pdsilen Loc: Roswell, New Mexico

When in doubt. If you're going to deal with a merchant whom you're unfamiliar with. And who is a long distance from you, Here are two websites you can look up. Check them out with the Better Business Bureau. There is also another website which is good to access, "Ripoff Report" That website has saved me from a lot of expensive mistakes.

shieldsadvert

thank you.

ButchS Loc: Spokane, WA

Gray market is a bad idea.

Virtually all of the camera manufactures treat grey market goods the same. You will not be able to get warranty repairs done, and for that matter, they will not do out of warranty repairs either. If you buy gray market, you must be willing to make the gamble that it will not need repair before you gotten your moneys worth out of it. Because once it needs repair, in most cases, your only recourse will be to Replace it with a new item.

graybeard

only Nikon treats their costumers with such contempt.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Three reasons:
1. They are good at marketing; Abe's of Maine usually shows up on internet searches for camera-related gear.
2. Many people look primarily for lowest price and don't properly research the seller before they buy.
3. Abe's makes enough profit to endure lawsuits related to their practices.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

I doubt most people are going to their state to sue them over a few hundred or even thousand dollars. It would be costly and hard to win and collect. Best to do your homework on what you want to buy and where you want to buy. I agree too many people are obsessed with saving on purchases.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

"Abe's of Maine" isn't in Maine (it's in New Jersey). And no one named Abe has worked there in decades.

Abe's of Maine was sold many years ago.... purchased by a bunch of shysters who will rip you off for all you're worth.

Most of their "deals" are bait-n-switch.... You place the order and they'll call you to "confirm". They'll also mention that the battery, charger, etc. aren't included (though the manufacturer includes them), but they'll be happy to sell you some at prices 3X the normal price. Or they'll tell you what you ordered is the Chinese version and if you want one with the menu in English, it's "a little" more expensive. That's utter B.S., since the cameras can be loaded with free firmware in virtually any language. If you get the camera in kit with a lens, they might substitute a cheap third party lens for the OEM lens. They'll sell the lens originally in the kit separately.... or offer it to you as an "upgrade", at a bit higher price of course. They often offer "mega kits" with "teleconverters" (cheap, junk auxiliary lenses, not actual teleconverters), "close up lenses" (cheap magnifying filters), junk tripods, and maybe a few other things that you'll eventually end up throwing in the trash.

Their "90 day warranty" is probably a "store warranty" since it's a gray market camera without any manufacturer's warranty (which would be a year or longer). This means that if you have any problems you won't be able to have Sony repair it. You'll need to send to the camera back to the store who will have the option to repair (by who knows who) or replace it (with who knows what) or just tell you it's "user error" and the warranty is void!

N.J. must have weak consumer protection laws, since outfits like Abe's seem to set up shop there.

In the end, the total cost will be just as much or more than what other, more reputable stores are charging for the same item.

Go to a reputable store's website.... An "authorized dealer" like B&H, Adorama and some others. See what they charge for the same item. Anything you see selling for much less than that is highly suspicious. B&H and Adorama are probably the largest volume photo dealers in the country, if not the world. To beat their prices any other, lower volume store would usually need to resort to some trickery.I see the Sony a6500 selling at B&H for $998 for body-only, $1098 with 16-50mm lens, $1398 with 18-135mm lens, or $1596 with 18-105mm f/4 lens.

tjw47 Loc: Michigan

B&H is not a small operation, they have over 2000 employees.
With that number of employees they have a very large operation.
To try and compete on price would be very difficult.
From what is can see on the internet Abe's of Main has 5% of the employees that B&H has.

henryp Loc: New York, NY

Abe's of Maine (“Abe’s Electronics Center, Inc.”) filed for bankruptcy protection in November 2012. The company name was sold to Westpark Electronics, LLC.; located in NJ. More at https://www.cpricewatch.com/blog/2014/05/warning-avoid-abes-of-maine-and-other-bait-switch-retailers/

henryp Loc: New York, NY

That would not be true.