Buying a Digital Camera Abroad

One question I get asked is can I buy a digital camera from a non EU country? The answer is that there is nothing to stop you, but there are some issues you should be aware of before you part with your hard earned cash.

You should find any camera bought from a reputable brand is fully compatible with other appliances such as computers and compatible printers once you return or once your camera arrives in the U.K., apart from the need to buy a plug adapter. It can also be useful to know that the camera you have decided to buy may have a different name in a different country.

As far as I am aware there are three main issues you may wish to think about before you go ahead and purchase a digital camera either while on holiday or via the Internet.

The first issue is will you get charged duty and VAT when you return to the U.K. or your camera comes through customs?

The answer is you will have to pay VAT at 17.5% as you go through customs on all types of camera and camcorder.

Whether or not you have to pay duty is more of a grey area and could well change shortly. Currently there is no duty payable on a digital camera unless it has a video recording time greater than one to two minutes. This means that theoretically duty should be paid on just about every consumer level camera at a rate of 12.5% at the current time. At the moment I am not convinced that this rule is being universally applied. As I say this is a grey area. Digital SLRs without a video mode are exempt from duty.

35mm cameras incur duty of 4.2%, while camcorders incur duty at 12.5%.

The second issue is what happens if the camera breaks down. Repair policy differs from company to company. Therefore if you know the brand of camera you are planning to buy then check with that company whether or not their warranty is still valid when buying from another country. You could find that a camera bought elsewhere will need to be returned there for repair. Obviously this could cause delays to the process and incur shipping costs for you.

Next up is be very careful what you buy. So many people buy cheap digital cameras at high prices when they go abroad. It seems that salesmen suck them into believing that low quality brands are in fact high quality cameras. The best advice I can give you is to decide which camera you wish to buy before traveling and only buy that camera or one from a small shortlist.

That’s about it! Happy shopping.