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G'day

An acquintance is thinking of buying a camera from these guys.

Prices seem very good.
http://www.e-tech-direct.com/advanced_search_result.php?search_in_description=0&inc_subcat=1&keywords=Nikon+D3

Bob, they have a web phone number, no address and in shipping say the ship to Aus. They mention HK Post so I would suggest that they are a HK company pretending to have a local presence.

If your friend is comfortable sending money to a company with no address and in another country, I suggest go ahead. If not I suggest they pay the extra few bucks to deal with a real company like Poon's, who we have seen and touched, and who continues to deal with our forum after being burned badly by an intermediary between himself and this forum.




As an aside, it is easy to see how scammers are so successful, they rely on peoples greed. If the price sounds too good to be true it probably is.

A cursory glance turned up some gems in their website:

All orders are shipped directly from our massive warehouse in Hong Kong. (well that is a location, look for the massive warehouse)


E-tech-direct.com is owned and operated by Direct2000 which is a company registered in Hong Kong founded in 2008 to meet the growing needs of consumers world wide. (nothing like an established company)


Under any circumstances, E-tech-direct reserves the final rights to approve any DOA replacement or a warranty coverage repair. E-tech-direct also has the right to make the final decision on whether the issue pointed out by the buyer is consider a defect or not. In the event that a replacement or repair is not granted to the buyer, the buyer will have to find their own repair source and is responsible for all the related cost and expenses.

The repair process by E-tech-direct might take up to 60 business days upon receival of the product from the buyer. This can happen if a particular part is difficult to obtain. (receival? Where is Greg B?)

Sounds fishy to me. Even d-d phtographics would seem more of a real company than these guys....

I came accross this post...I own e-tech-direct.com. E-tech is a global website from the creator of quikshop.com.au (Me). Checkout reviews of quikshop.com.au (through bottom of homepage) and you will see that we are very real, and try very hard to give customer service. We are not pretending to be anything other than cheap, reliable suppliers of high-end gear. We have a dedicated team actually. Making and updating a website such as this requires significant resources, late nights and strong supplier contacts. Fullfilling orders requires lots of organization and management. We are a responsive company and although we do occasionally make a mistake....our true colours show when you have a real issue such as a warranty claim, a DOA unit, a lost shipment in which case we will do our best to help you within the guidelines of our company policies. We have been around long enough to have experience in all of these types of matters. Why dont you try our services before you make light of our company? Or are you happy to pay an extra $500 for the same lens for no reason?

Hi e-tech and welcome. Strangely enough I have only recently been looking at Blu-Ray discs on your quickshop site.

I do have one question relating to photographic purchases from e-tech. Can one assume that the product, although from HK, is shipped within Australia. I suppose what I’m really saying is would an invoice be issued with gst content?

sirhc55 wrote:I suppose what I’m really saying is would an invoice be issued with gst content?

Hi E-tech, I would have the same question as well. Also, are you shipping within Australia? Or from Hong Kong? The point that I'm trying to get at is, would we have to pay for customs taxation?

Hi, E-Tech, and welcome.

As the owner of this site, I have no issues with you coming onto our site and and answering questions, dispelling myths, etc about yourselves. We have other traders here as well, and the more that are here, honestly representing themselves, the better it is for all concerned.

I do however ask that you please respect our forum rules: please ensure that you read the message on our front page, and our FAQ, and pleae ensure that, as stated in both of those documents, you include a meaningful location in your profile.

E tech, Welcome to the forum.You could build a lot of confidence by having an address. Most are not comfortable giving $5k or so to a company who doesn't want to disclose their address at all, so well could be operating outside Australian consumer protection and taxation laws. It may be worthwhile to explain that to members if you are genuinely looking for business.

Hi everyone

This is not directed at e-tech, however just coming home yesterday from HK, I wanted to just share a few experiences when buying camera gear. As mentioned by Glen, if its too good to be true, there is a reason. One of the issues I was dealing with work wise when I was in HK was issues with shipping and tampering of some very high end electronics around the region including China.

Stating the obvious, the point of my note is really think about what electronic gear you are buying on-line and always get international warranty for higher priced camera bodies and lenses.

I purchased a couple of lenses, bag, battery, filters and even looked into starting again and getting a D300 and spent time in Mongkok, Tsim Sha Tsui and even Central areas looking at the prices and different deals. In terms of lens prices, I found there could be quite a difference between prices in some shops for the same product and all I can put it down too is warranties.....and in some cases I would need to wonder where the lens is from and how they were made!!

Any product you buy from Hong Kong on-line you need to be sure to clarify the type of warranty. Most times the shops when you visit will provide you a product with local warranty only and in some cases I even opened lens packaging and the warranty cards had no reference to the lens serial number which does not give you any confidence. Essentially if you have an issue you need to send it back to HK to be resolved and sending a quality lens or camera body through the post would not make me comfortable at all. Then lens is gone for at lease 30 days!!

Purchasing with international warranty may be somewhat more expensive, however, you get a warranty card that includes the serial number of the part that you purchase, in many cases you get one year international and 1 - 5 years local warranty depending on the part and manufacturer.

Again, stating the obvious, always keep in mind that many of the brands we purchase are assembled in China including the big name camera gear unless you get the signature model/parts within the brands and then they are assembled in Japan. A lot of the packaging that I saw (look like they have been in the sun, look like they have been opened a lot of times, shippping marks) I simply left the shop and even didnt bother to ask about the parts that I wanted, why bother..

Anyway I am sure there is nothing knew in my post, however just keep it in mind. After seeing the different packaging and handling techniques, in particular seeing hardware I had to replace for work from this issue, I know what I would buy. I still got amazing deals and saved a heap of money, if I have an issue I can deal with it locally which is a good thing.

Cheers
Mike

Mike,

While much of what you say is true, you should also learn to understand the policies of the manufacturer from whom you're buying.

It's all very well for you to say, for instance, to ensure you get an international warranty for any high end items that you purchase. In terms of Nikon and Canon, that would most definitely include bodies, but neither manufacturer offers an international warranty on bodies. Not the last time I checked, anyway. Therefore, if any dealer tells you that you may a body from them with such a warranty, shop elsewhere: they're lying.

The best policy therefore is to simply deal with traders whom you know: D-D seem to be good, although I've not had any personal dealings with them. HK Supplies are definitely reliable, and of course we get some special arrangement with them.

Others? That's exactly why this section exists.

Great point and agree with you.

I thought Nikon were doing international warranties on the body now, and If I am not mistaken when I looked at the D300 the other day I thought it had the card inside. Could be wrong as it was mayhem in the shop.

M

Mike, Nikon don't do international warranties on digital bodies (but do on film) but that doesn't mean you didn't see an international warranty card in the box in HK

There is an Australian phone number - why not ring and have a chat? You can often get nuances in voice that are lacking in ecommerce. At least you can ask lots of questions (make a list first). A long-distance call is cheaper than getting spiffed.

Wise thought Odile, but just as a warning don't get fooled that an Australian number means the person is local, my brother has an Australian number (02 even) which looks just like the one above. My brother lives in New York and answers the phone from there.

My point is that the original post is with regard to a D3 which is a $5-6k purchase. I feel that most transactions should be built on trust, the vendor trusts the purchaser to have the money and pay, the purchaser trusts the vendor to have the product and provide the product and associated back up service. I feel that if a company has some reason not to tell you their address beforehand, they are less likely to tell you the address after they have your money. One of the partners from quickshop has mentioned paying $500 extra for nothing, in our case the difference is nothing like that, but I would suggest a small margin to to ensure who one is dealing with and their likelihood of providing the mandated back up service. I think sometimes individuals are blinded by the lowest possible price without factoring in the other components of a transaction.

The whole process is a bit like investing: I can get a product issued by Westpoint promising an above market return, with a capital guarantee. Unfortunately, the capital guarantee is ultimately provided by...








... Westpoint.

Greed (cheap price/excessive return) drives most people's decisions.

Initially I was skeptical about this company and with good concern. If it seems to good to be true than it probably is,I mean the prices on there website were really good compared to retail. So I bit the bullet. They had pay pal for the weak-hearted and yes I was weak -hearted and used it and bought a canon eos 400D from these guys. I ordered it Wednesday day night and got it on the Monday of next week via FED EX. I received a text message and email confirmation of order and also text message and email with shipping details later. From my experience they are a legit company and I will most definately be dealing with them again as I am one satisfied customer. Buying through e tech direct has saved me about $200 of my hard earned cash then if I was to buy at big electrical retailer in Australia.

Well done E TECH!!

and no I don't work for these guys.

Welcome to the forum Hounddog, hope you enjoy it here. What sort of photography are you interested in? How are you finding the 400D? You are probably a long time reader so would know by now we require a valid location in your profile, as requested in our FAQ, could you rectify that? Thanks PS as a late addition to this thread after it is locked, here is the link to comments by members about their experience with quickshop: viewtopic.php?f=41&t=29264

With all due respect, hounddog, you sound a bit like a fanboy.

A lot like one, in fact.

You just happen to join this site, and just happen to have bought from these people, and just happen to have come across this thread? All by coincidence?

I just don't buy that. Not at all. Your message sounds just like an advertorial.

Not that I'm overly bothered by this. Please ensure that your profile is adjusted, as requested by Glen, without delay.

While I remember, your delivery timeframes and experiences are nothing exceptional: similar, if not better, savings are regularly achieved by members of this forum through purchases from HK Supplies using either eBay or directly through this forum's resources, or from DD. DD permits pickup from their Sydney location; we have yet to hear of any address for e-tech. HK Supplies are very well known - personally - to myself and many other members of this forum.

gstark wrote:Mike,

While much of what you say is true, you should also learn to understand the policies of the manufacturer from whom you're buying.

It's all very well for you to say, for instance, to ensure you get an international warranty for any high end items that you purchase. In terms of Nikon and Canon, that would most definitely include bodies, but neither manufacturer offers an international warranty on bodies. Not the last time I checked, anyway. Therefore, if any dealer tells you that you may a body from them with such a warranty, shop elsewhere: they're lying.

The best policy therefore is to simply deal with traders whom you know: D-D seem to be good, although I've not had any personal dealings with them. HK Supplies are definitely reliable, and of course we get some special arrangement with them.

Others? That's exactly why this section exists.

Hi Gary,
When are u gonna enable my account to see the bargain section?

libertyterran wrote:Hi Gary,
When are u gonna enable my account to see the bargain section?

Hi Quang

A post like this is probably not the best way to achieve your objective. A polite request via PM is the preferred method.

I notice that you have increased your post count, which is welcomed; and you have also posted a couple of images.
That is why this site exists. For members to post images and to discuss them. Not to buy cheap camera gear.

The fact that we have a direct relationship with a quality, low cost provider is a side benefit of belonging here. It is certainly not the main game.
If you maintain a commitment to participate fully in the forum, I'm sure that Gary will accede to your request in due course.

Cheers

cricketfan wrote:

libertyterran wrote:Hi Gary,
When are u gonna enable my account to see the bargain section?

Hi Quang

A post like this is probably not the best way to achieve your objective. A polite request via PM is the preferred method.

Exactly.

Just one. After you have read the FAQ, and after you believe you may have qualified.

Contrast that with somebody who might have sent two or three such requests, before they might otherwise have qualified, or perhaps immediately upon hitting 50 posts. A careful reading of the FAQ will show you that this sort of approach is not smiled upon.

I notice that you have increased your post count, which is welcomed; and you have also posted a couple of images.
That is why this site exists. For members to post images and to discuss them. Not to buy cheap camera gear.

The fact that we have a direct relationship with a quality, low cost provider is a side benefit of belonging here. It is certainly not the main game.

Trevor has summed this up perfectly.

Quang was correct to note this post as being off-topic. That in no way justifies the making of this post. I take the intent of Quang's post as an attempt to intimidate or embarrass me into granting him access to the bargains section. It doesn't work like that.

I also note that ...

- e-tech has not returned to provide us with any further details about his/their operation, despite two specific invitations to do so.

- houndog has not protested about my suggestion that he might be an e-tech fanboy. With all due respect, I'm not seeing a basis for any real credibility in his post.

- this thread has drifted a long way off topic, and with no real purpose or intent.

Thread closed.