Now what.....??? For those of you who have great local photography gear brick and mortar locations to go kick tires and all that, I am happy for you. In and around NE IL, brick and...

SuperFly48 Loc: NE ILLINOIS

For those of you who have great local photography gear brick and mortar locations to go kick tires and all that, I am happy for you. In and around NE IL, brick and mortar photography places are nearly extinct. I did stop at one of the last remaining ones Wednesday to check out a new tripod; the salesperson was most helpful and seemed to know his stuff. He gave me his card with the info on the back specific to the tripod I liked, (a Manfrotto by the way). Late that night I went on line to B&H to check on the tripod and read any reviews. What was eye opening for me, the price quoted locally was over $100 higher than B&H's price? HUH??? I called the local store to see if they would price match; the end of that conversation left me confused as the local source could not explain why the difference in price for the exact some tripod. PERPLEXED!~!!!

krashdragon

Local brick and mortar has way more overhead per item than B&H. Cost of doing business locally.
Same reason why Walmart can sell stuff cheaper... volume.
But... locally you can get help from the store. Some places, like Adorama in NYC, and Arlington Camera near Dallas, Tx, even have classes and guest speakers. Try that at Walmart...

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

FlyGuy47 wrote:

For those of you who have great local photography ... (show quote)

Volume, volume, volume. B&H gets a better price point from Manfrotto's distribution chain than your local store. What you are paying for is the convenience of the location, the knowledge of the employees and the ability to kick the tires before you buy.

BebuLamar

FlyGuy47 wrote:

For those of you who have great local photography ... (show quote)

Where is NE IL? Any where near Chicago?

FreddB Loc: PA - Delaware County

BebuLamar wrote:

Where is NE IL? Any where near Chicago?

my guess would be North Chicago/Great Lakes NTC area

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

FlyGuy47 wrote:

For those of you who have great local photography ... (show quote)

B&H is probably the largest dealer of camera equipment in the US. They can afford to have lower prices based on volume alone, but in addition they buy so much from the manufacturers they pay less for equipment than a small independent store would pay. There is no way a small store can compete on most items.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

mwsilvers wrote:

B&H is probably the largest dealer of camera equipment in the US. They can afford to have lower prices based on volume alone, but in addition they buy so much from the manufacturers they pay less for equipment than a small independent store would pay. There is no way a small store can compete on most items.

Actually I don’t find that to be the case. Things are generally pricy where I live, but the local camera store generally has the same prices as those big stores in NYC. I’ve purchased all three digital cameras beginning in 2008 in this store—and the prices have always been the same. Not only that: no delivery charges & never a wait for the item.

SuperFly48 Loc: NE ILLINOIS

When I have gone into local stores, most of the time if the item I am kicking the tires about is a brand name, it's the same MSRP on line and locally. That's why I wondered about the price differential for the Manfrotto tripod, especially the $100+ differential. I did not get a reasonable explanation as to why that was the case either. If I shopped at B&H in person, I would have to pay NY state sales tax just like I have to pay here in IL. Because of the state of the state here in IL, it's not surprising its abbreviation is IL, because financially this state is in a bad way. I have lived in IL all my life too.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

FlyGuy47 wrote:

When I have gone into local stores, most of the ti... (show quote)

No sales tax where I live....so not a factor in either case

SuperFly48 Loc: NE ILLINOIS

Back in the 80's I purchased my first Nikon film camera from SHUTAN in the downtown area of Chicago; one of their biggest competitors was HELIX. Both are long gone from the Chicagoland area. Too bad! However, I still have the Nikon film camera and the six lenses I accumulated. The better Nikkors, I use them on my D850! THEY WORK NICELY! I like that they are manual focus too; I have real control over my focus points! And they are smaller and lighter. Three of them in total weigh less than two pounds. I also still have my original Nikon UV filters, they still do what they were designed to do.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

LoneRangeFinder wrote:

Actually I don’t find that to be the case. Things are generally pricy where I live, but the local camera store generally has the same prices as those big stores in NYC. I’ve purchased all three digital cameras beginning in 2008 in this store—and the prices have always been the same. Not only that: no delivery charges & never a wait for the item.

For many products that is true because the minimum price authorized retailers can charge is often set by the manufacturer. But, small businesses with a small profit margin sometimes charge a higher price for some, or many, items to aid their bottom line.

tcthome Loc: NJ

FlyGuy47 wrote:

When I have gone into local stores, most of the ti... (show quote)

I am not sure about your state but , I have purchased from B&H before the tax law went in to effect with no tax & after it went into affect. I paid NJ sales tax rate with free shipping. Anyway $100.00 would definitely offset the difference in the tax rate on this item.

Enjoy your new tripod!

Goober Loc: Southeastern PA

I live 10 minutes away from my local brick and mortar camera store. They are very knowledgeable and carry a good stock of most things anyone would need. They will match the prices from B & H, Adorama and others and do not sell gray market products. At times they will also absorb the sales tax to compete. I have been dealing with them for 40 years.

cwhi1444 Loc: Orland Park, IL

Procam in Aurora is the closest B&M store to me. Yes a little more than B&M but a nice place to visit. Not only loaded with items but they offer lessons also in store.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

I live in NJ, too!! Yes, since B & H moved its warehouse from NY to NJ, I now pay state tax. Prior to that move, since it was in NY, I did not pay sales tax.
Mark

tcthome wrote:

I am not sure about your state but , I have purchased from B&H before the tax law went in to effect with no tax & after it went into affect. I paid NJ sales tax rate with free shipping. Anyway $100.00 would definitely offset the difference in the tax rate on this item.

Enjoy your new tripod!