The Beginner’s Buyer Guide to Digital Cameras
If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
Search for your favorite camera on your favorite search engine. Find a price you like? Wait, is that price $200 less than you’ve seen it elsewhere? DID I JUST FIND A STEAL?!
G.S. recently found himself a great deal. He bit the bullet, placed the order online, and immediately received an email confirmation for order. Shortly after the order was placed, a second email was sent to him: “Please call us to confirm your order.”
G.S. found himself on the phone with a customer service representative who began trying to sell him extra accessories and an unnecessary extra warranty from a no-name company. When he compared the prices to the retail, he realized that he was getting gypped: his final cost was now 25% more than any reputable dealer.
Extremely frustrated at the sudden turn of events, G.S. told the representative that he’s going to cancel his order. That’s when they hit him with a “cancellation form” that would require him to still be responsible for 10% of his final cost.
In the end, he told them he’s not interested. He never got his product and is prepared to dispute the charges in case he does “accidentally” get billed for the order he already canceled.
Sound like it won’t or can’t happen to you? Don’t get too comfortable in your chair.
This is common practice among perhaps 95% of camera retailers in the Northeast US (particularly New York) that do business online at cheap costs. To make matters worse, you’re often doing business with someone who doesn’t even have a store or storefront.
Take this recent complaint about another dealer from another “G.S.” among us:
Bait & switch operation. You order online & they email you to call them “For verification purposes”. They then lie about the product’s short comings such as 15 minute battery life and the necessity for filters, warranty, etc. If you decline, they email and say product is back ordered for 3 weeks. Your product will never come and when you follow up, they have no record of your order. You will NEVER get the product at the price they advertize unless you buy the over priced accessories.
There are two extremely useful authorities in terms of determining whether your camera or camera gear is a worthwhile purchase: Don Wiss has done extremely thorough research into the Brooklyn stores, photographing the storefronts. Shocked? Half of those stores are warehouses — but that’s their registered business address (who knows if they’re really operating out of those places? These are shady operations indeed.)
The second resource is ResellerRatings, where you can search for user reviews per store. If it’s not in Don Wiss’s guide, ResellerRatings will give you the insight into the dealings, whether ethical or not, at photography stores and more.
G.S.’s story is certainly not an anomaly. These occurrences happen much more frequently than you think. He was a victim, and you can be too.
While my list is not authoritative, here are a few good-name camera dealers with whom I have done business and personally recommend:
- B&H Photo: this store boasts a real storefront that is a block long in Manhattan. In fact, it’s jam packed and is a photographer’s paradise. There is no store in the world like it. (Unfortunately, photography is not allowed in the store, but trust me, pictures of this place are newsworthy.) I bought almost all of my lenses from B&H.
- Adorama is also a popular NY store but is not as large as B&H. I have actually found slightly cheaper prices at B&H but I have bought camera gear from this store.
- Buydig.com, or its parent company, Beach Camera. I bought a D70 from the former and a D200 from the latter.
- Sigma4Less is where I have purchased Sigma lenses. There is a question regarding whether this store is an authorized Sigma reseller, but I have never had any problems with my lens purchases from here.
Then there are other well known resellers from whom I have not directly dealt with but have heard great things:
- CalumetPhoto
- Norman Camera
- Canoga Camera
- Samy’s
- Roberts Imaging often does have the best prices, but if you want it quick, bear in mind that there’s a huge waiting list for just about … everything.
Want something used? Try these before you go on eBay:
- KEH.com, one of the largest used dealerships in the country
- Check the buy/sell forums on Nikoncafe.com (25 posts minimum required before you can access this forum), Fred Miranda’s Forum, and Nikonians.org (which I believe requires a $25 minimum membership in order to participate in the buy/sell forums). I’ve dealt with all three and have had no problems. You deal directly with the seller and are not obligated to pay any hidden fees beyond what the seller posts.
The moral of the story: You may have to pay retail to spare yourself the headaches. Do your research. Know what accessories you need before you buy a camera body. (This especially holds true for CompactFlash or Secure Digital cards.) Know the market value of your item before you place your order.
If you are educated about your product and its accessories before you buy, you almost can’t go wrong.
A BIG Thanks to Tamar Weinburg!
Thank you very much for the post about online camera store scams and the “to good to be true prices”. For what its worth… in short (as long as it may be)
I was litteraly staring at my computer screen, ready to press the “Order” button after entering all info; name, address, phone, credit card, and qty of 2!- D80′s (body only) for a grand total of 800 and change, then thought for a few moments….
This just can’t be… I’m just an everyday someone looking for a good deal on a camera I have been looking at for almost 3 weeks now. Ive seen the prices on ebay and been quoted from my local camera store. THIS IS JUST TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!
For some reason I stopped myself, opened another tab in the brouser. Did a search on ?? something about store ratings, i cant remember now. But anyway, within a couple of clicks in search results, I ended up in this blog archive for The Beginners Buyer Guide to Digital Camera.
I followed the links and found the company I was about to do business with. I then reviewed the ratings for this store with a sick feeling in my stomach.
Thanks to you it was short lived and I have returned to reality. I have no idea who you are, nor have I every felt so compelled to give thanks to someone on a website I have never seen before.
And I do thank you.
Ryan.
Thank you Ryan for your kind comments. I am glad I helped — and I hope you find a great D80 soon without the headaches and hassle!
Buydig, Beach – are associated with Abe’s of Maine (Abe’s used to be located in Old Orchard Beach, Maine which is where the Beach comes from. And let me tell you, Abe’s is NOT one of those companies you want to work with. They’re true and total scum, and I wouldn’t trust buydig or Beach any more.
Interesting catch, Jason. It appears to be confirmed here as well.
I still am loyal to Buydig and BeachCamera; my most expensive equipment has come from those stores. I wouldn’t do business with Abe’s though after reading what I found.
I’ll be passing this info along. Thanks for taking the time to put it out here for so many to see.
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yes its a sad fact that they hook you with cheap prices only if you buy there way to expensive parts and they are not doing anything out right illegal just very underhanded why its important to research before you buy
I have a good one for you. Broadway Photo. If you see this name on your screen – RUN!
I placed an order for a Canon 50D and a Canon 200MM Macro lens in February. I get the call. Having been through this before I figured I could handle it. I ended up agreeing to a package including express shipping, warranty for both items, battery, battery charger, and CF card (high speed). Two weeks later (express shipping???) I get the package. Missing is the warranty for the camera body, and CF card. The warranty card for the lens has a body number, but the lens has no SN. This body number does not match the 50D SN, and the SN of the 50D body does not match that on the box.
I call Broadway and have a fight with the abusive snot ball at the other end and hang up on him. Another guy calls me back and he agrees to send me the warranty and a High Speed CF card for $21. I agree. When the package arrives there is a no-name card, and no warranty. I called them again, had another fight (intimidation is their game, but I will not be intimidated. In fact I enjoy the fight), and told them I want to cancel the order and return the whole package at their expense because the order is incomplete and the problem is at their end. They say I have to pay for shipping and 15% restocking fees. Of course I told them when hell freezes over. I wrote the credit card company and told them the purchased items have not been delivered to our satisfaction and they are to withhold payment. Currently the package sits in our office and there it will remain. The ball is in their court. I wrote and said they will get paid when and only when the order is complete to my satisfaction. Since I am holding their inventory and the money I expected a response, but am still waiting. I figure they have four choices: 1. They can complete the order; 2. They can turn the case over to a collection agency, in which case they will get 50% of the money; 3. They can come from NY to CA and take me to small claims court, which I would welcome. 4. They can send me a pre-paid shipping label. They can’t ruin my credit rating because I don’t buy on credit.
I get sick of the ‘corporate policy’ BS, so I have written my own purchasing policy. I can send a copy if anyone is interested.
Buying Tips: When ordering on the web print the page just before the last ordering key press. This is the only time you will see the items itemized. If you agree to adding accessories ask them to send you an itemized list before you approve the order.
Hope this helps someone.
Ken