Buying online

[gjtoth]

I just thought I'd share a little something that might save your blood pressure from exploding your heart. I have, for that past week now, been trying to buy a Fujifilm S700 online. The eBay deal fizzled (don't know WHAT happened there) so, I did some price shopping and found Techon. When I called to "confirm" my purchase, they tried a bait & switch on me (claimed they didn't have it stock but would "upgrade" me to another camera for a "really good price"). I declined and cancelled the order. Next I tried Camera Addicts. $10 cheaper than Techon and free shipping. Called to confirm my purchase and told there would be a $40 (FORTY) handling & insurance charge!! I would hate to think what the shipping would have been! I cancelled.... again. I finally found another deal at Camera Professionals. Even $10 cheaper than Camera Addicts and shipping was $10 (UPS ground - gotta pay Mary). I called to confirm and everything is cool. Made sure there were no hidden BS charges. I've been dealing online for about 10 years and, tell ya what, I think it's getting downright dangerous out there. Yeah, I might pay more at Walmart or BestBuy BUT, at least I can look, feel, test and know I'm getting the item I'm paying for. I've yet to be stung for anything big on eBay but after 10 years... the law of averages is catching up. I think I'll keep those purchases to a minimum amount.

Just thought I'd let y'all know a couple of cyber-crooks to watch out for.

[jerryph]

There are a few places online that talk about these bait and switch places. I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for, however, when you see someone selling something thats 30-40% less than "average online prices", its almost a guarantee that its not an ethical place to deal with.

With the exception of 2 lenses, all my other ones were bought online, as have been all my books and camera accessories. I never just purchase something, and I avoid ebay like the plague. I think that I am doing something right, as I have never had any issues and never been ripped off. I also pay on average 30-50% under manufacturer retail pricing, shipping included.

The old saying of "if it looks too good to be true, it usually isn't true" is a favorite motto to live by when it comes to internet purchasing. Use confirmed reputable sources and stick to them. I've done a lot of purchasing through Amazon, but never before looking over the ratings of the seller. You get to know real fast who are the conartists and who are the sincere sellers quite fast.

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=bait+and+switch&meta=

http://www.resellerratings.com/

Places like B&H, Ritz, Adorama, Beach Camera are pretty safe bets that their pricing and services are fair. I use them as a baseline for all my pricing searches, and often end up buying from them directly. One caveat is Adorama. Though good pricing and service, their shipping and handling are often outrageous on some products.

[steppenwolf]

Thanks for sharing. I bought my camera at Newegg. :)