billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

You get for FREE a one year warranty from Nikon USA. Most insurance policies that the stores sell you are very high profit items for the store. For me, I consider them a waste of good money. If the camera is bad, it will happen in the first week or so. But, if not, like I said, Nikon gives you a one year warranty.
I have used Nikon camera's for well over 50 years, and probably over that time I have owned and used well over 50 different Nikon camera's. NEVER, that is in NEVER, had an issue with any body.
But, in recent years Nikon has had issues with some of their bodies, but they have taken care of the consumer in these situations. Again, I would not buy, or waste my money on, extended insurance on a camera body. Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.
PS. You can't go wrong buying from B&H or Adorama.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

B&H or Adorama for a trouble free life.

Robertl594 Loc: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and Nantucket

I do believe that you should buy a US unit. You get the US warranty and service. I do not believe that Nikon US will service a grey unit.

I do think that the price for US s/n units are all virtually the same price everywhere.

With that preface and the fact that this is to be your first Nikon, I would suggest that you buy it from a local camera store for the reasons that you will have the store as a resource who will back you for any problems and tutelage. You will have to pay sales tax, but it’s probably worth the extra cost to have a local store who can provide support. You can always buys lenses and accessories on line, but the camera, I would buy from a local source.

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

Beach Camera is an authorized dealer who I have purchased from in the past. I would call them and see if you can buy the same package directly from them as opposed to Walmart. If the other local authorized dealers are offering similar packages to entice buyers, I would check them all out. Remember, many of those so called goodies that they give out as enhancements ar worthless or nearly so. I have purchase from Crutchfield several times. They gave me quality extras, although not as many junky items like most give. Check them out too and good luck!

IDguy Loc: Idaho

I read it the opposite: that he was saying to run away from Adorama and B&H!

Here is the quote: “ Run, don't walk way. Dealers like B&H and Adorama.”

rodpark2 Loc: Dallas, Tx

I've literally bought hundreds of cameras over the years and wouldn't pay a dime for warranty or insurance.
Insurance is a big profit item for stores and in 50 years I've never had a warranty/insurance claim. If you mean insurance against theft, dropping, water damage, etc. you are the only one who can determine your need. I've also never damaged a camera. I'm a photography teacher and need to know all cameras very well so I buy, use and then sell or trade to stay familiar with the latest cameras and technology. I've never needed warranty or insurance even though I travel natural areas extensively. Your needs may very well be different.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

I second this advice on Walmart and Amazon - if it is sold and shipped "fulfilled" by Walmart/Walmart.com or Amazon/Amazon.com you will be dealing directly with either party in the event of a problem, if fulfilled by a third party, your options are much more limited, since you have to deal directly with the 3rd party, and are subject to their return policies (watch out for "restocking fees and other costly nonsense". That said, Beach Camera has been a good vendor (for me) over the years, but (note) I have not purchased anything high value from them in a long time, mostly photo extras that we all buy when we need them.

If I was buying a new body, I'd start with local brick n mortar (if available) camera shop esp. if they price match (or are close), then B&H, Adorama, Cameta, Hunt's, Samy's (West Coast), etc. Remember, with Nikon you get a 1 year warranty and that is extended by 4 more years. You can also buy direct from Nikon, new or refurbished (refurbs can be an excellent value). Check the NikonUSA website for all the details, warranty info and unit availability. Many on this site have saved a lot of money with refurbs and have not reported any issues, as the refurbs are usually double checked/inspected returns. Hope this helps.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

I have a personal property policy for all my camera gear with State Farm. Covers loss or repair, no deductible, no depreciation. Cheap if you’re an amateur. Can even cover desktops and printers.

Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

Not completely sure but I would stay away from this supplier.

Bill_de Loc: US

Depends which government you are talking about. The Supreme Court (Federal Government) reversed a prior ruling and gave the states the right to demand sales tax on out of state purchases. Now it is up to each State Government to come up with their own laws/regulations on how to collect it.

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bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

Buy only from a company on or off line that has a brick and mortar camera store. Bestbuy, Walmart, Target, etc., are more focused on pushing product than helping you make correct decisions. Additionally, they do not always sell you the best extended warranties or provide the best quality of service long after the sale. The two top camera stores in the country are B&H Photo and Adorama in New York. Both provide top quality service before, during and after the sale. If you need to talk to a knowledgeable person, they are a phone call away or you can chat on line. If you are unhappy with a purchase for any reason, they will make it right with no questions asked. That is how they have maintained their reputations over the years.

tweeter

Hi, New here. I bought my D500 from B&H Photo last year and registered it online at Nikon. They offered me a two year warranty for two hundred dollors. Need to sign up before one year waranty expires.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Many years ago, Consumer Reports did an article on extended warranties, essentially dissing them for the same reason. They recommended that every household start a Repair Savings Account, the purpose of which is to self-insure your purchases against out-of-warranty repairs.

The idea is to put the cost of every extended warranty you're offered for every product into this Repair Savings Account. Rely on the manufacturer's warranty until it expires. Then tap into the Repair account when something goes burp in the night.

If you do this for many years, you'll have quite a bit of money saved up for a rainy day, and you'll never pay too much for a product.

I can remember buying my first Prius. I'd driven Toyotas for years, because they are so reliable. When I went to see the finance guy (the dealer insisted I listen to his spiel), he went off on a long scary tail about how there were 32 computers in it, and it needed special oil, and it was DIFFERENT from other cars. I laughed. I said, "This is the fifth model year of the Gen 2 Prius. The bugs are mostly gone. I don't expect to need the base warranty, let alone anything covered by your expensive extended warranty."

That has proven true. 178,000 miles later, my son is driving the car. It's had a few minor issues, but the total cost of repairs over the last ten years has been less than the cost of that stupid extended warranty.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yep. I live in North Carolina. We no longer get a "no questions asked" ride on state sales tax (the honor system applied before the collection law changed).

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

This is a terrific idea. I manage a large housing portfolio and wouldn't think of developing a project without setting up what we call a "replacement reserve" account in asset management. You regularly deposit a small sum (averaging about $400-$500 per unit per year) into a savings account to be used for future capital replacements. When you need to replace a roof in 20 years, you should have enough to pay for it, and if it lasts 25 you'll have a surplus. You trend the future capital expenses by an inflation factor - e.g. a roof that would cost me $10,000 this year, would cost me 10,000x1.025x1.025 two years from now if I were trending at 2.5%.

There are specific spreadsheet models for calculating and analyzing this in housing, iuncluding some originals of my own design, but now I'm wondering if you could do something like this for your gear replacement and repair fund? Wouldn't it be nice to have sufficient savings when your computerized stuff begins to fail?

Andy