Importing makes sense?

I am myself planning to buy a PJ, my parents are visiting singapore at the end of the month, at the moment i am trying to find couple of shops from where i can get the best pricing and discount on Opotma HD 65 PJ,

I will check out borderline too and do some reading on the same.

If anyone knows any good shops in singapore for pricing of optoma do pass the details along.

Thanks

Please also look into HD66 if u specifically want a 720p, atleast it is 3d..
else also look into HD20, with added 10k you can have 1080p
 
Well i called few sellers in Singapore most of them do not have the HD 65 in stock. HD20 is available for $2000 SGP.

So thinking what to do ?
 
Folks, I am seeing the offer (free 106" gray screen with HD65) on Amazon again - the site says it's till Feb 4th. This is the offer I gleefully accepted last month. I guess they are having a tough time selling the GreyWolf II screens. These cost me around 44K including shipping + duty by BorderLinx. If you are looking for a screen as well and are not very particular about a white screen, then this is as good as it gets.
 
Hi Prakash
Can you please post the link where the screen is being offered free.
I am unable to locate the same.

Also how has your experience been with borderlinx,
How much time did it take for the shipment to arrive.

It will be great if you can share your feedback and experience with them.

Also i have someone coming from US in the first week of Feb so have an option for him to carry the projector with him.
 
Last edited:
Sorry Dushie, I don't see the offer anymore. Perhaps they are sold out. But if you look out, they might come up with it again. I have seen this offer three times (lasting for about 3-4 days each time) since last November.

As for your other question - My first experience with BorderLink was reasonably good. Of course, DHL messed up a bit. The shipment had two packages but DHL delivered only one first and to top that they didn't know where the other one was at that time. Anyway, the other one did arrive after another week. I guess the pongal holidays was one of the reasons and the other reason might be that the screen's unusual dimension.

Other than that, BorderLink's cost calculator is really helpful and to some extent their online chat as well. And their shipping cost seems to get better as you add more shipments to your lot (they call it pod). I would definitely recommend them.
 
Novice here - some advise please

It was interesting to read about importing projectors from the US. I am on the lookout for 1080p projectors myself but have doubts about which one to go for. I am a novice in this field and so have the following possibly dumb questions. However is someone is kind enough to educate my ignorant self, it will be much appreciated.

  1. The projectors imported from the US, how do you ensure correct voltage input? I mean, where do you find reliable convertors for US appliances in Bangalore?
  2. I have a PS3 which has an inbuilt blue ray player. I have currently connected it to my philips 42" 1080p full HD LCD TV. The tv was not showing me 1080p pictures even for blue ray discs until I changed a setting in the blue ray which set video output with 1080p at 24fps (no other setting available). Now the picture looks great but I still see pixels sometimes. Not sure why. What's the deal with 1080p projectors, do they behave the same way? My question is, do you really get maximum picture out of your device?
  3. How do the US projectors deal with the NTSC, PAL formats? Do they work with Indian formats? What if I want to link it to my cable box or tata sky box, how do these behave? Any issues?

Any other inputs for this novice?
 
Answers to above -

1) Good quality voltage transformers are nowadays easily available for cheap. Just ask for it in shops.

2) 1080p at 24fps is as good as it gets. You need not worry. Pixelation in pics might be some issue with your source/setup. It will not be there in the movies if source & setup is right.

3) There is no such thing as Indian format. All new electronics handle NTSC & PAL equally well. So its not a issue. Same applies to Tata Sky etc.
 
Guys
I returned from a 3 week business trip to the US and picked up the HD20 for $999 plus tax and if what I am hearing about India prices is true (1.04L) then this is a steal.
I've tried component/composite and HDMI (1080P from BluRay) inputs and it performs just fine. Its also dual voltage so I didnt have to buy a separate step down transformer.
Black levels are definitely a concern but if you are looking at reasonably bright pictures, its not very obvious.
I'd recommend it as a budget 1080p projector.
~Navin
 
I was enquiring with an official panasonic dealer in Bangalore about the Panasonic PT-AE4000. It has not yet been launched in India.I was checking the import option for this projector on 20North.com and with customs and shipping the price was coming to about 1.7 lacs INR. However the Panasonic dealer told me that the current AE3000 model is itself priced at 2.15 lacs and was absolutely sure that the AE4000 will be much higher in price. When I mentioned to him about the import option, he told me that with that option the warranty of the product will not be valid in India. Not sure what he meant. Any gyaan?
 
Well the projector part is closed now the screen part is the one giving a pain. I am looking for a 1.3 gain screen with 130' diagonal.

The cost for making the same is coming over 27k that is with CSR and manual pull down ceiling mounted.

I am thinking what to do as the cost is shooting up due to the gain.
 
I was enquiring with an official panasonic dealer in Bangalore about the Panasonic PT-AE4000. It has not yet been launched in India.I was checking the import option for this projector on 20North.com and with customs and shipping the price was coming to about 1.7 lacs INR. However the Panasonic dealer told me that the current AE3000 model is itself priced at 2.15 lacs and was absolutely sure that the AE4000 will be much higher in price. When I mentioned to him about the import option, he told me that with that option the warranty of the product will not be valid in India. Not sure what he meant. Any gyaan?

I had got a quote of 1.22 lakhs for PTAE4000 from KMD about 2 months back.. This will be without warranty.. I had posted the link in another thread already. However, I'm getting it thru a cousin who is traveling today... Also, you need not worry about the voltage cnverter in case of a projector as most of them are 110-220 V.. you can check the specs.
 
I was enquiring with an official panasonic dealer in Bangalore about the Panasonic PT-AE4000. It has not yet been launched in India.I was checking the import option for this projector on 20North.com and with customs and shipping the price was coming to about 1.7 lacs INR. However the Panasonic dealer told me that the current AE3000 model is itself priced at 2.15 lacs and was absolutely sure that the AE4000 will be much higher in price.
The Indian prices quoted are absolutely ridiculous and amount to a total rip off. Also, the dealer is lying to you that the AE4000 will be higher priced than the AE3000. The reason for this is, that the official Panasonic MRP for the AE4000 is US $1000 less than the MRP for the AE3000. Thus the AE4000 should sell for substantially less than the AE3000. But in any case I would suggest that you ignore the so called official Panasonic dealers and buy from the grey market. You should be able to get the AE4000 for aprox. 1.1 to 1.2 lakhs in the grey market.

I When I mentioned to him about the import option, he told me that with that option the warranty of the product will not be valid in India. Not sure what he meant. Any gyaan?
Electronic products sold in most countries come with a warranty that is valid in that country only. Thus if you buy something in the US, it will not be covered under warranty, by the company in India. Personally I suggest that you forget about the warranty, since, based on the AE3000 prices, you will end up paying a premium of almost 85% for the warranty. If having a warranty is so important to you, I will be more than happy to warranty the product for you at only a 50% premium. :)
 
The Indian prices quoted are absolutely ridiculous and amount to a total rip off. Also, the dealer is lying to you that the AE4000 will be higher priced than the AE3000. The reason for this is, that the official Panasonic MRP for the AE4000 is US $1000 less than the MRP for the AE3000. Thus the AE4000 should sell for substantially less than the AE3000. But in any case I would suggest that you ignore the so called official Panasonic dealers and buy from the grey market. You should be able to get the AE4000 for aprox. 1.1 to 1.2 lakhs in the grey market.
the current price for AE3000 is less than AE4000, around 1900 USD and u can get it 1.10-1.20 depending upon how trustworthy the grey source..
but the AE4000 should be a minimum of 1.3
here in delhi in a reputed shop the price is quoted for AE3000 is 1.25 and AE4000 is 1.45, without bill and warranty ofcourse
 
Is your cousing travelling to the US? Did you check about the warranty part?

As Sanjay has said, warranty is applicable only in in the country of purchase for me, which is US. I will have to ship it to US to avail warranty service:lol:, Not sure I will do that... shipping cost will be quite a sum.. I'm relying on my luck:D
 
the current price for AE3000 is less than AE4000, around 1900 USD and u can get it 1.10-1.20 depending upon how trustworthy the grey source..
but the AE4000 should be a minimum of 1.3
here in delhi in a reputed shop the price is quoted for AE3000 is 1.25 and AE4000 is 1.45, without bill and warranty ofcourse
Not to be argumentative, but when I bought my AE2000 from the US for $ 2600 (approx. Rs. 110,000), my friend bought it here for Rs. 130,000. Then, 6 months ago my friend bought the AE3000 here in India for Rs. 125,000 and this is when the AE3000 was selling in the US for $2500 (approx. Rs. 120,000). It is only after the AE4000 started selling in the US for $2000, the prices of the AE3000 crashed to $1500 till stocks lasted. Thus keeping the history of Panasonic projector prices in mind, there is absolutely no justification for the AE4000 to be sold at 145,000, other than price gouging ofcourse.

here in delhi in a reputed shop the price is quoted for AE3000 is 1.25 and AE4000 is 1.45, without bill and warranty ofcourse
Pray tell, what is the name of this "reputed" shop, that is quoting such high prices. From what I have heard, the AE4000 is being offered for prices between Rs. 110,000 (not verified) and Rs. 125,000.
 
Pray tell, what is the name of this "reputed" shop, that is quoting such high prices. From what I have heard, the AE4000 is being offered for prices between Rs. 110,000 (not verified) and Rs. 125,000.

well as u wd know the grey mkt prices can be classified in the folllowing cat with price increases in ascending order:
1) Gaffar/Palika or places where u r given no guarentee of whether the product is fully functional/refurbished etc..
2) importers who can avoid customs, take a profit cut out of that..
3) dealers cum importers who give customs, add a profit margin (although debatabale on how much customs they actually give, we never get to see the actual customs duty paid)
4) dealers who actually get stuff from the company, but know sources inside the company who actually provide unbilled stock

i suppose the price from the source that have must is dealing with a guy who must be in cateory (1) as he is taking only his profit margin(around 10%) and avoiding full customs duty.
well the reputed shop's name is Sight & Sound, I suppose they would negotiate a little more on AE3000 if pushed, but i dont think they would on AE4000, coz they know this model would sell like hot cakes in the coming months..
somethink similar to what Audio People are doing with RX6, selling it at a premium of 15% wwith comparison to RS6
 
The Indian prices quoted are absolutely ridiculous and amount to a total rip off. Also, the dealer is lying to you that the AE4000 will be higher priced than the AE3000. The reason for this is, that the official Panasonic MRP for the AE4000 is US $1000 less than the MRP for the AE3000. Thus the AE4000 should sell for substantially less than the AE3000. But in any case I would suggest that you ignore the so called official Panasonic dealers and buy from the grey market. You should be able to get the AE4000 for aprox. 1.1 to 1.2 lakhs in the grey market.


Electronic products sold in most countries come with a warranty that is valid in that country only. Thus if you buy something in the US, it will not be covered under warranty, by the company in India. Personally I suggest that you forget about the warranty, since, based on the AE3000 prices, you will end up paying a premium of almost 85% for the warranty. If having a warranty is so important to you, I will be more than happy to warranty the product for you at only a 50% premium. :)

Pardon my ignorance....where in Bangalore can I find a grey market? Not sure who sells these products outside of the showrooms.
 
Pardon my ignorance....where in Bangalore can I find a grey market? Not sure who sells these products outside of the showrooms.

Try National Market and possibly SP Road.

In a way buying in grey market is same as importing from the US because it is not covered under warranty. But I would be wary of buying from the grey market, for I can never be sure of the quality and authenticity of the product. I don't know about the prices in grey market. But you can get something from the US (including shipping and duty) for 60-70% of what the Indian distributors are quoting.

Most (in fact all but the speakers) of the electronics stuff I own are from the US and I never ran in to problem with any of those. Me be it's my luck. In other words, there is always a chance - a slim chance albeit - of repair work. In any case, the very high price tags in India is incomparable and ridiculous.

One piece of advice I can offer for those who are looking to import a projector is this - If you are not able to decide between an LCD and DLP projector, do consider that DLP projectors are much lighter (~50%) than LCD ones. And the shipping cost should come down by 50%.
 
Check out our special offers on Stereo Package & Bundles for all budget types.
Back
Top