The only things I have ever purchased from Amazon were a couple of books about 8 years ago. Since then, they seem to have become a bit more ebay-esque in that you can open up a store, sell anything and receive ratings from your buyers. I’ve found an item I want to buy, and the absolute best price is at one of these mini-stores. They appear to have a 97% positive rating, but I’m still a bit squeamish. Anyone have any thoughts on the subject? Should I buy from a “big box” like Best Buy and pay more just for the sense of security?
If you’re curious, it’s a Nikon D60 DSLR with 18-55 VR and 55-200 VR lenses.
I used to work at the big A and dealt directly with the 3rd party sellers. A vast majority of them are fantastic. Sometimes they are slow to ship because it is just them but if they have a 97% rating I’d go through all the feedback and find the ones that weren’t great. See what the issue was. If anything goes wrong you have recourse through Amazon so you aren’t unprotected.
I personally go with Amazon or sellers that are designed as “Fulfilled by Amazon” because I know it will get to me when I want it. If you aren’t on a time rush, you should be fine going with the smaller seller. This isn’t meant to be a negative against 3rd party sellers, just I’ve been to an Amazon fulfillment center and wow do they have it down to a science!
when it comes to photo equipment there is no way I’d buy anywhere else than b&h or amazon direct (not affiliates), wayyyy too many horror stories all over the place.
Marco,
Thanks for the tip. It appears that B&H has what I want for a price that’s equal or better than that of the Amazon.com 3rd parties. Of course it’s Passover for them, so I can’t order till Saturday evening.
JenHS,
I’ll keep your information in mind, it’s really good to know.
The other thing I do with most online retailers is that I ALWAYS pay with a credit card - even if it’s through PayPal.
Small companies can and occasionally will try to fuck with you.
Ebay/PayPal is pretty much guaranteed to try to fuck you over, and because PayPal is owned by Ebay you have no recourse.
But no-one fucks with VISA/AMEX. If a transaction goes South, dispute the charge with your cc company and let them deal with it.
I’ve purchased lots of things through Amazon and the third party sellers. Never had any problems. A 97% rating is very good and I would have no problem trusting them.
Why is it that the “Big A” doesn’t do price matches? I ordered my Forerunner 305 from them just before Costco (?) blew them out. I tried to get a price adjustment, but they wouldn’t help me out, and I ended up sending it back to them for a refund. Why is that?
Normally I tend to shy away from Amazon affiliates, but lately have had some good transactions.
Cameras, on the other hand, are a completely different animal. “Gray market” cameras are a huge business and any deal that looks too good to be true always is. No US warranty, upsells or no deal, shady vendors, inflated shipping, etc. etc.
Amazon direct is great for camera stuff (and everything else). B&H are fantastic (when they’re not on holiday) both online and in their store. Big box stores are RIDICULOUSLY overpriced for no benefit.
Do not fall for package deals. The cases usually won’t fit your long-term lens plans… the filters are useless and/or really cheap… the memory cards aren’t as good of a deal as you can find elsewhere… the cleaning kits are always crap… and the tripods are absolutely always pure junk.
I’m not a fan of extended warranties. Use a credit card like Amex or Visa Platinum that doubles your factory warranty. If you must get a long-term warranty, shop around. The camera shop won’t always offer you the best deal.
I’m not a fan of extended warranties. Use a credit card like Amex or Visa Platinum that doubles your factory warranty. If you must get a long-term warranty, shop around. The camera shop won’t always offer you the best deal.
If you are looking for an extended warranty, Ritz has probably the best in the industry - full replacement, and it covers abuse.
My dad ordered my a Blue Seventy Point Zero 3 off Amazon for my birthday in Jan. They said they didn’t have the size/style I needed in stock until Feb, offered a more expensive version with long legs, but I wanted the one I wanted and didn’t mind waiting until feb since, my first race wasn’t until the end of April. Still haven’t received it. Supposedly a new shipment comes in in a week or so. The main race I wanted to use it for is in 2 weeks. So, over 3 months after it was ordered, I have yet to receive this product. Not sure what the rating on the vendor was.
You can file a complaint against the vendor. Your dad should have the order information. I’d contact Amazon and let them know what the problem is. They will help resolve it.
