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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 2:09 pm 
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I have a couple of questions regarding these two American retailers.

I was wondering what people's experiences with these retailers have been like. I've been tempted to purchase in particular from B&H since their shipping costs are much more reasonable and because all fees (shipping, duty & brokerage) are calculated at checkout so there would be no surprises. Whereas with Adorama their shipping costs tend to be higher & it appears that the duty & brokerage fees are not calculated at checkout. I'm not as much concerned about the duty fees (I'd likely be buying used lenses which are duty free) but I've heard horror stories about courier companies billing high brokerage fees once a product is delivered & this is what scares me.

Also, has anyone ordered any used lenses, from these retailers? What has been your experience? Are their ratings pretty reliable? I've only ever bought one used lens before & that was from Henrys where I was able to inspect the lens before purchase & had the 14 day return option in case it didn't work out once I got it home & tried it out.

I'd appreciate anyone sharing with me their experiences with ordering from either of these retailers.


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:21 pm 
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I will not shop Adorama again after their insistence on using UPS (horrendous customer service) and the obscene bokerage fees charged. I have not tried B&H since they added the calculate the cost/shipping area for Canadian orders at checkout but I have read on here and other forums that the amount is spot on from door to door so no surprises.

Something to keep in mind is that either the retailers or distribution channels, whoever is soaking Canadians with their stupid prices, are working hard to block us from ordering from B&H. Recently there was a short list of things that B&H would no longer ship to Canada because of this like the 5DMkIII for example. I don't know how they got away with it but it makes them all the douchier and me less inclined to do business with them. You can always get yourself a mailbox in Cheektowaga(Buffalo) for $100ish a year. Make a day of it and get some good wings at the Anchor Bar while you're down their picking up your stuff. With a bit of careful shopping it can pay for itself easily in a year. Especially if you split it with someone.


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:23 pm 
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Thank you for your response. I'm not crazy about UPS either, it was one of the reasons that I was concerned about Adorama along with the brokerage fees that I've heard so much negativity about. Not to mention how much UPS charges for shipping!! Not sure how they can charge so much when Purolator can do the same delivery for far less!

From what I've heard, B&H uses Purolator Ground (a much better courier company from my experience) and include all fees at the time of checkout. I haven't ordered anything yet but I have to admit, B&H does have some good prices on some of their used lenses and I have been tempted.

I wonder why Canadians are being blocked from purchasing certain items. It is odd because we could always just go across the border to pick these items up. I've also always wondered why we tend to pay more for the same product!

I will look into the mailbox, I hadn't thought of that.


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:24 pm 
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I've ordered from B&H numerous times. Never had a problem with items being blocked, but I think that is only certain manufacturers like Canon. And generally the US price is the same as the Canadian price so no point anyways (grey market though is cheaper). I've only bought accessories and a used lens from B&H and no issues, and the prices are insanely better. The price is all laid out for you before you finalize the purchase (tax and shipping and brokage fee) and it only takes 2-3 days for the items to arrive (in Toronto). And the shipping rate is very reasonable - it appears to go by weight as I tend to wait and group my order for accessories together as the shipping generally remains the same or goes up very little.

J.


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:10 pm 
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Between the two, I'd choose B&H any day for no other reason than their shipping is insanely cheap and fast. Oh, and no brokerage fees.

I also prefer B&H's webpage. But that's subjective.

As for blocking shipping various items to Canada; that's a function of the original manufacturer and not the vendor.


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:23 pm 
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I've used b+h and was happy.
I've used UPS ground and was very unhappy, apparently they have a different brokerage than UPS air...which has no outrageous brokerage fees. So never ever use UPS ground...but air is supposed to have no problems.
EDIT: I haven't used adorama...I'll go look and see if there is a sale there now...


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PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 3:12 am 
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B&h only, unless Adorama beats their Purolator shipping


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PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 10:13 am 
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Thanks everyone for your input. It looks like I will most likely stick with B&H over Adorama mainly because of their shipping costs. B&H is much more reasonable & I prefer Purolator anyway. I will most likely only stick with their used department if the price is right & if I'm not able to get the item locally first.


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 2:44 am 
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I've bought from both. But at the time I had a friend who lived in kentucky who I see twice a year that would let me ship to him.

Cheap shipping and no state taxes.

If you're looking for used gear nobody beats keh.com

Cheers


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 11:31 am 
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Thanks for responding. Having someone in the states would be so much more convenient & affordable.

I had forgotten about keh.com. I will check them out.


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 10:53 pm 
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The only time I've used Adorama, was when they had something B&H didn't...but if I can I prefer buying from B&H. B&H has their own sorting house on this side of the border whinh helps with delivery speed; some people see the Ontario address and they think B&H have a second location here, but it's only to process Canadian orders.


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PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:40 pm 
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Just got notified that Adorama now has a new, more cost effective method for shipping to Cansda. Apparently all taxes, duty & brokerage fees are calculated and charged at checkout. Here's the link for anyone interested:

http://www.photoprice.ca/article/adoram ... g-tax-duty

When I tried it out on the Adorama website, the new, more cost effective option was there.


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 3:45 pm 
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Onl;y had great luck shipping to Canada from B&H.


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 11:58 pm 
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ShutterBiscuit wrote:
Just got notified that Adorama now has a new, more cost effective method for shipping to Cansda. Apparently all taxes, duty & brokerage fees are calculated and charged at checkout. Here's the link for anyone interested:

http://www.photoprice.ca/article/adoram ... g-tax-duty

When I tried it out on the Adorama website, the new, more cost effective option was there.


I've heard they were working on that. I'm gonna wait to hear several success stories before I consider giving them a try again.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:25 am 
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ions wrote:
I'm gonna wait to hear several success stories before I consider giving them a try again.


Exactly what I was thinking. I'm still hesitant to try it until I see that it's running smoothly. Although, I was tempted by a used lens that I saw on their site :D


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 12:09 pm 
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I'm still not sure I'd buy a lens used through them, or online at all. All four of my lenses were bought used locally so I could examine them. Thousands do buy online successfully though...


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 7:29 pm 
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I completely understand. I've only ever bought one used lens and I bought it locally from a well known, reputable store where I was able to examine & test it out. I'm a little hesitant to order one online, but there are some lenses that I'd be interested in but am having a hard time finding a good used one locally from a trustworthy source.


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PostPosted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 10:57 am 
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ions wrote:
I will not shop Adorama again after their insistence on using UPS (horrendous customer service) and the obscene bokerage fees charged.

For the record (not that it matters anymore, since Adorama now has that cheap ground shipping), the UPS class that Adorama used ("Worldwide Express") didn't have extra brokerage fees, only tax + duty. The class of UPS that you need to avoid is UPS Ground, but for some reason this has turned into a message everywhere of "Avoid All UPS".

ions wrote:
Make a day of it and get some good wings at the Anchor Bar while you're down their picking up your stuff.

And +1 for this. Countless times I've shipped stuff to Buffalo, and then went on for Anchor Bar wings before hopping back across the border. Only problem is you have to pay NY sales tax so you can't buy using B&H / Adorama.


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PostPosted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 8:49 pm 
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I have bought from both and find them OK. Lately B&H seem to be out of stock on everything I want and I end up waiting days or in one case a month for basic things like memory cards. When it comes to couriers I dislike the fact that B&H and Adorama use Purolator because they only make one attempt to deliver and then I have to go miles to get to their pick up location. Last time I had the delivery sent to my work instead to avoid this stupidity. I often will elect to use the US post even through it is slow because I can pick it up at the post office near my house.

DG


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 1:59 am 
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ShutterBiscuit wrote:
http://www.photoprice.ca/article/adorama-cheap-ground-shipping-tax-duty

When I tried it out on the Adorama website, the new, more cost effective option was there.


I just tried placing an order at Adorama, and there was NO SUCH OPTION!!!

There was only te same exact options and prices there were before this announcement.


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:34 am 
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That was quick. Wonder what happened.


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 10:00 am 
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mikefellh wrote:
ShutterBiscuit wrote:
http://www.photoprice.ca/article/adorama-cheap-ground-shipping-tax-duty

When I tried it out on the Adorama website, the new, more cost effective option was there.


I just tried placing an order at Adorama, and there was NO SUCH OPTION!!!

There was only te same exact options and prices there were before this announcement.


Which item? It's a new system and they're ironing it out. You can try asking Adorama CS, or if you let me know, I have various contacts there...


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 10:22 am 
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I just called them as I needed some information on a couple of their products, they informed me that they still do offer that shipping option. I think their website is still a little glitchy.


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PostPosted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:45 am 
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I just tested it again and the new option is now listed...even works on the iPad.


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PostPosted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 11:34 am 
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I don't particularly care which options from Adorama/UPS work better, once a company has screwed me the way they have, UPS much more, I won't go back unless given a very compelling reason. Finally offering appropriate service is not compelling enough.


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 8:40 pm 
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Hi. I'm a bit late to this discussion.

I've ordered used gear from each of KEH, B & H and Adorama.

I have found KEH to be very conservative with their ratings- I've always been happiest with used gear from them- though their shipping costs are rather high. But if they have the gear I will order used gear from them first.

B & H I order from regularly (both for new and used stuff)- they are okay with their used gear- generally their ratings are accurate- but they are not conservative with their ratings. I've never had problems with what they sent. I also find their used prices to be fair generally- and Purolator Ground is a really inexpensive shipping option.

I too have had problems with Adorama- I had purchased a LF lense and found the filter ring to be bent. I ended up being out some shipping charges etc.- and it took a while to get the refund processed. They do seem to have some good stuff- but I've been cautious about ordering from them since then.

BTW, I have had had kit shipped to a Niagara falls address/mail boxes as well which can help with shipping costs etc.- but you end up getting hit with NY state taxes.


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 9:45 pm 
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NY taxes are better than ours. On that note, here's a post I wrote for the Canon Rumours forum that has some info some of you may find helpful regarding buying from the US in general. Before anyone asks when i am making my next run down I do not still have a box down there. Perhaps again soon though. Anyway, here's the post:

I realize this does not work for all Canadians BUT if you live near the border there is a workaround. Rent a US mailbox at somewhere like Mailboxes Etc. It costs about $100 a year. Now that you've done that you have an American mailing address. Guess what that makes you eligible for? An American credit card! Oh, and you also have an American address to claim warranty work too. Plus there are a lot of sellers on big forums like POTN that will only ship CONUS (lazy buggers), now you have a CONUS address. If you do enough shopping the mailbox can easily pay for itself. If I've bought something that I want to keep the packaging for, the retail box of a camera for example, I just fold it down and take it to the USPS and have the packaging shipped home. The gear is packed as if it's mine. Cause it is. Yeah the hassle of the drive blah blah blah-make a day of it. For example, I live about 45 minutes from the Buffalo/Niagara border. In an evening after work I can go down pick up my stuff at the mailbox and then hit the Anchor Bar for much better wings than I'm gonna get this side of the border and be home in bed by 9. Sometimes I'll hit the Galleria for some shoes and wear them back across with the old ones in the trunk. Shoes are WAY more in Canada than they are in the US. That's just one additional way of making the trip worthwhile with very little risk at the border, there are several more - many grocery items are cheaper (diapers) so pick up one or two things. When at the border and you're asked what you did - "took pics of the kids on the US side of the falls (thus the camera gear), had dinner at the Anchor Bar(wherever) and bought some diapers." They'll wave you through. Remember to fill the gas tank on the US side. Between the principle of being screwed around by retailers/manufacturers and their greedy distribution practices that I do not agree with, plus saving a considerable amount of money and making it an enjoyable day in grand ol' Buffalo it's well worth it to me. Don't give me any crap about supporting local retailers until I see evidence of them supporting me by fighting the price discrepancy across arbitrary lines.

That said, camera prices are getting better in Canada as retailers/distributors/manufacturers appear to be realizing people are wising up up here. Plus Sigma's Canada warranty is great and Gentec is a peach to deal with.


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 8:31 am 
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I've since done an order through Adorama's new shipping method via FedEx, and am very satisfied with it.

It was the ordered on Dec 18th and delivered on the morning of the 21st.

I paid less than $15 in shipping, and the tax was paid in advance.

That being said there's still some issues with Adorama AND B&H (last time I ordered). They don't allow you to mix new and used items...I had to limit myself to the used item I needed, rather than the additional new items I wanted as well.


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 2:10 am 
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From my past experience, if your a regular at some of the local shops will match bh and adoramas prices after tax and shipping. Just something to keep in mind.


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 1:40 pm 
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So build a relationship by over-paying for how long? A couple years? Or just a few months? How much more do I have to spend locally before I get the fair/correct price?*

*Rhetorical


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