Abesofmaine.com

[jeefunk]

Hello all. Looking to get into a DSLR & I believe I've settled on the Nikon D5300 and believe I've found a killer deal here: NIKON D5300 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm VR Lens - Red

and here: Nikon D5300 with 18-55mm Lens Red - AmericaCameras.com - Your number one source for Digital Cameras

Is anyone familiar with these websites? On Abe's of Maine the only "catch" I've been able to figure out is that it is a "Brand New Factory Fresh Import Model," whatever that means. On America Cameras, It doesn't really specify if it comes with anything other than the 18-55 lens, nor does it say if it comes with a standard warranty.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[tirediron]

If it sounds too good to be true...

 

[jeefunk]

OK, well that explains America Cameras. But Abe's of Maine has a 9/10 rating on that same website on nearly 4000 reviews. Any input on what ""Brand New Factory Fresh Import Model," might mean?

 

[tirediron]

Grey market - no US warranty.

 

[qleak]

You should know that Nikon and other camera companies will not even let you pay them to repair grey market items. You're basically SOL of something goes wrong.

There might be 3rd party repair shops, but personally I don't find it worth the money I'd save to lose the official service.

 

[bribrius]

OK, well that explains America Cameras. But Abe's of Maine has a 9/10 rating on that same website on nearly 4000 reviews. Any input on what ""Brand New Factory Fresh Import Model," might mean?

i've considered buying from them. People on this sight steered me away from it last year. I still have doubts that was a good choice. For the price difference in what you are paying, if something goes wrong you can probably pay to have it fixed. If nothing goes wrong. You made out. The abes of maine website says u.s. warranty. I would ask them about that and third party warranty. Me personally, i don't usually worry about warranty's or getting a product fixed. If i have that much for doubts over the product i shouldn't be buying it to start with. I don't know what the warranty is standard from nikon. I have two but haven't used them. No camera issues. So whatever extra i paid for them by buying u.s. market i basically flushed that money down the toilet. If you don't think it will last a year. Don't buy it.

To put this in perspective, a lot of people buy a car from a dealer, pay the extra money for the idea of a warranty and service. Even if it is only a 3 year 36k warranty (or less) they may never use. They like the assurance. Others will buy the same car private party and spend 4k less on it. Not have the warranty, but not care. Chances are the latter has more money than the former to deal with whatever problem or losses arise. The former doesn't have the money so needed they extra assurance of limiting future out of pocket losses or cost. If 700 or a 1000 dollars is a lot of money for you, then you might be better with the safety of a u.s. model. If it isn't, i would buy the grey market and ask them about warranty options or service but not count on it. It really isn't THAT scary though. In perspective like i see it, i bought our suv 5k below book with no warranty. And it cost a lot more than that camera. I thought of buying a separate 3rd party warranty on it (they have a warranty for everything) for the price of 2200. (still cheaper than paying retail on the vehicle if you add it up). But why???????????? Few years later, i still haven't had anything major enough to even warrant the original retail price of the vehicle from what i bought it for. All in how you see it.

Plus if you use a warranty, involves a entire new set of headaches, mailing, maybe arguing on the phone, waiting for your camera to come back...........
They should pay you for that. I wonder if something breaks, who is to say you couldnt fix it yourself or just find someone. IF something breaks. For 500 bucks i wouldn't worry to much about it. But that is me.

And from the website

• All Products include USA Manufacturer's Warranty unless otherwise stated.

ask them about that if you are worried about it. Ask them for it in writing. They have been in business since 1979. They must be doing something right. I think the nikon warranty in the u.s. is only a year anyway. I have two nikons, never used either warranty. Basically money thrown down the toilet. Really your decision no one can make it but you.

 

[qleak]

OK, well that explains America Cameras. But Abe's of Maine has a 9/10 rating on that same website on nearly 4000 reviews. Any input on what ""Brand New Factory Fresh Import Model," might mean?

i've considered buying from them. People on this sight steered me away from it last year. I still have doubts that was a good choice. For the price difference in what you are paying, if something goes wrong you can probably pay to have it fixed. If nothing goes wrong. You made out. The abes of maine website says u.s. warranty. I would ask them about that and third party warranty. Me personally, i don't usually worry about warranty's or getting a product fixed. If i have that much for doubts over the product i shouldn't be buying it to start with. I don't know what the warranty is standard from nikon. I have two but haven't used them. No camera issues. So whatever extra i paid for them by buying u.s. market i basically flushed that money down the toilet. If you don't think it will last a year. Don't buy it.

To put this in perspective, a lot of people buy a car from a dealer, pay the extra money for the idea of a warranty and service. Even if it is only a 3 year 36k warranty (or less) they may never use. They like the assurance. Others will buy the same car private party and spend 4k less on it. Not have the warranty, but not care. Chances are the latter has more money than the former to deal with whatever problem or losses arise. The former doesn't have the money so needed they extra assurance of limiting future out of pocket losses or cost. If 700 or a 1000 dollars is a lot of money for you, then you might be better with the safety of a u.s. model. If it isn't, i would buy the grey market and ask them about warranty options or service but not count on it. It really isn't THAT scary though. In perspective like i see it, i bought our suv 5k below book with no warranty. And it cost a lot more than that camera. I thought of buying a separate 3rd party warranty on it (they have a warranty for everything) for the price of 2200. (still cheaper than paying retail on the vehicle if you add it up). But why???????????? Few years later, i still haven't had anything major enough to even warrant the original retail price of the vehicle from what i bought it for. All in how you see it.

Plus if you use a warranty, involves a entire new set of headaches, mailing, maybe arguing on the phone, waiting for your camera to come back...........
They should pay you for that. I wonder if something breaks, who is to say you couldnt fix it yourself or just find someone. IF something breaks. For 500 bucks i wouldn't worry to much about it. But that is me.

And from the website

• All Products include USA Manufacturer's Warranty unless otherwise stated.

ask them about that if you are worried about it. Ask them for it in writing. They have been in business since 1979. They must be doing something right. I think the nikon warranty in the u.s. is only a year anyway. I have two nikons, never used either warranty. Basically money thrown down the toilet. Really your decision no one can make it but you.

The car comparison is rather poor. Firstly, there are many many more 3rd party car repair shops than lens repair shops.

Secondly, nobody tries to return their car to the manufacturer for repair. Even recalls are usually handled by a 3rd party repair shop.

Your reasoning about the term of the warranty is also faulty. Nikon will repair items at a price outside of the warranty period, but only if they had a us warranty. Not to mention getting the correct replacement parts may become hard if not impossible. Sure if $800 is no big deal to you replacement is not an issue, but who would refuse $250 for a new AF sonic drive instead of replacement?

I see grey market as a much larger risk on modern lenses with VC, sonic AF motors and zooms than a simple prime manual focus lens. It's all about exposure to risk, modern lenses have more moving parts so will more likely require service.

 

[bribrius]

Grey market - no US warranty.

Lol.
i always have trouble with these types of things..... On one hand, you know the more you pay the more money they are making off you. Then if nothing goes wrong, you kick yourself in the proverbial azz. On the other, if something does go wrong, you might wish you had it. Then i think, well hell, i bought a house with no warranty , my kids didn't come with a warranty (talk about liability), some of my cars came with no warranty, so you start thinking it is all a made up warranty and service scam to make more money off you. Then occasionally, something does go wrong. And you are happy you had that warranty on something. Logically though, i paid extra for the warranty on my laptop. But the risk is higher i break one a year. I didn't take the vehicle warranty because i knew i would have to blow the motor in the thing to make it pay off. Decisions, decisions... Then we buy pre owned camera equipment, some people on here paying decent money for pre owned camera stuff. Vast majority of that has no warranty. weird.

 

[Braineack]

Here's what will happen if you order from Abe's:

They will call the day after your purchase and tell you that the camera you bought doesn't have a good motherboard (or some other weird lame excuse). They'll tell that you that you ordered the wrong part number and yours was a foreign one made of lesser materials. they'll ask you to pay $x.xx more to get the real camera with the real warranty and parts that don't fail.

if you say you're okay with the current price and bad parts, they'll dick you around for a good month and either cancel your order or send you the wrong camera (like a D5100), in a about a month or so.

if you say you'll pay the extra money, you're old and easily tricked and how they can continue to be in business selling at full retail.

or they'll say it comes without a battery and you have to spend $100 more to get one.


please let me know if I was right.

 

[bribrius]

OK, well that explains America Cameras. But Abe's of Maine has a 9/10 rating on that same website on nearly 4000 reviews. Any input on what ""Brand New Factory Fresh Import Model," might mean?

i've considered buying from them. People on this sight steered me away from it last year. I still have doubts that was a good choice. For the price difference in what you are paying, if something goes wrong you can probably pay to have it fixed. If nothing goes wrong. You made out. The abes of maine website says u.s. warranty. I would ask them about that and third party warranty. Me personally, i don't usually worry about warranty's or getting a product fixed. If i have that much for doubts over the product i shouldn't be buying it to start with. I don't know what the warranty is standard from nikon. I have two but haven't used them. No camera issues. So whatever extra i paid for them by buying u.s. market i basically flushed that money down the toilet. If you don't think it will last a year. Don't buy it.

To put this in perspective, a lot of people buy a car from a dealer, pay the extra money for the idea of a warranty and service. Even if it is only a 3 year 36k warranty (or less) they may never use. They like the assurance. Others will buy the same car private party and spend 4k less on it. Not have the warranty, but not care. Chances are the latter has more money than the former to deal with whatever problem or losses arise. The former doesn't have the money so needed they extra assurance of limiting future out of pocket losses or cost. If 700 or a 1000 dollars is a lot of money for you, then you might be better with the safety of a u.s. model. If it isn't, i would buy the grey market and ask them about warranty options or service but not count on it. It really isn't THAT scary though. In perspective like i see it, i bought our suv 5k below book with no warranty. And it cost a lot more than that camera. I thought of buying a separate 3rd party warranty on it (they have a warranty for everything) for the price of 2200. (still cheaper than paying retail on the vehicle if you add it up). But why???????????? Few years later, i still haven't had anything major enough to even warrant the original retail price of the vehicle from what i bought it for. All in how you see it.

Plus if you use a warranty, involves a entire new set of headaches, mailing, maybe arguing on the phone, waiting for your camera to come back...........
They should pay you for that. I wonder if something breaks, who is to say you couldnt fix it yourself or just find someone. IF something breaks. For 500 bucks i wouldn't worry to much about it. But that is me.

And from the website

• All Products include USA Manufacturer's Warranty unless otherwise stated.

ask them about that if you are worried about it. Ask them for it in writing. They have been in business since 1979. They must be doing something right. I think the nikon warranty in the u.s. is only a year anyway. I have two nikons, never used either warranty. Basically money thrown down the toilet. Really your decision no one can make it but you.

The car comparison is rather poor. Firstly, there are many many more 3rd party car repair shops than lens repair shops.

Secondly, nobody tries to return their car to the manufacturer for repair. Even recalls are usually handled by a 3rd party repair shop.

Your reasoning about the term of the warranty is also faulty. Nikon will repair items at a price outside of the warranty period, but only if they had a us warranty. Not to mention getting the correct replacement parts may become hard if not impossible. Sure if $800 is no big deal to you replacement is not an issue, but who would refuse $250 for a new AF sonic drive instead of replacement?

I see grey market as a much larger risk on modern lenses with VC, sonic AF motors and zooms than a simple prime manual focus lens. It's all about exposure to risk, modern lenses have more moving parts so will more likely require service.

you are probably the type of person that buys the extended warranty. I usually don't worry too much about it. Every person has a different idea of what they consider acceptable risk.

 

[bribrius]

Here's what will happen if you order from Abe's:

They will call the day after your purchase and tell you that the camera you bought doesn't have a good motherboard (or some other weird lame excuse). They'll tell that you that you ordered the wrong part number and yours was a foreign one made of lesser materials. they'll ask you to pay $x.xx more to get the real camera with teh real warranty.

if you say you're okay with the current price and bad parts, they'll dick you around for a good month and either cancel your order or send you the wrong camera, in a about a month or so.

if you say you'll pay the extra money, you're old and easily tricked and how they can continue to be in business.

Heard that before about a few places. have you done it? I heard they have tried to upsell. But everyone online has a list of haters.

 

[snowbear115 47]

Hello all. Looking to get into a DSLR & I believe I've settled on the Nikon D5300 and believe I've found a killer deal here: NIKON D5300 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm VR Lens - Red

and here: Nikon D5300 with 18-55mm Lens Red - AmericaCameras.com - Your number one source for Digital Cameras

Is anyone familiar with these websites? On Abe's of Maine the only "catch" I've been able to figure out is that it is a "Brand New Factory Fresh Import Model," whatever that means. On America Cameras, It doesn't really specify if it comes with anything other than the 18-55 lens, nor does it say if it comes with a standard warranty.

Any help would be appreciated!

"Import Model" is grey market. It's the same product but does not have a US warranty, and Nikon service won't touch it, though Abe's may service it for you. There are a number of posts on Grey (or Gray) Market.

 

[Braineack]

But Abe's of Maine has a 9/10 rating on that same website on nearly 4000 reviews. Any input on what ""Brand New Factory Fresh Import Model," might mean?

with a simple google search:

I ordered a Nikon D5300 with a 18-140 lens. They told me I bought the imported one and that the screen would not show English. I called Nikon direct to talk to them. She stated that you CAN change the language but with imported Nikon cannot fix any problems with it, no warranty, and if there updates with the software you are unable to get them. The imported one was selling for $698, and AOM sold me the USA one for $839. I really hope this helps someone.

Ordered an "import" Nikkor 28-300 mm lens last night ($740); got email to call them today regarding order, only to hear bait-and-switch tactics. Kevin ** (with his accent, I doubt his name was Kevin **) told me that the import Nikkor lens had a plastic mount and the USA version had a metal mount. I wanted to shove my foot down his throat. I'm no dummy, what a liar. I don't like liars. Unlike others, I didn't fall for it. He then noticed I wasn't going to budge, so he put me on hold and here it comes....the "import" lens I ordered is not in stock and it might take 7-14 days to ship, but I could upgrade to the USA version for ** dollars. That upset me even more. Lie to me twice? He also tried to upsell me from a cheapo $10 UV filter to a $50 one. I refused that as well. Long story short, I'm not in a hurry to get this lens. But if it never

Canon T3 ~ BAD EXPERIENCE!!! Price ($296.02) looked too good. Had read this page about complaints, but due to the savings and relatively small price, I thought I'd take the chance. Used PayPal to help protect me. Got the "Phone Call" even though I stated in the order comments, "Please don't call me. I don't want anything else." All kinds of excuses, Import Model, Poor Battery and Charger, No Warranty....... High pressure to upgrade the order. CANCELLED!

Scam artists - bait and switch. Very pushy guy that interrupted me over and over. I had to ask him over 20 times to stop interrupting me and he just kept on talking over me...at one time for 15 seconds straight as I kept politely saying, "please don't interrupt me". They sold Canon 6D with a 24-105mm lens for $1469 and then the guy Urom at Abe's called me and stated that we bought the "International" version with no WIFI and GPS - he offered the US version for only $500 more. Then he dropped the US version cost another $100 to "match their JAN 1 sale!" and then dropped another $100 for the "Christmas sale price". I stated that I wanted the product I ordered for the price I paid. He went on to tell me that the writing on the camera was in Japanese "because they sell a lot to that market" and that the language was Japanese.

When I pushed back and said that I did not mind switching the language, he told me that it would "switch back to Japanese every time I turned it off." Then I said I wanted it for the price advertised and did not need the WIFI and GPS. He told me it would "take 6 weeks to send as they were out of stock and back-ordered". Scumbag and if Abe's is anything like that guy, scumbag bait and switch company. But Maine is SO American and Abe reminds me of Abe Lincoln. Thanks extension ** , you suck as does your company to hire a douche bag like you.

This company seems to be a scamming, bait-and switch operation. They advertise low prices and when we place the order, they'll call you and want to switch to a higher priced item. I ordered a Canon t5i with 18-135mm STM and 55-250mm STM lenses from AbesOfMaine.com, since they had the lowest price I could find. All the Canon supplied accessories are supposed to be in the package - 'brand new factory fresh'. Free shipping (5-6 business days) as well as a 2% discount with code SAVE2 at checkout. The order was placed on Order Date: 2014-12-18 23:10:13. And the total is USD801.64. On Dec 19, a customer service person called me and said I should buy another package as the one I ordered is not for US, the battery won't last, etc. etc. Basically he was trying to persuade me to buy another package that costs more. Basic 'bait and switch'. I declined the offer. According the website when I placed the order, I was supposed to get a tracking #. All I received was an order confirmation and invoice/bill.

I have not received any item tracking# or the item, till Dec 27. I contacted them through their customer service contact on their website as well as sent an email inquiring about the status of my order. On Dec 28, I received an email 'Thank you for your order', a new order created and a sum of $818.00 charged to my credit card without my authorization. As of Dec 30, despite multiple emails to ask about the status of my original order as well as the new order and unauthorized charge to my CC, I have NOT received any kind of response from them.

Yeah 9/10.

 

[runnah]

They give Maine and folks named Abe a bad name.

They used be be good but were bought/sold to some sketchy person and now they run their store like a back alley drug dealer. Avoid at all costs.

 

[Braineack]

They give Maine and folks named Abe a bad name.

They used be be good but were bought/sold to some sketchy person and now they run their store like a back alley drug dealer. Avoid at all costs.

Yeah the real abe's went bankrupt in 2012. Westpark electronics runs them now--and the fac t that they can continue to operate is a testament...oh i digress.