RX1 Bargains on ebay

[Rodney Brown]

Hi to all the Sony community. I was interested in getting your feedback on the following query:
I'm really keen to get hold of the new RX1 when my finances allow, and I've noticed that on ebay it's going for as "little" as under £2000. That's a saving of £600-700 compared to the normal retail price. The sellers at that price point seem to be based in Hong Kong. Is this a dangerous thing to consider - I mean a £2000 purchase on ebay involving a seller in Hong Kong?

The other question is - is this RX1 going to be manufactured outside Japan and therefore not subject to the same quality controls?

I'd appreciate any insights into this. It's a lot of money to lose if things go pear-shaped.

[David Kilpatrick]

It's slightly risky. They have saved about £450 in VAT, so not cut the price as much you would think. They have also saved import costs and duty. You probably won't be charged any of this as they arrange ways to get round it, but I have only done this once and I consider myself lucky to have managed to get back my money after a wait of MONTHS on a faulty A700 body.

David

[Birma]

Hi Rodney. With cheapest HK sellers you may end up paying import duty and Vat which will soon eat up that 600 saving. So even if they are reliable with a trustworthy returns policy (and many of them do) it may not actually save you anything. If you want to go this route try Digital Rev who will pay the duty etc.

Also look at Camera Price Buster (a price comparison site) where you can sometimes find things as cheap as the reliable HK sites.

[Rodney Brown]

Thanks for your tips guys - on reflexion UK based suppliers seem a better bet. And looking at ebay again last night the HK prices are equalled by sellers here in the UK.
Thanks

[bfitzgerald]

The only Hong Kong seller I have used consistently and can recommend is Onestopdigital, and yes they do cover the import/VAT costs and yes they will pick up items at their own cost if there is a problem. I don't think they are selling the RX-1 last time I looked. I would be quite cautious with a purchase of that cost though.

[Heidfirst]

it's also worth keeping an eye on Sony UK's outlet store where they sell their refurbs/returns.
Iirc RX1s tend to be ~£1800 on there with a full 12 month Sony warranty but they do go fast!

[classiccameras]

I bought a Sigma 17-70 from onestopdigital a couple of years ago, I think I waited about 10 days, but it arrived neatly packaged and no damage. After about 6 days I E mailed them for a progress report but they never answered which was worrying at the time. They never had a tracker so you have to wait and hope.
Some buyer review sites have been very critical of onestopdigital for their incommunicado stance and long shipping times and others have been quite satisfied.
I bought some jjc lens hoods from a company in Jersey [can't remember name] who import from China, I got good service and they were responsive to my E mails.
I guess you pays your money and takes your choice