Ed_David Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 So I was buying for a while grey market v mount batteries from Globalmedia Pro - because 160 wh and it has a d tap out. Well past four months - since novemember actually I have had $700 in batteries locked up in US Customs - and well now they seem to be completely missing.The point is, "going cheap is expensive" - I should have just bought IDX or Bebop batteries. Also their batteries and charger consistently falls apart.It's not worth sometimes trying to go cheap - you just end up spending a ton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrgl Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Don't ever, ever buy electronics or glass overseas. Returning items is next to impossible.I've ordered hundreds of things at this point and never had a problem. Also: Chinese vendors seem to consistently under report the value of an item, as if to prevent the buyer from having to pay duties, what a mysteriously bizarre phenomenon.................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrooklynDan Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I agree, and not just because of the customs issue. When it comes to brick batteries, it's absolutely worth it to stretch a bit and get the name-brand stuff. Li batteries can be very volatile. You're packing a lot of energy into a small rectangle. Well-established brands like Anton Bauer, IDX, Switronix and Bebob have the proper cut-off switches and over-charge detectors both in the battery and in the chargers. You can leave them on blast overnight and not worry about them exploding. Many a house/hotel room/camera truck has been destroyed by unattended overseas Chinese knock-off batteries left on recharge.You can go ahead and cut corners on rigs, rods, matteboxes, follow focuses, stabilizers and other things that won't explode. But for V-mount or AB mount battery, buy from the top shelf. Safety first!(I'm aware I'm being a total jewish mom right now) Nick Hughes 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinegain Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Well actually... got this in last week:Straight from China. The cheapest price I could find online at some handler. They offered me an even better deal if I directly purchased from them and not an intermediate site. 225 EUR below the lowest price I could find through Geizhals.eu (happened to be at Amazon.de). Fantastic experience to be honest. Even flew below customs radar. And look, it's an actual physical and brand new lens.'Bout third party batteries... Yeah, I know the 'so you've spent all this money on an expensive camera and then take the cheapskate route on the stuff that can ruin that very camera?'-philosophy. What can I say? I like being a bit of a 'rebel' and living 'dangerously'. But seriously though, they're friggin' batteries. That's not rocket science (it's potato science). You can pick up A-brand batteries all shapes and sizes for close to nothing. But wait. Let's make each individual camera take its proprietary battery and charge the sh- out of 'em (pardon my language). Wait... what now? Where did the money go? It didn't go into making the battery, that's for sure. So in all fairness, I respectfully decline buying original batteries. Just do some research. No brand = no go. Don't buy any brandless stuff, yeah, I actually have to agree, that's pretty silly. Don't just go for the cheapest option either. But you can just look up reviews. Check if the manufacturer has a site. Does it looks serious at all? What are their claims? What is there warranty policy? Are there a lot of places selling these batteries? Does Amazon trust 'em enough to sell 'em themselves? I myself have now landed at Patona. Their batteries have been treating me nicely. Actually yesterday bought some of their NP-F970 Premium batteries with charger. Already have some other camera batteries from them, but the F970 is a nice accessory powering battery, that kinda gets rid of the problem of needing tons of AA batteries to power one thing. I don't know. Maybe I'm just good at assessing stuff, having a fair dose of good judgement and making the right calls, but so far I've been very fortunate and happy with the products, logistics and customer service I've encountered whilst buying stuff from abroad (and I do need to mention that I buy silly amounts of stuff from China btw, not just that Nikon lens, they have some terrific bang-for-buck going on, like personal audio, smartphones, tablets, all that good stuff... although you do need to know your stuff and put in the research, and that's just 'what' you're getting, not per se 'how' you are getting it).But anyways. Your problem isn't even with the product itself, you are just unfortunate enough to be stuck in the world of logistic mishaps and lousy bureaucracy. Could be partly because shipping batteries usually form a bit of trouble, dangerous goods and all that, documentation, clearance... then there's unprofessional handling of the actual logistic services and customs... and perhaps subpar customer service and if such a valuable parcel just vanishes, it better be insured properly. I had cinema lenses from the States coming my way a week before I received the Nikon lens. Had to be insured and handled properly. And kinda knowing about bureaucracy and procedures it was pretty obvious that paying for it to have that kind of treatment to be done right would also result in it being treated so professional as to tax me for the whole thing (could've bought that Nikon and then some for that). No flying below radars there. But yeah, that was kind of the calculated risk of not taking risks.So... personally, I don't mind getting things from abroad. Also don't mind cheaper items in general, so I don't share the 'cheaper is more expensive' and 'don't ever buy from overseas'. In meanwhile I kinda know the ins, the outs, the risks and have to say that I've been fortunate enough not to have made any losses along the way *knocks on wood*. But yeah, I get that sucky situations suck, so I do hope you get this sorted out somehow. sudopera, Emanuel and leeys 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captou Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I just bought a camera (Nikon D5300) from the cheapest legitimate shop I could find - no problems, but it's also a UK based shops which means the camera has already gone through customs. And still, it was almost half price compared to the high street retailers. Like Cinegain said, if you do your research, you'll probably be fine. If you're not sure about a shop and can't find any reviews on it, perhaps it's best to leave it. Some shops from Hong Kong also offer to pay back any tax in case your item gets held at customs.I've definitely had the "going cheap is expensive" experience but that was more to do with buying things like camera bags from no name brands - turns out, buying from the trusted brand, even if it's expensive, is just easier sometimes. Cinegain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_David Posted March 11, 2015 Author Share Posted March 11, 2015 thanks guys - I still think these batteries can blow up - Globalmedia Pro is a pretty reputable company - but still, is it worth it if my camera's blow up on a shoot? No it's not worth the savings from them. Thanks guys, I couldn't imagine what I would do if I do have a fire at my studio! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pablogrollan Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 thanks guys - I still think these batteries can blow up - Globalmedia Pro is a pretty reputable company - but still, is it worth it if my camera's blow up on a shoot? No it's not worth the savings from them. Thanks guys, I couldn't imagine what I would do if I do have a fire at my studio!I agree it's not worth the savings, but V batteries shouldn't blow up. It is possible, but unlikely since even Chinese brands have over-charge and power cut off failsafe circuitry. Keep in mind that many reputable brands from all fields in electronics manufacture in China. It's more about choosing the right Chinese knock-off -always a bit risky, though-.Li-Po batteries are the dangerous ones. Even brand-name batteries can explode or go up in flames because they are volatile and have no safety circuitry. Its just a power cell (or several) with two cables, and all sorts of things could go wrong. That's what I don't like about drones and gimbals: no matter what brand you buy, if you store your gear in your studio you are at risk of having one of those batteries catching fire. I believe the only exception is the Letus Helix Jr, which has a conventional Li-Ion battery. captou 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_David Posted March 11, 2015 Author Share Posted March 11, 2015 I agree it's not worth the savings, but V batteries shouldn't blow up. It is possible, but unlikely since even Chinese brands have over-charge and power cut off failsafe circuitry. Keep in mind that many reputable brands from all fields in electronics manufacture in China. It's more about choosing the right Chinese knock-off -always a bit risky, though-.Li-Po batteries are the dangerous ones. Even brand-name batteries can explode or go up in flames because they are volatile and have no safety circuitry. Its just a power cell (or several) with two cables, and all sorts of things could go wrong. That's what I don't like about drones and gimbals: no matter what brand you buy, if you store your gear in your studio you are at risk of having one of those batteries catching fire. I believe the only exception is the Letus Helix Jr, which has a conventional Li-Ion battery.this is super good to hear - thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeys Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Li-po and Li-ion are very similar - they only blow up when they overcharge, which is why regardless they should have safety circuits somewhere in the pack.The downside with the cheap Chinese packs are usually with battery quality itself. They don't seem to last as long as the good ones. And if you're not careful, they can and will omit a cell or two... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roccovw Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 Never buy from Globalmedia Pro No help when you have a problem. No customer service. Avoid them at all costs. Ref order 9398771. Wasted $700 and since my first message to them about the problem they flat ignore me webrunner5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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