Buying lenses from Amazon

That's an awesome video! I hope it wasn't a stress test of the box and it's content!

I, too, have bought several lenses from Amazon directly or through their 'Amazon Marketplace' over the years. Lately I have found the packaging of the direct from Amazon lenses to be lacking, though I have never received damaged lenses. Within the past year I was separately shipped a 70-200 f/4 IS and a 100 IS macro where each was in an outer box that seemed much too large for it and was padded by only one or two air pillow thingies; and in each case I could clearly feel and hear the inner manufacturer's box sliding back and forth. God only knows what antics UPS got up to with these in transit! I should have complained to Amazon but was too busy playing with my new (undamaged) toys to bother.

I've never had any reason to suspect that any product that I got from them was not perfectly new. Nor do I have any reason to think differently now. By the way, Amazon has its 'warehousedeals' department where it explicitly sells open box items. Check the link:
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=sv__img?ie=UTF8&node=1267877011

AFAIK, once they become aware of something dodgy in their shipping or supply chain they quickly take steps to address the problem. As a case in point check this link for a Nikon lens that they aren't selling directly anymore because of reported problems:

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-70-300mm-4-5-5-6G-Digital-Cameras/dp/B000HJPK2C/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&m=A2L77EE7U53NWQ&s=merchant&qid=1286725317&sr=1-16

OTOH, I've bought a couple lenses from Adorama and a few non-lenses from B&H and have always found them to be extremely well packed, perhaps even overdone, but that's preferable to Amazon's recent slipshod methods.

[Off topic. I just rechecked that second I posted and noticed this verbiage:

Montana500 said:

Important Warranty Information : All Nikkor autofocus lenses imported by Nikon Inc. include four years of Nikon Extended Service Coverage at no charge. Be sure to look for the Nikon ESC certificate with every Nikkor lens purchase you make.

Click to expand...

Hmmmmmm, kinda makes you think. Canon = 1 year, Nikon = 4 years. What's up with that. I wasn't aware of this. Not enough reason to switch, but it does make you think....]

Yes it does. I like a company that stands by its products.
--
Grizzly bears of Glacier National Park
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Severian The Lame wrote:
was too busy playing with my new (undamaged) toys to bother.

Severian The Lame said:

[Off topic. I just rechecked that second I posted and noticed this verbiage:

Severian The Lame said:

Important Warranty Information : All Nikkor autofocus lenses imported by Nikon Inc. include four years of Nikon Extended Service Coverage at no charge. Be sure to look for the Nikon ESC certificate with every Nikkor lens purchase you make.

Click to expand...

Hmmmmmm, kinda makes you think. Canon = 1 year, Nikon = 4 years. What's up with that. I wasn't aware of this. Not enough reason to switch, but it does make you think....]

Click to expand...

One way to look at it is that Nikon lenses include a extended service warranty in the purchase price. When you take it into consideration, it might be a good deal for some lenses, but the high end ones run several thousand more, and thats a lot for a extended warranty.

I have bought both new, refurbished and used lenses through Amazon and have never had a problem. I regret that anyone else did have a problem.