Photography gear can be expensive, so when you buy additional gear, you want to make sure you're not paying too much for it. Typically, camera gear is cheaper in the US than it is in Australia, even when taking into account the shipping costs, and depending on the cost, the GST and customs duty.
As a result, many people, myself included, have been buying camera gear from overseas sellers, including places such as B&H and Adorama.

However, with recent changes in the Australian exchange rate, it may not necessarily be cheaper to import items from overseas!



With the Aussie dollar having dropped against the US dollar in the last year or so, it has been cheaper to buy camera gear direct from the US, than it has been to buy it locally in Australia. In July/August 2008, the Australian dollar reached new heights of USD$0.97.

In November 2007, I bought the Canon 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro from B&H in New York. Even when taking into account the shipping costs, I still saved approx AUD$250 compared to the local Australian prices. B&H use UPS for shipping items around the world, and the lens was delivered to my door approximately 2.5 working days after the order was placed!

Note that because the lens was worth less than AUD$1000, I didn't have to pay any GST or customs duty when the lens arrived in Australia (there's no import duty on photographic gear).



The graph below shows the value of the Australian dollar versus the US dollar over the last 12 months (historical data from FXHistory). The Australian dollar peaked at nearly USD$0.98 in July 2008.

exchange rate over the last 12 months - $AUD to $USD

With a lot of movement in the global financial markets recently, the Australian dollar has dropped over the last two months, and is currently worth USD$0.805. As a result, it's no longer as appealing to import camera gear from the US. Taking into account GST and customs duty for items worth over AUD$1000, it may be cheaper to purchase the items locally, rather than importing from the US.



I recently purchased a Canon EOS 50D camera body, and after comparing the costs to import it from the US versus local pricing, I decided to buy it locally.

At the time of writing, B&H have the Canon 50D body listed for USD$1399.95, and Adorama have it listed for USD$1399. Add another USD$68.40 for UPS shipping to Australia (the cheapest option that B&H offers), and it brings the total cost to USD$1468.
At today's exchange rate, that equates to approx AUD$1823. Because it's over AUD$1000, GST and customs duty needs to be paid when it comes through customs. GST is 10% of the value, and customs duty is 5% of the value, so that adds another 15%, bringing the total cost to nearly AUD$2100.

However, the 50D body was selling for AUD$1749 at my local camera shop, Gerry Gibbs Camera House in Cannington. Not only that, but B&H didn't have any stock yet, with their website indicating stock was due to arrive in October (which could be as soon as tomorrow). Gerry Gibbs had received their first batch of 50D bodies a couple of weeks ago, but they had all been pre-sold. Their second batch arrived last week Thursday (25 September), so they had stock that was immediately available.

With such a significant price difference, and the fact that Gerry Gibbs had stock, I got my hands on a locally delivered 50D body last week Friday.



Note that there are a number of factors that need to be considered when looking at purchasing camera gear from overseas. The cost of international shipping needs to be taken into account, and if the value of the item or items is over AUD$1000, then GST (10%) and customs duty (another 5%) is payable.

The Australian Customs Service has some useful information describing the applicable charges when importing items from overseas.

Also be sure to look at the warranty conditions, as some items purchased overseas are "grey imports", and may not be covered by local warranty. As a result, you may need to send any defective items overseas to the original seller for warranty returns! (Canon camera lenses are typically covered by Canon's international warranty, while Canon camera bodies are not, so do your research first.)

Note that a quick check on eBay shows Canon 50D bodies available at a similar cost, with prices ranging from AUD$1742 to AUD$1,920 (both prices include shipping). With the cheapest 50D body on eBay only being AUD$5 than Gerry Gibbs price, I prefer to pay the extra $5 and buy it from a brick'n'mortar store....and I didn't have to wait for it to be shipped from Hong Kong. Not only that, but I would also have to investigate the history of that eBay seller, as well as confirm details of the warranty, etc.



One of the key points that I want to make here is the importance of doing your research when buying photographic gear locally and overseas. It pays to do some investigation, and make sure you know all the costs, particularly when importing items from overseas. It's also important to check the details of the warranty, as well as the return policy, just in case you have to return it for any reason.

Note that different items can have varying price differences between Australian and the US, so even with the exchange rate moving, it can still be cheaper to buy some items from overseas. However, with the recent changes in interest rates, we may see the Australian prices of some of many photographic items adjusted accordingly.