markg

I use only on line stores. They are helpful and the return policy is great. Never use a store that charges a restocking fee.

pdwoodswood Loc: Lewisville, NC

I thought that is why we pay taxes?????????

imntrt1 Loc: St. Louis

The bulk of a city's revenue comes from sales taxes.

davejann Loc: Portland Oregon

If the city is smart enough to have a sales tax. I live in Portland Oregon.

pdwoodswood Loc: Lewisville, NC

I guess NC is about avg in taxing....state, city, county taxes + 7.5% sales + gasoline tax of .51/gallon .....taxes, taxes & more taxes we probably do not realize! When in college in CH, NC we paid $.14/gallon total...never even thought about the tax....and here we are 50 years later paying $4.00/gallon and $17.00/lb for fillet mignon.

Photogdog Loc: New Kensington, PA

I used to be in this camp as well when it came to buying American. I drove Fords & GMs for years. Now I own a Nissan that's almost 10 years old (over twice as long as any car I've ever owned) and I'm not getting rid of it any time soon.

This is capitalism in action. There's an old saying, "Build a better mousetrap...". A corollary to that might be "Sell the same mousetrap at a better price, guess where people will shop?".

I live in PA where the sales tax is 6%; higher in some places like Pittsburgh where it's 7%. That's where I normally go if I want to buy from a local merchant who employs salespeople that actually know something about the cameras they're selling.

If I have $1,000 to spend on a body, lens, etc., I tack $70 on to the base price right out of the gate. Add to that the $4.00/gal gas price for the ~40 mile round trip and the parking tab. I order online & rarely (if ever) pay tax or shipping. I wait 3-4 days, the package is hand delivered to me and my car sits in the garage.

I simply can't justify pumping more money into a local economy that forces me to drive on roads with potholes that are never filled, take detours around bridges that take YEARS to repair and produce outcomes-based "educated" kids who are functionally illiterate and can't balance their own checkbooks.

My homestate has elevated wasteful spending to an art form. If the local & state machines learned how to use tax funds efficiently, they could cut taxes in half and still have money left over.

I'd love to support the local economy, but until they make a product that's worth buying, I'm on the phone or keyboard.

PNagy Loc: Missouri City, Texas

Most of all revenue of lower level government comes from intergovernmental revenue, which means the federal government. Property taxes are the next highest source of revenue for local governments,

Biker Loc: Allentown, PA

Wow, we really opened a can of worms here. The poor girl only wanted to know where which online stores everyone shops at. Next thing you know we're talking about roads and bridges and tax monies. :-D

Sensei

I have purchased several items form BH photo and Adorama both sell on line and have large brick and mortar stores. Products are guaranteed. and they are very reliable. Check out their websites

Photogdog Loc: New Kensington, PA

Biker,

Sorry, sorry, sorry! You're right. I knew I'd open a can of worms when I responded to some of the earlier posts. Pet peeve and all that. This forum is for fun & photon capture. I lost sight of that.

Just for the record, online is the way to go if you're dealing with a reputable merchant (BH, BH, BH...).

I hate to say it, but I just upped my open order on my NEX-7 body to include the Sony 50mm f1.8 lens. I might put that on the 5N & mount the 24mm f1.8 Zeiss on the 7. I've read some excellent reviews of the 50mm & with the other glass in my bag, I think I'll be set for a long time to come. I just wish the friggin' thing would show up. I'm pacing a groove in the floor!

PD

PhotoArtsLA Loc: Boynton Beach

Back on topic, I have ordered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment from B&H, which owns about 35% of the entire photo/video business of the United States. I set up the studio for OneModelPlace.com entirely from B&H with several huge orders, and the bulk of my own equipment has come from B&H.

I have been to their New York store, which is a monument beyond all measure to capitalism. When you go in, there is a palpable flow of money and product. It is ultra efficient. Where small camera stores watch cameras sold per month, B&H measures by the hour.

Normally, B&H has the best prices you can find for a place carrying one of the largest photo inventories on the planet.

Biker Loc: Allentown, PA

It's OK PD. Things push my buttons too at times. Do what I do, take an ativan and think about the perfect photo. <grin>

Photogdog Loc: New Kensington, PA

Biker,

Thanks for the advice. I think the perfect photo is like a winning lottery ticket. It's out there, I just can't seem to find it.

On another note, I'm finally going to collect on my Christmas present from my family. They got me gift cards from Michael's where I get some of my custom framing done. I took this on Easter Sunday late in the day. I used my 5D Mk II with a 24-70mm f2.8L set at 400 ISO and no tripod, unfortunately. Bracketed exposure +/- 1.0 EV, ran it through Photomatix for HDR & then Elements 10 for levels & saturation. I printed it on Atlex silver mica coated paper (Pain, you have to let it dry for ~1 hour & then spray a laquer sealant over it to protect from moisture, fingerprints, etc. ((But it was actually kind of fun!))).

It ain't the greatest shot but it reminds me of my roots.

PD

Biker Loc: Allentown, PA

nice shot. Good job.

molsonice Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

I have also use B&H as well as Amazon but it is best to shop around to see where the best price can be had. For example I was looking for the Tamron 18 to 250 tele and it was priced from $500 to $950 at a lot of online stores. I happened to get it fron Amazon for $274.95 two years ago and glad that I did because you can even get a used or refubrished one for that price. Price grabber is a good place to start to fine out what online stores are charging.