Thoroughly check pricing before you buy

[shepsan]

I suggest that buyers (especially those new to photography) thoroughly check pricing with a number of shops or reputable internet vendors before you finalize your purchase.

In the past two weeks I purchased a Canon S70 digital camera and a number of accessories for it. During my price evaluation of the items, I was startled to find an inordinate wide range of pricing between vendors.

As an example, I checked pricing for the camera and accessories with three local shops. All three were competitive with one another and appeared to be below MSRP. I then checked sixteen internet sites. The price for the camera on these internet sites ranged between a low of $359 to a high of $799.

The price for one accessory, a Canon brand lithium ion battery ranged between a low of $10.99 to a high of $79. I found similar wide ranges in pricing for each of the other items I sought.

I recognize that overhead of a local camera shop is greater then that of an internet vendor. Yet, the camera shops all had the S70 for $499. The widest range of prices I found was among internet vendors.

I believe that a business has the right to make a reasonable and fair profit. My experience these past two weeks lead me to believe that many internet vendors are robbing the public in an attempt to make a quick buck.

If anything, my experience has shown me that the slogan “let the buyer beware” is not just old fashioned common sense but an imperative when buying in today’s market place.

Oh yes, I did buy the camera and all of the accessories (mfg warranties included) from the lowest price vendors. None of the items were previously used, damaged or substitutes.

[Trevor Ash]

"My experience these past two weeks lead me to believe that many internet vendors are robbing the public in an attempt to make a quick buck"

Or the exact opposite depending....some places offer items at prices very low but which they never intend to actually sell at.

In addition to checking prices, be sure to check out the reputation of the dealer as well. Places like resellerratings.com can be of great service. Other places include the dealer listing at this site and photo.net.

These dealers set low prices, make you call them on the phone and then try to sell you things you don't need or have high shipping prices to "compensate" for the low price they're offering. If you decline these extra items then they'll just never complete your order and you'll have to manually call in and force them to cancel it or deal with the credit card company. It's called bait and switch. In the end you end up spending more than you would at the higher prices more reputable stores.

Buyer beware indeed. So much evil in the world, *sigh*.