Camera store check ??

[Bob A L]

Anyone do business with Beach Camera out of NJ? They have a 7 year extended warranty and 30 day return for Nikon lenses and sell through Amazon. Normally I buy straight from Nikon, but curious. Thanks

 

[ajr images]

They are on the current Nikon Authorized dealer list.

The Nikon lens warranty is now only1 year, so not sure where something would get repaired from year 2 to year 7.

 

[shuncheung]

Anyone do business with Beach Camera out of NJ? They have a 7 year extended warranty and 30 day return for Nikon lenses and sell through Amazon. Normally I buy straight from Nikon, but curious. Thanks

Beach Camera is the same store as Buy Dig and is an authorized Nikon USA dealer: https://cdn-6.nikon-cdn.com/where-to-buy/nikon_img_auth_dealers.pdf

Do you live in an area with high sales tax? I usually just buy from B&H and let their PayBoo pay my sale tax.

 

[Bob A L]

I have no idea either. On Nikon's list, they are as beachcamera.com buydig.com and not specifically listed when you go to "buy from" (local or online) at the particular item on Nikon web site. So just being cautious. It only amounts to 1 day delivery with Amazon prime, the extra warranty??, and $4 less price. Not really enough to concern about. Probably the biggest for some might be the 30 day free returns which might be a problem with Nikon purchase if I just did not like the item. That has only happened once in over 60 years, but suppose it can happen. Don't think Nikon honors not happy type returns.

 

[Bob A L]

Thanks for the feedback. Nikon or Amazon only charges state sales tax which is just under 5%, (no local tax from them), so not too bad. And don't you have to get all set up with B&H for that program. I have bought from B&H, but not enough that I worried about sales tax.

 

[sirhawkeye64]

They are on the current Nikon Authorized dealer list.

The Nikon lens warranty is now only1 year, so not sure where something would get repaired from year 2 to year 7.

Usually these shops contract with a third party repair center, but if it's after the manufacturer's warranty, at least there isn't any risk of voiding the warranty as it would be over by then. However, you are at the mercy of the camera store to get your stuff serviced after the first year, and I've heard some horror stories of people's claims being denied for example.

Unless the savings is large, I would just go with an authorized seller. Most people probably don't need service until much later in a lens's life. 7 years is a bit excessive though, even for third party lenses which sometimes have longer warranties (Tamron offers 6 years but that's from Tamron itself).

--
PLEASE NOTE: I usually unsubscribe from forums and comments after a period of time, so if I do not respond, that is likely the reason. Feel free to PM me if you have a questions or need clarification about a comment I made.

 

[michaeladawson]

And don't you have to get all set up with B&H for that program. I have bought from B&H, but not enough that I worried about sales tax.

Yes, you have to get set up. It's basically applying for another credit card. Plus you have to ask them for a higher limit than what the initial limit is if you're going to buy anything expensive. The credit card has exorbitant interest rates, almost usury. So you have to be sure to pay off the purchase within the month or you don't really get the sales tax advantage.

But if you buy a fair amount of equipment it makes good sense. Especially if you're buying higher end gear. If you buy one $1000 camera body every three or four years and one lens every three years, I wouldn't think it's worth it either. But if you're buying $10,000 worth of gear and your state is around 6% that's a $600 savings.

I don't have the Payboo card (maybe I should have) and I've bought a Z7II, Z9, Z8, 100-400mm, 600mm PF, and 800mm PF since 2020. That's over $1400 in tax where I live.

 

[PLShutterbug]

They are on the current Nikon Authorized dealer list.

The Nikon lens warranty is now only1 year, so not sure where something would get repaired from year 2 to year 7.

There are many companies who sell extended warranties. Maybe they have their own repair facilities, or perhaps they contract with others - or maybe they arrange with Nikon (in this case) to do the repair and they pay the bill.

This is essentially insurance. You pay a bit more for the comfort of knowing that if anything goes wrong, you won’t have to pay a big bill. Many also cover accidental damage, which no manufacturers warranty covers.

There are also a lot of shady merchants, who will do anything they can to make your claim invalid. So with extended warranties it is very much a matter of Buyer Beware.

 

[shuncheung]

And don't you have to get all set up with B&H for that program. I have bought from B&H, but not enough that I worried about sales tax.

Yes, you have to get set up. It's basically applying for another credit card. Plus you have to ask them for a higher limit than what the initial limit is if you're going to buy anything expensive. The credit card has exorbitant interest rates, almost usury. So you have to be sure to pay off the purchase within the month or you don't really get the sales tax advantage.

But if you buy a fair amount of equipment it makes good sense. Especially if you're buying higher end gear. If you buy one $1000 camera body every three or four years and one lens every three years, I wouldn't think it's worth it either. But if you're buying $10,000 worth of gear and your state is around 6% that's a $600 savings.

I don't have the Payboo card (maybe I should have) and I've bought a Z7II, Z9, Z8, 100-400mm, 600mm PF, and 800mm PF since 2020. That's over $1400 in tax where I live.

I live in the Silicon Valley and our sales tax is 9.125%, and some near by areas have sales tax over 10%. Therefore, B&H PayBoo is worthwhile. However, there are plenty of credit cards that pay you back 2%, 2.5% and Amazon have their own cards.

If one's sales tax is 5%, the net difference against credit card rebate is perhaps 3% and is small when you only buy a new lens once every couple of years. In any case, I think Nikon's one-year warranty is sufficient. I rarely need any warranty repair past the first year; in fact, even the first year is rare. I would buy from a reputable dealer.

 

[Bob A L]

Thanks all - went with my old standard Nikon itself. It's always been fine. Case closed

 

[shuncheung]

Thanks all - went with my old standard Nikon itself. It's always been fine. Case closed

Congratulations. I assume a shiny new 28-400 is going your way. :-D

 

[Leonard Shepherd]

It may be OK - or it may not be - so ask questions

Are they official Nikon imports to USA with Nikon USA service warranty.

If not official imports, there are potential issues.

If they are official imports is the 6 years over 1 year with an insurance company, and if yes can you see a copy of the policy wording?

If no, presumably Beach Camera has to agree to pay for a repair.

Some retailers offer a warranty on second hand equipment not covered by a manufacturers warranty - and often allow for an average cost of a repair in their mark-up.

Wex in the UK own Nikon pro repairer Fixation. This can simplify repair issues.

 

[monte12345]

Because they all allow unquestioned returns within 30 days if the product isn't damaged.

I recently returned a ML-L7 remote because Nikon will not permit more than one bluetooth link on their cameras. As a result if you have a camera set up to use Snapbridge to provide GPS location data you will have to uninstall Snapbridge in order to install the remote. Yeah it's pretty darned STUPID but Nikon is currently near brainless about WIFI or Bluetooth.

BTW I've been using Nikon gear since 1973 and this is the only item I have ever had to return.

 

[Bob A L]

Yep, and you are partially to blame. And am I ever in trouble. I checked with my son and he said I could come stay with them for a few days. :-D

 

[shuncheung]

Yep, and you are partially to blame. And am I ever in trouble. I checked with my son and he said I could come stay with them for a few days. :-D

I hate to share this story. In around 2016/2017, Nikon had this new combo D500 + 200-500 with kit discount. (That kit must be around $3000 back then.) A friend who was around 70 at that time was hesitant to buy that new camera. My wife told him not to get into the situation being in heaven while his money was still in the bank. He was convinced and bought the kit. A few years later, he got pancreatic cancer and passed away weeks later.

But I am glad that he got to use that kit for several years.

 

[Born2Code]

Just one more thing to add. If a store is selling Nikon gear for substantially less than Nikon, it's most likely gray market. And that means that Nikon USA will never repair it, even for money, should you ever need them to. And that could happen if the store or company honoring the the warranty were to go out of business.