Buying Cameras in China???

portchieboy

Am going to China in May, Beijing to start, and I need to buy a new Camera.

Has anyone any experience of this at all. I wonder firstly if it is possible, how prices compare, and what shops to use. I believe that there may be a problem with fakes....would somw shops be more reliable? What about warranties, and of course the dreaded customs.

I cannot seem to find much on the net, so any experiences out there please.

Many thanks.

Fossil_2

Look on https://www.virtualtourist.com for hints/tips and ask on the Beijing forums for help.

Read up somewhere that Hong Kong is the cheapest place for cameras..

helenyw

You might find that buying electronics in Asia might save you 10-20% off the best price you could get it online from UK websites. However, you'd have to be careful about warranties, and make sure that the product is in good working order when you take it out of the shop as they are not very good on consumer rights. The benefit from buying there is having a lot of goodies thrown in. I bought my first Sony camera at the airport in Singapore, and I got a Sony accessory case full of stuff inside.

I'd definitely NOT buy in China! Just to give you an idea: my sister went to get some cash INSIDE a bank in ShenZhen and got a counterfeit!

cundall

helenyw wrote:

I'd definitely NOT buy in China! Just to give you an idea: my sister went to get some cash INSIDE a bank in ShenZhen and got a counterfeit!

Damn! is this true?

Fossil_2

cundall wrote:

Damn! is this true?

Counterfeits? Probably if the staff couldn't distinguish between fake and real, or dodgy ones trying to give you fake notes.

Shenzhen in general isn't a safe place compared to Guangzhou and HK. Heard stories of HK residents being mugged in Shenzhen.

cundall

Thanks for the info, as i am off to china this year and its nice to know..

nelly_2

cameras and mobile phones are more expensive there than here god knows why but they are.