Online Retailer/Gray Market Article

[dmm96452]

This is a fantastic article about on line retailers the games they play and how to recognize a scam.

Might not be a bad candidate for a sticky. Photo John?

[SmartWombat]

Great aricle.

[dmm96452]

Bump back to the top.

[mwfanelli]

This is a fantastic article about on line retailers the games they play and how to recognize a scam.

Might not be a bad candidate for a sticky. Photo John?

I see a few problems with this article:

1. I recognized all but one of the stores they tried. Believe me, it's not because they were great places to shop! One of them, Cambridge, have been ripping people off for at least 20 years. When people ask me where to buy I always tell the same thing, tried and true, "If it sounds too good to be true..." If people get greedy and shop on price alone, they deserve what they get. There are plenty og great stores around, many advertise right here on this site. What about the big shops? Ritz, for example, is constantly trying the bait-and-switch routine.

2. The article is more than three years old. Some of these places last forever, but many come and go with the seasons. Does that make the article useless? No, but I wonder what has been done in three years to crack down on the worse offenders.

3. They seem to throw in "gray market" as if it were evil on its own. In many cases, gray market is the same camera, just imported outside the official US distribution network. The article seemed to lump repackaged toss-offs and gray market together.

Its an OK article for the very, very naive. But how many people are here are unaware and surprised by what these guys found?

[dmm96452]

I see a few problems with this article:

1. I recognized all but one of the stores they tried. Believe me, it's not because they were great places to shop! One of them, Cambridge, have been ripping people off for at least 20 years. When people ask me where to buy I always tell the same thing, tried and true, "If it sounds too good to be true..." If people get greedy and shop on price alone, they deserve what they get. There are plenty og great stores around, many advertise right here on this site. What about the big shops? Ritz, for example, is constantly trying the bait-and-switch routine....

Really? I've never dealt with Ritz but that suprises me a bit. They regularly post some of the highest prices around but still try the bait and switch? OUCH!

I see a few problems with this article:...
2. The article is more than three years old. Some of these places last forever, but many come and go with the seasons. Does that make the article useless? No, but I wonder what has been done in three years to crack down on the worse offenders....

The article is 3 years old but the game is still the same. The tips on how to spot the bait and switch will be useful to new buyers. I read another article about how some of the places get shut down but then pop right back up under another name. I'll try to find it again and post a link.

I see a few problems with this article:...

3. They seem to throw in "gray market" as if it were evil on its own. In many cases, gray market is the same camera, just imported outside the official US distribution network. The article seemed to lump repackaged toss-offs and gray market together...

They do bash the gray market pretty hard. Here is an article with a better definition of gray market.

Ultimately what I am trying to do is put something out there that can help new people seperate scammers from reputable retailers. If nothing else the bait and switch info should help a few.

BTW there are 5 pages in the article. Did you read them all?

[nevernefertiti]

I know that I'm [U]really[U] late replying to this thread, but I wanted to say that I think it's hilarious that they used John Silver as the name of one of the managers. John Silver as in Long John Silver, the pirate from Treasure Island. "Yar, shiver me timbers we got the best prices on camera equipment this side of Tortuga."