I was originally trying buy a digital camera (Olympus) online from a US online merchant, because prices are significantly cheaper (about 300USD excl S&H).
But now the online folks are giving me such a hard time, cuz I am ordering from outside US (even though I am using a US credit card, and have a good credit history), that I am having second thoughts. Plus, the websites are so vague sometimes about the exact product you’re getting (eg what manufacturer included accessories come with or what warranty ie if its a standard product one would generally expect to get, or some skeleton kit. ie the camera should come with 4 batteries and a charger from olympus, but not all sites have this explicitly described)
So, I’ve looked around here in Taipei for prices: FNAC, TKNET9sp?)(that yellow color chain store whose prices shown are actually only if you buy a 300NT user card), and some places in guanghua. They all average about 800+ USD ie the MSRP. Though I understand Taiwan may have high import prices (and the store people love to say this when I mention US prices, but hey this stuff is from Japan. Can’t the Taiwanese get a good price?), it can’t account for such a huge difference. My friend says it’s also because there is very little competition between stores here (sounds like price-fixing to me)
So the question is, should I bite the bullet and pay for the premium in return for, I assume, less hassle, and immediate gratification. Same goes for the memory card I want to buy (thinking about 256 or 512 card).
would appreciate any advice.
If you’re not in a real hurry, just find a better US online retailer. Go to ZDnet and see which places are recommended. Sounds like a huge price diff though. Even that Taiwan prices sounds borderline highway robbery. I didn’t pay anywhere near that much for my dig cam earlier this year.
There’s a lot of price fixing/gouging in Taiwan. I would suggest trying another online retailer, Guaghwa computer market on Bade Rd and Xinsheng Rd, or a trip to Hong Kong once this whole SARS thing blows over.
Living in Taiwan means having to pay outrageous prices for most things that are made here, are shoddily made, and/or lack anything resembling quality/good taste. These are the same people who market salt toothpaste for christ sakes(it’s bad trust me).
I didn’t notice that large a price disparity between US retail prices and prices here in Taiwan when I bought my digital camera. Of course it is always possible to come across a great deal on the web but you might want to check very very closely at what you are buying. Certainly demand exact product numbers and compare it with what you see here (and other online stores).
And as well sometimes warranties and a receipt will increase the price here – so if you can without both perhaps you can save some cash (credit cards cost extra as well).
Why don’t you state the exact item and price in the US that you wish to purchase and maybe someone here (like myself) can find out the price and store for you in Taipei.
ditto on this, just bought a digicam here and was quite happy with the price. one thing is for sure, you will find all the competition between stores you will want!
you have to expect to pay a bit more for ANY electronic items in taiwan. i believe it is because of import tax. worth it in my opinion in case of repair issues.
I’ve been dealing with them for years. No problem shipping to Taiwan. First time orders must include a scan or fax of both sides of your credit card. I just received some filters (slightly esoteric for Taiwan) I ordered…only 4 days from time of order to delivery.
Thanks for all the helpful responses and so quick too. I appreciate your input (incl. Blueface666 cuz I’ve been rather critical of him in another forum :shock: )
My current plan: I will try to deal with another online merchant (AMphotoworld). I looked at BH. Their prices seem high. Of course too low of a price makes me suspicious: could be grey market, could be a skeleton kit, or no warranty. Blueface666, did you also have to email in your Picture ID. I don’t mind faxing in the copy of the credit card, but both seems risky.
As for the item and price, I am looking for a Olympus C-5050 Digital Camera. I think it should cost about 550 USD or so. I expect it to come with the original accessories (4 NiMH batteries & charger, 32MB xD card, USB cable, software, etc). Some of the merchants have been rather vague on this, and they don’t respond to my email queries. I went to FNAC just to look at the unit in person, but the price was around 28000, about the same as the Yellow Shop TKNET (sp?).
Ali, as per your suggestion, any shops which would have the above? I am considering a 512 or 256 CF card too.
[quote=“jackburton”] I looked at BH. Their prices seem high. Of course too low of a price makes me suspicious: could be grey market, could be a skeleton kit, or no warranty. Blueface666, did you also have to email in your Picture ID. I don’t mind faxing in the copy of the credit card, but both seems risky.
[/quote]
Nope. No picture ID. BTW, go for the 512Mb card. Bigger is better!
You had choosen some of the most expensive chain stores in Taiwan.
As advised above go to BoAi / KaiFeng / HanKou Road, there are lot’s of camera shops around there.
You might be bit out of date on this one. The 3C stores don’t bother with the “VIP card” thing foreigners these days. Last couple of times I bought stuff there (I went to the huge new showroom on Nanjing E Road), they gave me the “discounted” price normally only available to cardholders.
Nice to see a company actually making things easier for foreigners for a change. Gotta tip my hat to them.
Yah, I bought warcraft 3 at the 3C last weekend. the store cashier refused to give me the discount price, but since I was yearning for a game, and the difference was a paltry 2-3USD, I relented. But thanks, if I go back, I will definitely insist. This was in the ShiPai (?) district near Tienmu I think.
As for the CF flash cards, is there a huge difference between the regular Sandisk and the Sandisk Ultra Cards? Bottom line, should I pay extra for that extra read/write time?
For the Olympus C-5050, thanks for the location suggestion, will check it out. I went to FNAC, because they had a sample I could play with. Anyone know what would be a decent acceptable price range in Taiwan if, say, the MSRP is 800USD and I can find similar product in US for about 500-600USD? I am clueless about pricing in Taiwan.
My alternative is to save up more money and get a Nikon D100 when I go home for Xmas, but that is sooo far away.
One of the problems you might have is with the manual, bundled software and drivers. With both my Canon G-1 and Olympus E-20, the drivers, bundled applications and manual where a mix of Chinese and Japanese. I ended up downloading most everything from the net but it would be nice to have a hardcopy manual…especially when one’s shelling out $60,000NT+
About the CF card…it’s really up to you. I need a fast read time…if you’re you’re doing snapshots well…maybe it’s not necessary.
[quote=“jackburton”]
As for the item and price, I am looking for a Olympus C-5050 Digital Camera. I think it should cost about 550 USD or so. I expect it to come with the original accessories (4 NiMH batteries & charger, 32MB xD card, USB cable, software, etc). Some of the merchants have been rather vague on this, and they don’t respond to my email queries.[/quote]
A quick look on Froogle (http://froogle.google.com) reveals that $550 is probably too low a price. Anything below $600 is somewhat shady and probably won’t include accessories or some other part of the package. From reading the digital camera forums, I get the impression that many stores in NY use the “bait and switch” method. If you order it, they will either 1)Refuse to ship international 2)Claim that it is out of stock, unless you buy about $100 worth of overprice accessories.
If you buy eletronics in Taiwan, you need to be a bit careful for the cheap ones with original Japanese labels on the buttons and menus (not that you’d get one like that). Some of them are black market products (or what we call Shue Huo
