Buying a camcorder from USA

Guisseppeth

Apologies if this is in the wrong forum but I can't seem to find one for camcorders.

Anyway I'm thinking of buying a Full HD camcorder and have seen that the prices in the USA are about half of what I would be paying here. My sister lives in the US so I was going to get her to post it over and aside from the possibility of having to pay tax etc is there anything else I should be worried about.

I'm not very technical when it comes to these products so I was wondering if there are any issues with the whole PAL/NTSC thing. I have googled it etc and can't make head not tail out of it so I suppose what I am asking is "will I be able to connect the camcorder to my HD TV without any issues"

Cheers

TheBazman

I bought a Canon HG10 on the web from B&H photo in new york (they also have a shop you can go into). Had to pay duty but all in I reckon I saved around €200-250 on what it would be on the likes of komplett.

Very straight forward to use. Editing on your pc can be a hassle altho it did come with some software that will do some editing. I generally play the format it produces on the PS3 by just bringing it across on a USB key, and hence keep the HD quality. Alternatively you can export the video clips from the softward that is provided to a more recognisable format like mpg, and use these on the likes of Windows Movie Maker (on which editing is much easier)

I think this is the one

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/516695-REG/Canon_2183B001AA_VIXIA_HG10_HD_AVCHD.html

Twodogs

Hey Bazman,

How much was the duty? How were you charged?

Cheers

Guisseppeth

I got mine delivered last week. It was sent via USPS not one of the private companies (UPS/Fed Ex etc) but still got hit for duty on it even though it was marked as a gift. It totalled €91.10 (value was $600) and I had to pay it at the An Post delivery office. Think you have to pay it to whoever is delivering it. The guy at the post office told me that since Christmas not much gets through without being sent to customs first.

Hope this helps.....

ibook

So it looks like they charge 22% in duty. Is that charged on the stated value on the box, or does An Post have their own price lists?

What if I buy something from the States with a heavy web discount, will the VAT on that be on the actual purchase price?

Guisseppeth

I assume its the stated value on the box. Mine was marked as "Electronic Photo Device" with a value of $600. It was also marked as a gift. The VAT was €86.10 then there was a €5 post office clearance fee. So I suppose that works out at roughly 21% according to the particuar exchange rate.

I don't think An Post actually charge the fee - they just collect it for the Revenue while getting their fee (€5) out of it. I got my sister to buy and send mine though so I don't know how it will work if you buy online and get it shipped directly.

jarvis

I also bought a Canon HG10 and I'm loving it. I have a Phillips 42" and I just connect the camcorder up to the HDMI slot on the back and hey presto!!!!

I bought it on Ebay and it came from the states. I paid €460 for it and it came via Fedex. A month later I got a €50 import duty bill from Fedex but I'm still happy with it and although it's a US model, I have no problems playing it on the tv or the pc.

Hope it helps and enjoy.

Jarvis