heartyfisher said:
Thanks ! Looks like a trip to visit the stores personally could be worth the flight there If I were looking for some good second had gear!

i have to say that Shanghai has got the highest price level of China, Try Guangzhou if possible. send me a PM and i ll be waiting for you at the airport.

NO SECONDHAND STUFF in the CENTER of the city.
good luck.

Yes and Aussie dollar to Korean Won is good right now I believe. Beware the rainy season is coming in about 4-6 more weeks though. Once the monsoons hit you could probably sail or swim back to Australia and save on airfare! ^o^

Thanks ! Looks like a trip to visit the stores personally could be worth the flight there If I were looking for some good second had gear!

Oh and Heartyfisher thanks to those nut jobs up in North Korea, the South Korean Won has completely plummeted compared to other Asian currencies so even better prices if you convert from dollars. Prices here may be adjusted soon. Luckily for me my magazine editor pays me in Canadian dollars or I'd be screwed...

PM sent respecting the Terminator :)

Hey heartyfisher I have some camera stores sites for you which I can pm you. Keep in mind you can get deals in the actual stores that the websites can't give. You can also trade in gear and the used selection yields almost "like new" products. For example, I was trying out a used 16-35 VR lens last saturday!! I know already used! I couldn't tell the difference it was that good.

Korea is great for same day maintenance as well. Sensor cleaning, lens calibration you name it. All done for a good price and quickly. Nikon has 3 offical certified centers for your gear right in Seoul. The English is not bad either for service better than Japan. The best area in Seoul is called Namdaemun all the shops are lined up for about 3-4 city blocks.

Keep in mind you're going to have to jump through hoops to get that warranty if you need it.

the prices are quite diffrent between Amazon and local shops, especially in china.

and, no one would buy a lens or something on amazon here in china; they check them out on taobao.com first.

from the zol.com, mainland china,

the AF Nikkor 50mm f1.8 is now 763yuan each($112USD).

good luck.

Yeah I know.. just having you on mate! :-)

still I am sure he can provide the names and links to the South Korean versions of amazon, adorama and B&H.?

It's not that I don't personally like it hearty it's that it is against the rules to post commercial links in the forum.

kanuck said:
From past experiences I have found Hong Kong to be much better in terms of selection and price. However, I find that Hong Kong is quite expensive as well. If you can swing it, why not pay me a visit here in South Korea? :) Seoul has the best prices and selection around I believe!

Hi, Can you provide some good South Korean websites for Nikon Gear...PM me if the terminator doesn't like it :-)

I found Hong kong to be way cheaper than South Africa, not really relevant here unless you're South African. When I bought my D700 I was able to trade in the D300s that I bought in HK for nearly 50% more than I paid for it.

What I did find was the opposite of Spraynpray.

I found them to be most helpful and they threw in a couple of things for free as well. I'm sure that I paid for them, nothing comes for free.

The down side, is that the warranty is not international, only in country of purchase.

wait a moment. i m checking the local websites of them...

From past experiences I have found Hong Kong to be much better in terms of selection and price. However, I find that Hong Kong is quite expensive as well. If you can swing it, why not pay me a visit here in South Korea? :) Seoul has the best prices and selection around I believe!

Who knows? Are you sure you want to risk it?

I know from bitter experiences that you can get stuff cheaper in Hong Kong, but trust me - you do not want the hassle. Sure there is a genuine agent there, but his prices are very close to what you would pay at home without the second years guarantee. The gains in price come from the shops that dispatch runners to a warehouse to get the item you want after - yes after - you have paid for it. If you negotiate a good price, they will take something out of the box, say it doesn't come as standard in HK and want you to pay more than it's worth to get it.

Shanghai may be different, but I would not take the chance myself. It could depend on what you want and your risk tolerance - over the years I have become quite allergic to risk!

Take the first Sony hand held GPS I bought there for instance - £600 in the 1980's and it didn't work. I had to really work on Sony UK to get warranty as they said it was a reject that was stolen from the factory in Japan.....

Good luck!

I may be going to Shanghai China and wondering if I should budget to get some nikon gear when I go there?