Purchase enquiry

[DrRamesh Ayurveda]

Hi all,

Its been some nice discussions and I think I have got some pretty nice suggestions regarding the DSLR models worth considering. Now, the dilemma is regarding the various retailers.

I did see a thread regarding refurb DSLR at Canon in the US, but that offer seems limited only to the US. Can any one please clarify.
Further, there are online retailers such as Adorama, Value basket and Digital Rev and so on. I have been going through the reviews and it seems like Digital Rev is ok.

Please tell me regarding this and post your views regarding these issues and your experiences i any, in particular regarding Digital Rev. Please help me with your valuable comments..

Many thanks
Hari

[rpcrowe]

Hari...

I have purchased many pieces of equipment from both Adorama and from B&H, both from New York City. Over the years, I have noticed that these two dealers have the lowest legitimate prices for new camera equipment and Adorama will often beat the botom-line Canon price for Canon Reconditioned equipment. However, that price differential is often predicated on the fact that one doesn't have to pay state sales tax when purchasing items out of the state in which you live (As an example the sales tax is over 8% in California) and Adorama ships free within the continental United States. A purchaser must pay both sales tax and shipping costs when purchasing from Canon.

If you see a price quoted significantly lower than those offered by either Adorama or B&H; the ad is very likely a scam. Unfortunately there are many scam artists working in on-line camera sales.

I have had no experience with either Value Basket or Digital Rev...

[inkista]

Yes, the UK and US Canon refurbishment offers are different. The Canon Loyalty Program is also a US-only offer.

The Canon UK website has its own outlet store for refurbished items on eBay, and generally their selection's a bit slimmer than the US store, particularly when it comes to dSLRs.

Adorama and B&H are unlikely to be useful for you, given that you'll be paying VAT and shipping. And now that Jessops is out of business, I'm not sure where to send you. Hopefuly other board members will be more knowledgeable about good online dealers, but I'd say start with amazon.co.uk and see what price they're offering. That's likely to be a good starting point to figure out if a site is a bait'n'switch scam or not.

DigitalRev has a decent reputation as an online retailer, but you'll be getting a gray market camera with a warranty that is not good in the UK, since DigitalRev is Hong Kong-based. Most of us only know DigitalRev because of the insane videos hosted by Kai.

[DrRamesh Ayurveda]

Thanks Richard and Kathy regarding the comments, I do hope, some other members and obviously our board members might also be able to help. Would like to know more such that I can be sure I'm not going in for some fraud and fall for it.

Further, regarding Digital Rev, the warranty that they offer is valid in the UK, as far as I understood from what they told when I contacted their customer service. Further, they did tell that its based on criteria such as the person should either go to a repair store and get a quote on the repair charges and this must be sent to them (email it seems) and if they agree upon the quote they will refund the full amount other wise we can simply send the camera back to their office and get repaired. (Terms and conditions apply - Given in their website).

Waiting for further comments and advises..

thanks again

[herbert]

For legitimate UK costs try this aggregator site:

http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/

When you select a product you will be able to see a chart of the price trend which is useful too.

Digital Rev is often cheaper than UK sites but the item is sent from Hong Kong. In the past you may have been subject to import tax. You will need to clarify this with them as their sale terms may have changed to include taxes. Stores like B&H photo add taxes to their overseas orders. This often pushes the price back up to the same as the UK shops anyway but it is still worth checking, depending on the item you may get a good price.

Alex

[Ady]

HI Hari,

I'm a long standing customer of WEX Photographic (formerly known as Warehouse Express), not always the cheapest but always very close in my experience. All UK designated stock (no grey imports) and good customer service, both pre and post sales. They have a large showroom in Norwich, a repair centre and are very happy to give assistance in person as well as online/by phone.

Cheers,
Adrian

[DrRamesh Ayurveda]

Thank you all for your reviews but I would like to get more reviews and opinions about the Digitl rev which will help me afford the costs for a good lens and other accessories too..

Many thanks to all
Hari

[William W]

the dilemma is regarding the various retailers[???]. . . Please tell me regarding this and post your views regarding these issues and your experiences . . . Please help me with your valuable comments. . .

I’ve neither bought lenses nor cameras on line.
I prefer to deal with and buy from a person with whom I will firstly create rapport and then have the capacity to develop a longer term, business relationship.
I will be the oddment in the responses to you.
However, I believe I still have the advantage, even though I might pay a little more for the choices I make.

I doubt I will have a choice, in ten (five?) years’ time: and that is another topic which warrants more discussion and attention than it presently receives.

Dr William

[HelenOster]

If you need pre-order advice - or after-sales support - you are most welcome to email me directly: Helen@adorama.com

(I can also help with questions about warranties)

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

[Samsung]

Hi Hari
Before you buy, have a look at this web site http://www.kenrockwell.com/index.htm
He can be a bit controversial (tongue firmly in cheek) but he is worth a read ... imo.
Regarding who to purchase from, if we (you) want to have a UK camera retail business left in the UK then buy your camera gear in the UK, we (you) need to support the few places left (remember Jessops) so buy from Wex (already mentioned) or Calumet - Calumet will match Wex pricing in my experience.
Sorry about standing on my soap box there!
cheers
john

[chrisletts]

Hari lives in London so I don't think Adorama is going to be any use.

I bought my Nikon via Amazon and got both good service and a very good price though at the moment it looks like Wex can beat them on price

[Ady]

I’ve neither bought lenses nor cameras on line.
I prefer to deal with and buy from a person with whom I will firstly create rapport and then have the capacity to develop a longer term, business relationship.

I will be the oddment in the responses to you.
However, I believe I still have the advantage, even though I might pay a little more for the choices I make.

That's very nice and I agree entirely with the principal. I would do the same if there was a local retailer who was able to deliver appropriate value.

Since the failure of Jessops in the UK I am left with one relatively local camera retailer, but unfortunately they are surly, unhelpful, have little or no expertise (at least none that they are prepared to share) and charge unreasonable prices. As a result, since Jessops went under, all of my purchases have been carried out online from a non-local retailer who also has a significant web presence.

Before Jessops went under I did my best to push as much business their way but again it was the quality of service that let them down. For example their range of stock was extremely limited, which I could have lived with if it hadn't taken several weeks to get an item in stock for me to try.

I never make purchasing decisions based purely on price (in either my personal or professional life), however it is a factor that can't be ignored. I am happy to pay a reasonable premium for dealing with a local retailer that can deliver appropriate added value over a web retailer. However I have neither the wallet nor the inclination to fund a business that is charging unreasonable prices and delivering a poor quality of service.

I doubt I will have a choice, in ten (five?) years’ time: and that is another topic which warrants more discussion and attention than it presently receives.

Unfortunately I suspect it will be closer to five for anything not firmly in the mass consumer market. I don't know how things are in your neck of the woods but in the UK there seem to be a disturbing number of specialist independent retailers (and chains to be fair) that insist on shooting themselves in the foot.

Cheers,
A

[William W]

That's very nice and I agree entirely with the principal. I would do the same if there was a local retailer who was able to deliver appropriate value. . . .

I wasn’t stating that point of view to be nice: I seriously find leverage in buying from a person to whom I can go back to . . . and not someone I have to e-mail or telephone.

But I believe I do understand exactly the meaning of your reply: so I re-iterated the point above, for the clarity of my meaning to the thread's audience, generally.

Since the failure of Jessops in the UK I am left with one relatively local camera retailer, but unfortunately they are surly, unhelpful, have little or no expertise . . . I don't know how things are in your neck of the woods but in the UK there seem to be a disturbing number of specialist independent retailers (and chains to be fair) that insist on shooting themselves in the foot.

I understand. I pretty much understand the London and greater surrounding area.

There are many elements here.
Not all the elements are only the retailer shooting themselves in the foot – and some tried not to.

The other two main considerations are: the contractual relationships with the Names (e.g. Nikon Canon etc), which includes the separation of “Grey” and “Local” – local having to be bought at the price designated or rebate designated.

Then for us there is the GST (Goods and Services Tax) matter.

As a really simple example, it is pretty easy to buy a lens O/S in the ‘grey market’ and get it cheaper than local . . . but the local guy has to pay 10% GST – even if he has no bricks and mortar on-costs to cover in the reselling price.

The local guy is likely to be audited for tax purposes and faces gaol time for not collecting and paying the GST the Tax Department – anyway even if he does skip it, he has paid GST to the local distributer, and he cannot claim that back unless he collects it from the retail customer so doing that will cost him anyway.

On the other hand, the O/S on line supplier does not pay GST . . . so for a 70 to 200/2.8 the local guy is more than $200 behind the eight-ball, even if he can buy it at the same wholesale price from the AUS distributor as a store in Hong Kong (for example), which I don’t believe he can: as I understand it, there is NOT one world wide “wholesale price”.

Yes five years I expect, but I have found a way and not too far to drive, so I am happy for the time being.

Regards to you also,

WW

[stuck]

..opinions about the Digitl rev...

I'm in the UK and, so far, I have used DigitalRev once. I bought a Canon EFS 55-250 II and paid only the £119 as shown on the web site (in Jan 2013, way cheaper than anything I could find in the UK). There were no hidden import duties to pay but then the Customs declaration did stretch things a bit, saying was a gift.

I didn't pay extra for express shipping, I took the free option. It took a while to arrive but it did arrive within the time frame they said it would. It was well wrapped in bubble wrap and has functioned as expected.

My plan was to see how it DigitalRev fared with this 'cheap' lens and then go back for an EFS 17-55 f2.8 but the pound has nose dived against the Hong Kong Dollar and so I can no longer get the 17-55 because the price has jumped from £635 to over £700, still much less than in the UK but out reach for me.

Had it not been for this exchange rate issue I would have gone back by now. I live in hope that the pound will recover a bit in the next few months but that's probably unrealistic.

Ken

[DrRamesh Ayurveda]

Its been nice discussions going on and no one specifies any names.. (avoiding controversies it seems. :-) ]. As Bill had mentioned, I do wish to support the UK retailers and did check the one called wex. The rates, as expected, is much higher than the online retailers. But what I have been asking is, about the credibility of the products that they sell compared to the UK retailers. Thanks for your comments and expecting more reviews from the admin and other friends too. and by the way, thanks Helen, for your support but since I'm in the UK, I don't think, Adorama can be of any use to me.

many thanks
Hari

[Mark von Kanel]

Hari.

if you look at my posts in the past you will see i went through the same dilemma just before christmas i was recommended to look into HDEW

these people import from all over the world, i bought my Nikon d800, 24-70 f2.8 nikor and 70-200f2.8 nikor from them, i researched their history and their guarantee, i even contacted the authorized `Nikon repair people in glasgow who gave them a glowing reference.

my kit has all been redgistered with Nikon europe and there have been no problems and i have been given nikon pro user membership so it been good for me but maybe ive been lucky in that all my gear is europen imports rather than far east or american.

anyway you have a look for yourself, i was unable to find any bad reviews about them, and i still use them.

[stuck]

...about the credibility of the products that they sell compared to the UK retailers...

If DigitalRev sold me a fake then I'm none the wiser. The packaging and looks like genuine Canon and the lens looks like a genuine Canon too but I'm no Pro.

Ken

[Ady]

There are many elements here.
Not all the elements are only the retailer shooting themselves in the foot – and some tried not to.

Hi Bill,

I do understand the benefits of dealing with suppliers you have a direct face-to-face relationship with, I've managed the purchasing of IT goods and services for a wide variety of organisations and always insist on regular face-to-face meetings, and I won't deal with vendors or resellers that are unwilling to comply.

I also understand the issues of local taxation, regulation, wholesale pricing etc., and the advantages that off-shore or local tax avoiding businesses have. But in my previous post I was thinking of two UK retailers that do operate on a level playing field (or as level as one may expect!).

OK I was still probably being a bit harsh with the 'shooting themselves in the foot' comment, but it does frustrate me that many businesses, including retailers, appear to struggle when it comes to developing an agile approach to their business. As a result they stagnate while their market and the commercial landscape as a whole changes around them, then they wonder why they're not getting the custom they got 10 years ago.

I'm not saying it's easy, I've worked with modern businesses that failed despite best efforts, and 500 year old institutions that will go on forever regardless of how poorly they perform, though admittedly the latter are the exception. One thing that seems to escape the thought processes of too many senior management teams/boards is the human element. Developing an agile business (and sustaining any type of successful business) is as much about people you employ and the culture you promote as it is about the mechanics of the business and understanding your market.

Anyway I now seem to be as off topic as it's possible to get and having read some of your posts in other business related threads I'm not going to be able to take this anywhere you don't already have a strong understanding of when it comes to 'the business', so I'll shut up and go away!

All the best,
Ady

[William W]

. . . it does frustrate me that many businesses, including retailers, appear to struggle when it comes to developing an agile approach to their business. As a result they stagnate while their market and the commercial landscape as a whole changes around them, then they wonder why they're not getting the custom they got 10 years ago.

Agreed 100%




I'm not saying it's easy, I've worked with modern businesses that failed despite best efforts, and 500 year old institutions that will go on forever regardless of how poorly they perform, though admittedly the latter are the exception. One thing that seems to escape the thought processes of too many senior management teams/boards is the human element. Developing an agile business (and sustaining any type of successful business) is as much about people you employ and the culture you promote as it is about the mechanics of the business and understanding your market.

Anyway I now seem to be as off topic as it's possible to get and having read some of your posts in other business related threads I'm not going to be able to take this anywhere you don't already have a strong understanding of when it comes to 'the business', so I'll shut up and go away!

But I've also written before that CiC has a capacity to allow conversations to develop around a topic into related areas. I believe that is very good. What you have written expands and broadens an understanding generally for all readers. . . what you have written is still about purchasing camera gear - very worthwhile.

Thank you for the compliment and also the conversation.

All the best to you too.

WW

[DrRamesh Ayurveda]

Hi all,

Its nice discussions on more than cameras and going deeper into business studies.. Quite informative though.. . In between, I did find a comment stating a UK retailer named HDEW. I did have a look at their website and it really seems good.Any one else who can comment more on this particular company, please do so,such that I can finalize things. And thanks to Bill and Ady, and Mark..

Cheers
Hari