Guide to purchasing Camera gear in Hong Kong

[weeds]

Hi All,

I recently went on a trip to Hong Kong and I am currently sitting in the transit lounge waiting for my flight that was rescheduled for 10 hours later so I thought I would write this.

I was overwhelmed by all the stores that sold cameras and camera gear. I was looking at each one and comparing prices ready to make my assault on them and purchase tons of new gear. Fortunately I was preoccupied with all the lights and tours that I delayed it for a day. The tour guide explained a few valuable things to me about the different stores.

1). There is no sales tax on camera gear in Hong Kong. Though there are plenty of stores that have big neon signs saying "Tax Free". Most people will think that they are getting good prices but the prices these shops charge are more expensive than the good retail stores.

2). Shops that have really big Neon signs with Nikon, SONY etc won't have the actual store names anywhere in sight. These are the stores that you may want to steer clear of. The stock they have in the shop windows is different to what they will try and sell you and at a different price.

3). The Hong Kong tourism board are aware of the above facts and have found a way to help tourists identify the "good" stores. They issue a white sticker with a golden Q on it and another sticker a quality assurance sticker which changes colour each year. 2009 being red. If a store has either one or both of these stickers then it is a trusted and genuine store that you will get quality goods and services from and will be able to return your goods to if there is an issue.

4). The 2 best retail stores to buy camera gear and electronic gear according to the tour guide is Broadway and Fortress stores.

Please understand that this is the information passed on by the tour guide. Some of you may have travelled to HK previously and not had any issues.

I hope some of you find this useful

[Tangata]

Broadway and Fortress are certainly good shops.

There are many other good shops in HK but it helps to have built up a relationship with them.

I lived there for 23 years, but on going back I find that initially I am being treated like a tourist i.e. a target. A bit of, preferably obscene, Cantonese and that sorts itself out.

I now find I can buy as cheaply in Thailand as HK. However I am off to HK on Wednesday for a week, so I'll see if the scene has changed.