Greg Wolfinger
March 11th, 2004, 11:49 AM
im leaving for munich, germany next friday and am bringing my vx2100. i was wondering if you can find cheaper lenses over there (actually cheaper anything-mics, xlr adapters, etc.). since the US dollar isn't doing too well against the euro i'm not sure if anything is cheaper.
if anyone has experience purchasing gear abroad (especially in germany) please let me know. thanks.
-greg
Frank Granovski
March 11th, 2004, 02:27 PM
Sennheiser mics may be cheaper, since they're made in Germany.
Patricia Kim
March 11th, 2004, 02:46 PM
It's doubtful anything would be cheaper, but do ask about refund of the VAT upon departure. Sometimes if you accumulate enough in purchases, you can get a certificate (usually to be stamped at the airport, to show you actually departed with the goods) for a refund of the value added tax. You usually need to show your return ticket to the US at time of purchase, BTW.
Peter Koller
March 11th, 2004, 02:57 PM
Patricia,
forget it. I live in Austria right below Germany and prices here and there are generally higher than in the US. This combined with the weak dollar (which is a pleasure for us Europeans, because we get stuff really cheap in the US) will already make your stay quite expensive.
I Just looked the prices up for the Sennheiser me66 and k6: 424 Euro together.
http://www.netzmarkt.de/thomann/artikel-105837.html
http://www.netzmarkt.de/thomann/artikel-127786.html
I also doubt that you will even find an xlr-adapter like a beachtek or studio1 in Germany. I purchased mine in America since I could not find manufacturer here.
Cheers, Peter
Frank Granovski
March 11th, 2004, 03:53 PM
Perhaps you may find good deals on the used market, in Germany.
The Glenbox XLR box is made in England. Perhaps they would be easy to find in Germany. After all, it is now just a short drive from England to Germany.
Daniel Kohl
March 11th, 2004, 04:09 PM
I have to agree with Peter,
I don’t think you will find anything cheaper here. If you want to look for used gear, you can check the German ebay (www.ebay.de). But you will have the same problem with ebay.de as you will looking for used stuff in the German "Kameramann” magazine for example– almost everything is in German. I don’t think it would be worth the hassle, personally.
If you are looking for something specific, I could snoop around and tell you about what it would cost here.
Greg Wolfinger
March 12th, 2004, 02:39 PM
thanks for all your input guys. i guess ill just enjoy my stay because i will be already spending a lot of money just to go to germany.