All articles copyright 2007 Jeff Coleman
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Where do pros by their gear?
I buy everything online. It is much cheaper than the local stores and there is no sales tax. You can't even buy pro gear at a store unless you live in LA or New York. There are a few online stores that the majority of professionals shop at.
Adorama: I've been buying my gear from Adorama for so long I don't even remember how I found them. This is a big company that is trusted by professionals. I like them because they never try to up sell me. Most online photographic equipment retailers call you after you buy something at their online store. They say they need to confirm your billing info but they also try their hardest to sell more stuff to you. In some cases they get rude and mean. Adorama has never called me. I make a purchase, they send me informative emails regarding the progress of my package and then I receive the product. If you find prices cheaper than adorama it is probably a scam.
Another large store in New York is B&H Photo. They're about the same as Adorama and trusted by pros but it seems like they're closed for half of the year for holidays most people don't even know exist. I switched from B&H to Adorama for this reason.
If you live on the west coast and need something fast you might want to try Sammy's Camera
I wouldn't trust anyone else. These three companies are legitimate and charge about the same for everything. When you see lower prices in the back of magazines or online it is all a big scam. When you try to order something, you get a call later from a rude salesperson who informs you that your item is an import and it doesn't come with a battery or a box etc. If you want that stuff it costs an obscene amount of money that actually totals more than it would have from one of the reputable dealers listed above. TRUST ME. Companies who advertise really low prices are all a horrible scam. Search for the company on the internet and look at the sites where consumers rate businesses. You will see a few glowing reports (from employees of the company your investigating) and then 10 times more real posts from people who were scammed. I hope I saved you a headache with this information. |
