Prix des caméras à Maurice, un monde de différence.

Depuis quelque temps déjà , je songe sérieusement à acheter un nouvel appareil de photographie. Depuis, je ne cesse de consulter les prix sur le net et aussi à lire les reviews.

J’ai été stupéfait en comparant les prix sur le net avec celle d’un magasin situé à Port Louis.

Pour cet article, je vais prendre le modèle Nikon D5000 (Juin 2009) comme référence.

Nikon D5000

Sur le site de Nikon, ce camera professionnel est à $730, c’est à dire, environ Rs21,900 ( si on assume que $1 = Rs30). Les prix sur ebay varient mais ne dépassent pas les $1000 (Rs30,000 inclus les bonus dans le deal)

Et dans ce magasin, tenez vous bien, le même camera est vendu à Rs38,000! Presque le double!

Je me demande bien comment ce prix est calculé? Peut être que le cout du fret + la douane + les profits, mais quant même!

Mais est-ce qu’ils arrivent à vendre leur produits, à ce prix exorbitant?

Je vais essayer de consulter les prix dans d’autres magasins, mais je pense bien que les mauriciens doivent avoir recours à l’achat en ligne!

Avez vous d’autres exemples à citer?

57 thoughts on “Prix des caméras à Maurice, un monde de différence.

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  1. Voila pourquoi j’n’achette plus les appareils électronique ni les appareils électroménager a Maurice depuis longtemps. Et j’ai un compte sure eBay. On a un plus grand choix et a meilleur prix; livraison et taxe y compris.

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  2. C’est effectivement les taxes d’import et les taxes douanières qui changent les prix. Ma guitare a été fabriquée au Japon mais je l’ai achetée à son ancien proprio en Australie. Lorsqu’elle est arrivée en France j’ai dû rajouter 200€ de plus pour la dédouaner. C’était l’équivalent de 19.6% du prix de la guitare+les frais de port+l’assurance pour l’envoi.

    Ceci dit, je n’utilise qu’un petit appareil photo numérique compact. Mon rêve aurait été une EOS 350D mais à 790€, c’est encore trop cher pour moi.

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  3. well freight, vat, profit, duty..no matter the price will rise esp. the profit margin is high.

    a’way i wont recommend this one tho’

    wait for it to be sold in Kit version then buy..but not the D5000..

    u better go for a Nikon D40x and if you afford to add some extra money go for the best ever nikon in terms of quality & money.the D90..kit it with a 18-200 and it will be a marvel.

    and the answer to your question is yes. their sales are ok. many photograph working for the press used nikon because it is well represented in mru.

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  4. I want one too..! Kind of a dream to have a pro camera..! These prices are discouraging. I guess its better to order them from the Nikon website itself. As for Mauritius, its not only camera prices that suffer from this 100% price jump. almost everything thats imported. The mango people still have their mobile phone though..

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  5. I buy most of my stuff through ebay or Amazon.. The prices in Mauritius are freaking too much..
    Just something..There’s an earphone(philips)which sells at Rs150 in Mtius but I bought the same exact earphone on Ebay for $0.99 (free shipping + already delivered to me)

    $1 = Rs32.15

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  6. I have been looking for the mid-range Sony Cyber-Shot H series like H50 but cannot find these here. I checked in Sony Port-Louis but they only had the regular compact digital cameras.
    So what retail outlet should you check for mid-range and DSLR, is there a specialist?

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  7. I have also wanted a DSLR camera for a long time, and this summer have finally bought one. I bought a entry-level/mid-range Sony alpha-350. I went for this because the a350 is perfect for users who venture into the world of DSLR for the first time.

    btw, i think the price from the Nikon website for $730 is just for the body only, the lens you have to buy separately. With the lens it’s probably an extra $200 (estimate) so it comes close to the $1000 mark (approx Rs30,000).

    You also have to remember that the D5000 has been recently released so it’s bound to be more expensive than other cameras of it’s kind. After 6-12 months time i’m sure the price will start to go down.

    IMO, prices of DSLRs will always be higher than in other countries, such as the USA, because importers in Mauritius cannot import large quantities of DSLRs because it’s simply too expensive for many people or people are satisfied with their digital cameras. Since importers can’t buy in bulk they (i’m assuming) they can’t get them cheaply and therefore have to sell onto the consumer at a higher price.

    Have you considered Sony DSLRs 🙂 …they’ve only been in the market a few years..but they have brought out a few new models (a380 especially) that will give the likes of Nikon and Cannon good competition. They also tend to be cheaper than other similar makes I think they’ve also released a few good lenses (the lens you use is almost as important as the body), the next 18 months will be interesting in the DSLR world 🙂

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  8. I have to agree. Things are very expensive here. The solution is obviously to buy online but I’ve never done that for electronic devices (cause I’m afraid they’ll be in bad shape when they get here…) But it seems that we really don’t have any other possibility to get something at its *real* price.

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  9. Au fait c vraie qu’a Maurice il n’y a pas de limite par rapport aux prix d’achat et de vente.

    example, un ‘gato pima’ peut se vendre a presque Rs.5 et la grosseur et plus petit qu’un 50cs…

    Bref, pour les achats en ligne, moi je conseille

    laredoute.fr

    Les t-shirts et autres prêts-à-porter peuvent descendre jusqu’a moins de 10Euro.

    Moi j’achète en ligne et c secure tout! Pas de souci de livraison, elle se fait chez vous. Des fois vous avez même des cadeaux avec vos achats…

    Maurice c’est devenu le havres des voleurs…un sari qui s’achète a Rs.200 en inde est revendu a Rs5000 à Maurice. (C’est vraie et c’était dand la presse…)

    Enfin! Les Mauriciens se laissent berner et ne font rien pour cesser cette torture de notre petit porte-monnaie.

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    1. @Mervin : The D40 seems very nice, and remains one of the options.
      However, I want to buy one which I won’t need to upgrade for at last a few years.
      I also believe that they may be selling their cameras to companies rather than individuals, for simple reasons as warranty, payment, reach.

      @Sun : A dream, yeah. Hope to make mine true soon 😛
      I think that Nikon itself doesnt sell its products, instead it redirects you to resellers.
      Hey, the mobile phone is good too, my N73 has a nice 3MP 😛

      @Yashvin : Oops, that me 😛

      @Tushal : I must admit, I never bought from ebay or amazon. Till now, I have only been paying my domains and hosting lol!

      @Mike : Because of the rare purchases, shops won’t invest into expensive equipments which will be used for display only 😛
      I fear that DSLR should be purchased anywhere, as far as it is not in Mauritius. Else, for common point and shoot, I find the deals in (Courts, Galaxy, and family) not bad.
      I will try to inquire about the additional tax or fee which must be paid for parcels 😉

      @Nav : DSLRs from Sony, Canon etc?
      I have not really checked out the features and price. Perhaps I should now before making my final decision.
      The Sony alpha-350 seems a bit more expensive though.

      @Avinash : One of my fears too, especially if you are buying something worth a lot.
      But till now, I have heard any bad experience, yet.

      @ReenaDKL : La dure realité!
      Pu gato piments la, pff. Mo rapel dans universiter morice, ene ti gato piment, tipti, mari tipti encore, ti p van mari cher!

      @Fadil : Yeah, buying online seems to be The only way.
      Nikon Representative? Have a look and you will be astonished with the prices, pff.

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  10. I did tell you – buy cameras online.
    AFAIK, there’s a Nikon representative in Mauritius (in a shop nearby the town hall of Port-Louis (the town hall faces the street where the shop is found.)

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  11. If you buy online is there import duties to be paid at customs? The last time I ordered a special T-shirt and cap from the UK I had to pay just under Rs200 tax when collecting the parcel at post/customs Port Louis.

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  12. @yashvin and Avinash–>Having fedex as the shipping service helps. + using fedex, you don’t have to pay for Custom taxes!(The trick is to include shipping insurance on your item) Else, there is at least 30% tax on electrical items!

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  13. @Axon–>Yes. There is a 30% tax(according to what some people told me). One way to avoid that is to include shipping insurance + use Fedex but it costs a bit more..

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  14. the d5000 has defects in it. even nikon has recognised that new firmware doesn’t correct it.

    it depends on your budget.

    canon eos 5d mark II or nikon d3 but these will costs $$$$..yeah 4 digit believe me lol 😛

    go for the nikon d90 :p

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  15. lor premie valeur rs1000 ou rs1500 to pa paye ni tax ni tva. mai aprer, li azout so tva a 15% et ban duty lor ban item ki ena duty.

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  16. the price of the camera sounds reasonable if you compare this to the fact that the amount of money we pay to buy a car in this country is twice as much the sum at which they are sold in europe for example:)
    BTW: Im still EDO’ing!

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  17. For information: today, I saw the Canon EOS1000 for sale at Courts (Phoenix-les-Halles) for Rs29,800. Courts also has the Nikon D60 for a little less.

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    1. @Mike : pff. Indeed, quite expensive the price in mauritius.

      How much was the D60? u remember?

      That was Mike, a yashvinblogs.com reporter, live from Phoenix Les Halles 😛
      Thanks Mike, we will contact u later 😉

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  18. At Courts in the Galileo area of Phoenix Les Halles, the Nikon D60 was priced +- Rs28000. The Canon and Nikon seem to be the only two DSLR models available.:P

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  19. Hi i bought a few stuffs online. But people please remember that when you order anything fragile (like all electronic items) you are taking a great risk. These are handled quite roughly at the post and the courier companies.

    I have worked at D*L (name moderated by Yashvin) and saw a guy throwing an imac in his van to make the delivery!!!

    Goods sold in our shops maybe higher priced but at least you are sure they came in proper containers and that they were carefully delivered to the shops.

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  20. Tushal said:
    @yashvin and Avinash–>Having fedex as the shipping service helps. + using fedex, you don’t have to pay for Custom taxes!(The trick is to include shipping insurance on your item) Else, there is at least 30% tax on electrical items!

    Importing any product by any freight company is subject to custom taxes and VAT. But NOT all electronic equip r taxable. Most of them (i know this will surprise you) have 0% duty (u still have to pay for VAT though), except TV which still have 30%. Btw, TNT is cheaper from most part of the world, so try to see which is cheaper as FedEx, TNT n DHL all offer nearly same level of service.

    @Yashvin: I had the funny experience once from the ‘local representative’ of Nikon in Mauritius. I bought a D80 at Rs 43k (body only) when the same stuffs was about Rs35k online but thought about aftersales service n so on. So, after using for about 3 months, it broke down n it’s only then that guy there point out that by warranty, he meant INTERNATIONAL WARRANTY!!!! so i had to pay for the freight to and from france because he bought his stuffs from there. Funny thing was that i had to wait form 3 months due to this guy poor logistics!!!

    So, just bear in mind that most of the companies selling pro camera are not entitled to service them n only sell them with international warranty. So, if they r offering them on local warranty, dont forget to insist on the Local Warranty Card.

    Finally, why the price for these niche stuffs r expensive in mtius? Since nearly all these retailers cannot repair them (as they r not authorised to), they will have to either ship back the body to overseas or simply just give u a new unit n scrap the old one. Both solutions r costly. So, they have to even it out on the selling price n since the number they sell is low… u can figure it out 😉

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  21. Quite astounding! How come they sell cameras at very high prices? Actually there is no taxes on photographic equipments apart from the VAT.

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  22. Hi every one actually I have a canon eos 450d a friend has brouth this from india very cheaper about 21000 thousand & iam very happy to get this camera now i want to buy another camera a nikon d90 or canon 40d
    it is very expensive do you think can i get second hand? thanks
    phone num 9403068

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    1. @Sab : You should call the Central Postal Office and ask to talk to the tax department. That’s what I did a few days ago. You will get the num from the phone directory.

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  23. Merci Yash.
    Well I want to share something with you all :
    Buying from ebay is something amazing if you know what you are doing.

    Some Guidelines:

    – Look for top sellers with cheaper prices

    – Look for USPS Express Shipping( EMS Here). With USPS Express you can
    track your item; when it has been brought to/from warehouse, the transit, the shiping date, when it enters Mauritius, etc…

    – Ask Seller If he can send as gift!(To avoid paying Customs)

    – Take buyers protection(In case of item Damaged During Shipping)

    – Ask seller for discounts(They give Discounts)

    Well thats all from me I am 16 i don’t know much of it

    So Wanna say Mo mari apprecier sa blog la 😉

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  24. Whaaa.. I saw this post too late! :/

    Anyway, you can get DSLR’s at cheap-enough prices at Game. Their prices are decent as compared to other places. I believe they offer Mem card + Bag as gifts, along with a printer. Watch for promos.

    You can get something decent (A Canon 1000D I think) at around Rs. 21k. I am not very sure about the price, but it was ok at the time of the promo.

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  25. Hi,

    I was just looking for some info about the Canon EOS 35OD camera in mauritius and fall on yr article. 🙂
    Nice to hear that u got your nikon baby 🙂

    I am trying hard to have either a Nikon or Canon 35OD asap . 🙂

    cheers,

    H.

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  26. Hi guys, just letting you know I saw as from today, 23.2.2011, on sale at Game (Trianon), a Nikon D3100 with 18-55 mm lens, 1 year warranty at around Rs23,000. The price isn’t exact but it’s definitely more than 23K and less than 24K rupees.

    As for buying online, there’s this site that looks promising, offering cameras and accessories at low prices, as well a range of other electronics:
    http://www.themultishop.com/browse-the-shop/

    Keep shooting 😉

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  27. good review brother 🙂
    Keep it up 😉
    i liked ur reviews very much and it helped me in choosing/having an idea about the fees 🙂

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  28. Hi guys, for some time i’ve been looking for a good prosumer DSLR camera to buy and i’ve always been a Canon fanboy lol, The price in mauritius is just too insane, the entry-level 1100D is near Rs 30,000 which unacceptable even the 550D which is about Rs 52,000 !!!,

    so i asked some family who was coming to mauriitius to buy the 60D for me which is a high-end DSLR and is situated below Canon flagships DSLR’s like the 1D Mark IV which you will have to sell your kidney to afford one!

    and i was so gladly surprised to see that my Canon 60D (not D60) cost about 760 pound sterling–> Rs 32,000 in our currency  !! much less than the entry-mid level 550D, i got it with its stock lens kit 18-55mm, Even if the lens is stock the quality is great. Don’t buy camera in mauritius, if you have family its great if not buy online

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  29. guys, im selling my canon 550d, all new, just only 200shots, i got it as gift, ONLY ! WEEK OLD!!, but im not photographer type…..its got the550d body, 18-135mm lens, all accessories, boxing, canon carrying bag, 32GB memry card class 10….. 1 year warranty…price rs38,000….need money urgently, willing to bargain

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  30. When my wife and I bought our D3100 almost 4 years ago, I saw big discrepensies in local prices. At the time Mimosa studios want Rs32,000 for the D3100 with an 18-55 kit lens, Alhambra wanted Rs29,000 eventually I bought it from Photo HD in Trianon, I paid Rs25,000 for that, so I was able to pickup a memory card, spare battery, a cleaning kit and simple carry bad for Rs29,000 in total.

    My point beinh, avoid Mimosa and Alhambra, they try and rip you off! (PS nothing has changed in 4 years, they are still damn expensive)

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