procamerashop.co.uk

Goinker

Has anyone heard of or dealt with this company before? I'm looking for a couple of 'Canon' L series lenses, quite pricey items, so looking for the best deal obviously. I've previously dealt with Panamoz, who are excellent on price, but delivery from Hong kong where they're based is £20 tracked to UK. Procamerashop have the lenses I'm looking for at the same price but with free delivery, so I'm tempted, but wary, as I've not heard of them before, although they give a UK address. If anyone has had any dealings with this company, good, bad or indifferent, I'd be pleased to hear from you before I jump in.
Thanks.

InsideInsurance

After adding import duty and VAT do they still work out much cheaper than buying in the UK/ EU?

Looking at the 100mm L macro it is cheaper with an illegal import but more expensive with a legitimate import. Given Canon wont honour a warranty without proof of paying due taxes I'm not sure I'd risk it on expensive kit

fwor

The website is registered in HK to a non-uk corporation.

In addition to VAT/duty and possible warranty issues, none of the UK consumer protection laws will apply to the purchase.

yangptangkipperbang

If you check the review sites for this company, they have lots of "5 star" reviews and a few "1 star" (or less !).

I was considering using these people BUT:-

The 5 star ones all seem to be posted in groups at the same time - and some of the same wording keeps cropping up in lots of posts, very suspicious !!
I think the 5 star ones may be "plants" and the 1 star ones are the truth ..............................

I went to a reputable dealer - not the cheapest, maybe, but I know them.................

http://www.cliftoncameras.co.uk/

Figment

As stated above, procamerashop.co.uk is registered to:

Domain name:
procamerashop.co.uk

Registrant:
Smart Choice Photo Ltd

Trading as:
ProCameraShop

Registrant type:
Non-UK Corporation

Registrant's address:
1223 Trans HK Commercial Building, 41 - 43 Carnarvon Road
Kowloon
Tsimshatsui
NA
Hong Kong


Their UK address is a serviced or virtual office:



From their website:
Please note that this address should only be used for mailing correspondence or pre-arranged returns. We are a solely internet based business and as such do not facilitate the transaction or sale of goods from these premises.

Shimrod

I assume you've checked http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk for prices at the various UK dealers. Two reputable Hong Kong dealers are Onestopdigital and Digitalrev. I've used the former for a couple of low priced items, but not sure I would take the risk with a high priced item. I'd expect it to be a hassle having to return a lens should it need a warranty repair or be DOA

Goinker

Onestopdigital and Digitalrev websites that I've seen, state that Customs duty and VAT are the responsibility of the buyer. I've bought 2 Canon 60D cameras (one for Wife, one for self) from Panamoz in the last year, saving around £400 in total, no issues with Customs/VAT, as they say they have an arrangement with HM Customs to pay this direct. The best UK prices I've seen on camerapricebuster for the lenses I'm interested in, are a total of several hundred pounds dearer, so you can see where I'm coming from. Panamoz (and I understand, procamerashop) state that the UK warranty (and any 'cashback' promotions) do not apply to their stock, so they are 'grey imports', but they do have a warranty card and a UK service availability,- whats the difference anyway, as ALL Canon equipment is imported. It's just that the UK sellers make lots more profit at the consumers expense! Ive since spent time on a few photographic forums, and found that there are quite a number of good feedback reports, and a few not-so-good ones (there are ALWAYS a few!) for procamerashop. I'm off to a photo equipment show in a week or two, so will decide what to buy after that. I may buy the cheaper lens to 'test the water' so to speak, and will report back on how things go if I do go ahead and buy from procamerashop. In the meantime, many thanks to all who have replied to my enquiry.

Shimrod

link to the one stop digital VAT reclaim form. https://www.onestop-digital.com/index.php?dispatch=pages.view&page_id=12
Never used it myself, but if you poke the internet you can find people who seem to have used it no problem.
What 'L' lenses are you after - there is a Canon outlet on ebay that sells refurbs with a full Canon warranty - although the best deals seem to get snapped up quickly by dealers.

HeadIsSpinning

I have been doing a bit of research on different sellers and their ratings, including this company and not overly impressed with what I read, so don't feel I am willing to risk purchasing from them.

They are actually not a UK company at all and seem to pressure sites by threatening legal actions to have any negative reviews removed. This should not be allowed, as it gives a distorted review-rating and covers up many issues + doesn't fill me with confidence about any company that needs to do that.

There are quite a few threads left on various photography sites, but you have to search them out.

There is quite a comical thread on hotukdeals that covers many of the salient points, so I reckon be cautious before jumping.
(You may need to type- `Has anyone used procamerashop` into google to find it)

hc25036

Why not try secondhand at somewhere like PMB Cameras? I'd recommend them every time.

HeadIsSpinning

It seems they (and other Asia/non EU sellers) `import` the grey goods in batches first, then advertise at lower than normal prices.
They are then apparently posted out via a UK middleman/distributor.

Goods not already brought into the UK, tend to have higher advertised prices.
Presumably this is in case they get stopped before entering the UK and they have to pay the taxes/import duty. (This is probably why they point this out in capital letters in their T&C's) but once here, if not stopped & duty isn't paid, they then know they can sell cheaper.