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Buy in a store locally or online ?

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Nance

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First off I went to a local store and the price of Canon G2 was $619 plus tax (~$670) then I went to check prices online. Now consider that I live in USA. So I don't have to pay excise taxes and all. Lowest price I was quoted online was $425 plus no tax (it comes from a different state than mine so apparently no tax)for G2. It even included shipping and handling. There is actually a wide range of prices depending on who I buy it from.

So my question is this why would I not buy from an online retailer when the difference is price is so significant ? What gives ?

Thanks in advance for your responses.
 
Nance said:
First off I went to a local store and the price of Canon G2 was
$619 plus tax (~$670) then I went to check prices online. Now
consider that I live in USA. So I don't have to pay excise taxes
and all. Lowest price I was quoted online was $425 plus no tax (it
comes from a different state than mine so apparently no tax)for G2.
It even included shipping and handling. There is actually a wide
range of prices depending on who I buy it from.

So my question is this why would I not buy from an online retailer
when the difference is price is so significant ? What gives ?
Click to expand...
What gives is when somebody actually falls into the lion's trap:
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&message=3790778

I will not buy anything from a store that quotes only $425 w/o taxes for the G2. I'd rather spend my dough either local or places like B&H.
--
Casio QV-10, G2, A40
 
PB is right about showing some common sense about ultra low prices. But I buy most things online ( I would pay NY tax). The major price-comparison site will rate the merchants. Also see http://www.resellerratings.com/ for additional ratings. That say you should be able to save close to $100 on the G2.

Also check return policy, restocking fee. You might run a reseller through this board for opinions
Nance said:
First off I went to a local store and the price of Canon G2 was
$619 plus tax (~$670) then I went to check prices online. Now
consider that I live in USA. So I don't have to pay excise taxes
and all. Lowest price I was quoted online was $425 plus no tax (it
comes from a different state than mine so apparently no tax)for G2.
It even included shipping and handling. There is actually a wide
range of prices depending on who I buy it from.

So my question is this why would I not buy from an online retailer
when the difference is price is so significant ? What gives ?

Thanks in advance for your responses.
Click to expand...
 
Nance,

I would do as suggested; check out the forums and see what some of the people there say about various on line sellers.

There is the problem with the grey market items from the standpoint of not having a full US warranty, missing some accessories, and a myriad of other complaints/problems.

Just make sure when you talk to the sales person at the online/telephone order desk that you get a straight answer with regard to grey market items.

I'm pretty much in the same boat as your are; trying to determine where to buy. It is nice not to have to pay the sales tax on items you buy via telephone/mail order.

Jerry D.
Nance said:
So my question is this why would I not buy from an online retailer
when the difference is price is so significant ? What gives ?
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for all your replies guys. Sounds like there are too many doubts. I think I'll just buy it from local retailer even if it's much more than the cheapest online retailer. Atleast I'll have a peace of mind.
Gerald E. Dexter said:
I would do as suggested; check out the forums and see what some of
the people there say about various on line sellers.
There is the problem with the grey market items from the standpoint
of not having a full US warranty, missing some accessories, and a
myriad of other complaints/problems.
Just make sure when you talk to the sales person at the
online/telephone order desk that you get a straight answer with
regard to grey market items.
I'm pretty much in the same boat as your are; trying to determine
where to buy. It is nice not to have to pay the sales tax on items
you buy via telephone/mail order.

Jerry D.
Aerocycle said:
So my question is this why would I not buy from an online retailer
when the difference is price is so significant ? What gives ?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I bought two G2's last year. one from B&H which by the way is a reputable company to deal with and one from a local camera store. I prefer to buy local. One, if its only a few dollars more, I prefer to have someone to answer my questions and if its a big ticket item to be able to service my product. You tip a waiter, why not pay a bit more realizing that these folks are local and they will be there for you. I don't deal with chain stores but my local camera store is privately owned and has been in business for many many years. ..
Nance said:
Gerald E. Dexter said:
I would do as suggested; check out the forums and see what some of
the people there say about various on line sellers.
There is the problem with the grey market items from the standpoint
of not having a full US warranty, missing some accessories, and a
myriad of other complaints/problems.
Just make sure when you talk to the sales person at the
online/telephone order desk that you get a straight answer with
regard to grey market items.
I'm pretty much in the same boat as your are; trying to determine
where to buy. It is nice not to have to pay the sales tax on items
you buy via telephone/mail order.

Jerry D.
Nance said:
So my question is this why would I not buy from an online retailer
when the difference is price is so significant ? What gives ?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Nance said:
First off I went to a local store and the price of Canon G2 was
$619 plus tax (~$670) then I went to check prices online. Now
consider that I live in USA. So I don't have to pay excise taxes
and all. Lowest price I was quoted online was $425 plus no tax (it
comes from a different state than mine so apparently no tax)for G2.
It even included shipping and handling. There is actually a wide
range of prices depending on who I buy it from.

So my question is this why would I not buy from an online retailer
when the difference is price is so significant ? What gives ?

Thanks in advance for your responses.
Click to expand...
Roliaz replied:

Click the link below for my experience buying locally.

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1009&message=3567901

Regards
 
While you must, as the other posters said, research any too good to be true vendors carefully, I buy almost everything online. Think if the difference- an online vendor can just be a guy with some G2s in his living room...he can sell these at a very low markup and make a profit. Compare that to say, your local Circuit City, which has high fixed costs.
 
I don't want to sound like I'm bad mouthing BH Photo, but their prices, online, and in the camera mags, are not much better than my local camera dealers.

I have to admit, I might end up paying full price, but if that is the case, I'll buy from a reputable dealer in another state, just to avoid the rip off state sales taxes. Even with shipping, it comes out cheaper.

Problem here in the Twin Cities, none of the camera dealers are at all competitive, so it pays to look out of state as far as I'm concerned.

Jerry D
Nance said:
Nance said:
Nance said:
So my question is this why would I not buy from an online retailer
when the difference is price is so significant ? What gives ?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I purchased an A40 and a Canon ZR45 camcorder through buydig.com because of price and selection and the reviews from posters in this forum. The savings versus anybody local are just too good to pass up. I'll buy accessories locally.
Nick Cockcroft said:
While you must, as the other posters said, research any too good to
be true vendors carefully, I buy almost everything online. Think
if the difference- an online vendor can just be a guy with some G2s
in his living room...he can sell these at a very low markup and
make a profit. Compare that to say, your local Circuit City, which
has high fixed costs.
Click to expand...
 
First of all, DON'T EVER BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ ON CNET OR ZDNET. A lot of their reviews are garbage and/or appear to be "sponsored" IMO. But Reseller Ratings has a rating for buydig.com and here's the link

http://www.resellerratings.com/seller2065.html

happy hunting! (for some digital cameras, http://www.645af.com seems to have some good prices, but I haven't ordered my digicam from anywhere yet, so everybody online except for the high priced guys seems pretty sketchy)
Nance said:
so how do i check on this company, buydig.com ?
Click to expand...
 
Nance said:
Nance said:
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller2065.html
Click to expand...
Thanks OwslyStnly,

I did check on this company buydig.com on that link and it appears
to be quite credible. Anyone ordered from this company ?
Click to expand...
I bought a Canon camcorder from them last month. Very good experience. No hassle in ordering. Arrived 3 days earlier than expected. They did ask if I wanted additional accessories, but when I told them "no", they said "fine" and didn't ask again. The price was about 30% less than local chain.
--
Davia
C-700
pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/dmlove
 
Hi,

I buy the bulk of my photo gear locally. Even the used stuff. I pay on the order of 20% more to do so. Why? Service is why.

I can go in, see 'my' knowledgeable counterperson. I can then chat about the relative merits of one item vs. another if I need to. Then, I can pick the particular item I want from the available stock. This is very important for SLR lenses, BTW. If there isn't stock, they'll order several if need be so I do have a choice. If I get an item home and it's not quite right (rarely), or I think I'd rather have something different, then I can take it back for exchange or refund.

When I was deciding between the AF and AFS versions of the Nikkor 80-200 f2.8 lens, I was able to take both home and give them a workout to decide. I was then able to return the AF version when I decided that I really could make use of the much higher AF speed of the AFS one.

If I were to do this on-line, I'd have to pay for both lenses and then sell the one I didn't want on eBay for whatever someone was willing to pay for it. So, I do get something quite worthwhile for that extra 20% I wind up paying.

The extra money you have to shell out at the local shop, the money the folks behind the counter need to feed their families, is money that is not lost. Once I'm content with shopping at a given place, I tend to buy from them on a regular basis. That's known as 'giving them my custom', which is where the word 'customer' comes from.

About the only time I don't buy locally is when I'm after something that isn't available at any of my local places. As an example, I recently wanted another Nikon AH-4 handstrap to go on a D1 series DSLR. That's an old accessory for the F90 film SLR and is discontinued. No one had one locally, and I finally found one on-line. I was actually somewhat annoyed at the fact that I had to go on-line for one, and couldn't just pop in at one of the local shops for it.

Stan
Nance said:
First off I went to a local store and the price of Canon G2 was
$619 plus tax (~$670) then I went to check prices online. Now
consider that I live in USA. So I don't have to pay excise taxes
and all. Lowest price I was quoted online was $425 plus no tax (it
comes from a different state than mine so apparently no tax)for G2.
It even included shipping and handling. There is actually a wide
range of prices depending on who I buy it from.

So my question is this why would I not buy from an online retailer
when the difference is price is so significant ? What gives ?

Thanks in advance for your responses.
Click to expand...
--
Amateur Photographer
Professional Electronics Development Engineer
More info and list of gear is in my Posters' Profile.
 
Nance

my tameron 28-105/2.8 lens failed the other day during a shoot. I was able to go to the vendor, pick up a replacement while my other lens is fixed/replaced.

how much is that worth?

my relationship with vendors in my area allows me to borrow gear and try it out to see if it's what I need.

how much is that worth?

while hanging out BS'ing in photo stores in my area I've picked up many, many tips on photography and problem solving.

what's that worth to you?

so my question to you is saving $100-$200 worth losing these benifits? not to me, however, each of us must make our own choices in relationship to our individual needs

bm bradley
 
brian bradley said:
Nance

my tameron 28-105/2.8 lens failed the other day during a shoot. I
was able to go to the vendor, pick up a replacement while my other
lens is fixed/replaced.

how much is that worth?

my relationship with vendors in my area allows me to borrow gear
and try it out to see if it's what I need.

how much is that worth?

while hanging out BS'ing in photo stores in my area I've picked up
many, many tips on photography and problem solving.

what's that worth to you?

so my question to you is saving $100-$200 worth losing these
benifits? not to me, however, each of us must make our own choices
in relationship to our individual needs

bm bradley
Click to expand...
Roliaz replied:

It's "Invaluable"

But many consumers "know the cost of everything... and the value of nothing".

Regards
 
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