1st ebay purchase = My Camera Nikon D5000!

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.

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.

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).

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 😛 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

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!