Lenses from International Sellers on eBay

[ajperk]

I am looking to purchase a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 (non-VC) sometime in the next few months. I have seen that on ebay there are several international sellers that have the lens new for markedly less than, for example, Amazon. I was wondering if anyone has experience purchasing lenses this way. Do you have to pay import duties? If the lens comes from another country, will the warranty still be applicable in the US? Is there something else I'm not thinking of that may make this less of a deal than it seems?

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Most International sellers charge the same price once you add in shipping. Since they send them by mail, you will probably not pay duty.

You need to take care and use a credit card so you can charge back if necessary. If you need service, you might have to ship it back to the originating country, you need to ask Tamron about that. Their Warranty page refers to a Local Warranty Card required for service, I'm assuming Local means you need a USA Warranty card for US service.

 

[sunnyVan]

I am looking to purchase a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 (non-VC) sometime in the next few months. I have seen that on ebay there are several international sellers that have the lens new for markedly less than, for example, Amazon. I was wondering if anyone has experience purchasing lenses this way. Do you have to pay import duties? If the lens comes from another country, will the warranty still be applicable in the US? Is there something else I'm not thinking of that may make this less of a deal than it seems?

Thanks in advance for the help!

I looked into tamron 24-70 and wondered the same thing. I'm very hesitant about it. If you buy across state line from a reputable store you save on sales tax.

 

[RGF]

Check to see if PayPal will protect. Collecting a charge back across borders can be challenge, if not impossible.

I would be very careful. If there is a problem and they ask you send it back (at your expense), ...

Bottom line, I would shy away from them.

 

[ajperk]

Thank you all for the replies. After shipping costs, it looks like it would still be cheaper. I am going to look into the warranty issue more deeply, though. I'd hate to get a bad copy and be unable to do much about it.

Thanks again!