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Buying gear from other countries

photogear said:
KEH used to have a very large selection but it ain't the case anymore, so far. Once thing : their evaluation is very much reliable.
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In my experience this is no longer the case. I have bought things recently that were graded excellent, and were visually rough, missing pieces, and functionally iffy. Unfortunately in one case it was an "emergency" purchase because I was leaving on a trip and I didn't get back before the return window closed, so its still sitting in my closet, unused. So I trust the Japanese evaluation MUCH more than the KEH evaluation. Mustly because the japanese evaluation has specific details that are sufficient to initiate a no-fault return, because if the japanese eBay tesxt says it has no fungus, and I can demonstrate that it has fungus, then they misrepresented it and eBay will side with me.
 

I won't buy anything without seeing pictures of the item. When the collapse of the analog thing hit, pros needed to get digital KEH could scoop stuff up, doing people a favor. Those days are long gone, KEH has different ownership, different business model. I've done a lot of business with KEH over the years. Don't have any feelings, good or bad.
 
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Moderator note: I've whittled down the last two pages of the thread to remove redundant and non photo-related commentary about tariffs etc. Also, a few people have been ejected from the thread for diverting the discussion in that direction.
Please remain close to what post #1 addressed: personal, direct experiences buying photo equipment overseas and practical issues associated directly with this. I.e. no generic reflections on how taxes, tariffs etc. work.
 
Alan Edward Klein said:
When you return the item to Japan I suppose you still have to pay the shipping, tariffs, and other fees?
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No tariffs or fees, those are paid by the receiver. And the only return I have done to Japan, was "free returns" - the seller provided me with a DHL shipping label and all I had to do was drop the package off.
 
DHL from Japan is extremely fast and reliable, as already mentioned. Shipping costs for medium sized parcels are reasonable too. I returned one purchase to Japan via DHL and it was painless experience on my end. Import fees from Japan tend to be more predictable than from Europe.

When I buy from Europe I generally try to forget about my purchase until it arrives, that way it's always on time. In general the packages arrive in good condition are less likely to be damaged on the way than if I buy from within the US.

Back to Japan: It's a good idea to remember that Japan gets hot and humid. Fungus can be a problem. There are also a lot of professional resellers there who disassemble and clean lenses with fungus, for better or for worse. I tend to make repeat purchases from sellers I have worked with in the past. It's worth paying a premium sometimes.

Honorable mention to the Ukrainians selling from a war zone. The packages take forever, but they always arrive.
 
MMfoto said:
Honorable mention to the Ukrainians selling from a war zone. The packages take forever, but they always arrive.
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Recently I ordered something from Ukraine (not photo-related I have to admit) but it arrived within 3 days. This was not overseas, however. Just continental transport.
 
IMoL said:
No tariffs or fees, those are paid by the receiver. And the only return I have done to Japan, was "free returns" - the seller provided me with a DHL shipping label and all I had to do was drop the package off.
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As I recall, if the tariff was not included in shipping, you don't get the original tariff cost back when returning the item unless you fill out some form or go through some kind of drawn out process. Which is probably very overloaded and unresponsive at this time. In addition you might not even have received a tariff bill yet by the time you return the item, that could come many months later in some cases. It's all very chaotic.
 
IMoL said:
No tariffs or fees, those are paid by the receiver. And the only return I have done to Japan, was "free returns" - the seller provided me with a DHL shipping label and all I had to do was drop the package off.
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It only makes sense that there would be no tariffs on an item returning to its country of origin. Tariffs are to protect local industries.
 
Since the tariffs went into effect, I bought a new bellows for my Toyo 45g that came from mytongguy (ebay) and arrived in 3 weeks without any added fees. It is of good quality and I am pleased. I also bought a Horseman rangefinder cam from Japan where the tariffs were included in the shipping. It arrived in 7 days no problems. I think that the tariffs are packed in the shipping so I get to pay New Mexico sales tax on the tariffs. But it makes me feel good that I can help the government out some more.
 
Recently I've bought several lens from a guy on Ukraine. Last one was bought on Feb 9th, shipping on the 12th and I received on the 20th. Quite fast for a oversea shipping.


On the other hand I ordered some Phenidone from another guy on Ukraine and it was ship on Jan 24th and arrived on Feb 10th so a mixed bag.

Not sure if the guys on Ukraine paid the tariff themself (probably so) and they bit the bullet.

Marcelo
 
Steve York said:
I got zapped by DHL not only for a tariff fee, but for a tariff processing fee. The processing fee almost as much as the tariff. Something to consider.
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Yeah always avoid DHL. If purchase is not possible without DHL, I cancel. Have missed pretty good deals because of this, but the two times I used DHL, they change twice the value of the shipment (this was before Trump's tariff from a Japan package) and the other time almos triple (this from a Europe item). This never happened with either Fedex, normal postal service or UPS.
 

Paying sales tax on a tarrif (tax)
Is legal?
 
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  • Chuck1
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  • Reason: dupe
FWIW, taxes charged on taxes all the time - particularly when multiple taxing authorities are involved.
But in order to avoid my having to pull out my Moderator's scythe and do more gardening of the type just performed by @koraks , can we please return to discussions about what experiences people have had, what suggestions people might make and what reliable information there might be out there about "buying gear from other countries".
NOT ABOUT about tax policy.
 
Also, recently was buying some very nice large format lenses from a guy on Australia on the bay, and after winning, the sales was cancelled because the seller no longer send/sell to USA.

Whenever your buy on the bay or any other place, ask the seller about that. Avoids having a bad experience.
 
Steve York said:
I got zapped by DHL not only for a tariff fee, but for a tariff processing fee. The processing fee almost as much as the tariff. Something to consider.
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I found DHL's processing fee to be lower than FedEx's processing fee. Maybe it's changed. Unfortunate that they aren't very clear before you buy the item what it's going to be.
 
Steve York said:
I got zapped by DHL not only for a tariff fee, but for a tariff processing fee. The processing fee almost as much as the tariff. Something to consider.
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On a recent purchase from Germany, I was charged a tariff and a processing fee. The carrier (UPS or DHL, I don't recall) then discounted the tariff, only charging the processing fee. Who know how all this works and what makes sense any more?
 
$500 worth of French made goods, with a Swiss name on them, shipped from Japan involved $80 of tariff and a $15 UPS brokerage fee.
 
A couple weeks ago I bought a beautiful Nikon F from MAP Camera, no issues, FedEx, all one price, they handle everything.
 
koraks said:
Recently I ordered something from Ukraine (not photo-related I have to admit) but it arrived within 3 days. This was not overseas, however. Just continental transport.
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I am envious. I would order from their more frequently if not for the shipping time and expense.
 
Most recent purchase from France, the private seller has to pay 10% customs at the French postal office for sending me the camera. I guess this is the global standard for the time being, which is not too bad considering California sales tax is about 10% already.
 
In the past three months or so I've twice purchased items from (different) suppliers in England. Both were coincidentally valued at around $100. Both were shipped using Royal Post and arrived at my door within a week with no evidence of tariff having been assessed or paid. I did note that on the more recent item the shipping price to the US was $5 higher than that to Canada, perhaps the tariff was hidden in there.
 

Where sellers are required by their local postal authorities to ship DDP to the US, the selling price has normally been increased to include additional destination charges.

It's just a mirage, the buyer still pays the additional cost.

When shipping elsewhere the selling price is usually discounted either at checkout, or by the intermediary platform.
 
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