Are cameras THAT much cheaper here?

[sendtodb]

Was planning on picking up a new digital camera on St. Thomas. Are prices that much better? IOW, can you get a $200 camera (Best Buy / Circuit City price) for $175? $150?

 

The thought process is: If I'm only saving $25 bucks, maybe I just buy the camera before I leave. Then I'll have it for the plane, first day on the boat, etc.

[richtersl]

There have been a number of posts here on this topic and the consensus seems to be that the camera prices are comparable to US mainland prices so your savings, if any, would be minimal.

 

You've done the right thing by pricing them here first. I say buy it before you leave to get yourself used to the camera menus and start using it day one of your trip. :D

[Ms411]

It's not a given that cameras are cheaper here. Some models may be at times, but it really varies.

 

Here they usually give you a bag and extra memory card with your purchase, so even when prices are the same, you still come out ahead, because you're also not paying sales tax.

 

It's always best to comparison shop before you come. Boolchand's and Royal Caribbean have websites, so you can contact them to see if they have the model you're looking for and at what price. They also sometimes have demo models that you can try before you make your purchase, and they'll sometimes print out test photos while you're waiting.

[delco]

Cameras and electronics purchased outside of the U.S. will probably not come with a warranty that will be honored in the U.S.

[richtersl]

I don't know if that applies to cameras purchased on St. Thomas or St. John because those two islands belong to the U.S. :confused:

[Ms411]

Some electronics are for US market and some for European, so you have make sure you're getting the right version. Yes, tihs is a US territory, but the stores have outlets on other Caribbean islands, so they're not just buying for here.

 

Also, some brands that are popular in the States (Kodak/HP) might not be available at the stores in town, because they're not popular in Europe. There seems to be a lot of Nikon.

[98Charlie]

Cameras and electronics purchased outside of the U.S. will probably not come with a warranty that will be honored in the U.S.

 

BINGO! DH did a lot of research last year before our January cruise and knew what digital camera he wanted to buy. Each time we walked into a camera shop in the Caribbean we were encouraged ``not to buy'' that camera because the warranty wasn't good in the US. Each store we checked try to sell us a different make camera for a couple hundred or more dollars and told us ``this one comes with a guarantee.''

 

We came back home and purchased the camera we wanted for less than we could have purchased any of the good digital cameras we saw in the ports and have our US guarantee on the camera in hand.

 

Dianne

[m steve]

and get great prices, no sales tax and guarantee. I think they are cheaper than STT. And United miles.