# Buying electrical stuff in Dubai - should small shops be avoided?



## Emanef (Dec 19, 2012)

Hi guys

I'm looking to buy a full frame camera plus lenses and will be spending a fair bit on it. I've looked in the main shops in the malls (Sharaf, Jumbo, etc) and they're all pretty much full RRP and not much different to UK prices. 

There are so many smaller electrical, phone, camera, etc shops in Dubai, but are most of them reputable or should most be avoided? I've seen a few near Bur Dubai (one opposite the Dubai Museum) which do the cameras I'm looking at for a good few hundred (UK) quid less, but I'm worried that they may not be genuine or have the proper Nikon or Canon warranty. Should I avoid these? Would they be likely to sell models destined for different markets? 

I'm back in the UK for a visit soon so may just get one back there to be safe (UK warranties are so much more reliable than UAE ones!) but if I can get one for a really good price I may still buy out here. 

Thanks


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Those shops in Bur Dubai sell either grey import or end of line clearance stuff. The only warranty is under the terms of sale under their own commercial license issued by the government.

I tried to return an iphone with a faulty camera and had a nightmare getting it exchanged. The police got involved (took my side) and the DED were great too. However, the shop staff pushed it to the very end and committed a number of other crimes when they did finally relent.

The worst thing is they'll just box up the dodgy phone, shrink wrap it and sell it to a tourist.

In summary you are protected under consumer rights but you'll have a colourful few days should you ever need to evoke them.


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## Simey (Dec 4, 2012)

It may be stating the obvious, but the UK is not a terribly cheap place to buy consumer goods. Have you considered buying from the US? I would think you would save quite a bit. 

E.g. Canon 6d body on Amazon UK = UKP 1366

Identical Canon 6d body on Amazon US = UKP 1108

Another option is B&H Photo Video, which is IMHO probably the best camera retailer in the world (even more impressive to visit than Yodobashi). They ship worldwide and have excellent service.

Higher end equipment should have some kind of worldwide warranty.


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## Emanef (Dec 19, 2012)

Thanks for the warning Mr Rossi, I'll give those a miss then. 

Simey - it's probably the 6D that I'm looking at (Nikon D610 is a bit heavier and more expensive, the Sony A7/R too expensive once you factor in compatible lenses or adapter plus lenses). 

UK prices usually aren't great anyway, but I wish I'd bought it here three or four months ago instead of faffing around as shops seemed to have realised that the exchange rate has changed somewhat against the £ and pushed prices up accordingly otherwise I could have got it for a really good price!

My best option in the UK is usually John Lewis, as my step-dad worked there and has a discount card (12.5% off all electricals). Unfortunately they only currently do the 6D as body only and I was hoping to get it with the 24-105 kit lens as that seems to be well rated and good value for what it costs as a bundle. I could get the body only from JL for around £1050 with the discount (plus a £150 Canon cashback offer), but I'd have to buy the lens seperately from them for £712 (after discount), which wipes out the good value of having it bundled and would cost similar to otehr UK stores (Jessop, WEX both do it for around £1750 after Canon cashback). 

The bonus with buying from JL is I get a two year warranty, or a third for an extra £50, whereas buying from the US leaves me with a lot of hassle if it does develop a fault - no idea if Nikon have a global warranty (a la Apple, Acer) but I imagine not? 

The alternative is to get the body from the UK and try to pick up the lens cheaper here, but judging by prices I don't think there'll be much difference.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

No worries. Btw, as I found out with Apple, global warranties are only valid if you purchase from an authorised retailer in the first place.

Personally, and given the amounts your talking about spending, I'd hunt for a bargain but spend the "extra" for piece of mind. 

Also I've no idea about cameras, but the margin on other consumer electrical goods is pretty awful, you can end up hunting for a bargain that just isn't there.


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## Emanef (Dec 19, 2012)

Yeah, that's looking more and more sensible advice....!


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

A friend recently bought a whole pile of camera gear from the US, following research in UK and UAE.
Not sure which retailer, but he saved a significant chunk of cash, regardless of shipping costs.


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## AQ_MTL (Jan 6, 2014)

best place in the US to buy from would be B&Hphoto or adorama, would have to check their shipping charges though. If you're gonna buy here, I would spend the extra amount and buy from an authorised retailer for peace of mind.

random bit of info, you can use the snapsort site to compare cameras


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## Edino (Sep 22, 2013)

The UAE is not the country to but photo kit; overpriced. I always buy my Nikon stuff online in US; with some items the price difference compared to UAE is half price, particularly on high end lenses and when there is a sale. 

I normally buy with Amazon; a few times BH Video. With Aramex shop and ship I have the items shipped to Dubai.

Sometimes I was charged duty (Minimal), other times not...


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## Emanef (Dec 19, 2012)

Thanks guys. 

Having a look around online and I might be able to pick up the 24-105 lens for a decent price, so I may go for the 6D from John Lewis and order the lens and that should be around £1600 for both (around 10500 AED), plus it'll mean I have hte two year UK warranty on the camera and a normal one on the lens (plus the sale of goods act, which comes in useful sometimes). I don't think I'll get that any cheaper even ordering from the US. 

Just need to decide if the 24-105 is the best value walkabout lens for £5/600 or if can get a better lens for similar....!


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## Edino (Sep 22, 2013)

Emanef said:


> Thanks guys.
> 
> Having a look around online and I might be able to pick up the 24-105 lens for a decent price, so I may go for the 6D from John Lewis and order the lens and that should be around £1600 for both (around 10500 AED), plus it'll mean I have hte two year UK warranty on the camera and a normal one on the lens (plus the sale of goods act, which comes in useful sometimes). I don't think I'll get that any cheaper even ordering from the US.
> 
> Just need to decide if the 24-105 is the best value walkabout lens for £5/600 or if can get a better lens for similar....!


Amazon US sells the body and lens for 9100aed. On top of that they include 32gb card, monopod, extra battery, case, UV filter etc... Maybe even better offers around.


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## Simey (Dec 4, 2012)

Emanef said:


> Thanks guys.
> 
> Having a look around online and I might be able to pick up the 24-105 lens for a decent price, so I may go for the 6D from John Lewis and order the lens and that should be around £1600 for both (around 10500 AED), plus it'll mean I have hte two year UK warranty on the camera and a normal one on the lens (plus the sale of goods act, which comes in useful sometimes). I don't think I'll get that any cheaper even ordering from the US.
> 
> Just need to decide if the 24-105 is the best value walkabout lens for £5/600 or if can get a better lens for similar....!


Personally, I would not fret about a 2 year warranty versus a 1 year warranty. Cameras of that level are very reliable. It's pretty unlikely you will ever call on the warranty and if you do, the odds are that it will be almost immediately. Manufacturing defects usually show up right away. 

B&H has a good page discussing warranties including as they effect non-US residents buying from them. U.S. & Grey Market Products | B&H Photo Video

If you buy outside of the UAE then any warranty claim will involve shipping the camera from the UAE to some other country. So it really makes no difference whether you have to ship it to the UK, Japan, or the US (and any of those options will likely be quicker than having a UAE dealer fix it). 

The important thing to think about is that you don't actually live in the UK anymore so there is no particular reason to default to buying from the UK. Free your mind! 

Back in the late 90s when I was living in the US I bought a Leica M6 TTL by mail from Hong Kong because at the time it was cheaper than buying from a US dealer. I never lost a moment's sleep over the decision and I saved a bundle. The world is a small place these days and FedEx only takes a day or two.

But it is your money and your peace of mind.


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## Simey (Dec 4, 2012)

By the way, that 24-105L is probably a good option if you want a medium zoom and don't mind the bulk and weight. I haven't used it but I am told it's not bad. Zooms like that are slow though so you might want to consider a fast prime as well, such as a 50 1.4.

Another option might be to stick with primes for your wide and standard lenses and then get a good telephoto zoom (such as one of the 70-200L zooms). These lenses will have higher overall quality and larger maximum apertures than a wide standard zoom. A lens like a 24-105 is inherently a bundle of compromises.


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## Emanef (Dec 19, 2012)

How much would shipping be from the US though? And how long would it likely take? 

It's around £100 cheaper before shipping is considered. 

Yeah, the 24-105 looks a decent standard lens. I'll be looking to get a decent wide lens - probably the Canon 17-40 as that seems to be the widest affordable one that lets you use filters (I liked the look of the Sigma 12-24 until I realised you can't use any filters on it without paying a lot more for those filter kits!) and then a 50 or 85 prime when I decide which length would suit me better.


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## Edino (Sep 22, 2013)

Emanef said:


> How much would shipping be from the US though? And how long would it likely take?


I always use shop-and-ship (Aramex), that after you do a one time subscription, gives you your own personal shipto / forwarding address in the US (and in many other countries, like UK, China, Turkey etc.). For the US the cost to deliver to your Dubai home is I think 43aed per lbs. I normally receive my shop-and-ship parcels in Dubai after 3-5 days once its received at my forwarding address in the US.

http://www.shopandship.com/en/home


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