Mail order?

[Gem]

Hi,
So far I've only been checking out prices for lenses, etc., in high streeet stores (specialist stores), and at times I have been pretty shocked to see how much things are.

What do you think of purchasing items by mail order? Have you tried it out yourself? Are mail order purchases usually cheaper than buying from high street stores? What about purchasing from overseas companies? Are there any differences on equipment when buying from another country?

 

[airgunr]

From some of the things you say in your post I take it you live in the UK. As such I'm not familiar with the stores over there. I have bought mail order from B&H and Adorama here in the states for camera equipment and been very happy with them. Especially B&H.

The prices are better here but you have to add a couple of other factors to determine if it's right for you. You won't have recourse/warrenty that you can access without shipping back to the states. There is the cost of shipping as well as you VAT (I think you call it) or import tax.

Most overseas orders placed to places like B&H will require more information than just loggin in to their web site and giving credit card information. Unfortuantely the world is full of scam artists and as such you will probably be required to fax a copy of your credit card at the least.

Now I am also into airguns and field target shooting so I get some of the publications from the UK on them. I have also bought from some shops over there and had it shipped here. So far I've not had a bad experience. I haven't done it in the last couple of years mostly because of the exchange rate. It make purchases from the UK and most any place in the EU way too expensive to make it practical.

I guess you just have to weigh all the other factor besides basic price to see if it really is the deal you think it may be. I'm sure you have some good shops over on your side of the pond. Check out the ratings for them on the web. Remember, the lowest price is not always the best. The old adage is true, "You get what you pay for!"

HTH, good luck and keep shooting!