camera batteries in Beijing?
 

I ordered a new camera for my Beijing Olympic trip. However, I need a few spare batteries. If I order today in the USA, they may or may not arrive in time. I would like to just buy them in China the afternoon I arrive or the next morning. I've noticed a lot of the batteries coming from HK, and I know if I was in HK, it would not be a problem to find them. However, I can't really figure out the ease of getting them in Beijing. FWIW, the battery is LP-E5, for the Canon XSi.

Is this possible?
Will I be able to get savings over what they are here ($10/each=70 RMB)?
Lastly--Any suggestions on where to find them?

You'll certainly be able to get the battery somewhere in China. Quite where is a whole different question though! :D

I'm thinking that when you say you've got a Canon XSi you're not quite giving us the full details of the camera.... maybe an 'EOS 450/Rebel XSi' or something?

Have a look at the products page on Canon's Chinese site:

http://www.canon.com.cn/products/camera/index.html

If you can find your camera you'll have no problem finding the battery. If you struggle with the Chinese you can work from camera pictures (nice pun, eh!).

Equally China's default search enginge, Baidu, throws up enough results for the battery itself to suggest it's present in the China market:

http://www.baidu.com/s?ie=gb2312&bs=...-E5+canon&ct=0

The second result is probably even more proof:

http://www.smarter.com.cn/electronic...prod-72570154/

All up I wouldn't be too worried. China is a pretty impressive place when it comes to availability of the most unlikely things. You might not end up with a genuine Canon battery - but pretty much any decent camera store (and in Beijing there are lots) will be able to sort you out.

If you do get a genuine battery through an official outlet though - don't expect it to be cheaper than in the US - that's just not how China really works. Equally I wouldn't expect you to end up paying anything close to the RMB480 that site quotes. Bargain as best you can.

Have a good stay in Beijing. The Chinese are very much in anticipation of the Olympics and I'm sure you will be welcome - to quote from an e-mail I've just got:

Another exciting thing is that the Beijing 2008 Olympic games are coming.It's a great pride of Chinese people.You may know from TV that the great Bird Nest Stadium and Shui Li Fang
have been built for the Olympics games.
The environment of Beijing is also greatly improved.We Chinese people are
all working hard ,taking on a new look
to expect the arrival of 2008 Olympics.

I think you're dead on with the "you can get it, but the question is where" part. I don't know what the local's expertise is, but I'm thinking that one of them might know what markets/shopping areas are best for this type of thing.

Yes, it is the EOS 450D/rebel xsi/kiss x2/whatever else it is called regionally.

And no, I'm not looking for the genuine battery from Canon--I am looking to get a 3rd party battery. I have them already for my EOS 350/XT and spent 1/2 the price of a real one to get 5 cheap ones, and they perform just as well for my use.