Korean Job Discussion Forums

[shostahoosier]

Is it better to buy a DSLR online here in Korea?

I let the guy at the Technomart (or maybe it was Yongsan) take advantage of me simply because I didnt feel like dealing with having one mailed to me. (a friend had a bad experience with the Korean postal service).

I want to buy the Canon T3i/EOS 600D.

I've seen some decent prices online, but I'm not sure if they're used, refurbished, or damaged, etc.

Ive held the camera in my hands and done the research so I know I want it, but I dont feel liek dealing with the scum at the electronics market.

Anyone have any advice?

[SMOE NSET]

Print out the website with the price on it. Go to Namdaemun and go to each store asking if they will match it. The website price is probably from a store located in Namdaemun anyways. If you pay in cash, they will more than likely lower the price even more. Just make sure the warranty card matches the camera.

I've now bought two DSLRs (EOS450d and 5D Mark III) from Namdaemun and have no complaints. I just bought the 5D two weeks ago. If you don't like one shop's price, go to the next. I was quoted prices differing up to 400,000W (expensive camera though). I saw the 600D in every shop I went so you shouldn't have a problem finding one for the price online.

[shostahoosier]

Thanks for the info!

Are the camera shops at Namdaemun generally pretty honest? Or are they as bad as the electronics markets?

[SMOE NSET]

From my experiences (Once at Technomart and multiple times to Namdaemun), Namdaemun is leagues better than the scum at Technomart. This is just my opinion though.

Namdaemun is THE camera place in Seoul. It is where every one goes so they want to keep their reputation decent. Not saying there aren't peddlers at Namdaemun but I haven't noticed them.

Know what you want before you go (lens, camera, filters, batteries, etc) and know the going price for them online and you should have no problems what so ever. If you pay in cash, they will knock off a lot of money. I bought the Mark III/lens for at least 500,000W cheaper than it would have cost me in my home country because of paying in cash. Just match the warranty card with the items.

[shostahoosier]

[nathanrutledge]

Try Danawa and G-Market. Those sites are like Amazon - lots of sellers using a single site. If you look carefully on the site, you can find the actual seller - name, physical store, etc. THEN, you can look on their STORE website, too.

My personal experience - I bought a nikon 50 mm lens. Saw it at LotteMart and it was 180k. Found it on GMarket for 140k. Saw it on the stores site for 135k. Went to the store in person and they said it was 150k. I showed them the ad from their website and they said it was an old ad (despite the fact I had printed it out less than an hour earlier). Ended up buying it FROM THEM on GMarket for the 140.

I bought my D90 using GMarket. As long as it's a reputable store, you should be fine. I walked around Namdaemun and was quoted about 100k more everywhere I went than what I could get it for on GMarket. It was legitimate, came with all the papers, no trouble going on almost 3 years now.

[The Cosmic Hum]

[The Cosmic Hum]

[SMOE NSET]

[mmstyle]

[shostahoosier]

Thanks for your help everyone.

I managed to get the 600D (or rather the Kiss x5) in Namdaemun. All of the prices I was given were lower than what I saw online. I started to worry that there was a collective scam going on in the area.

I was really surprised at how the shops would vary so much in prices. I figured that since they were all next to each other that they would have similar prices but I got a range of about 150,000W, and thats even if I paid in cash.

I was actually thrown out of one shop by the weirdo owner because I just wanted to buy the camera and no accessories!

The store is called Yes Dica and I read online that the guy was cool but my experience was otherwise.

He angered me because he kept pulling a bait and switch. He told me the price of the EOS600D was the same as the price of a Kiss X5 (690,000W). I thought I was hearing things so I asked him to clarify and he confirmed, but then when I tried to purchase the 600D he told me the price was 800,000W but that he would throw in a 4GB card for free. Whoop de doo!

So obviously I decided that I wanted the Kiss X5 and then he offered to sell me an 8GB memory card for 30,000W. I told him I would just buy the card later as I hadn't brought a lot of extra cash with me (I didn't want to tell him I would buy it cheaper on G-market).

Then he offered to sell it for 20,000W and I still politely declined. Then he offered to sell it for 10,000W and I figured that since it would make the price an even 700,000W then fine, anything to get him to shut up.

But when I gave him the 700,000W he demanded an additional 10,000W and claimed that the price for the card was 20,000W. I was fed up by then and offered to just buy the camera. He then told me he would knock off 5,000W, so I only "owed" him 5,000W. At this point I was very annoyed and no longer trusted the guy so I just asked if I could buy the camera.

Then he tells me he can't sell me the camera and that I should leave.

WTF??!?

So he was willing to lose the sale of a camera over me not buying one of his overpriced memory cards?

It was late at night so maybe he figured I couldn't get a camera elsewhere but I had visited quite a few shops before so I knew where to go to get it for the same price.

I only was willing to buy it from his shop because some website I visited gave him a good review.

What a waste of time. Love the camera though!

[The Cosmic Hum]

hmm...I think I missed something.
So you did buy a camera...but where...and how much?
Which lense...or just body?
Congratulations!

[shostahoosier]