Best place to buy D500

[nerwin]

I've bought my last 3 of 4 DSLRs from BestBuy.
Not the cheapest, but you get it right then.

Nothing worse than buying a camera online and having to wait for it to be delivered. It's very stressful.

Now that most online retailers will be charging tax in Vermont, I'm not saving anything anyways. I might as well go to the store and buy it there! I'm not sure about Best Buy, the last time I was there, they had 2 whole DSLRs on display. But I'm pretty sure I saw D750's and D810's in the locked cages.

 

[Destin]

Ha! My local best buys rarely even carry the D7xx series cameras, much less anything higher end.

I do have 2 actual local camera shops within half an hour of me, but they charge absolutely top dollar and don't get refurb models, etc. I love supporting local, but when I can get the same thing (or a refurb) online for hundreds less, it's hard to justify.

 

[astroNikon]

The BestBuy near me has on display at least d3400, d5500, d7200, d610, d500, d810, d750. Plus a few others in boxes like a sale on D7100 + kit lens. Canon they had the equivalent current cameras plus a couple 4k video cameras. They also have displays of Sony, FujiFilm, etc. All the cameras are fully functional with lenses attached, hard wired and security. But you can test and play with each camera as much as you want. they also have lenses, though Sony apparently now only gives "display" lenses and not the real thing.

I initially shot the D5500 vs d500 vs d7200 vs d750 vs d610 at similar exposure levels at various ISO levels and compared the images of all the cameras and roamed through all the features/menu. Luckily they were all right there you can just pick up and shoot, and I brought my own SD card.

I spent so much time there testing and rummaging through the d500 I felt obliged to buy it there. LOL add in a couple OEM grips and I was sold.

 

[480sparky]

The problems I have with BestBuy is 3fold:

1. They only stock what ignorant corporate buyers manage to get hold of. One day, they might have some D500s. The next week, the best they'll have is some D7200s.

2. They seem to only hire people 19 YO and less. This means they a. want to spend all day over in the store's audio department playing with the boom-thumpy stereos and b. don't give a hoot about learning about the cameras they sell.

3. Long story short, they refused to accept cash from me one day. Yes, cash. Lettuce. Moola. Greenbacks. Dead Presidents. Legal Tender. Yes, they refused it. So I don't go there anymore.

 

[Derrel]

How weird....my BestBuy has high-end Nikons and Canons, every day...D750, D810,D7200,D5500, D3400, 70-200 lenses, 60 Micro, 85/1.8,50/1.8,/20/1.8, SB-910,etc... it's actually a good camera store...high-end Sony A7 series models,Sony A6000-series models, Sony lenses, 30 days return...really quite well-stocked, plus 40 to 50 models of higher-end P&S. Of course, this can vary from store to store, and AGAIN...I live close to the State of Washington which has a state sales tax. Buyers in Oregon pay ******zero***** sales taxes, no matter where they reside, so we have many,many,many buyers who shop here from Washington state, which is a mere 20 minutes, or less, away at "my" local BestBuy store, and at another large BB which is even closer to the border. Obviously, not every single BestBuy has the same inventory as every other one.

It might not seem like a lot, but not paying 8.2% or whatnot for $2,000 worth of gear, that $164 in SAVED money brings lots of customers in here for higher-end gear, and keeps the inventory of products pretty high. This status was the same years ago when the sales tax was about 7 percent in California and Washington and I worked for a large, private-chain camera and video store company: at our "near-the-border" stores in the largest Metro area, we had a lot of business from out of state visitors who bought typically $1,499 video camera and accessory outfits.

BestBuy is also a mega-chain, so if you want an item, order it for in-store delivery. It does not matter if a sales person "knows" his D500 if all you want is a good price on a guaranteed new D500 with a 30-day return option. Nikon's North American dealership network can barely keep up with demand for some cameras at some times. You can, at the sales register in the camera department, check, instantly, stock that BB stores have within the area, and the region. You want a D500? You can likely have it the next day if it is in-area, 2 or 3 days in-region.

 

[astroNikon]

My BestBuy has a Nikon expert, Canon expert, Sony expert and I think someone else for all the other stuff. They're also the one's that teach the free classes.

But they get a lot of customers from Canada looking for lower cost products. I can see how smaller stores would not have the stock nor specific experts available.

 

[SquarePeg]

We here in MA make the short drive north to tax free NH. The Best Buy in Portsmouth, NH is about 40 minutes from me. If my tax "savings" will be more than $50, I take the quick drive to NH. I love that I can go online and check inventory before I make the trip. As for BB not having a camera expert - I do my own research online prior to deciding to purchase - I definitely don't need a salesman/camera expert telling me what I need. If I want some "hands on" time before I decide, I'll head over to our local Best Buy (2 miles) or my local camera store, Hunts Photo and Video. If I can get it for a close enough price at my local store, then I'll give them my business but 9 times out of 10, BB or Adorama/Cameta/B&H are a lot less.

 

[nerwin]

The only lenses my best buy has is the 18-55 and 55-300 lenses. But yet, they have d750 and d810 in the locked cages, but only a d3300 and d7100 on display with dust on them and they look broken. They didn't even bother putting newer models on the display case. That's how lazy they are!

My local camera mom and pop store sometimes has lower prices than Amazon or B&H haha. I don't go inside often because I'll end walking out with something.

 

[bigal1000]

We here in MA make the short drive north to tax free NH. The Best Buy in Portsmouth, NH is about 40 minutes from me. If my tax "savings" will be more than $50, I take the quick drive to NH. I love that I can go online and check inventory before I make the trip. As for BB not having a camera expert - I do my own research online prior to deciding to purchase - I definitely don't need a salesman/camera expert telling me what I need. If I want some "hands on" time before I decide, I'll head over to our local Best Buy (2 miles) or my local camera store, Hunts Photo and Video. If I can get it for a close enough price at my local store, then I'll give them my business but 9 times out of 10, BB or Adorama/Cameta/B&H are a lot less.

Keep coming up here we like the cash and by the way we don't have any Income Tax Either..............

 

[ratssass]

Ha! My local best buys rarely even carry the D7xx series cameras, much less anything higher end.

I do have 2 actual local camera shops within half an hour of me, but they charge absolutely top dollar and don't get refurb models, etc. I love supporting local, but when I can get the same thing (or a refurb) online for hundreds less, it's hard to justify.

i always find the best price i can online, then present it to my local b/m store, and they have always matched it.