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Buy From These Companies!

Spinoff of the bad company thread. Post good experiences with online companies you've had here.

Buydig, BH, Adorama have all been good to me.
 
I've had great experiences with these companies - some for over 10 years:

Allen's Camera - no online, but just call Allen - awesome!
J&R
Newegg
Amazon (only purchasing if it goes through Amazon itself - no third party)
B&H
Adorama
Wimberley (the only place I get my tripods from)
Skywatch - even has updated website! I've used RealEMWIN for at least 4 years now, it is great!
StickyPod - have had good experience so far, and Tom was great with answering all my questions - while in the middle of another store!

Have many more :p - but those are majority for weather stuff.
 
I buy most of my stuff through these sources because they have been almost trouble-free. If you do have trouble, they will work to resolve the problem.

KEH Camera Brokers
http://www.keh.com/
My favorite source of used gear. They are based out of Atlanta and have a wide variety of used gear, some of it the latest greatest that people have bought and decided that it wasn't for them. You can buy much of it at signifigant savings over new. They also sell new stuff at competitive prices. Their grading system is very conservative in your favor. I have a few reservations reccomending their repair service, which is still fairly new. One of my chase partners had a bad experience which they did resolve, but it kept his camera out of commission for a good while.

Roberts Distributing
http://www.robertsimaging.com/
When I worked quite a bit as a stringer for Reuters many of the people I worked with used Roberts. Although their selection of used gear is not as great as that of KEH, they are another good source of used gear. I have not used them as much as KEH because they don't always have what I need but they are fair and reliable.

Midwest Photo Exchange
http://www.mpex.com/
This is a second hand reccomendation. Although I have never used them I know a few people who do. They tell me they are a good reliable source of used gear. They also sell new gear and according to their website their prices are competitive, at least on the items I priced. I don't have any personal experience with them so take it for what it's worth.

Adorama
http://www.adorama.com/
I know someone mentioned them earlier, I'm just casting my vote in their favor. They have always been good to me.

There are some good dealers in the New York area but there are some real losers as well. Just remember that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. You might miss a good deal every once in a while but you will miss more bad deals than good. Just weigh the risk versus cost. Would you risk $500 to save $100?
 
B&H rules... even if it's a touch higher price, it's always the right product, in stock, as advertised, no issues...

I have to mention Full Compass, too... www.fullcompass.com ... don't go by the prices on the website, call a human and ask for a quote... just a hint. Ask for Ron Vogel.
 
Good Camera equipment companies

I have used BuyDig
B&H
Amazon
Adorama

All have been good. Adorama is good, but is sometimes slow in processing.

Overall, B&H is where many pros go when they need good service. They are not the cheapest, but everyone I have seen that is cheap is also problematic.

Forget SonicCamera or any of their companies, for example. They will be gone in a few months, but will surface with a new name.
 
I've used http://www.vanns.com/shop a couple of different times and they've been excellent to deal with. Excellent customer service group. I waited a day too long when deciding on a camera and when I went to order it the package that was listed with it earlier wasn't available anymore. I called them and they spent about 30 minutes going through what I could remember being in the package and they bundled it for me at the reduced price and shipped it. :)
 
I usually go to the actual B&H store in NYC for my photography needs. While it is always insanely crowded and the staff isn't necessarily very friendly, they do have great prices and know a TON about the products that they sell.

I have been shopping there for years, and if you can deal with crowds and sometimes cranky staff, I would definitely recommend B&H.

Their used store in NYC is also quite good (the entrance is right next to the main store) , and I have bought high-quality products from there (including an old enlarger) at very low prices.
 
I've also used:
Beach Camera
Sigma4Less

Never had problems with either, multiple orders.
 
Good day all...

You also want to consider http://sterlingtek.com

SterlingTek is a battery wholesaler, and NOT grey market or such. As you know, buying camera / camcorder batteries can be a real dent in your wallet. They are SEVERELY over-priced!

For example, a BP-511 battery (for Canon Digital Rebel) can set you back $89 at the stores (such as Best Buy), PLUS tax.

At SterlingTek, I ordered TWO of them for $24 plus shipping ($7). Definitely something to check out for you battery needs.
 
Windscreens For Camcorders

I know it’s a specialty item that not everyone wants or needs, but I had a heck of a time searching the internet to find a windscreen to fit the shotgun microphone on my Sony VX2100 camcorder. I finally located a small company in Great Falls Montana who fixed me up right away with exactly what I wanted at a very good price.

http://www.thewindcutter.com/shop/


I dealt with a very helpful lady by the name of Rebekah who indicated that they can furnish a windscreen for just about any type of device with a microphone or any application you are using it for. We did a couple of emails deciding the difference in products and styles for what I wanted and it was shipped the same day I ordered it. Seems like a small outfit that really appreciates the business they can get.
 
I agree with the comments about B & H. I've bought many times from them, both online and by phone, and have had extremely good luck. Yes their sales staff can be a bit cantankerous, but understand that these guys are trying to handle about 15 people at once! I'm sure their nerves get frazzled real quickly! Adorama is good, but watch for the upsells they try. Both Helix, and Calumet here in Chicago are good to deal with. Calumet is a bit on the high side, but they cater more to professionals than anything else, however their service is first rate. Samy's Camera in L.A., is a good choice also. I have bought from them, and they actualy matched (and then beat) the B & H price. The best thing to do, is make sure you know what you are looking for, get prices up front, including the shipping costs, and make sure any of these places gives you the "final" out the door price. That way there are no surprises in the end......
 
Josh Murfield said:
Anybody have any experience with Abe's of Maine?
Click to expand...

Don't quote me, but I think this is another one of those "don't buy from". I know they often advertise in videomaker.

This is from BBB:
BBB; said:
On May 22, 2007, this company's membership in the Metropolitan New York BBB was revoked by our BBB's Board of Directors due to the company’s repeated and unauthorized use of the BBB logo and failure to eliminate the underlying cause of complaints on file concerning: non-delivery of products, misrepresentation of availability of merchandise, refusal to honor cancellations or provide timely refunds, unprofessional conduct, failure to resolve customer complaints, overcharging, undisclosed cancellation of orders, improper upselling tactics, and bait & switch selling.
Click to expand...
 
A great place I have gotten cables, mounts and adapters from is Monoprice; http://www.monoprice.com/home/index.asp

They have great prices and have a great reputation among IT/techie people. I have purchased from them many times in the past(40-50) and have never had any problems at all, even got mt wall mount for my 60" flat screen there for 50 bucks and been there 2 years w/o a problem. Just a great cheap place
 
Sean Mullen said:
They may have cleaned up their act....note the improvement in the last 6 months. It does look like from the reviews that they actively seek feedback.

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Abe_s_of_Maine

Sean
Click to expand...

I'm still leary especially after hearing news stories about some of these rating sites. Particularly Yelp...which apparently was "fixing" the ratings based on whether or not (and also how much) restaurants were purchasing advertising from Yelp. I've noticed a large majority of the reviews are from a single person review. The occasional bad review is still there with the "same old story". I Personally would still consider them a "stay away from" until I here a long track record.
 
Josh Murfield said:
Anybody have any experience with Abe's of Maine?
Click to expand...

Thought I added to this thread, but I guess not...

I've bought at least 3 lenses from Abe's of Maine and never had a problem. Their website isn't the best, but they usually have free shipping and if you enter LOYALTY10 at check out, you get $10 off your order.

Very happy w/Abe's.

Also very happy with http://www.cameralensrentals.com. Rented from them a few times at good prices. Also bought my Canon 5D Mark II body from them when it was first released...for $250 less than the list price that everyone else was paying.
 
I recommend woot and their family of sites. Always good service, and usually low prices!
 
Be advised that B&H customer product reviews are screened, and that feedback critical of the hardware in question is deleted!
This explains why most everything on their site has a 4 or 5 star rating.
 
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