Trouble ordering products online! HELP!!

[bigcookie_88]

Hi, I've decided that I want a new home theatre, and so I decided to buy a new dvd player, tv, and surround sound package. I live in Australia, so I went to the sonystyle.com.au site to pick out which products I was gonna buy, generally the cheapest, but, since all the products on that site were expensive, I went to the sonystyle.com site (the USA site) and they have many more products, that are SO much cheaper (yes, I have converted from USD to AUD using the universal currency converter at xe.com/ucc), so after getting to the check out, the site told me that they don't ship outside or USA, and to go to the Australian version of the site, which doesn't have the products I wanted... Which were:

DVP-CX985V 400 CD\DVD Changer [$400 USD - $550 AUD]


STR-DE597 A\V Reciever [$200 USD - $275 AUD]


SA-VE345 Satellite Speakers\Subwoofer [$300 USD - $415 AUD]


KV-20FS100 Flate Display Wega Tv [$280 USD - $384 AUD]


So, then I thought, hey, I can just go to another [american] site that stocks those products and ships to Aus. After searching google, and reading the results, I realised that...

The DVD player would only play region 1 (?) dvds, and only NTSC format, not PAL.
The TV would only have NTSC format, not PAL.
All products would have a totally different electricity\voltage, probably 110 Volts instead of the Australian standard 240 Volts, and probably 60Hz, rather than Aus. standard 50Hz, also, the plugs would probably be different too.

I'm not sure what else would be stopping me from buying these products that I REALLY REALLY WANT! But, do you guys have any suggestions or know what I should do? Has this ever happened to anyone else, if so what did you do? Is there an Australian site where I can buy these products, or a voltage converter of some sort?

Please help me out! If I buy from America, I'm saving at least $1000, to give you an idea... the satellite speakers are $415 if I buy from USA - http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProduc...VE345&Dept=hav

....but if I buy from sonystyle.com.au, (the speakers are the ONLY product that I want, that's available on the Australian site, everything else is only available in USA), it will cost $700, as shown here:

http://www.sonystyle.com.au/catalog/product.jsp?id=SAVE345&categoryId=22529&textview=false

Thanks, any help appreciated!

[Will Hay]

If I was to buy all that materialistic shite (jk) from the US and ship to the UK, I'd be stung via customs rather heavily, so much so that it wouldn't be worth my while.
Would you not be presented with the same problem in AU?
Will

[bigcookie_88]

If you're talking about shipping, sony ship tvs for free for a limited time, and even if the shipping is $100 per product, I'd still be saving a lot of money.

[Will Hay]

No, I'm not talking about shipping, I'm talking about import tax.
W.

[bigcookie_88]

What's that?

[offline]

That is where Australian Customs hold your delivery at a bonded site
and send you a bill for tax owing on their estimate of its value, including
import taxes & duties plus GST.

-edit- I have yet to be caught but I import small amounts
at a time.

[pacmania_2001]

Customs taxes and charges can normally be side stepped if you know the tricks but for something that big it might be difficult to pull off.

[offline]

@ pacmania_2001

What tricks?

Can I import a couple of kilos of cocaine by relabeling it as washing
powder do you think?

[pacmania_2001]

A couple that I remember off the top of my head are making it look like a gift or including some other second hand stuff with it then marking the box as second hand parts. Also if it is something like tools or other basic parts you include things like washers and bolts with it and mark it as parts for repairs.

My uncle travels all over the world and sends back stuff regularly so he knows all the tricks to dodging customs. Next time he's back in the country I'm going to ask him to give me all his tricks.

[bigcookie_88]

Ok, so say I manage to find the right website, with the right plugs\voltage\connections\power, and the dvd player with region 4 and the tv that plays PAL instead of NTSC, how much should I expect to pay altogether after all these extra taxes\shipping fees?

PLEASE HELP! I really need a way to get these products, the power conversions is the main problem, because there could be a region hack for the dvd player, etc.

THnx

[offline]

Forget the TV. Northern hemisphere TV's will not work correctly
in Oz due to the magnetic field difference. The other parts
you should be able to get from Singapore. As for duty, check
the customs website.

You might also want to ask this Q in
http://forums.eyo.com.au/index.php?s=997651ccbbf5dc65d0568f49b38f2001&

Where abouts in OZ are you?

[bigcookie_88]

Ok, the tv is fine. Are you saying >>>EVERYTHING<<< will be fine if I order from singapore? what about the languages, isn't singapore a different language? What about power\regions?

[bigcookie_88]

Oh damn, I just went to the singapore site and it hasn't got many products at all, none of which I want, and they're more expensive, this wont work. By the way I live in Queensland (QLD)

[offline]

Are u trying to buy from sony direct? That is not a good idea. Sony
controls their prices world wide - you need to purchase from a retailer/wholesaler that buys Sony in bulk.

Try that link I gave you.

[flaninacupboard]

Gear from the UK is 240V 50hz so that'll work for you. i'll have a quick look see if i can find your stuff.

speakers are £159.98

amp is £208.69

cd/dvd is £184

TV is £137 but may well be useless as pac says.

So that's £689.67 or AUD$1,683.11

Weird price differences, amp is more expensive but cd/dvd is way cheaper. hmm, i smell price fixing.....

Looking at what you're buying, you can do better. the amp is ok, the speakers are empatically not, the DVD player is ok and great to hold so many discs, the TV is not good at all! 20" full frame? i'd ditch the surround gumpf and get a bigger widescreen set, you'll enjoy that far more than a cheap surround system.

And don't be afraid to buy something other than sony! they don't always provide the best quality (as roundabout will be happy to tell you) and lesser known brands often provide better value for money. just food for thought......

[Roundabout]

1. Definitely DO NOT order from Sonystyle.com, their prices are list prices, and they charge "full boat" for everything (MSRP, no discounts). Too bad you're not here in the states, they have outlet centers here that sell the product for 15 - 75% off retail, depending on product and age. Stay far, far away from ordering from Sony online. You'll get ripped off.

2. Like Flan says, don't be afraid to buy some or all of your components from another brand. Sony's speakers are so-so and the receivers are not recommended. They may work O.K. for a while, but many of the models use unichassis design (a word I made up, there's no exact name for how they're made) that makes them very difficult to work on. I cursed many of them and it was by far my least favorite product to repair. Disassembly is a bitch on certain models, because the entire main board has to be removed to get to the bottom of it, there is no removable panel to access the under (solder) side. Not true of all models, but many of them. That means when it fails, you may be charged more to repair due to increased time for taking it apart and putting it together.

At least, shop around and check into other manufacturers units, and although Sony makes some damn fine TV's, the one you selected seems very small for what you are doing. Unless space is a factor, why do you want to buy such a small TV? And you definitely don't want to buy the product from the USA and send it there. All the stuff is NTSC only and 110v. By the time you pay for converters, etc and all that is necessary to make it work, it would definitely not be worth it.

Again, like Flan said, Sony is not always the best quality - far from it. You are paying a "brand tax" just for buying it. In all the years I worked there, I saw some good products and some crap that should have never seen the light of day. People would buy a $50.00 walkman, and when it breaks (seemingly unexpectedly), invariably the line is: "But it's a SONY!". My response (at the times I could respond honestly) was: A big part of what you paid is for the name. Why would you think Sony's walkman is any better than Panasonic's version? You get what you pay for. In fact, it's probably worse, because a lot of what you paid went into advertising for it. That means less went into R&D and actual components. The manufacturer with a lower advertising budget can build a better product, cheaper (although not always the case). The markup on Sony products in the USA is as much as 50%, depending on product line. They charge up the wazoo for the name, just keep that in mind when you are comparing other manufacturers units. Do yourself a favor, shop around and read about what you're interested in on a review site like epinions.com or a similar site.

This is my own opinion only, but I think with the exception of TV's, virtually none of Sony's products are worth what you pay for them. Even the TV's are overpriced, but the do perform and have beautiful pictures, and they last forever - for the most part. I have a friend that has a KV-1981R that's 23 years old, and you'd be hard pressed to tell how old it is. It's never been repaired and the picture is absolutely perfect. I, myself, have owned multiple Sony TV's and have been happy with every one of them. I can't say the same about other products I've bought, though luckily, I do know how to fix them when they crap out.

[flaninacupboard]

Something else i thought i'd add in, i used to be friends with a guy who ran a general electrical repairs shop, this was about ten years ago i suppose. i often noticed when he had TV's to pieces that no matter the sticker on the front the tube itself (really the most important bit!) was made by sony, or at least had a sony sticker on.

You need to find yourself a cheap website to deal with, i was going to find some amazon links but you don't have them over there! also read some home entertainemnt mags, they should point you in the right direction...

[bigcookie_88]

So you're saying I should buy a sony tv, which I can easily find a good one that i like in australia from a shop, not online, that's cheap, but the rest I should buy of other brands and I should look in some home theatre magazines? I'd be happy to do that, but I'm not sure I know of many other brands of recievers, or the 400 disc changer (it needs to be either 300\400 disc, any less is no good i have a lot of dvds\cds), the reason I chose all sony was because I have a book of all their products (for australia anyway) and it gave me ideas of which products I wanted.

So... if you guys could point me in the direction of some websites or ebooks on choosing home theatre components, or even websites for brands of home theatre stuff of other manufacturers other than sony, that'd be great and it would solve my problems with wrong voltages, and all that other crap

Thanks, by the way I'd like to try and keep the total cost of the speakers\tv\reciever\dvd changer under $1500 AUD, you can convert at xe.com/ucc or just give me the link to the products if you find any, and i'll convert currency. Thanks guys!

[flaninacupboard]

I've said it before and i'll say it again, i'm sure.

Your movie/tv experience is dependant on first and formemost a great TV. it's the most important bit. but the best you can afford, even if it means you're watching VHS for a few months. it's worth it. surround sound is NOT worth it unless you spend a lot of money. don't think for a moment that the kit you're lookng at will be anything like the sound system at the cinema. what would give you much better quality, and enjoyment, at she same or less price is a stereo amplifier and two floorstanding speakers. i have two setups in my house, one with a 42" full frame TV, amp supporting DD5.1 and DTS, a Bose surround speaker kit and a pioneer DVD player. i -never- use this system to watch films. ever. instead i watch on a 32" widescreen tv, with a NAD C370 stereo amp, a pair of wharfedale pacific pi40s, a sony DVD player and a NAD C541i CD player. this system is great for movies, and excellent for music. the other system does both, but not very good at either.

Sorry, i feel like i'm lecturing you, obviously this is all just my opinion, i just speak to a lot of people who are dissatisfied with their kit because they tried to buy a lot of stuff cheap rather than the things they need to enjoy themselves. I fi were you i'd spend the whole $1500 on the biggest and best TV i can get, it will even have decent speakers at that price. the only oddity is the dvd changer. i don't know of another with that capacity. all i can really say is get off your arse! or alternatively build a video server instead. much quicker seeking, once it's full you just grab another hard drive and you'r enot limited to DVD.

[bigcookie_88]

Ok, I've thought about it. Firstly, there's probably something I should've told you all, the stuff I want is actually for the bedroom, and I currently own a Sony MHCGS300AV 60CD\Mp3 changer, and it's actually really great, no complaits, apart from the fact it has no optical in, only out, but it has a 5.1 channel input, which does the job. I've had that for about almost a year now, and it sounds really awesome. I've only got a 34cm tv at the moment (not sure how many inches that is) which is absolutely way too small, so that's the most important right now (for upgrading). I've ordered a sony product book i'll get that tomorrow, or the day after, so I'll pick out a tv from that, and that'll get that out of the way.

I also currently have a DVP-NS530S dvd player, it's only 1 disc, nothing special, it does the job and it's pretty good, but I'd like to trade it up to something more... eg. the 400 disc dvd player i wanted that's only in america. I not only want the 400 disc dvd changer cos it plays dvds, but do you know how many mp3 albums u can fit on a dvd? At least 50 That's really convenient, because I have an evergrowing cd collection, as well as dvds. 400 (dvds) x 4.5 (GB) = 1.8 terabytes!

So, what I wanna do...
Keep the 60 disc cd player
Sell the current dvd player i have, get the dvd changer.
Sell the tv I have, even though i wont get much for it, and get a new tv (sony). It WILL be a flat screen tv, wont be too big, the room isn't too big, about 51cm (once again, sorry, but in aus we use cm when measuring most stuff, especially tvs)

I guess I'd consider a hdd recorder for mp3s if I can't get a cd/dvd changer, but a cd/dvd changer is basically the same, only way more HDD space (if u think about it it would be equivalent, if u use 400 dvds thats a lot of space for music\movies), only the changer has more seek time.

Because I'm not selling my current stereo, I'll have $700 less money to spend, but I no longer have to buy the reciever\speakers, because the speakers I have now are really great, so I gotta get a tv and the changer for a little under $1000 altogether.. it's possible, but I'll just have to figure out what to replace with that damn american changer that's no good in AUS! HDD Players that store mp3s are expensive, my 60 disc player is equivalent to about 40gb (60 x 700MB), and a 40gb hdd deck would be quite expensive, that's why I prefer a disc changer. Pioneer have a 300 disc changer, and it's over $1000 AUD

So yea, if yous can help me out with some ideas, any suggestions? Thanks!

[bigcookie_88]

Ok, I found the Pioneer DV-F727, but it's too expensive (for what it is anyway), it's a 300 (301) dvd changer, but I'm not sure if it plays mp3s. It looks quite old. It's just too expensive compared to the sony one, the sony one had waaaayyyy more feautures, and was more attractive, not that looks are too important. I also found a wireless music server from Yamaha... no way, at least $2000

I'll keep looking anyway.

[bigcookie_88]

Ok now I'm just gonna buy a Teac 66cm Flat widescreen tv ($650 AUD) and a mobile phone instead (Nokia 3200).

THanks for help in chosing what I'm gonna buy. If anyone has any thoughts on Teac, is it good or crap? Anyone had any bad experiences with Teac? It does have a 3 year warranty so I'm safe.

The tv is the bottom one on this page: http://www.teac.com.au/products.php?classname=TeacB2CProductCategory&action=search&pro...1&upperLimit=5

[ChrisX]

The site told me that they don't ship outside or USA

Amazon.com is like that too and they can't deliver electronic stuff to me and I am in Australia. Don’t bother and not worth the hassle due to import tax into Australia on goods over $AUS1, 000.

From the U.S.A. you would have to pay delivery costs as well.

What is that point of getting the AV system, only having NTSC and only plays region 1 DVDs? I don’t think the power as Australian voltage standard either?

Forget it!

Go to your local electronic store and get the best prices for you.

I recommend Pioneer surround sound receiver and DVD player with speakers and you should get at a better price than the U.S.

Ok, you changed your mind and got something else now.