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1st ebay purchase = My Camera Nikon D5000!

4 December 2009 108 Comments

My new purchase!

Yes! Yes! and Yes! I have finally got my first DSLR, a Nikon D5000!!!

I waited so much. Months elapsed since I decided to go for a new camera. Weeks since I have been checking ebay for the best deal. Days since I have been longing to hold it in my hands. And finally, only a few hours elapsed since I completed all formalities to clear it through the customs…

Choosing the right camera was pretty tough. But the Nikon D5000 won over the Canon 500d, only a few hours before the purchase.

My first ebay purchase!

I really made a big step forward by buying the camera right from ebay, using paypal.

ebay

The experience with the ebay seller was nice, and I trusted the whole system set up on ebay for the protection of buyers. The camera was shipped less 2 days after the purchase, and it took only 4 days to reach the island… Yes, only 4 days from New York to Mauritius!

Yesterday, I went to the Parcel Office in Port Louis at 815am, excited like a little kid !!! I have been talking so much about this camera!

I handed my card over to the guy there and the parcel was brought to me. It was HUGE! A Mauritius Revenu Authority (MRA) officer started to check the papers and I was told that I had to hire a “Courtier Maritime” to be able to clear the package through the customs.

“Mo pas pu cpv gagne mo parcel azordi?” I said sadly…

“Non, akoz so valeur trop fort, ena lezotte procedures. Bizin ene Courtier Maritime” said the officer.

For a few seconds, part of my dreams shattered… No camera for today… Anyway, I was glad to see the package in front of my eyes… It did not land in Mauritanie, as a few of my colleagues feared.

I called my cousin (Thanks Kiran!), he contacted his “courtier” and a few hours later, I filled some papers and paid the guy for his services. He made the necessary quickly and today he called me. Everything was ready, the package can now be collected!

At noon, we went to the post office, waited some minutes for another MRA officer to open the parcel, check all the papers and before 1 pm, I was out of the post office, happy and excited, carrying the huge box in my arms!

As promised, I met Dhaneesha immediately so as to be able to take the first picture. She wanted to be in the first one! Once parked in Champs de Mars, I un-boxed the camera, fixed the lens to the camera and shot the first 5 pics.

Unboxing the camera!

We were breathless with the result!

Back to work, I was impatient to shoot more pics. Later in the evening, I picked up my sister, drove home quickly and took a closer look at the camera, the accessories and the ‘gifts’ in the package.

I am in love In fact, all of us are in love with the camera!

The cost…

This is the bitter part of this post… And I am sure that most of you want to know how much I invested. The camera did cost a lot, but it is much cheaper than those displayed in a few shops in Mauritius.

I bought the camera here at $719. Included in the deal : A 18-55 VR lens, 8Gb memory card, a bag, an extra battery, a card reader, a cleaning kit among others. The shipping cost a total of $98 (including insurance).

Included in the deal

Once the parcel reached Mauritius, I had to pay 15% VAT (Approx Rs3800) and as mentioned above, I had to pay Rs1200 to the “Courtier Maritime”.

So, the total cost is approx Rs30,000!!! I am mad, yes I know!

Now that I have my new camera, I need to sell my Fujifilm S5600 asap to cover part of the costs :P I will write another article soon about the details.

As I said earlier “Pu sa prix la, camera la ena interet tire zoli fotos! tvr!”

A few pics taken on Day 1

Writing this article

Guitar

Car deco

The post is pretty long, isnt it? I am so excited and tomorrow will be my first day out with my D5000!

And this is only the beginning!

Related Posts:

Mauritius Loto
  • http://themediaguru.blogspot.com carrotmadman6

    Congrats!! :P (drooling…)

    Kieter sa courtier maritime?

    Btw, for those interested, its sibling, the D3000 is Rs 21.5k at Game.

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Carrot : Exactement, mo pas koner, mais mo siposer c zotte ki ena permis pu tire something depi la douane. Koz toi kouma ene dimoune normal, to pas gagne droit faire sa work la.

    btw, its Rs21.5k + vat i think.
    There’s another new shop in Medine News Port Louis. Prix pas mal there, cheaper than the shop I referred in my post.

  • http://www.geekscribes.net/blog Inf

    For a Nikon DSLR, all the accessories included, I believe Rs. 3k is a very fair price. You can see DSLRs in Mauritius costing around Rs. 48k, and these would often be lower entry-level ones.

    It’s a good buy overall. And the picture quality of a DSLR is simply awesome beyond comparison!

    Now, your spending spree is not over sir! Very soon, you’ll be forking out more for a tripod, accessories and lenses. :D

    Photography is a very costly hobby IMHO!

  • Deepa

    Ey mo ting ting :P
    Mo plus kntn camera la ki toi..asoir mo cpv reve li tou la..

  • Neel

    Nice purchase, specially with the gift pack!
    And believe me, 30,000 bucks for such a pack is really worth it!
    Enjoy your new toy and happy clicking!
    ;)

  • http://souonline.wordpress.com Souraksha

    Gee great the pics! The price might be bitter but am sure the the very idea of possessing one of these is bigger enough to forget it ;P

    Enjoy the camera and keep up with the great fotos!

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Souraksha : Indeed… You forget everything when you start shooting…even the price LOL.

    The designers really do a great job! haha!

  • http://gaia-helloworld.blogspot.com/ Gaia

    Guess it was the ‘letter’ that you were awaiting :p
    ebay really nice platform where you really buy cheap and good quality product
    have fun now with your cam btw Nikon’s really good cam
    got a classmate who is addicted to ebay
    have a nice weekend

  • http://www.facebook.com/sawanm Sawan

    Optimus Prime: eebaaayy…. FTW!!!

    Pa blier review dealer la et done li ene bon rating!

    4 jour, pa mal. Tou sa bane acha ki mone fer lor eBay la, zamin mo fine gagne ene produit dan moins ki 2 semaine!
    :(

    Have fun with your DSLR.

  • http://www.lash-69.com LaSh

    Welcome to the D-SLR world, not a bad package you got yourself, but it is still very expensive for an entry level SLR.

    The mid-range family at least is much better value for money.

  • Krishi

    kuzzzzzzzz mokwar momem dimun ki p pli knten la!!!!tne resi gagn camera la a la fin!!! sowi mo pa ti resi amen li! mai omoins mo frer in resi aide tw imp. kiran mo frer lamem sa na?lol
    kan to tire mo foto la? ;)

  • http://sozzz.net Sun

    tar.. ban new pics la toppo net..!

  • http://priscimon.com/blog Eddy Young

    Congratulations! At $719, it was a bargain.

    Best of all, just in tome for the week-end!

    Eddy.

  • Kunal

    rofl!!! tonne reussi choisir ene! Too bad u didnt go for the T1i :<
    But anyways its a good camera, have fun, i had a lot of fun with my T1i and still having :D

    Postup some photos too

  • Yusuf

    The pics are pretty good. Great purchase man :)

  • keshav

    nice one yashvin , congrats!! 1 frnd hav the D5000, i hav use it its nice, bt i love my Nikon D90….hmmm z foto taken is really nice….btw to bizin al tirr sa pies flamboyant ki p don fleur JAUNE dan triolet.. mo pa p rapel exactly ousa, bizin chek dn jounal express jeudi m kroir !!! XD

  • Mike

    Whow, nice, have fun with that. Talking of clearing parcels, I had a similar experience when a wooden box with +50 (second hand) audio cassettes was sent to me via BA. I also had to get a broker at the airport to go through the customs clearance procedure. It took three hours and a paper chase between three buildings before I finally got the box. Fortunately, I only had to pay a small fee to BA cargo and for the broker/courtier service.

  • Avishna

    sans honte mo dir toi ze suis jalouseeeee of ur cam !

    BUT am sincere when i say HAPPY CLICKING!!!

  • houzhou

    wow!!!!! i so wanted one too but because of the price i’ll have to wait :( ..
    i look forward to your pictures! happy shooting!!!

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Inf : After using the camera on the first day, I don’t even think about the price. Each time I keep telling myself : “wow, its so good!”
    Yeah, my next purchase will be a led screen protector and a lens cap keeper holder.

    @Deepa : Aster kine fini aster li, pena pu rever. Li la!

    Gaia : Indeed, thats the letter I was talking abt in the comment. I will be addicted too :P

    @Sawan : Dealer la ine gagne another top review, and there are thousands of good reviews there! I guess that the delay is due to the type of shipping and handling time of the seller.

    @LaSh : The shipping, vat and broker’s fee (Courtier Maritime) made the camera a bit costly. Else, it would have been only $719, approx 22k.

    @krishi : wai, meme kiran nu p kozer la :P

    @Eddy : Yeah, I did the max to get it in time for the weekend. I would not have been able to sleep peacefully if the camera would have still been in the parcels office, while am at home, waiting and waiting!

    @Kunal : Yeah, lo dernier virage, D5000 ine depasse Canon EOS 500d! Find it trop nice. Fodait servi to 500d meme pu kone la difference!

    @Keshav : D90 touutt :P The D5000 has inherited the same sensor as the D90, so I guess that I am already benefiting some of the great features of your D90 :P
    Flamboyant jaune? pane tan sa ditout!

    @Mike : Luckily you did not pay an amount greater than the price of those casettes! As from now, I can import more things, it will be much quicker from what I was told.

    @Avishna : Ena de koi a etre jalouse :P Merci!

    @houzhou : Yeah… the price. But after buying it, you won’t bother about That price!

    Thanks everyone for being on yashvinblogs!

    @Sun, @keshav : Merci, more coming ziska taler lol

  • http://lallmatie.com/blog bhoot

    good that they the customs here didn’t cause problem. I bought a cheap ordinary digital camera (Casio, 8Mpix) from a reliable eBay seller a year ago for $150.

    Imagine Customs here insisting that that camera costs $600 and charging VAT nearly the price of the camera. Bel bezer and they didn’t want to concede, even after showing receipts… Enfin, and it didn’t get resolved… that’s another story I should blog about.

  • keshav

    ouais moi si mo enjoy mo d90, maruuu top sa…yaa flamboyant jaune !! @ triolet emm, mo bizn chek dn ki date so journal sa… hpe to ggne sa online>>>>>>>>

    custum mari tirr gaz sa…fran tou !

  • keshav

    http://www.lexpress.mu/services/epaper-77328-b-photo-du-jour-b.html

    z link for the flamboyant jaune !! try to seach the foto lexpress 4/12/09

  • http://asheshr.wordpress.com Ashesh

    Payer la caisse….ban nouveau pics la…..
    euhhhhhhhhhh to ancien camera la ki to pu fer??? avoye li kot moi pou recycling!! lol

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Ashesh : Thnks. Recycle? tahey, li encore mari bon :P
    Chat r twa apres lo sa.

  • Reenal.DKL

    Congrats on your first ebay purchase!!! Am a regular and can tell u that it#s awesome!

    Next time you can ask your seller to post the article as a gift and you won’t have to pay the tax etc…you can do that for smaller objects.

    Anyway your cam looks great and the price is not that bad either. Try to search the same in Mauritius…you might be surprised at how expensive it is…

    Anyway, post some great pics as usual!!!

  • Sab

    Vendredi Mon gagne mo lettre ki mo core i7 in vine maurice,,,,
    aster mo bizin al Parcel Post Office pou pre li…
    Mardi mo esperer mo pou fini gagne li :(

  • Sab

    Btw the guy sent it as a gift…… Will i have to pay some tax??

    I am planning to get the GTX 285 soon :(

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Sab : I hope tone ressi gagne sommeil :P

    Exactement, mo pas trop koner si to bisin paye taxe lo sa. Mo pu essaye faire 1 demars pu trace ene liste items ki ena tax et combien. Same thing for the gift, mo pu esaye rode plis infos for all of you.

    Cheers and let us know kant to fini gagne li.

  • Manau MU

    Slt mone fek buy 1 item loe EB pour premier fois. Mone buy 1 dvd depi USA ki coute $17 en tout. Mai kuma eski mo kner ki mone recevoir item la. La poste pou tel ou send mwa 1 lettre ?? Et 1 dernier kitchose, eski mo suposer paye taye lor dvd 15% ?? Thx. Awesome blog

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Manau : Merci pou to commentaire.
    Mo ena 1 colleague fek ammene ene DVD, ki line aster lo ebay. Pendant la journee, mo pu faire toi koner (par commentaire) si line paye vat et ki zaffaire encore.

    Mo pu aussi faire twa koner kouma line koner.
    D’habitude si to ena 1 parcel, to gagne 1 carte depi la poste. et lerla to bisin al cherche li.

    A bientot!

  • Manau MU

    Merci bcoup Yashvin pou to l’aide. Mo attan to reponse. 1st time buyer, don’t have much experience. A+

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Manau : Nops, mo camarade pane paye narien, no vat or any other taxe

  • http://m3rvin.blogspot.com Mervin

    nikon d 5000 has some defects and nikon has stopped its production.

    why the hell did you buy this one.? its not worthy of a d40x..so such an amount you could have add a little and buy a d90 which is far far better.

    and d3000 sux too..d 5000 has almost the same features of the d40 but its price is too high..

    a’way enjoy your little toy tho :p next time do take some advice before :p its no big deal asking for help before choosing sthing :P

  • Sab

    @Yash please essaye gagne list la ti pu mari top :D
    Moo p plan po pren tou mo pieces computer lor ebay…..et mo envi conne banne tax la :D

    An btw…Courtier Maritime la ki eter sa :|

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Mervin : Can you please provide us with some reliable source for the news you stated above? That would certainly help. Thnks.

  • Manau MU

    Merci bcoup Yashvin. It helped me alot.a+

  • Pravin

    Felicitations!!! at last u got it! :) good choice n then price is very good. EnJoY!!!

  • http://m3rvin.blogspot.com Mervin

    et wi ca truc courtier maritime la? ki fr in bisin ca? :s :s

    nikon stopped its production but i dunno if its back on the market. cuz there r many which contain defects..check with ur serial number..a’way check that site:- http://www.kenrockwell.com

    i dunno if updating the firmware might help cuz i know nikon was providing a new one for correction of the lil defects.

    u gonna need this website lol :p it contains loads of tips n tricks u might need :) best of luck with your new toy :p

    can i have a link of the ebay store from where u purchase it? thx.i might get some accessories there too :P lol :) cheers :)

    argh u should have gone for the d90 :p cuz u had the budget :p

  • http://m3rvin.blogspot.com Mervin

    et puis to ena courage pu to premier ebay purchase ca kantiT cash la lol :p

    moi mo in start ek ban ti truc £10 just to be sure ;) :P lol :)

  • http://m3rvin.blogspot.com Mervin

    hey i got the link :p u posted it above :p thanks :)

  • http://m3rvin.blogspot.com Mervin

    hey do you plan to make more purchase from ebay?

    if yes do check this website before purchasing :p just paste the user id of the seller and the site filters its negative feedback @ a glance

    http://toolhaus.org/

    cheers :)

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Mervin : I DO NOT READ kenrockwells’ review anymore.
    I find his reviews biased because he knows only his D40 and D90. For him, everything else is sh*t. Sorry, but it really was, then Nikon wouldn’t have produced any DSLR other than D40 and D90.

    However, Nikon did make a recall for some D5000 some time back. More details here.
    Nothing is mentioned abt Nikon having stopped producing D5000. If anyone has more details, please share.

    The ebay member is cametacamera. btw, the negative reviews link is nice! Thanks!

  • Sab

    Yash Try to find Me a good USA Computer PArts seller :|

  • http://m3rvin.blogspot.com Mervin

    hmm yeah i know he is kinda biass’d but looking @ the price..

    but really for an entry level dslr its kinda a lot of money..u could have gone for say a sony alpha a 200 a300..

    a friend has one coupled with a 18-200 lens..its worth it :) around 20k he got all the accessories needed..

    u got the standard lens in the kit..now save some money and get urself a focal fix lens..f 1.8/35 mm from nikor.its one of the latest lens nikon has produced and worthy any shot..especially close snapshots ;)

    its not that ‘wide angle’ but if u planning photoshoots @ wedding the 18-55 could do the trick ;)

    if you had the 18-200, you would not need to carry 2 lens with u each time..its kinda a load..get urself a strap and a hood .

    a 75-300 mm lens will be like hell :) u can take photos from far far away :P paparazzi like :p

    comme on dit dan le jargon, coumence mitrailler aler meme :P

    i didn’t knew about that ‘courtier maritime’ tho.

    happy biding tho :)

    next thing in my list is a pair of motorsport shoes la :P

  • Tana

    heyy congratz on ur new camera glad u got it safe n sound!!
    :)

  • RoAN

    I really think u should have insisted a little bit with the MRA Officer. :)

    I had read ur post before receiving my item, HP Pavilion laptop at $680 + shipping (which was btw “missent” to Australia by USPS and took 20 days to come instead of 8) and i had already thought of the ‘courtier maritime dialogue’ springing up.. :p

    After a little explanation about being a student and not being able to afford spending more money and wasting more time, AND proposing to bypass the courtier maritime guy,the MRA officer(kind little lady btw) “ine laisse aller sane fwa la”. She even deducted Rs. 1000 from the declared $600 item’s price and calculated VAT on approx Rs. 17000.

    Minutes after entering the Parcel Post Office,i was out with my brand new laptop, thanks to the kind understanding MRA lady!!

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @RoAn : I did, I did… Mais ti ene zom sa :P
    Si ti ene fam, mo sire everything would have been better. Ti pu cpv faire lizier doux r li LOL.
    Ur r lucky!
    btw, I did insist politely, in vain

  • http://www.sbanime.com Sab

    BTW guyzzzzzzzz mone gagne mo core i7….
    Mo dad in all pren li pou moi zordi…and

    guess wot,

    line paye 140 Roupie pou tire processor la……

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Sab : Nice! Alors, line paye only frais la poste surment. Thanks for coming back to leave your experience ;)

  • sarah

    Have to bypass this parasitic system. For what reason should we give away our hard-earned wages to MRA, and other parasites?

    For expensive items, i prefer to pay an air ticket and get it in some other countries [south east asia for eg]. This is how i did for my d300s.

  • Free your mind

    You are right, i don`t see any difference between the pirates of Somalia and MRA, ripping off the working class. I`m sick of these thugs!

  • Sab

    In US shipping is free…..And now mauritius they are saying duty free….
    Then Why rip us?

    They just eat our money…3

    Thats why This country will never develop not only in terms of technology but all throughout!!!!!

    Every Mauritian in My opinion has a write in his country coz we are MAURITIANS!!! Why we must pay!! Dont they get enough from all these tourists(who pollute our beaches xD )?????

    So i’m off topic but angry…..Whats this “courtier maritime” Shit…….Why we need all these BS for something we want….

    I think we need a campaign!!…… No custom duties on things purchased online…We only will pay for the post offic thing(i dont wanna pay this also YUCK)

    So guyz and gals,,,,,,,,,,

    Whats ur opinion??

    Should we pay these SHITTY custom duties or we SHOULD NOT!!

    And also…… Why Not virtual Money, Like moneybookers….That would be awesome:D

    Am 16 i earned about $640 just with my site heh….:D

    Virtual money is great :D

    So think bout it…

    We need improvements:P

  • Shravan

    Elooo,all..am new to the blog and family bloggers here….compared to european countries our mauritius is so undeveloped,its banking system especially…..am in holidays actually..and trying in vain to earn some extra money online8-(….filling surveys online or doing typing jobs online to earn extra cash.all this seem impossible in mauritius jst because of the retarded mru banking system…i spent hours and hours on the net searching and searching if its possible for mauritians to earn online…via paypal we can only pay but not withdraw or receive…..when you register to some real and not scam money making program they ask for the mauritian postal or zip code and mauritius doesnt have 1……

    am not a computer student either to be able to launch my own site and place adds to earn nor do i know any mauritians who know the tricks to earn online and even if they knw am doubtful if they’ll ever reveal their secret or not…am so discouraged when i think about the banking system here..there’s no hope to do some online jobs and earn online……….8-(thats a real pity….

  • Sab

    Moi mo earn online………..mais secret……… :D

    Mo ti earn $1000+ mais mon aster 1 procesor…..mo pou aster 1 motherboard soon :D

    Mo dir mo ban parens gifts from internet sinon zot pou touy mwa :P

  • Sab

    And wer……paypal pa cav receive….lolzz
    to oblizer add credit card or bak and THIS pou depenser lolz……..

    Moi mo conseil toi servi moneybookers(www.moneybookers.com)
    Mari bon payment method…….. :D

    Si to underage(cuma mwa) met toi 18 ans ;)

    Lerla setup to site….. Fer 1 blog(to zis ena pou rod 1 server ek to gagne script wordpress free mais to bizin 1 domain :D )… Moi mo p fer 1 stremaing site atm… :D

    kan ton fini fer tou sa lerla to bizin ads….Google ads…. Ban la avoy toi check(Moi mo pe pense affiliate are ban webhjosting ki cav pay moi in Moneybookers) PLi simple…

    Kan ton ggne inP cash….To withdraw Direct Dan to debit/credit card(MOneybookers rox)…..LOL mais couma mo dir toi moi mo underage pna CC :( Lerla mo aster lor ebay :D

  • Sab

    @ yash……. aster ki mo p get to boite camera lolzz…..
    comparer ar mo boite processor pou toi HUGE MAN!!

    pa ti p paret lolz… Mo boite ek so cup ti rent dan 1 sac plastic couma dan supermarche]

    lolzzzzz

  • Shravan

    @SAB

    WER ta,merci pou to renseignement…personne pa rode dire zot secret,moricien apres tou,lol mais non that was kind,mo pou sey faire 1 demars,by the way ki to site ou blog so address?!…..Thnx man pou to idee..

  • Shravan

    lol….. :D ki earn online la kumsaa crime sa ki to parent pou touy toi tou,lol???si mo bizin kit info,mo pou nek faire toi koner….mercii pou l’idee..mo recherche ti amene moi lor sa idee la,astere bizin develope li.. ;) haha

  • Shravan

    SAB

    fek gagne 18ans la..hehe… :D pou 1 piti 16ans bien etonnant hein…top sa…

  • Shravan

    SAB

    please sab..mo bizin imP Info ar toi…URgent….TO capav add moi sur hotmail STP:shravs22@hotmail.com….

    STP…its urgent…thnx….

  • Sab

    @shrav mone dd toi from lovelysarah1963@hotmail.com

    Mo pa 1 fam lolzz…..Po pa al lor net coumsa moi lolz……. :D

    Also….Lolz ki to croir morician couyon lolz……… :D

  • Sab

    @shrav to ena chance 18 ans :(

    To fer moi plorer ….. mo pas cav cashout mo cash :’(

    ouinnnnnnnnnnnnnnn…………….

    Bez sa……. La mo bizin gagne 1 motherboard ….. morpa pou bez moi si li coner mo ggne cash online lolz……..

  • Shravan

    THNX man sab,thats kind of you..mone avoye toi 1 mail lor sa l’addresse tone donner la..stp check li….
    MERCi… ;)

  • Sab

    @shrav replied lolzzzz

    :D

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Sab, @Shravan : Thanks for continuing this conversation on MSN.
    Zotte p trop faire palab lol, pas encoler :P

    C u here again soon,
    Cheers!

  • Sab

    @yash werwer mo encoler to pa laisse moi spam….. lolzz

    anyway man fer 1 topic lor warez ;)

    mo ti emvi coner combiem moriicien conten warez xD

  • Ajay

    Great buy. I’m sure you’ll have loads of fun. I’ll suggest to offload your 18-55 VR lens on ebay and replace it with a 18-200VR lens (you’ll need a bit more cash). You’ll never look back.

    BTW, I’m an amateur. I live in London and mainly on the island for a wedding (not mine!). I came across this blog whilst searching for Nikon camera prices in Mauritius. The reason why I’m looking for camera prices is because someone wants to buy my Nikon. I have a D50 + 55-200VR lens + Circular Polarizer Filter. At the wedding, the photographers urged me to sell the gear to them. Any idea how much I should ask for?

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Ajay: 18-200VR. that will cost a bit. Quite difficult to invest more thousands into the camera, but in some months time, I will most probably think abt it.
    Its a bit difficult for me to give you a rough estimate, but I can try to ask a friend to reply to your question.
    Keep checking this section, I will try to contact him during this weekend.

    Thanks for your visit here.

  • Ajay

    @Yashvin Thanks a lot.

    Yeah, the 18-200VR will cost you an arm and a leg.

    As you seem very passionate about photography, let me suggest a great site that will give you hours of fun:
    http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/

    It’s all about flash lighting. Given the beautiful landscape around the island, I’m sure you’ll find some gorgeous backdrops for flash lit shots. You can get some relatively cheap flash from e-bay (no ttl) and some remote flash triggers.
    And if you want to diy some flash gear, check out this site:
    http://lightingmods.blogspot.com/

    Look forward to hear from you regarding the price estimate.
    ps: btw, great blog! gave me the incentive to restart writing my blog :-)

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Ajay : I just had a talk with my friend.
    He found your lens more interesting than the D50 but since you already have a client for your package, then selling them won’t be a problem.
    He roughly estimates the whole package at Rs20k because the D50 has lost its value especially with the introduction of new models like the D3000 and D5000.

    btw, a little advert for him, check out his flickr here.

    Bon weekend!

  • http://www.gjblogs.com Ajay

    @Thanks Yashvin. I guess for that price I’ll keep the gear. The lens itself cost me £200. The one advantage of the D50 compared to the some of the other Nikon DSLR that came out was that it has an autofocus motor on the camera body making the D50 compatible with old Nikon lenses.

    Hope you enjoyed the weekend. I did. I was navigating around Ile-aux-Cerfs on a catamaram. Lots of fun and lots of pictures!

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  • http://www.studenteam.co.cc Nayar

    COngratz.
    How did you pay? Can i have more details about how payment was done. Was it by bank, paypal?

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Nayar : Pay Pal which in turns takes money from my credit card.

  • Jaz

    ah makes me remember the day i purchased my dSLR.
    was in Ted’s shop and man….. phiewww, lots of camera + accessories.
    http://www.teds.com.au

    wish we had one of these shops here ; )

    anyway purchased the camera + all accessories and only one thing was on my mind that day, the dSLR. unboxed it and was very excited when i attached the lens, put in the memory card & battery. switched on the baby for the first time and was completely lost with all the info displayed on the screen.

    shoot some foto on AUTO mode then battery went dead, had to put them on charge and by the time i checked what else was in the box, cables, 2nd kit lens and lot of reading stuff.

  • Thierry

    Small. Your camera was small compared to the telescope I once bought from ebay! It came in two big boxes (shipping weight:12kg!). Of course I had to pay taxes but wasn’t told to hire a coutier maritime like you! That’s not normal. I’ve made lots of purchases over ebay, a few as expensive as your camera but was never told to contact that damn coutier maritime. LOL! Mo pa ti meme koner ki été sa!

  • Thierry

    Ah, Ok! I understand now. I was just very lucky that the seller declared
    my package less and didn’t get any problems. Still good to know about this courtier maritime thing.

  • Magman

    Ta hey…enocre pa fini payer mem…pfff mari decourageant pou fer ene l’articles vine maurice si to pane prepare tou sa cash la…

  • Mike

    More price information for the Nikon D5000 on this link:

    Ciao shopping

  • Nash

    Hi guys,
    Have you ever bought an item value above 1000USD (computer system) and shipped via UPS?
    Ti bizin al guet courtier maritime tousa?
    Any of you experience are most welcome
    Thanks
    Nash

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Nash :
    Thanks for your visit here and your comment.
    I haven’t purchased anything like that yet but I can tell you that anything above rs10,000 needs a “courtier maritime” to get it out of the post office.
    I am talking about Postal Office. You mentioned UPS. Please note that on ebay, they often mention USPS which stands for United States Postal Service, which is completely different from the rapid postal service UPS.
    However, in case you really mean UPS, I don’t know the procedures to get your item once it is here.

    btw, a question : Why would you want to buy a computer system and post it to Mauritius?

  • Nash

    @ Yashvin, actually i own a company here! dealing with supplier here is a headache, i must tell you that supplier sells at retail price in Mauritius and retailers sells at exrbitnt price. Some company imports from overseas supplier’s and sells at retail price in mauritius, through this way they can make a decent profit. I am trying to go through this same option and my new supplier only ship via UPS. For my first order i wanted to know how UPS clear these items at custom. The question arise! will it be profitable or not? Thats my worries for now. I’ll try to contact them tomoro.

    Thanks Yash, ur blog is very interesting.
    Btw another supplier told me that he’ll supply me with these items by lowering the value, lets say Rs42,000 to Rs9,000. Do you think parcel postal will clear these items at such low value? without crt maritime?

    Thanks
    Regards
    Nash

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Nash : Any PERSONAL parcel imported to Mauritius below Rs10k does not need a courtier maritim. But however, u need to pay VAT.
    Sorry Nash, you are here talking about importing goods for business. In any case, you will be paying the price for business. We are talking about different levels here. There may be other procedures and amount to be paid.

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  • tourette_guy

    Firstly nice blog, really helpful.

    I had my first ebay experience this thursday, bought an electric guitar costing me USD 1500 , the lucky part is that the seller understimated the shipping to mauritius by 200 dollars but still sent it with no extra charges. Shipping is through EMS Express with tracking number online, item is coming from Japan, reliable seller.

    | asked the seller to label the package as ‘gift’ and include a fake receipt of USD 200 inside the package. But i totally forgot about the declared value of the package. I dunno if he declared a hight price or if you can skip that I dunno.

    I wanted to know if I have a possibility of evading the VAT? With the gift label? And did they check the declared value of your item or they simply asked you how much you paid for it?

    Thanks to anyone who can help me clarify some stuff. Going crazy here, watching tracking all day long.
    J.P

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @tourette_guy : Morning… I know what it feels like when you are waiting for The Parcel to reach here. I practically refreshed the tracking page all day long me too haha!

    Unfortunately, I am not aware of any way of escaping the vat and other duties. I would be glad to know if “gift” really works, but one thing for sure, you will need to pay for a “custom broker – courtier maritime” to clear your item out of customs. The few items I purchased came with their receipt along, so they calculated the charges based on that amount, but if they find the declared price too low, they might challenge that by imposing the real price. Someone told me that he tried that trick but the customs overestimated the item and at the end of the day, he paid much more he had too.

    Do keep me informed about your item, as soon as your tracking says something new ;)
    Good luck!

    btw, can you really sleep at night these days? :P haha!

  • tourette_guy

    Thanks for the reply

    Hahaha and yeah since thursday Ive been basically been up till 4.A.M just googling information about shipping to mauritius from abroad, EMS reliability and feedbacks from people who used it, tracking update frequency, lost shipmentm, refunds etc… which turned me into a paranoid insomniac till now :/

    However I found some really interesting info like, if you paid through paypal and you have a tracking number. In case your item never arrives, you have 25 days[approx] to file a dispute through paypal and you can refunded easily. [shipping with tracking info + paypal = more safety] 90 percent of people who filed a dispute and show proof of tracking info won their dispute within a week.

    The worst is that, its absolutely impossible to find fellow mauritians in the same boat on the net. Your post is very helpful as this is something I can relate to and there are actually a lot of people commenting and giving feedbacks of their previous experiences. Good job with the blog again!

    For the tracking with EMS Express, it actually said they shipped it out of japan the next day, god knows if the tracking will update once it reaches mauritius [lazy people here] or how many transits in between.

    By the way you said they checked your receipt, was it a receipt the seller included in the package or something marked outside on the package label?

    Thanks
    J.P

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @tourette_guy :
    Great that you find this post informative :-)
    That’s exactly one of the aims of this blog, sharing things of my life which might hopefully be useful to other people, just like you. And it is false to say that “The worst is that, its absolutely impossible to find fellow mauritians in the same boat on the net.“. The proof : You are here!

    My sellers usually include a receipt in the package itself and when the customs check the parcel, they take out the receipt with which they calculate the costs. As a precautionary measure to avoid over-estimating, bring your receipt with you and reproduce it when asked. I don’t think they will believe in the $200 dollar gift :P Well, it’s worth trying ;)

    They do update the tracking almost immediately. For example, 2 hours after I collected my parcel, the tracking was updated but it might depend on the shipping service, perhaps they have different service levels.

    You are right about the ebay dispute. In fact, you don’t have to worry about that because even if the seller does not refund you back, ebay will take care of that. In any case, you won’t be at lost, be re-assured.
    Ebay says :
    “We’ll contact the seller and ask them to resolve the issue. After 7 days (or 10 days, in case of international transactions), we’ll ask you how it’s going with the seller. If you tell us that the problem cannot be resolved between you and the seller, and your case qualifies for and is covered by eBay Buyer Protection, eBay will refund your full purchase price plus original shipping into your PayPal account. ”

    Link : http://pages.ebay.com/coverage/index.html

    My pleasure to advise and help you.
    Keep tuned to yashvinblogs.com ;)

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  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    NEW BLOG POST

    Hello people!

    I have written a blog post sumarizing everything you need to know about ebay and Mauritius. This should answer to most of your questions if you are new to online purchases.

    Read it here : http://www.yashvinblogs.com/ebay-mauritius/

    Thanks for reading ;)
    Yashvin

  • http://dslrjourney.blogspot.com python

    We currently have the same camera with you! dslr journey

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Python : Great! :-)

  • Keshav

    coool!! :P

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  • http://blackfridaynikond5000.co.cc/ Nikon D5000

    I have been using a cheap $200 camera for a long time and can’t believe the difference this camera has made. I like to take picture of triathlons and the 4 pictures per second allows me to shoot several photos almost ensuring that I get a great shot. Video is also very good but I haven’t worked with it much yet. Now I want a good telephoto to go with it!

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  • Kakapetepoum

    komier zur ine prend pu to gagn camera la après kine get courtier la stp? thx

  • Nidish7

    Hey Yash, I’m thinking of getting one of these DSLR(either nikon or canon) and would like to know in which country is your D5000 made in?

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

    I dont have this info right now but does it matter? Once it is labelled Nikon/Canon/whatever, it carries the same level of quality of the brand.

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  • hamnah

    great!!!

    i wanted that camera :(

    mai as a student who doesnt have >Rs30000 to spend on a camera, had to settle for the best compact camera :’(

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