Buying on the WWW

[THoey]

I looked and I don’t see a thread like this, so hopefully I am not missing it or doing anything wrong.

I am looking to buy my wife a Canon 40D for Christmas. Doing a search of the web pops up with a bunch of sites selling them. Are there any sites you recommend? Or, more importantly, any I should stay away from?

I have been looking at three sites so far and the prices just keep getting lower (GOOD thing):

http://www.us1photo.com
http://www.fotoconnection.com
http://www.bestpricecameras.com

Just afraid of getting ripped off, used equipment, etc…

[sleeping]

The first one might be fine. I would stay far, far away from the other two:

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/US1Camera

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Best_Price_Cameras_6

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/FotoConnection_1

[RcMacStudent]

You can try these places, they’re known to be good.

For new:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
http://www.adorama.com/
http://www.jr.com/

For used:
http://www.keh.com/onlinestore/home.aspx

I’ve bought from B&H, JR.com and KEH.com with no problems or hassle.

[Mr.BobDobalita]

I don’t know how this price is, but Newegg is always top-notch on service and reliability….

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=canon+40d

Also, pricegrabber is always good to comparison shop…. beware though, some of their vendors may be less than reputable.. ie: you get what you pay for…

http://cameras.pricegrabber.com/digital/canon/p/48/form_keyword=canon+40d/rd=1

[zeke]

Also amazon.com. Sometimes they have better prices on a part than buying from adorama directly. Also, don’t forget crutchfield.com.

[THoey]

Thanks for the input. I really want to go with one of the more reputable places, but that $449 price makes my wife want me to call them… Don’t even care if we get the bonus items that are supposed to be free with it, just getting the box with the body new and it’s required pieces in the box would be worth it.

[THoey]

UPDATE: First, I called my credit card company. Told them that I was thinking of purchasing an item from a company who has a lot of bad internet reputation. Asked them what would be my recourse if I bought this and it was suddenly out of stock, came refurbished instead of new, etc. They said that I could call and they would block the charge or dispute / reverse the charge as needed.

Then, I called the company. After waiting on hold for 30 mins I finally talked to “John”. He said the price was $449 for the Canon 40D body and that it was brand new. I asked if that contained all the extras that came with it like the manual, CD, cables, etc. He said “NO, those come with the $1100 body”. Hmmm… How about the about the Canon warranty? “NO, those come with the $1100 body”. Hmmm… Uh… Thanks anyways…

I really wonder if Canon knows they are selling these this way? Well, back to searching for a low price.

[zeke]

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_market

Photographic equipment

Generally regarded as legal in most countries, parallel imports make expensive photographic equipment attractive to savvy users. The grey market in photographic equipment is thriving in highly developed and heavily taxed states like Singapore, with dealers importing directly from lower taxed states and selling at a lower price, creating competition against a local authorised distributor.

Grey sets, as colloquially called, are often comparable to authorised imports. Lenses or flash units of parallel imports often only differ by the warranty provided, and since the grey sets were manufactured for another state, photographic equipment manufacturers often offer local warranty, instead of international warranty, which will render grey sets ineligible for warranty claims with the manufacturer.

Due to the nature of local warranty, importers of grey sets usually mask the flaw in warranty with their own warranty schemes. These are often warranties with reduced benefits or lasting a shorter period of time.

Grey sets do not differ particularly from an authorised import. They look and function identically, apart from the manufacturer’s warranties having been voided.

---

Translation: Buyer beware. Any place that’s selling a 40D in the 3 digit price range probably falls into the above category. If you absolutely want a legit 40D with all the gear and (most importantly) the warranty, plan on shelling out at least a grand. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

[millera9]

Thanks for the input. I really want to go with one of the more reputable places, but that $449 price makes my wife want me to call them… Don’t even care if we get the bonus items that are supposed to be free with it, just getting the box with the body new and it’s required pieces in the box would be worth it.

calumetphoto.com is another great dealer. They have excellent service though you’ll pay retail for it.

As a warning, my 30D has been returned to Canon once under warranty for a hot pixel and is about to get sent back again for the same thing. If I’d bought one of the grey market bodies and had this problem, I would have been screwed. I’m glad I bought mine from a reputable source and chances are good that you’ll be glad too because flaws do happen; even to expensive new equipment! Good luck!

staplermofo is my hero. 🙂

[Author]

Posts