Is B & H worth shopping at?

[dumpweed]

I've personally never shopped there. I'm looking to purchase a Canon 7d, and I've been looking around a bit. Any suggestions or ideas on a place to buy a kit package that will be a better deal than B & H? Obviously trying to spend as little as possible, aren't we all? I Figured some of you may have some good advice on where to shop.

 

[KmH]

I get a shipment of something from B&H almost weekly.

Service after the sale counts for a lot, not just the lowest possible price, but B&H pricing is very competitive.

 

[kundalini]

I use Adorama, as much if not more than B&H. If you're looking somewhere and the price of your wanted item is significantly less than either of these two sites, steer clear, chances are it's a scam or bait & switch.

 

[Kerbouchard]

I use Adorama, as much if not more than B&H. If you're looking somewhere and the price of your wanted item is significantly less than either of these two sites, steer clear, chances are it's a scam or bait & switch.

QFT. There aren't really any sites that are going to beat Adorama or B&H unless it is a scam.

I buy most of my photographic gear from one or the other. The only thing I don't like about them is they close for holidays...won't even accept new orders. It's can be a little frustrating, but as long as you know about and plan ahead, it's not that big of a deal.

 

[Big Mike]

:thumbsup: for B&H

 

[dumpweed]

hmm. well thanks guys. I walk by it everyday I guess it's time I started shopping there. Never heard of Adorama, I'll definitely check that out.

 

[Derrel]

Depends...as the folks at Lensrentals.com have written, the camera business has changed, markedly, over the last few years. It used to be that B&H almost always had the lowest price on any given lens, but as the Lensrental folks have stated, that is not true any more; at times B&H prices will be higher than other vendors. A few years back, when Nikon's 200-400 f/4 VR zoom lens was the hot ticket, B&H Photo had them for sale at $900 HIGHER than my local store, and I helped an internet forum member purchase his 200-400 from my local store at a huge savings. When I bought my 70-200 VR back when it first came out, I payed around $189 LESS for it locally than at B&H. Why? Because B&H has national name recognition, and has a huge backlog of customers who automatically assume that the B&H price will be "the lowest possible fair price". Which, in these days of reduced stock availability, is NOT always the case. When demand is high, but supply is low, B&H, or any other mega-dealer will often raise prices, as a way to,well, you know...

There are plenty of outlets across the USA at which to buy equipment. B&H is a well-regarded retailer. But there are many,many other good retailers across the USA where fair prices, reasonable return policies, and excellent values are to be had. One thing to keep in mind is that the mega-dealers can sell used equipment at much higher prices than smaller outlets, where there is not such a huge pool of customers. If for example, you are in the market for a big-ticket item, like say a 300mm f/2.8 lens, you almost certainly will NOT get the best deal at a mega-store with nationwide advertising and a huge web presence, but in a much smaller market store, in a place like Dallas, Seattle,Portland, Omaha, Kansas City, Miami, Houston, Pittsburgh,of Minneapolis-St. Paul. There is a difference between walk-in retail prices and mega-store web pricing. In walk-in retail, a used or big-ticket item is worth what it is within THAT market; with a mega-store, the highest possible price can be tacked onto an item, and it will sit there until a willing buyer comes along and will pay top dollar.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

two thumbs up for both BHPhoto and Adorama. I've also had great luck with jr.com for Nikon stuff, when the others have been out of stock.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Depends...as the folks at Lensrentals.com have written, the camera business has changed, markedly, over the last few years. It used to be that B&H almost always had the lowest price on any given lens, but as the Lensrental folks have stated, that is not true any more; at times B&H prices will be higher than other vendors. A few years back, when Nikon's 200-400 f/4 VR zoom lens was the hot ticket, B&H Photo had them for sale at $900 HIGHER than my local store, and I helped an internet forum member purchase his 200-400 from my local store at a huge savings. When I bought my 70-200 VR back when it first came out, I payed around $189 LESS for it locally than at B&H. Why? Because B&H has national name recognition, and has a huge backlog of customers who automatically assume that the B&H price will be "the lowest possible fair price". Which, in these days of reduced stock availability, is NOT always the case. When demand is high, but supply is low, B&H, or any other mega-dealer will often raise prices, as a way to,well, you know...

There are plenty of outlets across the USA at which to buy equipment. B&H is a well-regarded retailer. But there are many,many other good retailers across the USA where fair prices, reasonable return policies, and excellent values are to be had. One thing to keep in mind is that the mega-dealers can sell used equipment at much higher prices than smaller outlets, where there is not such a huge pool of customers. If for example, you are in the market for a big-ticket item, like say a 300mm f/2.8 lens, you almost certainly will NOT get the best deal at a mega-store with nationwide advertising and a huge web presence, but in a much smaller market store, in a place like Dallas, Seattle,Portland, Omaha, Kansas City, Miami, Houston, Pittsburgh,of Minneapolis-St. Paul. There is a difference between walk-in retail prices and mega-store web pricing. In walk-in retail, a used or big-ticket item is worth what it is within THAT market; with a mega-store, the highest possible price can be tacked onto an item, and it will sit there until a willing buyer comes along and will pay top dollar.

Thanks, you just clarified for me how my local shop beat BH and Adorama on my Tokina 11-16 lens.

 

[usayit]

Thumbs up for BH and Adorama. For personal attention and service, I head over to my local shop.

 

[Nod]

Don't count out KEH, they have some excellent used equipment. You can trust that they have gone over the item and the item is almost always better than they rate it. And you can save some $$$.

 

[12sndsgood]

ordered from b&h today. item will be at my door friday morning.

 

[Robin Usagani]

i buy camera directly from canon .

 

[Texas Parrothead]

+1 for KeH. I also found my D90 for about $100 less at Abe's of Maine....compared to B&H and Adorama (though i still like both of these).

 

[photosanity]

B&H is the ONLY place I shop at for camera stuff. Hands down, the best place... seriously haha.