Camera shopping

[Geardownflap20]

Hi Again,

Sorry to be a pain, I'd like to buy a DSLR and wondered if it would be cheaper to buy it in Singapore when I arrive?
Where's a good place to shop for those sorts of things? On my previous visits, I've felt that as tourists we were being 'ripped off'

Thanks again for the help.

Geardownflap20

[nakatago]

Hi Again,

Sorry to be a pain, I'd like to buy a DSLR and wondered if it would be cheaper to buy it in Singapore when I arrive?
Where's a good place to shop for those sorts of things? On my previous visits, I've felt that as tourists we were being 'ripped off'

Thanks again for the help.

Geardownflap20

Singapore does not always have the best prices and a lot of stores are known to rip off customers--tourists and 'locals' alike.

That said, most stores in Funan are more reputable than others. Sim Lim, not so much. Lucky Plaza (and most stores in Sim Lim), given that you haven't much experience (you said you felt like being ripped off), be best to stay away from.

For more info, look for Club Snap and lurk in the forum there. It has the collective info of legions of camera shoppers/users in Singapore.

[Grumpy77]

Alan Photo in Sim Lim has set prices and is very reasonable.

I bought my daughter a full set-up for Poly and after shopping about found their listed price was excellent. No haggling, same price for everyone.

[nakatago]

Alan Photo in Sim Lim has set prices and is very reasonable.

I bought my daughter a full set-up for Poly and after shopping about found their listed price was excellent. No haggling, same price for everyone.

This is more of an exception. Coincidentally, they also have a branch in funan.

[ev-disinfection]

Hi Again,

Sorry to be a pain, I'd like to buy a DSLR and wondered if it would be cheaper to buy it in Singapore when I arrive?
Where's a good place to shop for those sorts of things? On my previous visits, I've felt that as tourists we were being 'ripped off'

Thanks again for the help.

Geardownflap20

Yep, the best.... i buy all my cameras there.

http://www.alanphoto.com.sg check out the promotion tab, and choose your brand.....

[BillyB]

Hi Again,

Sorry to be a pain, I'd like to buy a DSLR and wondered if it would be cheaper to buy it in Singapore when I arrive?
Where's a good place to shop for those sorts of things? On my previous visits, I've felt that as tourists we were being 'ripped off'

Thanks again for the help.

Geardownflap20

Funan is great for choice.

Sim Lim is tourist hunting ground and half the stuff in that place seems dodgy. The store keepers eyes light up when they see a foreigner and prices shoot up as if by magic. As a foreigner, you go there in shirt and pants to pick up something during work hours - you get shafted with lube.
You go there looking like a tourist - you get bent over and done dry!!

[x9200]

That said, most stores in Funan are more reputable than others.

By means of sheer statistics - yes, by the number - no

[x9200]

Yep, the best.... i buy all my cameras there.

http://www.alanphoto.com.sg check out the promotion tab, and choose your brand.....

Me bought all my cameras there too, but only in the SLS branch. I have bad experience with their Funan branch.

[ecureilx]

From what I have referred, to scores of friends and relatives who swing by ...

Are Cathay Photo - no cheating, and always good deals

P&G in Adelphi Basement 1 - for used camera stuff ...

I don't want to refer any camera shop in SLS ..

PS: alan photo ? I was quoted 150 $ for a UV filter, and when I challenged, the guy said 'that is good quality and anyway, the salesman decided not to sell me .. ' Go figure..

[x9200]

Unless something has changed recently CP was always slightly more expensive than all the other (but one) so called reputable shops. Unfortunately I also have with them (the outlet at PP) bad experience. I do not want to go into any details as obviously I have pretty limited means to prove my points after few years but let me put it this was: the worst mismatch between my expectations and reality was for CP.

At the end of the day it probably comes to the point that as a frequent customer in this kind of shops you may encounter from time to time some unethical staff. The staff comes and goes so it is a bit beyond control even if the company cares about their reputation.

[ecureilx]

At the end of the day it probably comes to the point that as a frequent customer in this kind of shops you may encounter from time to time some unethical staff. The staff comes and goes so it is a bit beyond control even if the company cares about their reputation.

Unethical staff in CP ?? ouch .. that's a first for me ..

From what I know, since they started employing 'ethnic' staff to target certain 'ethnic' customers, I realised these salesman/girls are all out for sales .. but luckily since i was not their object of interest, I didn't get hit ..

Interesting ..

[x9200]

At the end of the day it probably comes to the point that as a frequent customer in this kind of shops you may encounter from time to time some unethical staff. The staff comes and goes so it is a bit beyond control even if the company cares about their reputation.

Unethical staff in CP ?? ouch .. that's a first for me ..

From what I know, since they started employing 'ethnic' staff to target certain 'ethnic' customers, I realised these salesman/girls are all out for sales .. but luckily since i was not their object of interest, I didn't get hit ..

Interesting ..

This was rather a general statement not necessarily targeted at CP but I can PM you some details if you are interested. My bad experience with CP could've been also caused by their negligence so a completely different category.

[ecureilx]

This was rather a general statement not necessarily targeted at CP but I can PM you some details if you are interested. My bad experience with CP could've been also caused by their negligence so a completely different category.

Well, I am not a shareholder in CP , and then again, the people whom I accompany to CP know what they need and the staff were knowledgeable enough ..

No worries

By the way, when it comes to pricing, I know sometimes the market is funny

I had a friend, who purchased a 500 mm lense, from CP, fro 12,000 $ and a Camera Grip for 800 $, and when we were at Vivicity, at another electronic store .. we saw that the same Lense was going for 14,000 $, but, weird it may seem 0 the Camera Grip was going for 200 $

Life's like that ..

[x9200]

I had a friend, who purchased a 500 mm lense, from CP, fro 12,000 $ and a Camera Grip for 800 $, and when we were at Vivicity, at another electronic store .. we saw that the same Lense was going for 14,000 $, but, weird it may seem 0 the Camera Grip was going for 200 $

S$800 for a grip? Unless it was something special like Wifi/GPS inclusive it seems a lot. 15% difference for the lens seems ok

[ecureilx]

I had a friend, who purchased a 500 mm lense, from CP, fro 12,000 $ and a Camera Grip for 800 $, and when we were at Vivicity, at another electronic store .. we saw that the same Lense was going for 14,000 $, but, weird it may seem 0 the Camera Grip was going for 200 $

S$800 for a grip? Unless it was something special like Wifi/GPS inclusive it seems a lot. 15% difference for the lens seems ok

Well, the Cathay's price was as per listed in Canon's site minus 15%

The point I was making is, the shop in Vivi was running a stock clearance sale and they were dumping, and when compared to the CP price, it was like CP cheated: only when cooler heads prevailed and we checked around did we find that the 'promo' price was really rock bottom

Hence - I stopped recommending shops to anybody and always advice them to 'shop around'

And tourists have a tough time believing that a normal netbook goes for 500 $ plus, and the Expo sales at 200 $ are the exception .. and that the 500 $ shop didn't cheat ..