couple e-mails/days corresponding back and forth for the return, but they accepted my return and even paid the fedex shipping back since the unit was defective. Even not all US shops do that.

My other experience was with deo-tech/mx camera from HK. I bought several adapters from them. After I upgraded from nex to A7R, my contax g af adapter was short-circuiting and they upgraded free to the new version. I did a few lens puchases from Japan with no problems, no returns either. There is no custom fees but shipping charges may add up for returns...

I purchased a G7X before it was released in the US from HK seller t-dimension3. t-dimension3 on eBay It arrived on Tuesday after I ordered it on Sunday evening. Good price and no issues. The question would be if you do have an issue how well the resolution goes. I'd use them again without hesitation based on this transaction.
 
I've bought a few items over the years with no serious product issues. As always with any purchase, especially online, do your research about the product and the company.

The biggest thing can be the wait time. Some can be quick, others slowwwww. I am currently waiting two weeks now for extension tubes. Hurry up.

Technically, any item you buy international is supposed to be subject to import fees, but no body does.

Internet Purchases
 
I've bought all kinds of stuff from Japan and Hong Kong on ebay. Various sellers, no problems ever. Shipping tends to be remarkably fast too - usually here two days after they ship. The only concern is warranty follow up and so far I've been lucky. I usually don't buy camera bodies that way although I did just buy a G7X from a Hong Kong seller because they had them way sooner and were and are selling them for much less than US retail prices. But lots of lenses because there's usually less to go wrong with a lens than a body. If there's a near term problem with getting the product, having it match the description, etc, ebay protects the buyer pretty well. So it's only longer term warranty issues I'd be concerned about...

Never had any sort of custom charge added either...

-Ray
 
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