Filter step rings

[GORDON STREETER]

I thought I'd get a step up ring for my camcorder so I could use all my old filters left over from my old 35mm days and went on ebay.
As usual there are loads for sale but looking at the difference in price between £1- £5 for the same thing I decided to get the cheapest.
OK I thought I'd probably seen the last of that quid as it was coming from China, but low and behold it turned up this morning !!!
Now how the hell can it be made and sent half way round the world for that price because it included P+P

[Miguel]

Bulk shipping and criminally cheap labor.

[Tim the Grey]

Seek out a book called Where Underpants Come From.
Kiwi travel writer asked himself the same question, having bought a 5 pack of Y fronts in NZ for some crazy low price.
Fascinating insight to global distribution.
Then read his other books, which are even better.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Where-Underp...ds=joe+bennett

[rwintle]

Similar experience here with a reversing ring, and an M42 adapter on the way - peanuts to buy, free shipping from China. I do feel a little dirty for supporting what is probably a factory with horrible working conditions. Perhaps I should read that book, too.

FWIW the reversing ring works exactly as it should.

EDIT - ^hi, Tim! *&waves*

[GORDON STREETER]

I don't realy know what to say about buying things direct from China as probably a lot of things advertized on the internet are made there anyway and imported by a middle man.
Not only imported goods from the far east but goods made in the UK as we all know can be sorced far cheaper than sold in retail outlets and sent to our home address in a short while so what are we supposed to do ?
Working in the motor trade I found I could buy a clutch for a particular car £100 cheaper than my parts supplier could (same make and part number) when questioned about the difference he said "but it's someone just sitting at home on a computer making a few percent with no staff and no big premises passing it on without actually seeing it"
OK I can see that but a hundred pounds is still a fair bit of money even in this day and age, as I said "what are we supposed to do ?

[Tim the Grey]

Always the way with t'interweb.
But then I remember waving a Jessops advert at my local camera shop in about 1982, asking him to get CLOSE to their price for an OM2. He did, so I paid him. One reason I shed no tears when the later 'Jessops' died...

Oh, and I'm in the trade, and that £100 mark up is peanuts, really. But then we only sell LUK made in Germany, so in percentage terms, little to play with!

P.S. "Hi Rich! Liking the Black and Whites..."