I went to the monthly Bristol computer fair earlier today... I feel kind of "proprietorial" about it, since when the previous fair organiser decided to pull the plug on the event (which wasn't making him enough money) I suggested that it was HE and not the customers or traders who were to blame, and also suggested a newer, better venue. He told me I was an idiot, who knew NOTHING about computer fairs.... and yet just a few weeks later, a rival organiser had picked up the gauntlet, and changed the venue to the place I'd suggested. (the Bristol City Soccer stadium)
There's an obviously-Chinese stallholder who attends regularly and who sells Chipods and similar gadgets - memory, webcams, digital photo frames, digital "all in one" gadgets (combined portable SNES, MP3, MP4 player camera and video recorder...) and he seems to be the main UK importer of products made in HK by "Netac". We chatted about how the fakes had driven down the prices of MP4 ChiPods (he's now selling them for just £18 - and they're gift boxed!) and he revealed that he's a substantial trader on Ebay, under the name "zkapple". Feedback seems good (except for some gripes about "not being able to contact the vendor" - how HARD is it to contact a vendor who has his OWN .co.uk website complete with its own forum?!) I've not dealt with this vendor through Ebay, but I have absolutely no hesitation in commending his products Prices are good, and he seems to regularly attend several fairs organised by British Computer Fairs (
http://www.britishcomputerfairs.com/) Buying direct from the importer in a face-to-face transaction seems the safest way to go. The fairs are monthly and all in the South of England (aside from the weekly one in London) Zkapple seem to be based in Bath. Netac also supply direct from Hong Kong where they seem to be a serious player in the mass-storage industry.