(Beware of online camera shops such as Broadway Photo)
I was browsing through the latest edition of Digital Pro Photo Magazine and was checking out the adverts in the back of the magazine for camera gear. I normally don’t pay any attention to these ads because they seem to have the same price for the Nikon Gear that I’m usually checking out. But low and behold I found a brand new Nikon D-300 for the bargin price of only $1,339.99 at Broadway Photo. What’s the catch? Where’s the fine print? Ummm. I’ve never heard of Broadway Photo. A few days later I looked up the D300 from their web site and found the D-300 for the advertised price of $1,349.99. I did a Google Search of Broadway Photo and found this fantastic article published by PC World entitled, Camera Confidential. The author did a undercover shopping expedition that revealed the doubtful deals, padded prices, and pushy salespeople in the business. It was written by Daniel Tynan and Tom Spring. Broadway Photo was outed out!
You can read the article here - The only online stores I have purchased camera gear from has been Abes of Maine, B & H Photo, and Amazon. I have never had a bad experience with any of these companies. I knew finding the D-300 at that price was going to be a sham and it was very interesting reading this article about what goes on behind the scenes.
4 Comments
I have had a good experience with Beach Camera on a number of occasions and they tend to be cheaper than any of the three you mentioned. They do seem to play a few games with a sister site, BuyDig where one has the body for a good price and the other has lenses cheaper, but they don’t seem to be any more expensive then B&H. The service is prompt and it is USA warranty products. Just a thought.
I’ve had recommendations and successful purchases with Adorama as well. Thanks for the article link!
Always check http://www.resellerratings.com before buying. There’s a reason why the scam artists at Broadway Photo get 1.86 out of 10 and B&H gets 9.62 out of 10.
Watch out for Abe’s of Maine, too; they’re old-school bait & switchers.
SKS
Ratings are a Great way to make sure the company you are dealing with is reputable. However you should take into consideration that generally the only people who have somethign to say usually have something bad to say. Customers who have had average or positive experience expect it, and dont see it as nessesary to report to the consumer world that their expectations were met.
Anyway. Abe’s of Maine has made Tremendous improvement to their policy and customer service. Always do your research before you purchase. I hope you Will consider Abe’s of Maine in your future shopping experience.