The good, the bad & the ugly (Page 4): Thx...

Papa j Loc: Cary NC

Mr PC wrote:

ABC plus KEH, gotten several used items from KEH and am very happy with price and quality. They're the real deal. Also, I use Amazon Prime for my computer repair business and they have a great return policy. I judge a vendor by what they do when things go south and they've always come through for me. Good luck!

Thx

Tools Loc: Eastern Nebraska

Elliern wrote:

Has anyone used Beach Camera? I notice that both Amazon and Best Buy use them as 3rd party sellers.

For my online photo equipmentI have used, and would use again:
B&H
Amazon
Costco
Best Buy
Canon

I have also used Abe's of Maine many years ago, but would probably not do so again.

Have used Beach a few times for both new and factory refurb items and have been totally satisfied. One order was a phone order. The person taking the order was very helpful, made some money saving suggestions and upgraded the shipping (expedited) at no charge. He was truly helpful.
On the flip side, their assortment pales when compared to B&H and Adorama.

Caveat emptor.

Tom H Loc: St. Louis, MO

I can't believe that no one has mentioned MTSHOOTER's store, Carter's Camera Cottage in Montana. He is extremely knowledgeable and eager to help. He has been referred to as the "go to guy" on UHH.

He not only has a store but does Internet and phone order business as well. I was pleased to learn he has outgrown his original store and is opening a much larger store in Billings, MT. http://www.cameracottage.com/

No, I'm not affiliated with him in any way other than having visited his store, talked with him and bought from him.

mort Loc: california

you can check online seller's ratings at - resellerratings.com

meredith a Loc: N. California

birder585 wrote:

Thanks!
I know there have been some mentioned I should stay away from as well. I think 42nd St was 1 and there was another I can't recall?

My experience with 42nd St was positive. The price for my T 3I was not to good to be true, I recieved several days before it was scheduled to arrive. I have had it almost 2 years with no problems.
Now they will call to confirm order and try to sell you accessories and extended warranty but just say no if not interested and they will move on and not bother you again atleast that was my experience.

erickter Loc: Dallas,TX

nicksr1125 wrote:

The good ones in my order of preference: B&H, Cameta, & Adorama. I'm sure there are other reputable online dealers. As for others, use the search function at the top of the page. Most of the bad guys have been discussed here. Otherwise, do a google search of the company you're interested in doing business with.

Forgot KEH as a good guy. Have never done business with them.

I have, and so have many on this forum. kEH is reputable in the used camera market.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Elliern wrote:

Has anyone used Beach Camera? I notice that both Amazon and Best Buy use them as 3rd party sellers...

I've bought stuff from Beach... no problem.

jimmya Loc: Phoenix

birder585 wrote:

I have read snippets here & there on this blog on the good online camera stores & the bad ones. I would appreciate 1 spot to go to for reference when I need it to know where to shop. So, who are the good ones & who are the bad ones?

I am in agreement with many others here. I shop only
B&H and Amazon - Amazon being my preference.

graybeard

4ellen4 wrote:

I guess I am old fashioned. But I would think that when buying a camera, lens,flash etc, that a person would want to go to a store and buy the item.

Anyone ever think about the fact that there are hackers out there that have gotten into the files of various different banks and other stores. And gotten email addresses and bank account info? Gee I hope you guys also have a good drive wiper on the computer because the banking info is still on the computer for someone to get a hold of.

You are not old fashioned..... you are a dinosaur !

erickter Loc: Dallas,TX

graybeard wrote:

You are not old fashioned..... you are a dinosaur !

Jurrassic dinosaur at best. Get with the times. That's what SSL and HTTPS
are for. They work 99% of the time. eCommerce is here to stay because it works.

picturesofdogs Loc: Dallas, Texas.

B+H. They are great.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

I had my card number stolen by or from a dodgy seller on Amazon. I say dodgy because the electronics I bought from them didn't work and Amazon got me a refund. A short time after this transaction I started getting billed for online gaming in Australia. The fact that this vendor also sold video games and were unreliable led me to the conclusion someone in their organization used or sold my debit card info, or their computers were hacked. I believe virtually all of the card hacking is done by people who hack store databases. It would be too time consuming to try to hack individual customer computers, and bank and card company computers are much more secure than databases belonging to vendors, especially small ones. Luckily for me my bank, TD Bank, was super conscientious about cancelling my debit card, refunding all of my money and issuing me a new card with a new number. About a year later I got another bogus pending charge and went to the bank. They issued me a new card and number on the spot and cancelled the pending charge.
The takeaway for me is being as cautious about Amazon vendors as I am about ebay sellers. I check their Amazon feedback and stay away from any vendor that doesn't look squeaky clean. (As an aside, Cameta is one of those good Amazon vendors that I have dealt with several times and was well satisfied.)
The other take away is dealing with a bank like TD that values customers more than vendors. Years ago I had a similar incident when I used Chase bank and their allegiance was to the vendors, telling me to wait until all the fraud charges came through and emptied my account. I changed banks to TD Bank the very same day. TD bank has 24/7 customer service and when charges looked bogus wrong when I check my account online, they responded immediately.Their service basically turned a couple of incidents of bogus debit card charges into a fairly trivial problem to get resolved.

erickter wrote:

Jurrassic dinosaur at best. Get with the times. That's what SSL and HTTPS
are for. They work 99% of the time. eCommerce is here to stay because it works.

Ranjan Loc: Currently Cyber-Nation!

Bobspez wrote:

I had my card number stolen by or from a dodgy sel... (show quote)

If large banks, hardware depots, chain dept stores can be Target-ted for such hackings, it can occur to any business even if the business may not be shady!

I hope you did make Amazon aware of what occurred to you with that vendor. Amazon (and similar orgs) relies on consumer feedbacks. Whether they do or not, it is our duty to let them know. If we do not and let it slide, another consumer could be affected similarly.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

Amazon was told about the shoddy merchandise and issued me the refund. I also left a negative feedback for the vendor about their shoddy merchandise. But I couldn't accuse them of the fraud because I had no proof they were responsible for my fraud debit charges, even though I was pretty sure it was them.

Ranjan wrote:

If large banks, hardware depots, chain dept stores can be Target-ted for such hackings, it can occur to any business even if the business may not be shady!

I hope you did make Amazon aware of what occurred to you with that vendor. Amazon (and similar orgs) relies on consumer feedbacks. Whether they do or not, it is our duty to let them know. If we do not and let it slide, another consumer could be affected similarly.

Zookeeper Loc: Texas

I totally agree with putting B&H at the top of the list.

For Leica shooters I can recommend Kurland Photo (Leica Store, New York SOHO).

I shoot both Nikon and Leica and have found Kurland Photo to be my goto for Leica cameras and lenses. I've purchased a lot of Leica lenses and a couple of bodies and have always been very satisfied with their service. I have also been able to get newly released bodies and lenses from them while B&H still has a waiting list.