Buyer Beware mail order sales

[Deb in Cali]

I recently purchased a new digital camera. After discussing it on another thread a fellow CC member suggested that I could have saved money by purchasing the camera through B & H, a discount mail order company.

 

When I talked to my brother who happens to order and oversee massive amounts of cameras and equipment for a major newspaper, he told me to be careful when ordering through a mail order comapny.

 

He stated that the mail order companies will sell you what they call a gray market camera. This is camera that is exactly the same thing as you buy at a store, BUT it isn't covered under a US warranty. So if it malfunctions or just breaks don't expect it to be covered.:eek:

 

So, be sure when ordering through mail order to make sure that it comes with a U.S warrenty. My DB explained that they will try to evade the question if you bother to ask them. So unless you get a clear Yes answer to the warrenty question, then expect to not have it covered. :mad:

 

I guess that this is also true if you purchase a camera when you are outside of the U.S.

[Photo Dad]

Deb,

 

Gray market camera equiment is a valid concern. The usual indication is when you see ads in the camera magazines with prices that are MUCH lower than most everywhere else! I have found that you will be very satisfied with the product and services of the major internet/mail order places (i.e. B&H, Adorama, Norman Camera, and Canoga Camera). I have spent over @20K in the last two years at these places and have been very pleased.

 

One recommendation is to use resellerratings.com to research the "sales history" of any online or mail order company you intend to do business with BEFORE you spend your money.

 

Bottom line - do your homework and you will do well.

[UpYonder]

I too have ordered from B&H and Adorama for many, many years. As with anything you order over the internet - you need to do your homework before you order.

[Singinman]

When researching stores, look at the satisfied customer percentage which is often 90+, then look at the specific problems reported by disatisfied customers. I have found that when the item ordered was in stock at the time the order was placed everything was shipped in a timely manner. Then, when everything worked fine out of the box, the customer was happy and gave the vendor a good rating. When, however, the item was back ordered, involved partial shipments, or delivered defective product, the customer was unhappy and frequently had great difficulty in getting satisfaction from the vendor by way of refunds, replacements, etc. The key is to find those vendors who satisfied customers even when there was a problem with the original order.

[tee_wrecks]

The primary difference in gray market and USA equipment is the warranty. Stuff with USA warranty usually costs more, sometimes as much as 20 or 30% more but for that extra money you get the peace of mind of knowing your equipment can be repaired while it's under warranty at any authorized repair station in the US. Gray market can be repaired in the US but you will have to pay for repairs even if it's still under the terms of the warranty. The equipment is not manufactured any differently. There is no difference in initial quality between gray and USA. It's merely more convenient to have warranty repairs done in the US for those of us that live here. Are you willing to pay extra for that convenience? Or are you willing to gamble that there won't be any repairs necessary during the warranty period? Only you can decide.

 

One more note...If you look in any of the major camera magazines that display ads from companies like B&H (from whom I've bought many thousands of dollars of stuff from over the past 20 years) on most things that are available as gray market goods they clearly list 2 prices one of which includes USA warranty.