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Dear all -
I was looking at cartridge prices in the USA as my sister is coming over to visit soon, but surprisingly they seem no better (and often a lot dearer) than UK prices.
Then this evening I found out that my cousin is going to spend a fortnight in Hong Kong next month, and for the life of me I can't find any info on HK prices online, bar one thread where a guy asks someone to bring him back a Nagaoka MP-300 which he said would be half the price that they are here.
So, do any of you know what the deal is on prices, and if they are steal deals where I might send her to shop for me..?
Robert
awkwardbydesign
19-03-2015, 09:57
Be careful of customs on the way back.
you will have 20%vat to add to costs. dunno about fakes as well.
Best way, in my experience, of avoiding customs charges, is to have whatever it is you’ve bought, sent by ordinary ‘snail mail’ - if you’re prepared to wait and take a chance of it getting lost, which in truth rarely happens, as you’ll have little comeback. I do that with low-cost items, such as single NOS valves, etc.
That way, it usually slips through the system.
As soon as anything is sent via ‘express delivery’ (trackable through UPS, etc), it inevitably gets stuck in customs (sometimes for many days, or even weeks) before it’s released, and then of course you get whacked for tax and import duty.
Whereas, I’ve often had stuff sent from the US and China, via normal parcel post, and it comes directly to me, with no charges incurred, although it may take a few weeks to arrive… Just a wee tip for you, when selecting the shipping method on the seller’s advert. The most expensive option is not always best! ;)
Marco.
So no idea on how the HK prices compare to UK?
www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/beware-of-gray-market-koetsu-cartridges-1/
an idea of reductions but also the perils
hifi_dave
19-03-2015, 11:00
Many Japanese products go through a 'worldwide distributor' who put on their markup before it goes to the national distributor. This makes Japanese products far more expensive than they should otherwise be. If Nagaoka is distributed direct to HK, the prices should be a lot cheaper but beware of the many fakes.
So I need to try and get her to go to Tokyo instead?
:)
Okay thanks. I guess I need address of a REPUTABLE HK hifi shop.
The seller 2Juki on ebay used to and maybe still does sell from HK. The prices used to be amazing - Koetsu Urushi's for about £1500 new at one stage when it was $2 to the £.
He was good. I know someone who bought an SME V and Orto Rohmann off him. They were fine. Search ebay sellers see if he is still around.
The seller 2Juki on ebay used to and maybe still does sell from HK. The prices used to be amazing - Koetsu Urushi's for about £1500 new at one stage when it was $2 to the £.
He was good. I know someone who bought an SME V and Orto Rohmann off him. They were fine. Search ebay sellers see if he is still around.
I think I need to CLARIFY my question.
:eyebrows:
I am not looking for ebay sellers or to buy anything via the MAIL.
My cousin is going to PHYSICALLY be in Hong Kong for two weeks next month. All I hope to know is whether the RRPs in HK are a lot cheaper than the UK, and if so, the address of a REPUTABLE SHOP (ie like SELFRIDGES or JOHN LEWIS or RICHER SOUNDS or whatever the HK equivalent might be) where I can ask her to go to buy me a cartridge.
[Also I am only looking at level/expense of cart around NAGAOKA MP-150... maybe MP-200 if the prices are astonishing.]
R
walpurgis
19-03-2015, 12:09
The seller 2Juki on ebay used to and maybe still does sell from HK. The prices used to be amazing - Koetsu Urushi's for about £1500 new at one stage when it was $2 to the £.
He was good. I know someone who bought an SME V and Orto Rohmann off him. They were fine. Search ebay sellers see if he is still around.
I bought a few bits off this guy and had no issues.
I think I need to CLARIFY my question.
:eyebrows:
I am not looking for ebay sellers or to buy anything via the MAIL.
My cousin is going to PHYSICALLY be in Hong Kong for two weeks next month. All I hope to know is whether the RRPs in HK are a lot cheaper than the UK, and if so, the address of a REPUTABLE SHOP (ie like SELFRIDGES or JOHN LEWIS or RICHER SOUNDS or whatever the HK equivalent might be) where I can ask her to go to buy me a cartridge.
[Also I am only looking at level/expense of cart around NAGAOKA MP-150... maybe MP-200 if the prices are astonishing.]
R
The point is he is HK. Go see him or arrange to meet.
The point is he is HK. Go see him or arrange to meet.
Thank you for your kind advice.
If anyone can actually answer my original question that would be very helpful.
R
:rolleyes:
Not wishing to be rude I have really. Here is his stock list and prices. If you see anything you like PM him and find out where he is. Easy.
I have been to HK it is not a big place (the island). He will be easy to track down I am sure with a stock list like that.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?item=281592686530&hash=item41903b67c2&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&_ssn=2juki&_sop=16&rt=nc
Choose to ignore this if you wish but he is good. Two people have told you so.
In fact 9088 transactions have gone his way at 99.6 % f/b. Those stats don't lie. He is excellent, in other words.
Thank you for your kind advice.
If anyone can actually answer my original question that would be very helpful.
Hi Robert,
Tokyo is *the* place (in the hi-fi district, can't remember what it's called) you really want to go, as the bargains there (especially with cartridges) are phenomenal. Are you a member of pfm? If so, speak with a guy there called Joel, as he knows the Tokyo high-end hi-fi scene inside out. He been there a few times.
Although Tokyo is best, there's no reason why your cousin shouldn't find a similar experience in HK, if he goes to the right places :)
+1 for 2Juki. The guy is quality!
Marco.
hifi_dave
19-03-2015, 17:47
Or you could try Paul (RFC) for a discount.
Dear all -
I was looking at cartridge prices in the USA as my sister is coming over to visit soon, but surprisingly they seem no better (and often a lot dearer) than UK prices.
Then this evening I found out that my cousin is going to spend a fortnight in Hong Kong next month, and for the life of me I can't find any info on HK prices online, bar one thread where a guy asks someone to bring him back a Nagaoka MP-300 which he said would be half the price that they are here.
So, do any of you know what the deal is on prices, and if they are steal deals where I might send her to shop for me..?
Robert
You can get your cousin to purchase a couple of Hi-Fi mags when in Hong Kong. Not surprisingly they are full of glossy advertisements, and addresses, of Hi-Fi shops in HK and Kowloon.
Alternatively simply ask her to take a stroll down Apliu Street in the northern end of Mong Kok in Kowloon. (Underground Station is called Sham Shui Po.) The south-eastern end of the street is stuffed with small shops selling all sorts of audio and electronic gear. I would not buy cables there as they are relatively easy to fake but things like tonearms and cartridges should be ok.
Or you could try Paul (RFC) for a discount.
Sure, if it's just Nagaoka he's after, otherwise there are all sorts of exciting, weird and wonderful (never seen in the UK) hi-fi goodies to obtain in Tokyo or HK, often at stupidly cheap prices, compared with how much we'd pay to import the same items into the UK :)
Not wishing to be rude I have really. Here is his stock list and prices. If you see anything you like PM him and find out where he is. Easy.
I have been to HK it is not a big place (the island). He will be easy to track down I am sure with a stock list like that.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?item=281592686530&hash=item41903b67c2&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&_ssn=2juki&_sop=16&rt=nc
Choose to ignore this if you wish but he is good. Two people have told you so.
In fact 9088 transactions have gone his way at 99.6 % f/b. Those stats don't lie. He is excellent, in other words.
Ok thanks - a quick look at his list suggests his prices aren't particularly good. I can find cheaper. Sorry if I came across as ungrateful but what I was hoping for was a simple answer along the lines of "Yes you can get very good deals tell her to go to shop X". It seemed I just got lots of advice about buying online and avoiding customs charges. Also whilst I am happy to ask my cousin to go to a specific shop for me to buy something that I would hopefully have waiting, I do not really feel that I could ask her to do anything much more involved than that, especially arranging a rendez-vous with an ebay seller!
Sure, if it's just Nagaoka he's after, otherwise there are all sorts of exciting, weird and wonderful (never seen in the UK) hi-fi goodies to obtain in Tokyo or HK, often at stupidly cheap prices, compared with how much we'd pay to import the same items into the UK :)
I spoke with Paul on the phone about speakers recently and if I am going to buy a Nagaoka in the UK I would most likely get it from him, but I would not feel right asking him for a discount as I don't think his margins are that great. If I can find them at half the price though I could get a 200 instead of a 110!
Marco - wel there you go - that's exactly the wonderful super HK bargain type stuff that I was fishing for. Can you be more specific about these exciting products? I am looking for an MM cartridge for a TD1502 that would cost me £150 or thereabouts?
R
In fact 9088 transactions have gone his way at 99.6 % f/b. Those stats don't lie. He is excellent, in other words.
I am now wondering whether I can buy from him and ask him to ship to Hong Kong at discount....!
Robert I don't understand why you are NOT getting it.
He IS in Hong Kong. Please read and re-read what I have told you. Look at the ebay listings. He just sells via ebay to the US market from HK. He will also sell to you here - or in HK
I am now wondering whether I can buy from him and ask him to ship to Hong Kong at discount....!
Just contact him and ask him to hold it for you and get your cousin to pick it up at his shop. if its small she she should be able to bring it back easy enough. No reason why you cant pay this end. Most ebay sellers wont ship to a non paypal verified address
Robert I don't understand why you are NOT getting it.
He IS in Hong Kong. Please read and re-read what I have told you. Look at the ebay listings. He just sells via ebay to the US market from HK. He will also sell to you here - or in HK
I think you need to find something else to worry about, Justin.
I know he is in Hong Kong.
So I can buy from him and get him to post it to my cousin's friends house, which is also in Hong Kong.
That way she doesn't have to interrupt her holiday to schlep about HK meeting with some dodgy hifi geezer, and I don't have to worry about import taxes.
So if his prices are aimed at USA, maybe he will sell to HK cheaper...
Anyway. My question still remains as to if anyone knows whether there are any cartridge bargains available in shops in Hong Kong. I appreciate that you have pointed out this ebay seller, but his prices aren't really that great, apart from maybe his Japanese ones, which could be interesting if he will drop price if selling to HK. (AT-150MLX looks interesting)
I think the answer so far to my questions is "Sorry we don't really know" which is fine. But Justin please go worry about something else as you are making me wish I could just delete this thread as it seems to be just one big misunderstanding, and you seem to be getting agitated by it.
Robert
:cool:
Anyway. My question still remains as to if anyone knows whether there are any cartridge bargains available in shops in Hong Kong.
Did you read my post about Joel, on pfm? If you join there (www.pinkfishmedia.net) and ask him the same question you've done here, or even likely the rest of the membership (as lots of folk on pfm have been to HK, or live there), you'll get the names and addresses of the specific shops you're after.
Marco.
Did you read my post about Joel, on pfm? If you join there (www.pinkfishmedia.net) and ask him the same question you've done here, or even likely to the rest of the membership (as lots of folk on pfm have been to HK, or live there), you'll get the names and addresses of the specific shops you're after.
Marco.
will do cheers M!
I am now wondering whether I can buy from him and ask him to ship to Hong Kong at discount....!
Personally I don't give a flying dooberies, I was just trying to help out. But that response, if you think about it, didn't make it clear you did understand, and early on you didn't peg it at all.
Now I am glad you do understand and I hope you get a good deal. That's all from me.
I hope you get a good deal.
Seem to be three interesting prices
25% off £150 UK price of both the DENON DL-110 and the AT-440MLA- both selling for about £115
37% off the £265 UK price of the AT-150MLX selling for about £175
R
Get yourself a shibata stylus for an at95...it will waste all of them :eyebrows:
Get yourself a shibata stylus for an at95...it will waste all of them :eyebrows:
Where can I get that?
I got mine from the states...turntable needles
http://www.turntableneedles.com/Audio-Technica-ATN95E-ATN3400-Type-JICO-Shibata-Stylus--our-Needle-710-DSH_p_3721.html
set the vtf to 2 grams not 1.8 as reco and it sings.
I got mine from the states...turntable needles
http://www.turntableneedles.com/Audio-Technica-ATN95E-ATN3400-Type-JICO-Shibata-Stylus--our-Needle-710-DSH_p_3721.html
set the vtf to 2 grams not 1.8 as reco and it sings.
I messaged the eBay guy and he says "You can get 6% discount and payment by cash at MTR Shamshuipo"
Am being very tempted by the AT-150MLX, but as I have no real idea what I am doing setting up a cartridge I would probably just break it...
BTH K10A
20-03-2015, 05:16
Just read this thread and it's almost as good a monty python script :lol:
Get yourself a shibata stylus for an at95...it will waste all of them :eyebrows:
do you think so grant? i nearly bought one to upgrade from the HE stylus but read it was alot of money for a small difference going from the HE. i thought the denon dl-110 was much better than the HE,it would be good to know if you think the shibata is better than the denon and in what way please.
do you think so grant? i nearly bought one to upgrade from the HE stylus but read it was alot of money for a small difference going from the HE. i thought the denon dl-110 was much better than the HE,it would be good to know if you think the shibata is better than the denon and in what way please.
Well yes it is once I put the vtf to 2 grams. at 1.8 as per recommendations it was a tad thin imo. at 2 it is awesome. beats my dl160 even though the headshell its on is not as good at moment. The 160 beat the 110.Going to try it on the due soon carbon fibre headshell and see if it improves further.
hmm,in that case i fear next months pay packet is gonna take a hit!:D
Hi,
I don't know if it will be cheaper (I didn't look at cartridges), but if your cousin is on holiday there for a couple of weeks tell them to get a train to "Mongkok" around this area is "the ladies market" lots of cheap clothing, watches, etc - great for a day of taking in the atmosphere and a bit of bargaining. Nearby is a multistory hi-fi/photography building where your cousin could pop in and ask.
Knock offs are available on the market (I bought a rather nice watch for a tenner - hands fell off after a month!), but I think that the policing is stricter in the shops.
Whether your cousin is successful or not on the cartridge front, it wont matter because the district is quite an experience.
doom2112
23-03-2015, 18:45
STRUTH.
Have you compared the AT-95 shibata against the 150MLX.
I have used the AT-95,AT-120,AT-150MLX and the 150 MLX is in another league prbably together with 2M black and nagaoka 300-500 the best MM ever made.
Do you think the AT-95 shibata is that good?
STRUTH.
Have you compared the AT-95 shibata against the 150MLX.
I have used the AT-95,AT-120,AT-150MLX and the 150 MLX is in another league prbably together with 2M black and nagaoka 300-500 the best MM ever made.
Do you think the AT-95 shibata is that good?
no I havent Per but it certainly shows the 2 Denons i have the door. I would say it tracks even better than the 160 as well although perhaps a touch more surface noise possibly due to the stylus getting up against the walls better...might have to clean my records better:lol:u
Having looked at prices and yadda yadda zzzzzz I have given up on this idea, BUT, the comments about IMPORT TAX etc. did cause me to have a look at the actual allowances.
You can bring goods in to the UK up to the value of £390 without having to declare anything.
So anyone going to Japan should be able to bring back a pretty fine cartridge without having to worry about a sweet little thing...
LINK ::: BRINGING GOODS INTO THE UK - (https://www.gov.uk/duty-free-goods/arrivals-from-outside-the-eu)WWW.GOV.UK (http://WWW.GOV.UK)
montesquieu
30-03-2015, 09:59
In my experience Hong Kong is a fascinating place for hifi, and unlike Japan it uses 230v, but the hifi 'district' (the enthusiasts' hifi district with NOS valves and interesting vinyl bits as opposed to department stores with mass-market Japanese stuff) is a hassle to get to and you won't find many bargains on the shelves, I saw Ming Da kit for example with stickers on at far more than you can buy it for mail order through Cattylink.
I deal regularly with Juki who provided two of my three Miyajimas, he's great. I've had him ship here, to Taiwan (when I was there for 5 weeks) and within HK to my hotel. Depending what you are buying I would say he's your best bet. BTW I don't think the price to HK will be different (though it may be higher, if local taxes are applied) but you will save postage.
To be clear, are you looking for something specific, or do you just want the experience of meeting some HK valve and vinyl buffs on the off chance you can pick up something interesting, not necessarily at a massive saving?
I was looking for anything that would be a bargain. Am now sorted though with a (hopefully lightly) used UK cart.
Nice to know that juki can be trusted though.
Anthony K
30-03-2015, 13:15
Hi Robert , my girlfriend is from Hong Kong , you can get most stuff at half price sometimes even better
regarding tax and duty , she bought back a denon full size minidisc and two portables as hand luggage and there was no charge whatsoever but this may be because she holds UK passport.
montesquieu
30-03-2015, 13:54
I was looking for anything that would be a bargain. Am now sorted though with a (hopefully lightly) used UK cart.
Nice to know that juki can be trusted though.
I'm aware that others have had issues. It could well be that not all his stock is quite what it seems but I can only speak from personal experience.
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