Why does anybody buy from B&H?

sscarmack · Apr 6, 2015

I've never had a problem with BH, they stand behind their products and their support is top notch.

KenC · Apr 6, 2015

Yeah, ordered several things from B&H with zero problems. I used to go into a Calumet Photo store around here because I likes actually handling what I was buying, but since they closed a couple of years ago, I've gotten everything from B&H.

Didereaux · Apr 6, 2015

Guess you haven't noticed Amazons shipping speed lately. The last 2-3 months they NEVER ship anything until about a week after the order. After firing all the warehouse people last year over the wage dispute Bezos has not replaced those people and the shipping is suffering for it(I have cut way back on orders from Amazon). As for B&H I would bet that any recent orders are delayed by Passover etc. B&H has for years been a consistently fast shipper as far as my experience goes with them.

rexbobcat · Apr 6, 2015

Didereaux said:
Guess you haven't noticed Amazons shipping speed lately. The last 2-3 months they NEVER ship anything until about a week after the order. After firing all the warehouse people last year over the wage dispute Bezos has not replaced those people and the shipping is suffering for it(I have cut way back on orders from Amazon). As for B&H I would bet that any recent orders are delayed by Passover etc. B&H has for years been a consistently fast shipper as far as my experience goes with them.

Oh really? I've never noticed much of a problem with Amazon, but I also have a Prime account, which gives free two-day shipping. I guess my thing is that every time I look up B&H, they're either

A. Closed

B. The item often has to be special ordered and then shipped to me. This applies mostly to niche items like softboxes (since they're are so many different brands/kinds) and booms/stands/jibs. They seem to be pretty good when ordering general stuff like lenses and lighting kits, but I'm a real big deal hunter. I get a high from finding great deals on used gear ala Ebay and Amazon.

runnah · Apr 6, 2015

I like that I can open up a chat window or pick up a phone and get advanced technical questions regarding gear. Amazon may be slightly cheaper but they lack the customer service. Plus I feel better giving my money to B&H over amazon.

Braineack · Apr 6, 2015

I'm about to buy the Tamron 150-600.

If I buy on Amazon, I need to make sure to buy from an authorized Tamron dealer, and since the price of the lens is same throughout the entire US I might as well order directly from a source and one that I might be able to get a 3-5% rebate off from.

rexbobcat · Apr 6, 2015

Braineack said:
I'm about to buy the Tamron 150-600.

If I buy on Amazon, I need to make sure to buy from an authorized Tamron dealer, and since the price of the lens is same throughout the entire US I might as well order directly from a source and one that I might be able to get a 3-5% rebate off from.

Thankfully Amazon has been really good about having items in their warehouse. If they do have to ship from an authorized dealer, the shipping time is generally so long that it makes more sense to use B&H (if they have the item).

DanOstergren · Apr 7, 2015

I would buy from them if I were able to go into the store itself; it's pretty crazy in there, but something every photographer should experience once.

waday · Apr 7, 2015

rexbobcat said:
Oh really? I've never noticed much of a problem with Amazon, but I also have a Prime account, which gives free two-day shipping.

I have a Prime account, and over the past two years, I've been getting three-day shipping when it should be two-day on one out of every 5 or so packages. Granted, it could have been the local courier service, as they weren't the best.

DanOstergren said:
I would buy from them if I were able to go into the store itself; it's pretty crazy in there, but something every photographer should experience once.

Definitely agree.

I find the salespeople to be not that friendly, so I'd rather stick to online ordering. Well, that and I typically visit NYC on weekends, Manhattan on Saturdays, so I can never go unless I make a special trip. Oh well.

DanOstergren · Apr 7, 2015

waday said:
rexbobcat said:

Oh really? I've never noticed much of a problem with Amazon, but I also have a Prime account, which gives free two-day shipping.

Click to expand...

I have a Prime account, and over the past two years, I've been getting three-day shipping when it should be two-day on one out of every 5 or so packages. Granted, it could have been the local courier service, as they weren't the best.

DanOstergren said:

I would buy from them if I were able to go into the store itself; it's pretty crazy in there, but something every photographer should experience once.

Click to expand...

Definitely agree.

I find the salespeople to be not that friendly, so I'd rather stick to online ordering. Well, that and I typically visit NYC on weekends, Manhattan on Saturdays, so I can never go unless I make a special trip. Oh well.

Yeah, I thought their customer service was pretty terrible as well. I'm still glad I was able to see/experience it once while I lived in NYC. After the first time though I decided I would either order online or send the intern for me.

waday · Apr 7, 2015

DanOstergren said:
Yeah, I thought their customer service was pretty terrible as well. I'm still glad I was able to see/experience it once while I lived in NYC. After the first time though I decided I would either order online or send the intern for me.

It's a great experience... and a little overwhelming at first. haha.

RDenhardt · Apr 7, 2015

Not to hijack this thread but has anybody bought any used gear off B&H, especially lenses? Its not that im worried its just they listed one item as an 8 condition wise but in the comments say it doesn't come with a hood, case, and has scratches and dust... I just hate not being able to actually see the lens atleast in photos before buying. Sorry OP but atleast it deals with B&H

Braineack · Apr 7, 2015

my Tamron 70-200 2.8 VC was used from them.

I can't remember the rating, maybe 10. I couldn't tell it was used but the tripod mount was a little bent/used.

limr · Apr 8, 2015

waday said:
DanOstergren said:

Yeah, I thought their customer service was pretty terrible as well. I'm still glad I was able to see/experience it once while I lived in NYC. After the first time though I decided I would either order online or send the intern for me.

Click to expand...

It's a great experience... and a little overwhelming at first. haha.

Across the street from B&H is a little second-floor camera store that deals mostly with film cameras. Can't remember what it's called or if they have any digital stuff as well, but they've got an amazing collection of old cameras for sale. The Leica collection would give gsgary the biggest orgasm of his life.

Ah, found it: The Photo Village

Google Maps

table1349 · Apr 8, 2015

Why you ask....
Amazon.com Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame CMOS with 1080p Full-HD Video Mode Digital SLR Camera Body Camera Photo
Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR Camera Body Only 5260B002 B H Photo

Same camera....same price. So whats the difference?

Amazon knows virtually nothing about the products they carry. They are a warehouse/order house. You order, they find it and ship it.
B&H has real staff that knows about their products. I called one day to get some info about a particular lens i eventually ordered. One of the electronics guys answered the phone. Didn't play games, told me he was an electronics guy not a camera guy, asked if I would mind holding a minute. In just a few seconds on hold I was connected with a camera guy who knew the answers to my questions.

B&H covers what they sell. They are not just a pass through for some distributor or manufacturer. If they can resolve the issue quickly with out having to go through the manufacturer they will. They give customer service. This is especially nice for gray market buyers. They will cover warranty instead of making the person send it usually back to Japan, China, Korea etc. They also understand that a photographer may not be satisfied with a particular copy of a lens and are happy to take one back and send you a new copy.

If you have questions about products and what you all you need to make what you want to happen, happen, they know and are happy to talk to you about your various options. Amazon order operators know one thing, how to take orders. It would be wonderful some of the newbies learned to shop with B&H or Adorama. Both are good at customer service and if they would call one of them first maybe we wouldn't have so many questions like, "I want to get my flash off camera and was looking at (insert your favorite brand of triggers). Do I need one or two of them to make my flash work?" :BangHead:

As for them being closed at certain times, Learn the high holiday's and realize that their sabbath is from sundown on Friday to sundown Saturday instead of Sunday.