Buying Av Electronics From Overseas / Usa

[Madelaide]

I haven't found a good source of information on this topic so hopefully someone will help after reading this post.

I am trying to buy a Samsung BD-P1200, the gen2 BD player with HQV processing, but it appears Samsung Australia won't be selling it. So, the backup position is to buy a US player, but trying to find a company that accepts overseas orders AND delivers to Australia (WITHOUT going through a third party forwarding company) seems difficult.

If anyone has had positive experiences with US companies that sell AV equipment, please post here.

Thanks in advance,

M.

[momaw]

If you can actually get in contact with them, Value Electronics is supposed to have good prices and will ship international with some sweettalking. Just google them, they have it up on their site already.

[SteveV]

And this guy on ebay that one of the forum members had a very good rap about, don't think he sells the Sammy only the Sony

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZelectronics-storeQQhtZ-1

I can second this as I recently bought the Sammy BD-P1000 from the Electronics Store and Kevin Lau's service was excellent.

I had it landed here in 4 days, perfect condition.

Steve.

[THX1979]

Kevins good on service and sends unopened new units.

But he's an absolute prik when it comes to freight costs

[pajames]

Kevins good on service and sends unopened new units.

But he's an absolute prik when it comes to freight costs

Too true, he charges an absolute fortune for freight.

[pajames]

Hey Madelaide try here http://www.valueelectronics.com/ but do it via phone and speak to Robert, he has looked after a few people here on the forums and there's another guy who's reputable on ebay, will try and find the link for you.

I wish I had known that two weeks ago before I bought my HD-A2, as VE had a deal on for AVS members for $299. I contacted him via the site but they stated they don't ship internationally, if all I had to do was ring them I would have done that no problems. Never mind

[betty boop]

can highly recommend robert from value electronics. great on service & price. especially if you get in on the avs power buys. can get in touch with robert via pm on avs.

[kamma]

i haven''t done business with value electronics but electronics store were great with the one dealing i had with them. my hd-a1 took only 4days to my door. i used ebay

[Coops221503560911]

Not all experiences are so pleasent. I bought from electronics-store on ebay, Paid immediately, then sat around for a week and a half. Tried contacting them but would not reply to my 5 emails. 2 and a half weeks later it arrived. I checked the date it was sent and it was 9 days after I paid for it, even though it was apparently in stock. This may not always be the case, however it was rude of them not to reply. In the user feedbacks it seems to always be the case in negative or neutral feedbacks.

Just my 2c

[Madelaide]

Hey guys, thanks for all the useful feedback.

I think I tried emailing the valueelectronics place a while back too, and got the same answer about no international shipping. I'll try ringing and see how that goes.

Having established users (on this forum's) positive feedback certainly make the risk of buying OS a lot easier to cope with. Now it will be a race to see if the HD1 (local) or the BD player (OS) arrives first.

I'll let you know how I get on.

M

[Madelaide]

Hey guys, thanks for all the useful feedback.

I think I tried emailing the valueelectronics place a while back too, and got the same answer about no international shipping. I'll try ringing and see how that goes.

Having established users (on this forum's) positive feedback certainly make the risk of buying OS a lot easier to cope with. Now it will be a race to see if the HD1 (local) or the BD player (OS) arrives first.

I'll let you know how I get on.

M

Bad news , Robert (ValueElectronics) said he was not authorised to sell Samsung products outside of the US. What is so special about Samsung?

I'll try the Ebay guy and see how that goes...

M.

[Madelaide]

Bad news , Robert (ValueElectronics) said he was not authorised to sell Samsung products outside of the US. What is so special about Samsung?

I'll try the Ebay guy and see how that goes...

M.

Follow-up: I contacted Kevin (of electronics-store on Ebay US), he gave me a price which seemed ok, I then asked if he could confirm that they were not "refurbished / returned" stock and I have not heard back from him. I have sent two notes, so if he doesn't respond BEFORE a sale, I am at concerned what he would be like after he has the money.

M.

[dvduser]

Follow-up: I contacted Kevin (of electronics-store on Ebay US), he gave me a price which seemed ok, I then asked if he could confirm that they were not "refurbished / returned" stock and I have not heard back from him. I have sent two notes, so if he doesn't respond BEFORE a sale, I am at concerned what he would be like after he has the money.

M.

One good rule - If you can't do it face-to-face then don't do it, because you never know who the person is on the other end of the transaction.

eBay is probably pretty good for small value items i.e. under $100 - but for stuff you want to fell-&-touch, there's nothing like getting a relationship going with a good HT place.

[Black Dawg Down]

One good rule - If you can't do it face-to-face then don't do it, because you never know who the person is on the other end of the transaction.

eBay is probably pretty good for small value items i.e. under $100 - but for stuff you want to fell-&-touch, there's nothing like getting a relationship going with a good HT place.

Can't agree more.

Not to mention any warranty issue should the item is damaged later down the track.

[momaw]

One good rule - If you can't do it face-to-face then don't do it, because you never know who the person is on the other end of the transaction.

eBay is probably pretty good for small value items i.e. under $100 - but for stuff you want to fell-&-touch, there's nothing like getting a relationship going with a good HT place.

not much good if you want a BD player that can play region "A" though is it.

[Chesty]

not much good if you want a BD player that can play region "A" though is it.

True but with AVR's etc i reckon face to face is best.

A BD player is going to behave exactly as you expect, unless you are Bort.

With audio gear the way it interacts with different equipment is important and can alter its performance. You would want to demo for sure...

[THX1979]

i can see why people feel the need to import sometimes

Optoma HD81 1080p DLP projector about $5000 USD to import

or you can buy it locally for the bargain price of $12,500 AUD rrp. Double the price here

on the other hand you can buy the Sharp 1080p DLP projector from carlton audio visual for about $10 k which is more or less what price japan want for it

[momaw]

i can see why people feel the need to import sometimes

Optoma HD81 1080p DLP projector about $5000 USD to import

or you can buy it locally for the bargain price of $12,500 AUD rrp. Double the price here

on the other hand you can buy the Sharp 1080p DLP projector from carlton audio visual for about $10 k which is more or less what price japan want for it

It's not just price though. With Blu-ray players being region coded it is also about access to content.

[Madelaide]

It's not just price though. With Blu-ray players being region coded it is also about access to content.

That is the major reason, the other is that the model I am after is NOT available in Australia; and according to Samsung, won't be. Considering how expensive BD discs are in Aust, it is cheaper to buy US disks and a US player ensures that they will play.

M.

[Spero D.]

It's not just price though. With Blu-ray players being region coded it is also about access to content.

Very true.

[Madelaide]

UPDATE:

I found a supplier that will ship to Australia, B and H Photo in NYC. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

As it happens, I bought some items from there 2 years ago when I was in New York. Great store, tonnes of electronics! Anyway, I've placed my mail-order, I'll have to wait a week to see 1) if it turns up, and 2) if it works. For those who didnt see the dvd benchmark, it received almost full marks for DVD playback quality. Pity it will be limited to NTSC discs, at least until the region 0 hack is released? (Well I can kid myself cant I?)

Also, I read today Samsung ARE planning to release this player in Aust, in June/July; it won't be mult-region (BD), so I still think I made the right choice. We'll see...

Wish me luck.

M.

[THX1979]

i contacted robert at VE re if he could send me the Sony Blu Ray player and I would pay in advance .

I guess he has his favourites because he wasn't very keen ( nor was he when I tried to import the HD-DVD players)

at least with Price japan and electronics store they understate the value of the goods so u avoid import costs (and they do this without being told)

when i mentioned this to report by phone in New York you could almost hear his palpitations

[DuyKha]

Madelaide, how did you go with bhphoto? I contacted Robert at VE regarding the new panny bluray player but he said that he's not allow to ship these o/s

bhphoto sells pannys but don't have the new model on their website yet.

If anyone knows a good place to get a US panny bluray player please let me know.

Cheers,

UPDATE:

I found a supplier that will ship to Australia, B and H Photo in NYC. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

As it happens, I bought some items from there 2 years ago when I was in New York. Great store, tonnes of electronics! Anyway, I've placed my mail-order, I'll have to wait a week to see 1) if it turns up, and 2) if it works. For those who didnt see the dvd benchmark, it received almost full marks for DVD playback quality. Pity it will be limited to NTSC discs, at least until the region 0 hack is released? (Well I can kid myself cant I?)

Also, I read today Samsung ARE planning to release this player in Aust, in June/July; it won't be mult-region (BD), so I still think I made the right choice. We'll see...

Wish me luck.

M.

[pajames]

Madelaide, how did you go with bhphoto? I contacted Robert at VE regarding the new panny bluray player but he said that he's not allow to ship these o/s

bhphoto sells pannys but don't have the new model on their website yet.

If anyone knows a good place to get a US panny bluray player please let me know.

Cheers,

BHPhoto are excellent, I have used them a number of times for photographic gear, they ship very quickly. I bookmarked their site last week waiting for the new Panny blu ray as well, they are not the cheapest but they are not far off either. They are extremely reliable and have an excellent name as an online retailer.

[DuyKha]

BHPhoto are excellent, I have used them a number of times for photographic gear, they ship very quickly. I bookmarked their site last week waiting for the new Panny blu ray as well, they are not the cheapest but they are not far off either. They are extremely reliable and have an excellent name as an online retailer.

thanks pajames, I will email them to see if they will take pre orders for the panny. I'm happy to pay USD$599 (+ shipping + duty) for this player ... I hope the 5 BDs are included in the box!