Recommended sites and sites to avoid

[grummanite]

Is there any positive or negative feedback on this site allnewshop ?

[Frog]

They're an ebay seller that I don't recognize but it appears they started in UK.
They have good ebay reviews but the first thing I would ask them is if they are an authorized dealer for whatever brand you are shopping.
I noticed one item that said USA warranty. USA warranty is not the same as manufacturer warranty.

[nonifur]

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!!!

[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?

[Grandpaw]

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?

They only thing I found was the buyer ratings on E-Bay and they look pretty good. I have never heard of them before and Resellers ratings doesn't have anything on them. I also did a search and came up blank. as far as bundles I would check them out real good before getting a bundle from anyone, Jeff

[Frog]

Nothing on their site says they are an "authorized" dealer. They are probably selling grey market and the manufacturers will not honor a warranty.
The one I looked at said there was a 'limited 1 year warranty' and did not have anywhere to see what that warranty is.
There are authorized dealers on ebay. Cameta is one and there are others.
Most of the kits or bundles sold by ebay dealers have a decent camera and lens and a bunch of junk. Shaky tripods, bags too small, cheap filters, etc.
Better off getting just a camera and lens and buying other stuff separately.

[amorton1437]

Thanks for the advice! My mom was impatient and just had me order it for her (she is not very computer savvy) and a week after payment I called to check on tracking and they kept saying "you should have a tracking number in 7-10 business days... Not that I would have the camera, but a tracking number? Just seems really... odd.

[Frog]

And they get positive feedback?
Should have a tracking number in one day.....two at most.

[amorton1437]

Another update about the camera from Big easy cameras on ebay. Finally recieved the package after 2 weeks. My mom had me get it to check it out first and then give it to her. The "extras" that were sent were pretty cheap over all. the extra lenses and stuff they sent were actually pretty decent quality and after a little google search to check retail price of them, I did find that had we bought everything separately, it would have been well over $1000 for the camera and the 2 lenses that came with it, and for $779 she got the camera, kit lens, 2 extra lenses, tripod, camera bag (that is actually big enough), a UV filter and the other "crap" she wont use lol.
Sorry its so long, but overall I feel its a decent deal, the shipping was a bit longer than I felt we should have had to wait for it, but its relatively good stuff-good enough for her uses, and after calling Canon in regards to the warranty they said it is still covered under their manufacturer warranty-I am really happy about that.

[Frog]

Good to hear and glad you got a decent deal.

[Grandpaw]

Another update about the camera from Big easy cameras on ebay. Finally recieved the package after 2 weeks. My mom had me get it to check it out first and then give it to her. The "extras" that were sent were pretty cheap over all. the extra lenses and stuff they sent were actually pretty decent quality and after a little google search to check retail price of them, I did find that had we bought everything separately, it would have been well over $1000 for the camera and the 2 lenses that came with it, and for $779 she got the camera, kit lens, 2 extra lenses, tripod, camera bag (that is actually big enough), a UV filter and the other "crap" she wont use lol.
Sorry its so long, but overall I feel its a decent deal, the shipping was a bit longer than I felt we should have had to wait for it, but its relatively good stuff-good enough for her uses, and after calling Canon in regards to the warranty they said it is still covered under their manufacturer warranty-I am really happy about that.

Glad to hear you are happy with your purchase and everything seemed to work out OK, Jeff

[Singletracklovr]

Hi Jeff,
I don't have any feedback to offer right now but just wanted to say thanks for all your hard work maintaining this list.
I use it often when doing my research for a purchase.

[Grandpaw]

Hi Jeff,
I don't have any feedback to offer right now but just wanted to say thanks for all your hard work maintaining this list.
I use it often when doing my research for a purchase.

Bob, as Eeyore, one of my favorite cartoon characters from Winnie the Pooh says "Thanks for Noticing Me", Jeff

[kummy]

You got a lot of time for surfing .And i never check this so frequently .

[NaturalWoman]

wow, who knew. i read all feedback. i love amazon though and rely on the feedback. my favorite place to shop is b&h though.

[Grandpaw]

wow, who knew. i read all feedback. i love amazon though and rely on the feedback. my favorite place to shop is b&h though.

I personally have never hear of them but this is what I found when I did a search on Google. Click on the link below, Jeff

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAP...k&myworld=true

[foolmelon]

Thanks Jeff for the great list!

According to BBB, there are 3 more you may consider to add to avoid list:

PhotoDynasty.com
Razz Photo
BEST PRICE CAMERAS

They are same company of CityWideDigital.com. Check out the link below:

http://search.newyork.bbb.org/reports.aspx?id=12668

[SuperAlien]

Thanks for your information. Consider to avoid list is too larger than the recommended.

[Grandpaw]

Thanks Jeff for the great list!

According to BBB, there are 3 more you may consider to add to avoid list:

PhotoDynasty.com
Razz Photo
BEST PRICE CAMERAS

They are same company of CityWideDigital.com. Check out the link below:

http://search.newyork.bbb.org/reports.aspx?id=12668

Thanks, I checked them out and up dated my list. I already had Best Price Camera on the list and I added the other two, Thanks again Jeff

[vilz_vilz]

Hi!
I was reading your comments about the ebay store Big Easy cameras. I just bought a Nikon d5000 from them. I havent received it yet but I am a little worried about the extras. What can you tell me about it?

[Frog]

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

[vilz_vilz]

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!!

[Frog]

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.

[vilz_vilz]

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!!!

[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