Hong Kong Camera Gears Shopping Guide

[CS TAN]

Hi, I have never been to HK before and I am hoping to go there before this year end. I would like to ask are all shops negotiable and if not, how would i be able to recognise which shops are clearly not negotiable? For example, I am assuming Sony shops/department stores are not negotiable? I dont want to look stupid by negotiating when its not possible.

True, the big department stores or branded stores usually operate on fixed price. But for other smaller stores, you can always ask for a better price. Most photo supplies stores will offer a slightly cheaper price when you pay cash.

Could you also advice when would be a good time to visit HK (I would like to avoid rainy and cold seasons if possible)? How about when are their sales/year end sales season?

If you are looking for summer clothes, currently is the best time to visit as most HK stores are on sales now. However, summer is HK's typhoon season so you can expect hot/rainy/windy weather. The most comfortable time of the year for HK is between October and December.

Last question, I am looking for a sony 85mm f1.4z and sony hong kong website list the prices at hkd9990. Does anyone knows how much the street price is? (and would i be able to bring this lens to sony HK and to change for an tourist international warranty if i buy from any shops in HK)?

Check out this website for street price: http://www.price.com.hk/product.php?p=106339

 

[justme77]

Most photo supplies stores will offer a slightly cheaper price when you pay cash.

Oh thanks I thought i read that there was no difference paying between cash/credit but i may have read wrong.

If you are looking for summer clothes... The most comfortable time of the year for HK is between October and December.

Ah. then i better avoid HK now. Initially was planning for September. I dont want to spend all the time indoors/wet/cold when I am in HK. I want to enjoy the view (for taking photo). I am also looking for IT/camera/computer sales seasons where they have more promotions/free gifts and such (but not a major concern in deciding when to go). btw, what is the minimum number of days would you recommend for people to spend in HK?

Check out this website for street price: http://www.price.com.hk/product.php?p=106339

Cool and many thanks!! I was trying to search for the 85mm in this website in a reply above, but i cannot read chinese. Just a question, are those shops generally reputable or sells original as in will i have problem if i bring the lens to sony customer service and to change for internationl warranty?

gp

 

[CS TAN]

You can negotiate even with those big electronic stores such as Citicall, Fortress and Broadway.

How long to stay in HK really depends on what kind of activities you have planned. For camera gear shopping, 2-3 days will be more than enough.

 

[dafansu]

I am going to HK next week to visit my GF. I am planing to buy 2nd hand teleprimes like 300mm f2.8 or sigma 500 f4.5. Would that be helpful to bring along a Chinese or Cantonese speaking person to bargain with the shops cuz I know neither? Thanks in advance

i just came back, bought a tokina lens from wing shing, i spoke to them in english, no problem.

 

[farseer]

i just came back, bought a tokina lens from wing shing, i spoke to them in english, no problem.

I bought my lens in Wing Shing when I was in HK earlier this year. I fin my work early, when there and there was not much people as compared to a weekend. This guy was very patience and let me try many lens before i decide. Price was much cheaper than SG since its a grey set. Think if you have lots of question and want to try some of the lens, avoid going on a weekend.

 

[orionmystery]

Excellent thread there. Thanks for your great effort in putting this up.

I think there should be a different thread for discussion and the link to that thread can be shared in this thread. All the existing discussion can be moved there to keep this thread clean.

BTW, does anyone have all the HK cameras/lenses price check website? They are mostly in Chinese and not easy to find on google. Thanks.

 

[Domeagain]

Hi any CS' Bro can advise issit cheaper buty a 5d mk2 in Hk than in sgp ?
What is the price in HK for 5d mk2 and do they ship to sgp ?
just checked in sgp price is $3,200 included gst.

 

[spree86]

Is there a HK price guide i can refer to? thinking of getting a sigma 150-500 there

 

[CS TAN]

Is there a HK price guide i can refer to? thinking of getting a sigma 150-500 there

You can use this website for reference:
http://www.price.com.hk/product.php?p=114183
Do note the price difference between local sets and gray sets (water goods).

 

[CS TAN]

Hi any CS' Bro can advise issit cheaper buty a 5d mk2 in Hk than in sgp ?
What is the price in HK for 5d mk2 and do they ship to sgp ?
just checked in sgp price is $3,200 included gst.

Sorry I miss this one. You need to check the price in price.com.hk ( http://www.price.com.hk/search.php?g=&q=canon+5D+Mark+II ) and then check with the shop on the shipping charges. You also need to factor in the 7%GST since the amount is going to be above S$400.

 

[CS TAN]

Recently, I have visited Sim City and noticed there are a lot of camera shops there. There are 3 floors of small shops in Sim City:
[FONT=&#23435]旺角山東街 47-51 [FONT=&#23435]號星際城市[/FONT][/FONT] Sim City, 47-51 Shan Tung Street, Mongkok, Kowloon
There are camera accessories shops as well as 2nd hand camera shops. These 2nd hand shops usually deal in the more popular Nikon and Canon lenses and bodies. BTW, Tin Cheung also has a branch there but the items available there are quite limited. I would prefer going to there TST main store. But, if you happened to visit Mongkok, you might want to make an effort to browse around there. It is quite near to Wing Shing (about 2 blocks).

 

[rebelriot]

hi csta.
im grateful that you prepared such a informative thread.

i will be leaving for HK tml, and was planning to get a speedlite 430 flash for my canon 550D.

is there any particular things i have to check before buying the flash ,in hk? normally how many % can i ask for discount?

heard the people there are quite snobbish, and am worry might offend them if my price is slightly lower, probably 20%.

 

[CS TAN]

hi csta.
im grateful that you prepared such a informative thread.

i will be leaving for HK tml, and was planning to get a speedlite 430 flash for my canon 550D.

is there any particular things i have to check before buying the flash ,in hk? normally how many % can i ask for discount?

heard the people there are quite snobbish, and am worry might offend them if my price is slightly lower, probably 20%.

Before coming to HK, make sure you have an idea how much (in SG) the items that you want to buy. That way, you will not make the mistake of paying for something that is more expensive.

You can go to camera specialty shops such as Wing Shing and Tin Cheung, they are quite reputable and should be quite safe to deal with. In HK, because the shops are quite close to each other, they usually priced their items quite competitively and usually there is not much room for bargaining.

There are also the chain electronic stores such as Broadway, Fortress, Citicall, Chung Yuen, they are literally everywhere and you should not have problem finding the more popular items such as 430EXII or other popular lenses. The price also varies slightly from store to store even within the same chain stores.

From my own shopping experience in HK, I don't really bargain that much, I do my own research and ask around the shops on price and then decide where to buy. You might want to ask them to quote you the cash price.

Make sure the item they sell have international warranty card so you can claim warranty service in Singapore.

Happy shopping in HK.

 

[rebelriot]

hi bro, thanks for sharing. heard the ppl there doesnt entertain bargains and are pretty fierce. is that true/?

 

[CS TAN]

hi bro, thanks for sharing. heard the ppl there doesnt entertain bargains and are pretty fierce. is that true/?

no lah, that was maybe years ago. Nowadays, customer service people are quite courteous as after the previous economic downturns, people realized that customer service is quite important in order to survive in this competitive environment. Of course, you can still expect few bad apples similar in other countries.

As for bargaining, there are still places you will still need to bargain like the tourist popular Tung Choi Street (女人街/通菜&#34903 street stalls. But with the stores such as the ones that I have mentioned above, since pricing is already quite competitive, people will just walk over to next door if they quoted the price too high. For these stores, there might still be small room for negotiation (maybe 1% to 2%) depending on your skill.

 

[TeckHua]

Hi CS,

I thought theres no more international warranty for canon stuff like lenses ? I am aware there is no warranty for body ... anything to lookout for to have a international warranty for eg. the colour of the warranty card or ??? I'm going HK next week need your help again

 

[CS TAN]

As far as I am aware of, HK local set canon lenses and flashes are still under international warranty. All you need to check is the word "International Warranty" on the warranty card. As mentioned in another thread, I have called Canon HK and they told me they are not aware of the change in warranty policy. That was around mid-August if I remember correctly.

 

[sfoto100]

hi CS Tan,

just come to know this excellent thread... you are really doing a great favour to those who are going to HK...


tks a million!

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

PS: i hope i can go hk one day... hehe

 

[willdoang]

I'm going HK next month and some bro lead me here, just read a bit and it's really usefull, thx will bookmark this page for later updates before my trip to HK :thumbsup:

 

[ed9119]

I'm sure most of you know this site already.... just thought i put it here to add on to the HK camera buying resources

Just type in what you're looking for and should get a whole list of results of shops and prices.... if u cannot read chinese just print out the list and bring with you in HK and ask some kind soul to translate it when you're there

Price.com.HK