Is B&H Photo & Video reputable?

[DDK]

I'm almost ready to make a purchase but before I do, I like to see if people have bought from a place online that I'd like to purchase from.

I was hoping someone could vouch for them before I hand over my credit card details.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

[Steve S]

I'm almost ready to make a purchase but before I do, I like to see if people have bought from a place online that I'd like to purchase from.

I was hoping someone could vouch for them before I hand over my credit card details.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

B&H photo is a very reputable business. I have purchased alot of gear through them and never had a problem.

[Mike Buckley]

B&H is one of the most widely recognized Internet firms in the U. S. for its professionalism. I have been buying from them for years and can absolutely vouch for them.

They have a no-questions-asked return policy and they abide by it. In fact, one time I called them and asked if it was in the spirit of their policy to allow me to order two digital projectors, try them, and return the one I didn't want. They were enthusiastic about me doing that and made it happen very easily.

[DDK]

Awesome, thanks. I'd never heard of them before so didn't realise they were as big as that.

[Viridian]

Yeah, B&H is amazing, amazing used department, great prices, great service, great quotes on trade ins, great variety of equipment in every field.

[John Morton]

I ordered some things from them online years and years ago. This winter, I was in NYC and had a chance to actually drop in to their physical store and do a bit of shopping. I was with my finacee, who is from NYC and who was trying to explain to me how I should be setting up an account with them (using her address); but I just gave them my (Canadian) phone number and they instantly pulled up my name, address, and so on: not an issue at all!

Everyone seems to be in agreement on the stellar level of professionalism they exhibit.

[CP140]

Let me add one more vote/opinion. Have shopped in person at the NY store and on-line. I have no reservations about doing business with them... in fact I placed an on-line order just a few hours ago....

[Manfred M]

The other equally reputable bricks & mortar retailer in New York that is every bit as good as B&H is Adorama.

http://www.adorama.com/

I've shopped at both stores and have dealt with both online as well.

The only thing I do not buy from them is cameras and lenses. Being in Canada, Nikon Canada will not work on any Nikon gear bought in the US or elsewhere. If you purchase items, make sure you understand the warranty / repair implications.

[Abitconfused]

I like B&H a lot. Very good customer service and everything I purchased was new, not repackaged returns.

[dubaiphil]

Just one thing before you pull the trigger, if you haven't already.....

I have used B&H and Adorama. Both are reputable. However, when importing into the UAE I had to pay import tax on an item purchased from B&H, and did not pay import tax on a more expensive item from Adorama. Now whether that is indicative of the different modes of shipping (both cheapest rate from each seller) of the varying levels of checks from UAE customs is debatable....

[jcuknz]

Awesome, thanks. I'd never heard of them before so didn't realise they were as big as that.

From their photo they seem to occupy a whole block .... along with KEH, Adorama I trust them when buying from 'down under'
I ordered only last night becuase the item was not available in NZ after I asked my local store to get it for me. The only snag is that postage/freight maybe a bit excessive for it to come down-here .... such as US$100 to courier a $190 camera body only.[ E-PL1 ]

[HelenOster]

The other equally reputable bricks & mortar retailer in New York that is every bit as good as B&H is Adorama.

http://www.adorama.com/

Thanks! BTW if you ever need advice or after-sales support with anything from Adorama, you are always most welcome to email me directly: Helen@adorama.com

If I don't know the answer, I will do my best to hook you up with someone who does!

[DDK]

From their photo they seem to occupy a whole block .... along with KEH, Adorama I trust them when buying from 'down under'
I ordered only last night becuase the item was not available in NZ after I asked my local store to get it for me. The only snag is that postage/freight maybe a bit excessive for it to come down-here .... such as US$100 to courier a $190 camera body only.[ E-PL1 ]

Yeah, I bought a refurbished 600D with 18-55 kit from B&H for $390 all up, including $50 shipping. For something that is essentially brand new, I think that's a pretty bloody good price. Certainly the best one I've been able to find. Part of my hesitation was that it was a 'used' model so I wasn't sure if that was legit or not. Nice to know B&H are a good lot though. Can't wait to start taking crappy photos

[Harpo]

A photographer walking into the B&H store is like a wide eyed kid walking in Willie Wonkas Candy Factory. Their reputation is just as good. No Oompa Loompas though.

[RustBeltRaw]

Most of my lenses are from the B&H used department. They're very good, and extremely discriminating when assigning used equipment ratings. Anything 8 or above is essentially brand-new (or better, since refurbs are individually tested at the factory).

This is unrelated to their excellent reliability, but I really like how B&H closes their site for Jewish holidays. Adds a very human element to their website.

[Donald]

Just one thing before you pull the trigger, if you haven't already.....

I have used B&H and Adorama. Both are reputable. However, when importing into the UAE I had to pay import tax on an item purchased from B&H, ...

Fortunately (or unfortunately if you consider the environmental impact of all those plane movements), a lot of people from the UK go to New York for shopping trips for extended weekends (could never see the sense in it myself). And some of them are my friends or colleagues. What you do is give them your shopping list for B & H, such as a Singh Ray Vari ND which I could not find for sale anywhere in the UK (having ordered the item beforehand) and tell them to leave space in their suitcase for the return journey. But please don't tell Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) that I told you.

[henryp]

Yeah, B&H is amazing, amazing used department, great prices, great service, great quotes on trade ins, great variety of equipment in every field.

Thanks to everyhone here kind enough to recommend us with tales and anecdotes. This is very gratifying and quite flattering.

--
Henry Posner
B&H Photo-Video

[Donald]

Henry

Pleasure to have you here and I hope you will dip your toe into CiC on a regular basis and contribute to the discussion and debates that take place. I hope you find that CiC is that bit different in terms of its focus on learning on constructively supporting others in the development of knowledge and skills

[Donald]

Thanks! BTW if you ever need advice or after-sales support with anything from Adorama, you are always most welcome to email me directly: Helen@adorama.com

If I don't know the answer, I will do my best to hook you up with someone who does!

Helen - Thank you too for coming in to acknowledge the posts. We welcome the knowledge that you folks can bring to an online community such as this and hope that you will keep looking out for our activities and contribute your thoughts and ideas.

[rpcrowe]

I echo the above statements and will add another of my own.

IMO, if you find an identical piece of gear anywhere on the Internet, significantly less expensive that B&H or Adorama, that Internet ad is probably a scam.

The B&H and Adorama prices are usually pretty compatible but, sometimes there is a different bottom line due to shipping charges. However, neither B&H nor Adorama is generally cheaper than the other. It just depends on the piece of gear that you are ordering.

Another thing that I like about these merchants is that I use the PayPal Bill-Me-Later option for payment. This is a fairly painless way for me to spread the cost of an item over a period of time.

I just purchased a refurbished Canon 7D from Adorama at a better price than I could get it for from the Canon Store since shipping to the lower 48 States is free and there is no state sales tax charged. The camera arrived quickly and it is in pristine condition. I also purchased an Adorama warranty for $20 USD while covers the camera for a full year. Even with the extra wrranty (Canon warants refurbished cameras for 90-days) the bottom-line price was significantly lower than buying a refurbished 7D from canon and really, really lower than buying a new 7D.

I don't know about shipping from New York to either New Zealand or Australia and would assume that the shipping is pretty costly...

By the way, Helen, it is great to see you on this forum. We are an international group of photogrpahers with many of us based in the USA...