Why to DSLR cams cost more in Qatar ?

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better online. i purchased my lens 70-200mm f2.8 vrii from adorama and cost me US$2,399.00 which includes door to door services via UPS. and it took 5 days to arrive including custom. plus i paid custom duty of QAR 820.00

in Salam the cost of this lens is QAR11,999.00 which is higher than i spent.

so online is better esp. if you purchase big amount such as that.

nothing is cheap in here

@Pro Gamer That's right. I did not put the company name and went to UPS to pick it up, still have to pay tax.

The tax amount calculated based on the invoice amount attached to the parcel. I am not sure if you select

"this is a gift" option, what would happen if the parcel turns up without an invoice.

Shipping is pretty quick in my case.

I just ordered DSLR cam from B&H a while ago... fingers crossed.. hope it will arrive in good condition... i'm quiet excited too..

So even though you didn't put your company's name you still had to pay taxes ??

Received and paid QAR 495 tax.

So the 70-200 IS 2.8 II costs USD 2300 + shipping USD 86 and tax.

- Ordered a lens from B&H on 9th.

- Received an email with tracking number on 10th Mar. Keeping fingers crossed.

- 11th left NY and arrived in KY, then back to PA???. Arrived in Germany

-12th left Germany and arrived Dubai

I think you can go to the bank and do it from there.

I think you can go to the bank and do it from there.

Guys, am new to Qatar. Don't have a credit card, so need to wire xfer money to b&h. Does anyone know how to wire transfer to b&h? I do have an account with qnb. Have sent them a query,haven't heard back yet.

If you guys have done this before, please help.

The only thing I can think of here that is NOT more expensive in Doha is tayloring and dry-cleaning.

Congrats Markababy, along with myself and now including you and a couple of my other friends we gave B&H some really good business this Quarter lol...

Hope you made some savings and got Lens along with your Camera, as when you buy your camera from them you can save upto 100 USD on Zoom lens and now that is savings !!

Qnieboy the website is http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

guy's what's the web site of b&h? thanks

Congrats bro. Will wait to see some flickr uploads ;-)

Cheers

@markbarbaby, thank you for all the details.

With regard to point 3, does that mean tax can be avoided if company's name was not mentioned?

finally got Canon 500D @ Qr. 2699 :) even last month i saw it was Qr. 2999

markbarbaby @ i got it from Lulu (Garrafa)

Congratz Sakib, where did you get yours?

Regarding B&H - Highly Recommended!!!

Thanks to MaveriCk 2's help, I had the courage to take the risk with B&H. I received my order within 3 Days! Wow!

A few tips I want to share if ordering from B&H:

1. Choose "UPS Worldwide Saver" as shipping method. Very happy with their service even with other sites and the cheapest too!

2. Ship directly to Qatar. No need to use your Aramex Shop & Ship account (sorry Aramex). If you go that route, there will be additional Tax, shipping charges to Aramex NY, then shipping charges to Aramex Qatar. No good.

3. If using your company's PO Box, ONLY put the PO Box No. WITHOUT the company name. This will ensure that you will not be charged customs duties here in Qatar. Orders above $1000 USD will be charged if you put your company's name.

4. Once your order is shipped, B&H will provide you with a tracking number so you can track your order from the UPS website.

5. Call and pick your order up from the UPS office in the airport road if you're really in a hurry. That's what I did. :D

Hey Maverick 2, congratulations on your purchase! I'm about to take the plunge with B&H as well. Can you please tell us which Shipping Method you chose? Was it the "UPS Worlwide Saver"? And also did you ship to your company's PO Box??? Oh and lastly, where did you collect your package??? Thanks!!! Sorry for hi-jacking your thread OP.. will update later..

Is it cheaper in Dubai, if so, which shop in Dubai can I find a 70-200 f2.8 IS?

send you a PM and all the best !

i just got my camera delivered by B&H, amazing service shipped to Qatar in 2 days without any issues with customs my bill was over 800 USD !

B&H are superb and my friends have ordered their cameras after me, would defintely give them a thumbs up ! plus you save on taxes shipping inside US !

Best of Luck !

That's right. Salaam prices are so so so expensive. I'm thinking of shipping the 70-200 from B&H or Adorama.

also is there any ministry approvals for importing a camera ? or they just clear and deliver them ?

Thanks for your advice.

i agree with you, I just purchased my first DSLR from B&H today and quite excited.

Reinz i noticed that B&H we save out on taxes since they ship to qatar as well, for amazon we hv to ship to our US address and then ship using Aramex, etc.

Do you know any other sites like B&H for direct shipping ?

I tried Adorama as well... would like to know if there are better sites still out there to check.

thx

I have ordered online (from B&H) twelve times for DSLR's, lenses & other related gear ... I use UPS courier service for delivery ... you can give your home or office address for delivery ... alternatively you can also collect it from their office on main airport road. If the invoice amount is over US$700 you pay 5% customs. But on two occassions (in 2008 & 2010) I was not charged customs even though the amount was well over US$ 1000 ... and on three occassions I was also charged QR.55 for disbursement charges (in addition to 5% customs). But even if you pay 5% customs + QR.55 disbursement charges it still will be around 40% to 50% cheaper then any store in Qatar.

When I questioned a Salaam salesman, why the price difference (for Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS II lens) was 50% between online (B&H) & Salaam, he told me that the online puchase will only have warranty in USA whearas Salaam will give warranty in Qatar ... to which I replied, yeah but if something does go wrong with my lens (purchased online) I can courier it back for 10 return trips to USA and still it will be cheaper then buying it in Qatar.

Thanks to cdpascual and MaveriCk,

I once bought a lense cost me more than 1000 USD, shipped via Aramex and no tax paid. It was 2 years ago.

i believe its 5% of the invoice amount.

I know its 700 USD as i have a DHL Easy Shop account and if i put any value more than 700 USD it calculates Taxes.

5% is the Customs duty Fees for Qatar if i am not mistaken as i recall a customer service agent from DHL tell me that.

But to confirm anything i believe its best to call your shipping agents either Aramex or DHL and check with them.

hope it helps

anything over $1000 have tax i believe. i ordered an item worth more than $2k before and the custom officer ask me for 500 riyals tax(as far as i remember)

Does that mean anything above 700 USD is liable for taxes? And how much?

B&H is shipping your DSLR Camera to Qatar only for 76 USD using UPS Courier service.

so nikon d3100 = 599.95 + 76.79 = 2470 QAR approx.

You are still saving over 500 Qatari Instantly.

Try below

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist.jsp&A=cart&Q=add&sku=730210&is=REG&q=1

I have checked the prices like saqib / Canon 500D or Rebel Xs T1i in Qatar is close to 3K Qatari, same like the Nikon D3100.

On amazon Nikon D3100 = 599 USD / Rebel Xs T1i around 649. B&H Ships to Qatar but i feel will cost more than my Aramex Shop and Ship account.

If you ship using Aramex Shop and Ship approx 200 Qatari.

Insure your Camera for 165 Qar extra and you are good to go.

No Customs duty as its less than 700 USD.

You still save a fortune here. The extra money you can use it to buy additional lenses. I am planning to ship mine from the US as the Costs are simply high.

"SALE"! then you can grab 1!

another person also mention the same thing that i will get it @ Qr.2000... but none of u mentioned the location :(

buy from ebay

oh ya isale , you may be right, am not very sure which is the authority.

i believe it is a different authority not municipal council. Thats what I meant. Maybe I should have been explicit on that part . It is mostly CPD and MBT that have a role in this.

s_isale I was talkin to one of the hypermarket guy, who is a friend. He gave me this info, many products which is costing them more now from the C&F or the importer and they are not able to hike the price , cause they need an approval which they are not giving past 2 months.

municipal council cannot do much.

Mate, you cant get a 500D for 2000 riyals in qatar.

And Aramex shop and ship wont do any justification if you're using it as a one time service. The whole process will add up to, i fear, more than 3000 riyals

What is that you get cheaper in Qatar? its not just the DSLR.

One good news heard is that the municipal council has restricted the retail price increases. Outlets needs an approval from them for hiking any cummodity prices henceforth. Good move.

It is the stealth tax here in the middleast that makes every thing expensive here!

you can try b&h which is a trusted one, they can ship here.OR if you know somebody in US or travelling there you can ask them to buy it for you. that's what i did. my friend had ordered too from some sellers in ebay, mostly D90.

You can try Gulf Foto in Musheirib area.

omar1733 @ thanx mate...i'll check :)

Because there are not too much specialty stores that caters only professional cameras (DSLRs). Mostly camera stores can be found only in malls but they are not specialty stores. You know how mall owners jack-up prices of goods, especially if it comes or imported outside Doha. If you have friends in UAE, you can ask them to buy you one and just shipped it you. Or, there are some people selling DLSRs here in QL. You can search the classified ad here.

i checked lulu & carrefour and the prices i found are Qr.2999 & 2998......... where do i find it @ Qr.2000 here?

you can get this for about the same price (around 2000 QR) here as well but you need to check at 3 - 4 places for a comparison. there is an undefinable difference in prices even on major brands here in qatar...

Canon EOS Rebel T1i (canon 500D) in Qatar is Qr.2998 which is around $821............

on amazon.com it says Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens @ $589.99 :|

better stay away from online purchases, especially if you want it to be delivered on a qatar address, that too a digicam...DSLR prices are higher in qatar as compared to where?

every thing is expensive here.