I've tried to buy Canon products from Photonation, Broadway photo, and Bestpricecameras.com. These companies advertise low prices then after you place the order they send you an order confirmation asking you to call them to "verify" your order. They then proceed to sell you warranties or sell you accessories that you don't want or need. Their final ploy is to tell you that the product you are buying is not a US model and that it is cheap because it is a foreign model with no warranty. Despite the information at their site saying they ship in 1 to 3 days they then tell you that the product will be shipped in 4 to 6 weeks!
Photonattion told me that a camera I ordered has a magnesium body instead of whwtever Canon normally uses. My take is Canon does not make inferior products to sell overseas. If the product is inferior it has to be illegal and these companies should be prosecuted for selling bogus products.
Bestpricecameras told me a lens I was ordering used plastic instead of glass
2007-06-19 04:26:02 · 8 answers · asked by Akasanoma 4 in Consumer Electronics ➔ Cameras
Be very careful when buying electronics online. Before going with any company make sure you look them up on resellerratings.com. This way you can see others feedback about the company and problems they have had (just like you described above). Sometimes this can be way different from the ratings they recieve on ebay, I hear this is because they threaten to leave negative feedback for you if you do not withdraw your negative feedback for them and bully people into changing their answers or promise to send them free items that they dont send.
After much research I orderd a Canon and accessories from Cameta Camera, they had pretty good prices and an excellent reputation. I recieved my items within a week exactly as ordered and it was all US products. The peace of mind was important to me. If you go to their site check out their ebay store and they have great camera packages.
2007-06-19 05:21:13 · answer #1 · answered by Snarf 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As you will also hear from several users, I have purchased several cameras on-line with no problems whatsoever. You generally need to know what it is you are looking for, as you will not get help from a friendly and knowledgeable sales person - most of the time. You will not get any help after the sale if you have questions about how to use the camera or what accessories to buy, because this kind of service is all part of what you get when you pay retail or close to retail prices.
I have been nothing but thrilled with B&H Photo at www.bhphotovideo.com for years and years. They advertise in Popular Photography, as do several other merchants who sell on-line. I rarely have to wait more than 2 days for shipment even when I choose "by camel" or something similarly slow, but I'm only 2 hours from New York.
B&H Photo is available through a link at Yahoo! Shopping, www.bhphoto.com or at 1-800-622-4987. See also http://www.resellerratings.com/store/B_H_Photo_Video_Pro_Audio
For your curiosity, you should look at http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Broadway_Photo and http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Best_Price_Cameras_6
2007-06-19 05:51:46 · answer #2 · answered by Picture Taker 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Scam, scam, SCAM!!!!!
Go to www.resellerratings and check bestpricecameras.
Buy from B&H Photo, Adorama, Calumet, or used from www.keh.com. All reputable dealers who will sell you what you want and if it's not in stock they will tell you.
The thing is, those scam companies are prosecuted sometimes, but they open another website and do it all over again. If you have given them any credit card info, I would contact my bank and have them issue you another card.
The problem with grey market cameras is the warranty is no good here in the US, and Nikon, among others, will not work on a grey market body, even not under the warranty.
2007-06-20 14:55:11 · answer #3 · answered by Ara57 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you want to buy online pick up any photo type magazine and look in the back for ads. Now, choose one that is nationally known and also operates "brick and mortar" stores. I personally have used Ritz Camera a number of times with no problems. As stated before, the lowest price isn't always the best bargain.
2007-06-19 08:24:12 · answer #4 · answered by rsimons56 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I live in Missouri and have bought most of my equipment (Canon) from B&H Photography in New York. You go on your website and pick exactly what you want and pay by credit card. You pick how fast you receive the stuff and pay the shipping. There's no one to call unless there is some sort of issue. They are very knowledgable and professional and reputable. Before you purchase things from a business, I would suggest looking at their reviews on line. Established businesses that are reputable often even have reviews (good and bad) available on their website. Happy hunting..........
2007-06-19 06:13:21 · answer #5 · answered by Missouri Mick 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My experience has been good with online shops. I've bought two of my camera bodies from http://www.beachcamera.com and both arrived earlier than anticipated, and in excellent condition.
I usually purchase lenses from http://www.bhphotovideo.com , and I've had wonderful experiences with them as well.
The best thing to do is to look up the seller on http://www.resellerratings.com , and read of other people's experiences with the dealer. Personally, I don't buy anything from any seller that does not have a physical building that they also sell equipment from, just because I feel more secure with them that way.
2007-06-19 06:43:48 · answer #6 · answered by K 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I do my buying from www.bhphotovideo.com You might be able to find better prices, but the non-us stuff is clearly marked, and I've never gotten the runaround with them.
2007-06-19 05:16:45 · answer #7 · answered by Troy P 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As people have told you, B&H is very, very good. I'm a professional photog. and have dealt with them for years. There are others though, Adorama is one.
2007-06-19 06:35:14 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋