Cheap DSLRs in Singapore???

Hello,

Im looking to buy a canon 500d. I am based in the UK but am traveling to Bali with a day in Singapore as my layover, I keep hearing that Singapore has cheap electronics. Can anyone here confirm this???? Is it that much cheaper?

Cheers,

Fontaine

Hello,

 

Im looking to buy a canon 500d. I am based in the UK but am traveling to Bali with a day in Singapore as my layover, I keep hearing that Singapore has cheap electronics. Can anyone here confirm this???? Is it that much cheaper?

 

Cheers,

 

Fontaine

I travel globally and over the years have looked at buying gear (bodies and lenses) in all of the so-called "cheap places" - Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Taiwan and many "duty-free" outlets and have also cross-checked with deals on the internet. Better to know the value of what you're trying to buy before attemtping to negotiate inlocal (often unfamiliar currencies with different sales taxes and the dreaded 2% surcharge for credit cards). Want the best deal - pay cash. Want some insurance from Visa/Mastercard, pay the 2%.

A large part will depend on the exchange rate. I bought my D300 body in New York City when the USD was $2.02 to GBP. That turned out to be super-cheap for me in GBP terms. If your home currency is strong then I have found the cheapest place to buy is in the US...by far the largest market globally and very competitive pricing imho.

As I now work in Malaysia I have found that local pricing *is* generally cheaper than the UK, sometimes by 30% (but again a lot is xr dependent). As for Singapore/HK/Thailand/Malaysia etc I would try to contact a dealer before simply going into an electronics plaza and trying to negotiate..you'll save time and money and maybe some hassle. Trying to get a D700 body for a friend here in Malaysia was a case in point - I contacted 7 different stockists and got quaoted pricing from RM7600 (from my friendly local dealer that I seem to have kept in business in the past 2 years) all the way to RM8500 from the rip-off merchants in KLCC that fleece the tourists and can be pretty aggressive, even when you're the customer and trying to part with a s**t load of cash!

Hope this helps,

Steve

Cheap is very relative. I find depending on the exchange, it's a crap shoot. I find Nikon lenses to be cheaper in the US than Asia. Bodies are usually similar/cheaper on average except BKK where it's made. But I think it's because of how Nikon pegs their price to forex in the various countries.

There are online price guides for singapore but I can't remember where it is. That should be used as a rough guide. Unfortunately Singapore is one of those places where you have to bargain, even with a salesperson I've used for years. And most of the places which have the stock aren't online kinda places. Sim Lim and Funan are the main places with a few other places in town.

Indeed, it is Mr Whittington, and the streets of London are paved with gold for sure.

I've been through Singers a few times recently and prices there strike me as higher than UK High Street. And Dubai duty free is no longer cheap - hasn't been for years.

You may be able to strike a deal in Singapore through hard bargaining. I would suggest go armed with UK and, say B&H or Adorama prices and see how you do. I can recommend Cathy Photo in Peninsula Plaza for Nikon gear. They are very professional and reliable - but that goes with slightly higher pricing.

But I wouldn't go expecting to get bargains.....

That's not true. I picked up a D700 for a friend a few weeks back for just under SG$3610 (ok GST back -fees). It was cash but still at US$2480 for a D700 is a pretty good deal, even with the instant rebate from Nikon in the US which at B&H is at 2699.Cathay Photo people aren't that much better than other retailers, but they do stock stuff you can't find anywhere else in Singapore. I use them quite a bit. Their prices however are significantly higher than others in the immediate area.

There are shops in Singapore that you can get competitive price with good service. And there are shops that you can get a very low price for the key item (say the DSLR) but you may ended up paying exorbitant prices for accessories. Cathay Photo as mentioned is a reputable shop (no, I don't work for them) with competitive price but not the lowest. When will you be in Singapore? If I am available, I can offer my assistance. KK

In my job I am travelling globally, too.

My personal experience is, that it can be cheaper than at home (which is Germany), but this does not apply for all the brands / models and so on. My best advice: If you want to buy something (camera, lens, mp3, whatever...) do your market research before. Check some prices where you normally would buy and write them down. At Singapore make sure to have the actual exchange rate and a calculator ready. And then compare!

My approach to this:

I consider buying overseas if it is at least 20% less than at home. If not, then I prefer shopping at home, some local dealer making the business and I do have somebody to bother if I get some problem (warranty...). What means that I bang the thing on his desk and state firmly "I want my money back!". Which is a bit more difficult when you bought it at the other end of the world .

Bye and happy buying

Fred

Cheers guys!

I wish I was going to the states first but dont have enough time, I think I may just get it in London, 599 pounds for the body doesnt seem like a bad deal to me, and I am itching to get my hands on it and test out the new housing in the pool before I get to Bali, add in the hassle factor and I think that may be the best option. Ive never been to Singapore before and am not a big fan of negotiating/bargaining so I think I will leave it for next time and maybe just get an Ipod this time.

Thanks

Fontaine

Just so happens I just text my guy in SG for something else and your Nikon D5000 with 18-55 kit is under SG$1300 (7% GST included which you get back at the airport). That comes with a bunch of free crap. Remember I've to bargain for the last bit of discount So if your £599 price is the kit, you'd be only saving like 15% at most. You also have to consider warranty. If you are not frequently in SG and there's an issue with the camera, the camera warranties are NOT international but local. So you could have an issue. Just something else to consider about that 15% savings.

Ipods (and anything Apple) are definitely more expensive than the US in SG. They peg their prices to a stupidly high exchange rate.

Hello,

 

Im looking to buy a canon 500d. I am based in the UK but am traveling to Bali with a day in Singapore as my layover, I keep hearing that Singapore has cheap electronics. Can anyone here confirm this???? Is it that much cheaper?

 

Cheers,

 

Fontaine

If you compare brick and mortar store prices, Singapore might yield slightly cheaper rates. But US/ UK online sites might give a better price. Avoid Sim Lim Square as it's really terrible. They don't just attempt to fleece tourists, even locals like myself. You really have to do research and know the market price before going. Funan Digital Mall is a much better place (although prices are slightly higher).

Other than Cathay, Alan Photo is also ok (http://www.alanphoto.com.sg/). Many expatriates also like to frequent Parisilk at Holland Village (http://www.parisilk.com/location.html). No harm dropping the stores emails to check on the rates. If you can pay by cash instead of credit card, they might extend a slightly larger discount as well.

Don't underestimate the value of a warranty. Nikon repair centers in the US won't even look at a camera/lens that wasn't bought with a US warranty, even after the warranty has expired.

I've also found that Hong Kong, Singapore, and KL prices are higher than even the reputable US mail order merchants.

One thing about warranties in the Uk/Eu you get 2 years.

which is something to think about

ive made my mind up and am buying it in the UK, i will scope out singapore and see what i can get, i can always sell the original on ebay.

once again thanks for the many replies and advice!

Cheers

Fontaine

A good place to start to get retail places in Singapore is the following: http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=124

I had a good experience visiting Alan Photo Trading in Singapore last fall on the Singapore Stopover. Since I needed a photo vest and I'd heard Scuba Si bought one at their store very inexpensively, I decided to try to get one there. I wasn't shopping for cameras and/or lenses. I bought a very nice, very well made photo vest for a very reasonable price. I tend to be a very hard bargainer so I admit I did bargain him down from his initial higher price. The only bad thing about the best was that it had "Canon" all over it Since I shoot Nikon, I wasn't too happy about it, but I could live with it.

After I'd bought the vest, I started to walk out of the store to go back to my hotel. Lo and behold a shop employee came running out of the store and tried to get my attention. He had a free Nikon umbrella for me! I was very impressed that he actually ran out of the store to make sure I got my umbrella. Fortunately, the umbrella survived it's flight on Singapore Airlines to San Francisco and on Alaska Airlines back to Portland. I use it quite often in rain soaked Portland.

Even though you're not buying your big ticket items in Singapore, you might be able to pick up an inexpensive photo vest or something similar. At the very least you'll get a free umbrella.

Ellen

IMHO, if you might be traveling to US, then buy via NY online shop and collect.. it could be 5-10% less compare so called "cash price" in Singapore.

Definetelly Alan Photo is a good place to start shopping.. check Sam in Sim Lim store or David in their Funan store.. Lords camera in Lucky plaza (ya ya wrong place but shop guys are good) also good option...never been cheated by all of them..

Good luck!

One thing about warranties in the Uk/Eu you get 2 years.

which is something to think about

Only one year in the UK, Vinny unless you can find a retailer who is doing a special promo deal by adding another year eg Best Cameras or UKdigital