Elsiss Loc: Bayside, NY, Boynton Beach, Fl.

I purchase from Crutchfield. Free shipping, no tax, points toward discounts and a reasonable return period.

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

B&H, Adorama, Hunt's (may give you a sales tax break if you're in New York). Don't you love autocorrect!

RKL349 Loc: Connecticut

Not sure what you are buying but Buydig distributes through Beach Camera, and they are listed on the Nikon USA site as a Nikon Professional Dealer, so if you are buying a Nikon product, you should feel safe dealing from them. I purchased a factory refurbished lens from them a few years ago with no issues whatsoever. Abe’s of Maine was good years ago, but sold out, now not so reputable.

sshus924 Loc: South Florida, USA

Stay away from 42nd Street Camera, NY,NY. Gray market stuff. Also try to "upgrade" you with higher price or with junk you don't need! B & H Photo and Adorama are the best!!! Great prices, service and returns.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Abe's of Maine and 42nd Street Photo Shop. Despite complaints to the public local government, and the BBB, these shops continue to not change their business practices. Are there any others that need to be added, that we don't know about?

dragonlady9947

I only buy Canon so I go through B&H or directly through Canon. Prices and rebates are the same. B&H is terrific. Bought a spendy camera from another place once-it was supposed to be new but had someone else’s photos on it. When I complained, I was told the shop was making sure the camera worked before they shipped it. I sent it back and bought a new camera from B&H.

MidnightManiac

Find Abe's of Maine and 42nd Street Photo not to be reputable dealers (both in the same category) as I have in the past purchased from them. Might save a few bucks but hope you don't need any warranty work done. Adorama, B&H, and KEH (for used) are all great companies to deal with but my go to company is Cameta. Went there years ago and was very impressed with their selection and knowledge. Enzo has always taken care of my needs and very honest. For new gear I always use Cameta used gear have had much luck with KEH...Like both their warranties and guarantees...

Fitzovich

I would go with Adorama, my experience with B&H has been less than stellar.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Save yourself a potential headache and buy from reputable dealers like Adorama and B&H among many others.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

"Respicable"?

Is that a cross between "reputable" and "despicable"?

Apes of Maine = despicable. If you look up "shyster", "bait n switch", "rip off", "scam" and similar terms in a dictionary, you'll probably find a reference to Abe's of Maine.

Do yourself a favor and look up whatever you are wanting on B&H Photo and Adorama websites.... Amazon Direct is good too (no knowledgeable support, though). Some of the Amazon vendors are good too (Adorama is one of them, I think). You'll probably find their prices very similar. Those are by far the highest volume dealers who also have long term reputation for fair and honest dealing. There are other reliable stores (Roberts, Henry's in Canada, KEH for used, Pacific Rim for vintage & collectible, among others).... but start your search with the "big three" and be suspicious of any prices you might see elsewhere that are significantly less than they offer. I've done extensive business with all the stores I've mentioned and have had little or no problem with them. I may be a "part owner" of B&H and Adorama now, I've spent so much with them over the years! One "issue" I had with Adorama some years ago was promptly and fairly resolved. It was a warehouse mixup... they sent me the wrong item... THREE TIMES and at three different delivery sites because I was on the road for a job! But all was resolved by them and I ultimately got full refunds.

Costco and Walmart can be good deals, too... but they have VERY limited selection. Mostly just basic "kits" of the most popular models. Local to me, Fry's Electronics has great prices, but LEGENDARY bad customer service (if you need a laugh, "Fry's job application" online:http://homepage.smc.edu/engfer_mark/frys.htm). I buy computer gear from them reluctantly... and I see they do have some camera stuff... and they will accept returns in the event of a problem. But I'd be careful. I generally avoid Best Buy after several bad experiences and a lot of misinformation from marginally knowledgeable staff. Other than sale items, in my experience they are VERY overpriced. I only buy there when I absolutely need something NOW and have no choice... and hopefully know and find exactly what I'm looking for because the sales staff is only marginally better than Fry's.

Canon USA website sells "factory refurbished", which can be good deals (be sure to compare with new, though... sometimes sales make them a better deal). Canon USA factory refurbished have the same warranty as new.

Nikon USA has recently started selling refurbished directly, too. I don't use Nikon, so can't comment on pricing. I did notice they only offer a 90 day warranty, like most used equip. dealers.

I don't know about Canon and Nikon in other countries or other camera and lens manufacturers.... might be worth checking their websites.

While shopping you'll find that if it's "too good to be true", it probably isn't true! From other than the folks mentioned, there can be one or more hidden catches or cheaper substituted items or misrepresentation in the ad. Be very, very careful! Use some of the online resources for store feedback, but also be wary of those because some of them are easily fooled (for example, I rarely use resellerratings.com any more because the shysters have figured out how to go and post fake reviews of themselves there, to falsely boost their ratings a lot.... they probably also post fake negative reviews on competitor's listings).

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Yep. There is another photo shop Scammer.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

So what's your beef with B&H? A VERY well respected source here on UHH, and everywhere else!

ronichas Loc: Long Island

B&H and Adorama DO charge NY sales tax. They are both located in NY. Hunt's does not because it is out of NY State.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

As a business owner, I'd like to point out that no business charges tax, they collect it as legally required.

Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

To be honest I have bought from B&H online an at the store in NY. They are really helpful.
Adorama is very good. But I must say Amazon my go to supplier. I know that they will back
me up on any purchase of gear I make. If you want to save money and are ebay savvy
and the seller is highly rated this is where big discounts can be had. I am a ebay seller and have
a great rating. That is how a can underwrite things I need. Don't expect the used pricing
we used to enjoy. But you will recover at least 50% plus on gear.