Recommended sites and sites to avoid

What extras did you get?
A lot of the 'package' deals have a tripod, bag, maybe some filters, extra lenses, card reader, memory card, etc.
Checking the list of Nikon authorized USA dealers, I see it is not on the list, so you won't get a Nikon warranty with it.
Many of the things in a lot of the package deals are not quality items. Cheap tripods, off brand lenses that may or may not be good, uv filters of low quality that introduce flare to a lot of photos, etc. Not saying this is the case with your package deal but it is in many cases and then if you get serious about your photgraphy, you end up having to buy new quality items.
Hope your deal turns out ok and don't know if you can back out of it or send it back now.
I know one Nikon authorized dealer on ebay and that is Cameta. There are others but I don't recall which they are now. Always look for the 'authorized dealer' logo.

List of Nikon USA authorized dealers http://www.nikonusa.com/fileuploads/...uthDealers.pdf

Frog thanks for the advice!!
This is the link of the bundle: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

If you can check it out and let me know what you think!

Thanks!! :)

This all depends on how serious a photographer you are or intend to be.
Taking the items individually:
The 18-55 is a kit lens and is a pretty good lens.

Lens cap keeper....the ones I've had lose their sticky quickly and then you lose your lens cap. They also get in the way.

uv filter A good uv filter will cost probably over 50 dollars. Some use them to 'protect' their lenses but the quality of the uv is less than that of the glass on your lens and your image quality decreases because of this. They also can add flare from light sources. They say it is multi-coated and that is something to look for but I doubt it is a good one. They also are not necessary on digital cameras to reduce uv or haze as this is done easily in editing programs.

tripod A good tripod will cost some money and then you have to get a good head to go with it. There are a lot of cheap tripods out there and they are better than nothing especially if you are on a firm level surface with no wind.

wide angle lens Notice the brand on this and any other item listed is not given. I spent around 490 for a well reviewed wide angle lens. They don't even say what the wide angle is. Is it a 10mm 11mm 12mm? Is a zoom that goes from widest to not so wide?

4gb memory card may be an ok one but again it has no brand.

flash A good Nikon flash..d600, d800, d900 are great but they do cost money.
No way to tell if the one they are selling is any good at all or if its going to end up in the trash or forgotten somewhere cuz it doesn't work. If it works with all digital cameras, that means it isn't made specifically for a Nikon.

telephoto lens No name and notice that it says it is a conversion lens. That means you screw it on to your lens to give it more zoom. You also lose f/stops and image quality. With this one I'd guess a lot of quality.

card reader May be an ok one. Card readers are cheap and most do an acceptable job.

camera bag Seems from the picture that it is a very small one and I'd wonder if the d5000 will even fit in it. You sure won't get an extra lens or stuff into it.

accessory kit mini-tripod probably won't hold your camera up. Cleaning stuff...ok..but be careful how you clean. Get a lens pen and some micro-fiber cloth for sure. Don't know if the cloth in theirs is a micro-fiber. screen protector...don't know.

I'm sorry to be so discouraging but maybe other new buyers will read this too.
I see a 14 day return policy so maybe you'll luck out with that.
The price is good but you aren't getting the Nikon warranty and you are getting a bunch of stuff that if you are serious about photgraphy, you will end up trashing for quality items.
It has taken me 5 years to save and shop for the gear I have and it isn't all top notch but it is reasonably good and I can expect it to work when it is needed.

Whether you keep or can return the camera, please give a review of your experience.
Wish you'd asked here first.

Frog thanks for the detailed information!!!
I am a beginner so I dont know much about cameras. I wish I had seen this before.
They send me an email about a warranty but I did not even recognize the company.
When everything arrives I will share my experience!!

Thanks and regards!!! :)

Hi, I too found bigeasycameras on ebay. After all that was said about gray market cameras, I decided to go online to Nikon USA ( I wish to purchase a D700) . Bigeasy cameras stated the package has a 1 year limited warranty (just not a 1 year USA warranty) Calling Nikon USA, the service rep told me that the USA warranty was 1 year parts and labor, whereas bigeasycameras stated over the phone in a live call that the warranty was 90 days labor and 1 year parts. Sounds fishy ? You bet !

Furthermore, although they are not an authorized Nikon dealer (stated) that they get their cameras from authorized dealers (overstock) so the customer does get the Nikon USA warranty and a super price.

I think their story sounds too good to be true.

I would appreciate your kind and utterly honest comments

Quote:

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Originally Posted by iluvendo

Hi, I too found bigeasycameras on ebay. After all that was said about gray market cameras, I decided to go online to Nikon USA ( I wish to purchase a D700) . Bigeasy cameras stated the package has a 1 year limited warranty (just not a 1 year USA warranty) Calling Nikon USA, the service rep told me that the USA warranty was 1 year parts and labor, whereas bigeasycameras stated over the phone in a live call that the warranty was 90 days labor and 1 year parts. Sounds fishy ? You bet !

Furthermore, although they are not an authorized Nikon dealer (stated) that they get their cameras from authorized dealers (overstock) so the customer does get the Nikon USA warranty and a super price.

I think their story sounds too good to be true.

I would appreciate your kind and utterly honest comments

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If you were getting a NON GREY official Nikon, you would also be getting the official Nikon warranty as stated by the Nikon USA service rep. If you are getting anything else IT IS NOT going to be covered or even worked on without a warranty by Nikon even if you will pay for the repairs out of pocket. STAY AWAY from these folks. Please take the time to read the information at the link at the bottom of my reply. This is too big an investment to throw your money away on.

Think of it this way! Let's say you were walking down the street and someone opened up the back of a van and gave you the same story that they have a Nikon that they bought from an authorized dealer that they can sell you for cheap and you can save some bucks, would you buy it? As I see it, the only difference between the two is the person that is telling you the story, Jeff

Grandpaw, thanks a million for the sagely advice !

Grandpaw. Have you had any experience with skypointdigital.com?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by flintlock62

Grandpaw. Have you had any experience with skypointdigital.com?

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Congratulations, I think you have found a site that has the lowest rating of any I can remember. Stay away from these folks. See link below for information, Jeff

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

Thanks, grandpaw. I knew the prices were too good. I read the reviews and needed a good laugh today.

Hi!
I received the camera yesterday. The camera is great and brand new. To my surprise the nikon warranty was inside the box. The extra lenses are not oem but they look good. The tripod is not as good as you see in the picture. The carrying bag is spacious but cheap, I have to buy a good one. The other stuff were pretty good. They offer a battery upgrade that is a ripoff so dont buy it because I saw it at amazon just for $9. The customer service was nice. They dont accept paypal, so you have to call and do the payment with a credit card. After all I got a good bundle :)

That's pretty great vilz.
I'm especially pleased that you did get a Nikon warranty.
Now don't go away. Post some pics, ask some questions, and join the family.

Thanks for the welcome Frog!!! I am so happy with the camera. I will post pictures soon!! :D

I just ordered a camera from Canoga Camera and I must say the Customer Service was EXCELLENT!!!! They went over and above to accomadate me and process my order. It has only been a couple of days and my package will be here next week and if it is as good as the customer service I would highly recommend this company. They had the best price for the package I bought out of all the other companys you have listed in your forum of companys to purchase from.
I will let you know if the package is as good as their customer service!!!

I use Amazon a lot and have had great luck (I'm a Prime Member). I've only had to return one product, some memory for a friends computer, and that was because I ordered wrong and it went through with no problems. They may not be a Photography only site, but they have some of the best prices, free shipping and great customer service. I think they should be added to the good guys.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MNRyan

I use Amazon a lot and have had great luck (I'm a Prime Member). I've only had to return one product, some memory for a friends computer, and that was because I ordered wrong and it went through with no problems. They may not be a Photography only site, but they have some of the best prices, free shipping and great customer service. I think they should be added to the good guys.

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The reason Amazon is NOT on the recommended list is that with photography equipment they use a lot of 3rd party vendors that have very bad reputations and are already on the list of sites to avoid. Most people that use Amazon go there because they have a fairly good reputation but they do not look at the third party that they will actually be purchasing from and end up with a bad experience.

I came up with these lists to help give readers a better chance of eliminating being scammed or taken advantage of by these types of companies. I have invested a considerable amount of time in checking out each of the sites on both lists and I want the readers to be able to count on the information in my post. I have provided the information that I have here to help everyone get a better buying experience according to my research. It does not guarantee success but is here to help increase your odds of having a better purchase when getting equipment. Thank you for your suggestion, but to me by Amazon allowing so many third party companies with bad reputations it will probably never make my recommended list, Jeff

I would like to make it clear that the problem I have with adding Amazon to my list is all of the third party companies that Amazon has decided to let use their site and the Amazon name to get unsuspecting buyers. In my opinion, Amazon is making a VERY BIG MISTAKE in doing this and it will ruin their reputation.

That make more than perfect sense. I guess I had never thought of buying from third party vendors and have always purchased straight from Amazon themselves. Very good point.

Don Wiss has a great encyclopedia of camera store addresses. You can almost tell if a vendor is legitimate by looking at the store front. I doubt it applies for exclusively used dealers (KEH looks like it may not have the store front they used to, even), but it's very enlightening.

One experience from Abe's Of Maine years ago did me in. I hear Abe's may have cleaned up, but the bad taste is still lingering. A long time ago I did sales as well, so I know the tricks some of the dealers used. Luckily for the consumer, the internet makes most of the tricks obsolete. Link plug to Don Wiss below.

http://donwiss.com/pictures/ManhattanStores/
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/

Some of this is hilarious.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cameradino

Don Wiss has a great encyclopedia of camera store addresses. You can almost tell if a vendor is legitimate by looking at the store front. I doubt it applies for exclusively used dealers (KEH looks like it may not have the store front they used to, even), but it's very enlightening.

One experience from Abe's Of Maine years ago did me in. I hear Abe's may have cleaned up, but the bad taste is still lingering. A long time ago I did sales as well, so I know the tricks some of the dealers used. Luckily for the consumer, the internet makes most of the tricks obsolete. Link plug to Don Wiss below.

http://donwiss.com/pictures/ManhattanStores/
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/

Some of this is hilarious.

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Thanks for sharing the information with us, Jeff

i bought a cannon tx1 powershot form broadway photo... i did my research.
put the order thru online. got a call from a costumer rep.
"we just received your order calling to confirm that"
i said "yes, that is me:)"
he says "you know we have a special with the same camera in it that would save you money"
i said " oh really, what is it?"
he says " you can get all these added lenses, lenses and batteries and extended warranty for not much more"
anyways... he talks me into paying for 2 lenses that are not compatible to the camera... i confirmed that with cannon... sends me a dead battery that does not hold a charge well... a knock off battery... and to top it off they sell me a 5 yr warranty and the company does not exist anymore...

i was super ripped off...

not sure where they get there products but ... i would never buy anything from them again.

when i spoke with cannon and the lens manufacturer about the products and they both confirmed that the products where not compatible ... broadway photo still insisted they where compatible ( l.o.l) they are out of there minds.

from what it seems from my conversation with them... they seemed to be so sort of a fundamentalist group... the way the spoke.
trying to persuade me by fear... and how honorable they were.

there tune changed when they found out i was an attorney...
they sent me a bunch of free stuff.

but never admitted to there lies... and now after a year the camera does not work.

terrible... warning to you all.

Broadway Photo is one of the worst. Nobody's really addressed the used market here. Most of the used dealers exist on the web as well as on eBay. I find eBay is a good indicator when other ratings sites don't have data:

Obviously KEH and B&H are beyond rebuke.

A few of the lesser-known used camera dealers --

Arsenal Photo:
http://www.arsenal-photo.com/
And on eBay
http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=photo-arsenal-worldwide&ssPageName=VIP:feedback&ftab=FeedbackAsS eller

98.5%. 98.5% sounds better than it might be.

Camerarepair.com:
http://www.camerarepair.com/
And on eBay
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAP...ab=AllFeedback

Others:
http://www.brooklyncam.com/
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAP...ab=AllFeedback

Both 99.9%+

In general, you can find most of the used dealers rated on eBay. Not all of them are not on Reseller Ratings sites like the new dealers. I use eBay as a 2nd information source.

It looks like 99%+ is "good" on eBay.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ramagroup

i bought a cannon tx1 powershot form broadway photo... i did my research.
put the order thru online. got a call from a costumer rep.
"we just received your order calling to confirm that"
i said "yes, that is me:)"
he says "you know we have a special with the same camera in it that would save you money"
i said " oh really, what is it?"
he says " you can get all these added lenses, lenses and batteries and extended warranty for not much more"
anyways... he talks me into paying for 2 lenses that are not compatible to the camera... i confirmed that with cannon... sends me a dead battery that does not hold a charge well... a knock off battery... and to top it off they sell me a 5 yr warranty and the company does not exist anymore...

i was super ripped off...

not sure where they get there products but ... i would never buy anything from them again.

when i spoke with cannon and the lens manufacturer about the products and they both confirmed that the products where not compatible ... broadway photo still insisted they where compatible ( l.o.l) they are out of there minds.

from what it seems from my conversation with them... they seemed to be so sort of a fundamentalist group... the way the spoke.
trying to persuade me by fear... and how honorable they were.

there tune changed when they found out i was an attorney...
they sent me a bunch of free stuff.

but never admitted to there lies... and now after a year the camera does not work.

terrible... warning to you all.

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I looked over the list and noticed KEH wasn't listed as one of the good guys. But I see plenty of talk about them, so, can you put them on the good guys list?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Anbesol

I looked over the list and noticed KEH wasn't listed as one of the good guys. But I see plenty of talk about them, so, can you put them on the good guys list?

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Thanks Anbesol, I appreciate you offering KEH as a company to put on the Recommended List. I researched them again this morning and they have several five star reviews but they also have several one star reviews with some very unhappy customers in the mix. Before I add or remove anyone from my lists, I have researched the reviews to see whether they can back up the claim of the request. Almost everyone will have customers that have received good and bad experiences from each site or vendor. What I do is research reviews to get an overall idea of what you can expect if you do business with them. With these folks I just do not feel comfortable recommending them. My goal with these lists are to hopefully give members and visitors information they can rely on. The lists do not give you a 100% guarantee but are designed to help improve your odds of a good and safe transaction.

I myself have personally dealt with camera stores and on line vendors that I think are great but cannot find enough other information to back my opinion up so I do not place them on the list. I look and check out each and every site on either list before making a decision of whether to add or not. KEH is one that I do not feel comfortable adding to the lists due to mixed reviews. You can read some reviews at the link I have below which is one of the places I look when checking out sites. Thanks for your suggestion and feel free to make others any time so I can check them out, Jeff

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

I can certainly appreciate your apprehension. I wouldn't have guessed keh had such mixed feedback, I am surprised to hear that. They have always been good to me and have been my number 1 used store, hopefully in time they can fix whatever problem they have causing them negative feedback. Maybe i should rely more on adorama instead. Thanks for the response.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Anbesol

.....Maybe i should rely more on adorama instead......

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How I'd love to be able to tell you that we never mess up :blush2:

Unfortunately, we have our moments........ but of course, I am only an email away if you ever need advice or after-sales support with an order from Adorama!

thanks for this thread but unfortunately I live in UK so is there any decent site where I can buy some equipments for my 550D.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by corei5

thanks for this thread but unfortunately I live in UK so is there any decent site where I can buy some equipments for my 550D.

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We've got a lot of UK members on this site. Try searching this forum or start a new thread asking about UK camera dealers.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by corei5

thanks for this thread but unfortunately I live in UK so is there any decent site where I can buy some equipments for my 550D.

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Adorama does ship to the UK - and another 191 countries!!

I've bought from and can recommend the following online vendors: B&H, Adorama, Samy's Camera, Calumet, Hunt's, Kodak, Imaging Spectrum, Buy Dig/Beach Camera, White Lightning/Paul C. Buff. Never had any problems, always very responsive and honest.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marc2B4

I've bought from and can recommend the following online vendors: B&H, Adorama, Samy's Camera, Calumet, Hunt's, Kodak, Imaging Spectrum, Buy Dig/Beach Camera, White Lightning/Paul C. Buff. Never had any problems, always very responsive and honest.

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Thanks for the Adorama mention, Marc; very much appreciated!

I've always had a great experience at Abe's of Maine...

I can recommend Keh. I have purchased a lens and extension tubes for my RZ67 plus two lenses for my OM4. All arrived well packed and condition ratings were conservative. International shipping options are not cheap but are fully trackable via the UPS or Fedex sites.

I just bought a LN- Olympus E-3 from KEH. Their estimation of the camera body was conservative to say the least. When the body arrived, the first thing I did was check the shutter activation count. The shutter has been tripped a grand total of 210 times. This equates to a new body after the in-factory testing. I was blown away; especially when you consider I paid 655.00 for the camera. The camera was packed extremely well, the shipment time was exactly as promised, I've got nothing but praise for KEH. They definitely have earned another customer.

Mark

:mad: Tri-State Camera - AVOID. As a jesture of my wife's support to my photography passion, she purchased a Nikon 17-55 f2.8 lense from them as a Christmas present. I received the lense and a cheap set of filters the salsmen pursuaded my wife to buy. It has a "US" serial number but did not come with any registration/warrenty cards. After many attempts with their Customer Service they assured me it was a "US" lens and they would mail the cards. I even have an email stating this. Two weeks have gone by and nothing from them. We called and it's like we're starting over again only now the credit card is paid. They always say they need to call us back and NEVER do. I've also yet to see a credit posted to my credit card for the returned junk filters. Please - Please do not do business with this company. I have shopped with B & H for at least 20 years and have never been disappointed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gaphiker

:mad: Tri-State Camera - AVOID. As a jesture of my wife's support to my photography passion, she purchased a Nikon 17-55 f2.8 lense from them as a Christmas present. I received the lense and a cheap set of filters the salsmen pursuaded my wife to buy. It has a "US" serial number but did not come with any registration/warrenty cards. After many attempts with their Customer Service they assured me it was a "US" lens and they would mail the cards. I even have an email stating this. Two weeks have gone by and nothing from them. We called and it's like we're starting over again only now the credit card is paid. They always say they need to call us back and NEVER do. I've also yet to see a credit posted to my credit card for the returned junk filters. Please - Please do not do business with this company. I have shopped with B & H for at least 20 years and have never been disappointed.

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Welcome to Photography Review!! I would just like to thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experience with Tri-State Camera. Before you order anything else you may want to check out the link at the bottom of my reply. You will find that I already have B&H Camera on the recommended list and Tri-State on the list of sites to avoid. Thanks again for taking the time to post and help others. I hope you stick around and become an active member here, you will find many helpful and knowledgeable people on this site, Jeff

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Grandpaw

I don't have Amazon on the recommended list due to the fact a lot of the time when an order is placed it goes though a third party that is on the list of sites to avoid and not actually through Amazon itself. If you place an order with Amazon and forget to see who your order is though you can experience a bad sale just the same.

I have had good purchases when the total sale is actually though Amazon itself, Jeff

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I agree with you and have had the same experience. However, since Amazon itself is really excellent (especially if something arrives damaged or you are not satisfied- their return/replacement service is hassle free), why not list Amazon on the recommended list with the statement that it applies to Amazon itself and not to affiliates or third parties which will be listed separately under their own names. Just a thought, since Amazon itself really does deserve the positive rating.

Hawk, the reason I have not placed Amazon on the list I recommend is that many that view the list will just go down to their name and read no further. If they take the time to read what I have written in my thread above the lists, they will find out just as you did, what I think about using Amazon to order from. If they didn't take the time to read what I wrote more than likely when they see Amazon on the recommended list they will read no further. I feel that if they are really interested, all the information they need about Amazon is there.

I welcome any and all comments and suggestions you or anyone else has to offer but in this case I like addressing this in a section all by itself where there will be less assumptions and the information is more specific to Amazon. Hope my reasons make sense, Jeff

I purchased a camera from Need4Digital.com before reading these posts. I called them to see if the camera had been shipped yet and they proceeded to "verify" my order. That's when they tried to sell me the battery and I declined. After hanging up, I thought that was a little fishy. I discovered that they were trying to sell me the battery that actually came with the camera. I called within their 24 hour verification window to cancel the order. I expected a major battle with the "customer service" people, but they did cancel the order without question. If they charge my card I'll be back to let you know.

I am going to buy the camera at a local camera store here in town. That makes me happy!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amorton1437

My mom is looking at buying a camera on ebay and I was just wondering if I could trust the "sellers rating" at all? Im a little leery after reading about all the scammers. here is a link to their "store" http://stores.ebay.com/bigeasycameras
They sell a lot of "bundles"-are those as great of a deal as the first appear?

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I actually just purchased from them well SORT OF... When I went to pay for my item it never took me anywhere to pay. Seller doesn't accept paypal only Credit card which is fine BUT they want you to go outside of Ebay to pay them... I contacted ebay which let me tell you was a dumb idea because they wanted me to contact the seller again (time number 3) to tell them that they need to use a third party checkout to have their customers to pay them. I was purchasing A new Nikon camera package (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...28947046#payId) which was an AWESOME deal but I still haven't been able to pay this person and E-bay is being no help... I mean maybe this one is the only one having problems with the checkout process but I am NOT pleased.... When you try calling the supplied number for the seller you just get an answering machine even during their "office hours" I believe it is a store in NYC and I am about to drive down there!:mad2:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by connorwmommy

I actually just purchased from them well SORT OF... When I went to pay for my item it never took me anywhere to pay. Seller doesn't accept paypal only Credit card which is fine BUT they want you to go outside of Ebay to pay them... I contacted ebay which let me tell you was a dumb idea because they wanted me to contact the seller again (time number 3) to tell them that they need to use a third party checkout to have their customers to pay them. I was purchasing A new Nikon camera package (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...28947046#payId) which was an AWESOME deal but I still haven't been able to pay this person and E-bay is being no help... I mean maybe this one is the only one having problems with the checkout process but I am NOT pleased.... When you try calling the supplied number for the seller you just get an answering machine even during their "office hours" I believe it is a store in NYC and I am about to drive down there!:mad2:

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Welcome to Photography Review! Please keep us informed on your situation, Jeff