buying electronics

Hi Ella, I'd suggest once you're in Tripoli you should get one from the city center in one of the streets I think known as Omar Al-Muktar or the September street the cameras there are branded which means the shop gives you warranty at least that way you can always return to the shop rather than heading to the dealer here or to the airport????

u should buy a camera from Dahra. Coz there is lots of shop there but no guarantie here...

If you're coming from a "western" country then without question the smartest thing to do is to buy BEFORE you come.

Both the amount of choice and the value of electronics goods here aren't as good as in first world countries.
At Tripoli airport (like airport duty-free in other countries) really the only difference is that you even less choice and worse value than you would have at regular shops. My advice to you is to buy your camera before coming to Libya.

Also note that a lot of people here aren't necessarily expats but native Libyans so you should be a little cautious when taking their advice. Nothing against them, but although they might be trying to help you they probably aren't really in any position to compare circumstances here with circumstances in other countries so they might not give you good advice. Which I think is true of the above replies.

Bottom line: buy before you come. More choice and better value.

Thebigtuna wrote:

Also note that a lot of people here aren't necessarily expats but native Libyans so you should be a little cautious when taking their advice. Nothing against them, but although they might be trying to help you they probably aren't really in any position to compare circumstances here with circumstances in other countries so they might not give you good advice. Which I think is true of the above replies.

You're not much of a fan of touchy-feely multiculturalism and political correctness, are ya?

Well...we'll just label you as an unenlightened, nonsensitive yank to make ourselves feel better about our confused and often disappearing identity.

Oh, and to op: electronics (as well as many other relatively valuable consumer products) are best procured somewhere where there are quality assurance measures, consumer protection laws...etc
I bought a (supposedly) durable, high end laptop in Tripoli and 60 days later the power supply went bust. I toke it back to the dealer and they said it was a common problem.

how about buying things online? Like on ebay, amazon or any other online shop?

will delivery be reliable and import tax non existent?

Thebigtuna wrote:

If you're coming from a "western" country then without question the smartest thing to do is to buy BEFORE you come.

Both the amount of choice and the value of electronics goods here aren't as good as in first world countries.
At Tripoli airport (like airport duty-free in other countries) really the only difference is that you even less choice and worse value than you would have at regular shops. My advice to you is to buy your camera before coming to Libya.

Also note that a lot of people here aren't necessarily expats but native Libyans so you should be a little cautious when taking their advice. Nothing against them, but although they might be trying to help you they probably aren't really in any position to compare circumstances here with circumstances in other countries so they might not give you good advice. Which I think is true of the above replies.

Bottom line: buy before you come. More choice and better value.

Hey Tuna man, don't go on a spree!!!

ella.za wrote:

how about buying things online? Like on ebay, amazon or any other online shop?

will delivery be reliable and import tax non existent?

Reliable, yes. DHL and other shipping companies have a regular presence here. Shipping is awfully expensive though, but if money isn't a problem for you then whatever floats your boat I guess.
As for import taxes, although I'm not 100% certain I'm fairly sure you do have to pay some form of tax when bringing "expensive" things into the country. Whether a digital camera counts as expensive I really can't tell you.

As I said earlier, the bottom line is it's safer to buy before you come.