ScottB Loc: Westlake, OH

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

HelenOster Loc: New York

I'm sorry to see this; I know that there is frequently confusion when the used department gives an expected re-sale value. It might help if I explain a bit about how the process of buying and selling works on a day-to-day-basis.

The used department get upwards of 1,800 pieces sent in for evaluation every week........that's a LOT of used gear (there are around 26-27,000 used pieces in our warehouse right now!) The way the value is established is by using a calculation which takes into account the number of exact same units (of the same grade) in the warehouse at the time of your trade; the average number of that exact same unit in stock over the past 6 months; the average selling price of the unit over the past 6 months and projected decreases in the pre-owned market in the coming months due to new models becoming available. That gives them the ‘value’.

Then they offer up to 70% of that figure, (to cover shipping, insurance, staffing, advertising, the warranty, warehousing costs AND the boss expects them to turn a profit), but of course, a final figure can only be given once they have had the opportunity to physically appraise gear. They send out a pre-paid shipping label so units can be sent in for a thorough evaluation – fully insured – at no cost to the seller! And as you know, if no price can be agreed, there is the cost of returning the gear to the seller.

Because of the sheer weight of gear arriving and shipping out every day, they generally need to allow up to 8 days to look over items – especially as at least 2 (and sometimes 3) highly-skilled technicians will need to examine and test pieces, and maybe carry out basic servicing to see if minor issues can be fixed fairly easily.

Finally – and this is important – the selling prices on the website can only be a ROUGH guide if you are trying to figure out how much the used department might be able to pay you for your gear.
When new models are released, the overall market tends to soften. Pre-owned units will usually drop in value, but ‘Used’ will still be looking to sell existing pre-owned stock (which may have been warehoused and therefore costing revenue for days, weeks or months) without making too great a loss on the price originally paid out.

In my personal experience, (and this isn’t an official statement from ‘Used’!) while you will be offered 70% of the current expected selling price unless you are selling a genuine collectors' piece you possibly shouldn't expect to receive more than 55-65% of the price you see on the website.

BTW negotiation can be a factor if you are trading up, or if you are confident enough to insist that your gear is returned if the offer isn’t raised by an amount you feel is reasonable. But this may not be a route for the faint-hearted! At the end of the day, if there are 40 almost identical units in the warehouse and demand has fallen in relation to supply, they will take you at your word and ship it straight back……

HelenOster Loc: New York

If a customer wishes to return an item he only needs to call our CS Team and he will be advised how much the 'free' shipping element was. I can't see how adding that to every product page would help, because if a customer returns 2 or 3 items, the shipping cost would not be the same as 2 or 3 items returned separately.

Ralloh Loc: Ohio

You got free shipping, which means Adorama paid for it. There was nothing wrong with the item. You just decided you didn't like it. So why should Adarama eat the shipping charge? If it was damaged upon arrival, I'm sure they would have given you a full refund. No company will give you shipping charges if you simply change your mind and don't want the product.

Satman Loc: Indy

Buyers Remorse...not a problem,

But one should be responsible for the cost to others for changing their mind.

You would be surprised the amount of money we spend for things we desire, but really do not need.

Just Fred Loc: Darwin's Waiting Room

I'm just going to add my unhelpful $.02. I've only been a UHH member for a little over a year, but when I joined, Helen welcomed me and presented me with a gift VIP account with Adorama.

I have since bought a number of items (bags, lighting, lenses, filters, etc.) and have always been 100% pleased with the service, quality and performance. Having Helen monitor this forum is a big plus, as I'm sure everyone can agree.

In my part time, I work in a local, family-owned retail business. I've noticed that customers generally fall into several categories.

There is the "bargain hunter." They will generally buy cheaper products, and some will even attempt to haggle the price. At the opposite end, there are the "quality" shoppers, who carefully research their product purchases, and expect to "get what they pay for" (this is a pretty good rule of thumb in any case!). Then, a large majority are shoppers who want the right product for their needs and welcome honest information and advice, and ultimately go from "curious consumer" to the "loyal, informed customer."

Since small businesses rely heavily on their reputation to stay in business, Adorama, through their reputation, past performance, and Helen's presence on this board, have earned my trust. I do not find their practices deceptive, and I am confident that any transaction I conduct with them will be fairly and competently managed.

Bargain hunters don't care. To them, it's all about the cost (to them). Unless one is in a business that caters to bargain hunters (I am not), I do not need their waste of my time and resources.

jfn007 Loc: Close to the middle of nowhere.

I do not believe Adorama should call the paying of the customer's postage a gift. By law, title or ownership of a gift goes to the recipient. Unless the recipient conned or coerced the giver into giving the "gift", ownership has passed. Why don't you call it something like a tentative bonus that will be revoked upon the customer's returning the item?
As I mentioned, I have no beef with Adorama. I have not used any disparaging words to describe your business practices. I am sure 99.9% of your customers love your service. I just know I shall not be in any hurry to buy from Adorama when I have not had any problems doing business with B&H. I have not had any problems dealing with Adorama.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

:thumbup:

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

You've probably already taken a brow beating. But you stated that the tripod was "unsuitable". Hate to have to say it but I personally would not have looked at a tripod from Sunpak to begin with, an electronic flash or strobe, yes. That is what they are known for. Most companies, even the best have their niche. Not that you could touch it for $40 or even $100, perhaps at $400, look at a Gitzo Tripod.

Blasthoff Loc: Life halved NY and IN

Trust me when I tell you I stand by the consumer at every "right" turn. Let me explain why YOU are WRONG, repeat, WRONG. Do you know of ANY postal service that ships for free? No, there isn't. Did Adorama deliver the item, intact, at the price listed with shipping included? YES. The REASON for your return was solely and entirely your own personal choice and not because of material defect. If there were something wrong with the item, Adorama would pay shipping both ways on the return, I know that as fact from first hand experience. If it's on YOU, what do you expect? Somebody to pay for YOUR mistake? Seriously? On the rare occasion I make a mistake I state upfront the mistake was mine and go from there. The return policy is both FAIR and pretty much standard with top sellers including Amazon. There is NO restocking fee, just the actual cost. Sellers that offer "free returns", which is common with some shoe sellers, build in the price of returns into the price, meaning your paying for returns whether you return or not. Would you prefer to PAY MORE UPFRONT?

hcmcdole

I paid $200 for a Sunpak (Quantaray) tripod many years ago at a local camera store. Needless to say the head was a complete failure (I should've done research as suggested by many on this thread). I donated it to some charity and bought a Gitzo tripod and a RRS head after that fiasco.

Trentc Loc: Denver, CO

I have done business many times with Adorama, and never had any issues. They were even kind enough to take back a used item that I purchased from them. B & H is another story completely. Many years ago, in the darkroom days, I purchased a large easel from them. When it arrived, I took it out of the box, carried it downstairs, realized it was too big to fit under my enlarger and packaged it back up. It was literally out of the shipping box for less than 5 minutes. When I sent it back to B&H, they refused it and sent it back to me (charging me shipping again), saying it was a used item and had wear marks on it. Many back and forth conversations ensued during which they called me a thief and liar. This after I had probably spent over $10,000 in camera and darkroom gear with them. They could have easily verified I had been an excellent customer. I finally reached out to Saunders (the manufacturer) and they took care of me. Haven't done business with B & H since and never will. Adorama for new and KEH for preowned equipment are the only way to go, IMHO.

twillsol Loc: St. Louis, MO

Should have kept it and sold to a friend or donated to Good Will. $40.00 for a tripod is cheap.

jazzman1 Loc: South Of The Border

I use B&H for all my purchases. I've returned items and never encountered this. I only had to pay return shipping. And the products that was defective, they paid for return shipping, cost me nothing.

pego99

This is perfectly reasonable and fair.

B&H would have had the same results

I prefer Adorama over B&H.