If you find a real bargain price on camera equipment (or a lot of other electronics) with the business being in Brooklyn, NY, it's probably from one of these places:

Online camera seller store fronts...

Definate Eye Opener...
As I always suggest to folks, buy from B&H or Adorama. If you find a price cheaper than them, you really don't want to buy it.

 

here's some more from Manhattan:

Manhattan Store Front

Note Adorama and B&H on top of page.

 

What's the point of this?

B&H is one of the most reputable brick and mortar or online camera sellers. They have customer service that rivals Ritz-Carlton Hotels. I would recommend them to anyone and everyone. Are these sites supposed to be implying something by including pictures of their business locations?

If someone were to take a picture of F150online's official business location they would have a picture of a strip-mall. What's the implication here?

Admittedly, there are a lot of shady merchants out there peddling gray market merchandise as USA/manufacturer warranty products, but I can definitely say there are some on those sites that are quite legit...speaking from personal experience. (being a photographer since 5th grade and having purchased all of my equipment from NYC merchants)

 

actually I was recomending B&H and adorama.


Yes, many of the others are good companies who I've bought from in the past as well. Some of them are shady as heck.

I just posted it to be another source of info for anyone researching a seller. That's all. It's really impartial.

 

I was definitely not accusing you of implying anything, please don't get me wrong.

I think the bottom-line for ANY product is that if the price sounds too good to be true, it is.

There are DEFINITELY some NYC merchants on there that I remember advised told to stay away from since I was a kid back in the 70's, but if they are still in business, they must be doing something right.

 

I just noticed that J&R is listed on the Manhattan store list. I can't tell you how much money I spent at J&R while I was in college. These guys are definitely reputable...and have some the nicest electronics storefronts in Manhattan!

 

Last year I invested in another body. It was fresh on the market, so all my normal suppliers were backordered. A new to market body like this, all the retailers sell them at a canon mandated price for a certain amount of time. So basically, my local shop in town sells it for the same price as online retailers do. If I buy mail order/online, I pay maybe $20 for shipping compared to say $120 for example in sales tax at the local store. Anyway, like I said, not many places had one. So I finally tracked one down. Was just getting ready to give the guy my card number when I found out he wanted $150 for shipping and handling. When I asked about the crazy shipping cost, he got really snippy and just gave me a bad feeling about the whole thing. So I told him to stick it. Bought it locally downtown, spent some extra money, but got a lot of peace of mind.

I would never have even wasted my time on the phone call if I had known at the time that this would be the joint I was dealing with. (yep, this is the exact place)

 

Two issues:
1. Many low-ball online camera retailers will only give you that killer price if you also buy lots of marked-up accessories.

2. Many aren't official retailers, so you're out of luck if you need warranty work. And the equipment may or may not be for US sale, so you may not get any support at all if something happens.

 

I do business with www.digitalfotoclub.com and their address is a P.O. Box in Brooklyn, NY. They have the lowest prices I’ve found on many quality items. They also have excellent customer service.

 

I've spent hundreds at J&R also. They have great prices and excellent customer service!

When you order online or by phone you are always taking a chance. Even with companies you've successfully dealt with in the past. I ordered some stuff from a company I've spent hundreds with in the past. This time, however, the order was never received. I ordered it in Nov. in time to get it by Christmas but by Dec. 20 it still had not been sent, and trying to get through to customer service was impossible, on hold for literally an hour! Finally contacted them and they said it shipped Dec. 23...to this date I have not seen my order and I have gotten a full refund plus a $25 gift certificate. But it just goes to show...you take a chance every time you hit the "place order" button.

 

My credit card number was stolen shortly after ordering a digital camera from a store like this in NY - a few years ago. I'll never trust another place/web site like this again (like those in the pics). I know the place I bought from was responsible for poor security which led to the theft of my card number. I won't go into details, but I do know that's how it happened.

 

It's not just places "like those in the pics" that can cause your cc number to get stolen. I had my cc number stolen after renting a U-Haul trailer in S Florida to bring a truck back to Orlando. Someone who got out of jail the day before and lived 3 blocks from the U-Haul got my cc number AND address off the U-Haul form in the garbage. The police refused to prosecute because he only spent $280 of my money (before I caught it and cancelled the card) and it wasn't enough to be a felony.

Ask me why I hate U-Haul and most police.

 

That sux Rocky.

I know two people who were victims of identity theft. Both said that detectives really offered no help at all, and made them feel like they were somehow responsible for the crime.