Posted by Scott Vaughn on October 8, 2008 at 12:11 PM
I'm in the process of getting back into photography and am now in my research phase. I've pretty much decided on the Nikon D300. B&H has the body for $1559.95. I found the same camera at shopdigitaldirect.com New, with USA warranty, for $799.00. That's almost 1/2 off! Does anybody have any experience with digital direct good or bad. Is this too good to be true?? I like B&H...but.
Check out the customer reviews at Reseller Ratings. Looks REALLY grim! I wouldn't give those guys the money for a phone call to turn themselves into the fraud police.
Posted by Phillip Noll on October 8, 2008 at 12:49 PM
If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is!
Some online stores I trust are:
B&H
Adorama
Calumet
Amazon
There are others but be leery of any store that offers camera equipment for 1/2 off!
Posted by Scott Vaughn on October 8, 2008 at 12:54 PM
Well I did a little research and found a world of bad news about them. I'm glad I didn't just hit the purchase button and step into a big pile of.....! Thanks for the heads up!
Posted by John Mumaw on October 8, 2008 at 6:35 PM
Buydig.com is also a trusted vendor that usually has better prices than the competition.
Posted by David Bostedo on October 8, 2008 at 8:28 PM
I love BuyDig (which is also Beach Camera). Over the past 3 years, I've bought my MP3 player, P&S camera, Superzoom P&S, and recently my first SLR and lens from them. All were shipped free very quickly, and all 4 times they had a price cheaper than I could find anywhere else (including Amazon, B&H, etc.).
As an example, I ordered my SLR and lens in the early afternoon on a Monday, and chose the 7-9 business day free shipping. The package showed up the next day (a little over 24 hours later).
My usual method for looking for prices is to use MySimon.com and ResellerRatings together. I'll also check Amazon (which shows up on MySimon, but inaccurately) and the big box stores. Here's the link on MySimon for the D300 (put in your zip code and click "price" to sort by price) :
Posted by Dan Borzynski on October 8, 2008 at 11:40 PM
I am in a local camera shop fairly frequently and on a rare occasion, I get to hear conversations with the staff while they are talking to customers or suppliers. There isn't a very high markup on camera bodies like the D300 and I am fairly sure that the dealer isn't paying $800 for a body that retails for $1,500. I don't know the dealer pays for that body, but there is something very, very seriously wrong with that price.
Discussion
6 repliesSome online stores I trust are:
B&H
Adorama
Calumet
Amazon
There are others but be leery of any store that offers camera equipment for 1/2 off!
Buyer Beware!
You can also purchase your camera equipment right from the NPN Gear Shoppe and help support this site: http://www.naturephotographers.net/gs.html
As an example, I ordered my SLR and lens in the early afternoon on a Monday, and chose the 7-9 business day free shipping. The package showed up the next day (a little over 24 hours later).
My usual method for looking for prices is to use MySimon.com and ResellerRatings together. I'll also check Amazon (which shows up on MySimon, but inaccurately) and the big box stores. Here's the link on MySimon for the D300 (put in your zip code and click "price" to sort by price) :
MySimon D300 Page