I must be stupid, really stupid (B&H)

[EOS Man]

I was looking for the price of the 300mm f2.8 yesterday (not for me though) but couldn't find it. Then I decided to check the price out on B&H's website. Okay, the Sigma version costs 2/3 of Canon's. After that, my itchy fingers just had to type in the words "canon 70-200 f2.8" and it turns out that it's a full $250 cheaper (and that's including shipping too!) than my local dealer which means that money could go straight to get myself a 2X extender :D .

Call me a fool or total idiot but now I really regret not going to check out and shop at B&H earlier. Nevertheless, we learn from mistakes and.... (looks inside wallet and back at the B&H screen).

Being a noob at buying (such a costly thing) online, I was wondering:
-If B&H includes/offers shipping insurance
-If their "delivered in 3-5 days" is really 3-5 days and not more
-If the FedEx shipping option (costs about 50% more) is better than the "UPS Saver" which is kinda cheap-sounding
-The difference between the "USA" and "Imported" versions (I'm assuming Imported means grey market?)
-What the chances are of receiving a bad Canon 70-200 f2.8 non-IS (From B&H and in general). Now, I've heard of problems with the IS-version, never about the one without IS but I'm not taking too many chances

Thanks in advance all :D

[runninmann]

IF the item is lost in transit by UPS/Fedex, B&H would file a claim after you notify them of failure to receive.
I've always used the least costly UPS method and it has been timely.

FROM B&H WEBSITE:
In most cases the difference between a USA import and a Grey Market, or imported product, is the cost of the item and the terms of the item’s warranty coverage. The products themselves are otherwise identical in every way. Occasionally the manufacturer might change a product name of model number to differentiate between products targeted for US distribution and products targeted for distribution elsewhere.

As a rule, Grey Market items cost less than their USA counterparts. The warranty of Grey Market items are often, but not always, the same as their USA counterparts. Specific details of product warranties vary by product and manufacturer.

If you should experience a problem with a product sold with a USA warranty, it can be sent to any of the manufacturer’s worldwide authorized service facilities for servicing. A "direct import" or grey market item would have to be returned to B&H Photo-Video if it required in-warranty attention.

A resident of the USA may wish to make the buying decision based on price since the cost of shipping to a US service center or to B&H should be about equal.

A non-USA resident should consider the cost of returning a product to B&H in New York for servicing as opposed to the cost of taking the product to a local warranty service center.


What kind of warranty is available?

Any "grey market" item B&H Photo-Video sells includes a B&H warranty, which covers the same particulars the USA warranty would cover for a period of one year. The only difference is that you would ship the item to B&H for service. Your original B&H Photo-Video product invoice is all that is required.


Why offer "Direct Import"?

Direct Import, or grey market items often cost less than comparable US imports. There are also items sold at B&H that are not brought into the US through normal distribution channels.

[Ronald S. Jr.]

I was looking for the price of the 300mm f2.8 yesterday (not for me though) but couldn't find it. Then I decided to check the price out on B&H's website. Okay, the Sigma version costs 2/3 of Canon's. After that, my itchy fingers just had to type in the words "canon 70-200 f2.8" and it turns out that it's a full $250 cheaper (and that's including shipping too!) than my local dealer which means that money could go straight to get myself a 2X extender :D .

Call me a fool or total idiot but now I really regret not going to check out and shop at B&H earlier. Nevertheless, we learn from mistakes and.... (looks inside wallet and back at the B&H screen).

Being a noob at buying (such a costly thing) online, I was wondering:
-If B&H includes/offers shipping insurance
-If their "delivered in 3-5 days" is really 3-5 days and not more
-If the FedEx shipping option (costs about 50% more) is better than the "UPS Saver" which is kinda cheap-sounding
-The difference between the "USA" and "Imported" versions (I'm assuming Imported means grey market?)
-What the chances are of receiving a bad Canon 70-200 f2.8 non-IS (From B&H and in general). Now, I've heard of problems with the IS-version, never about the one without IS but I'm not taking too many chances

Thanks in advance all :D


-everything is insured. if it's broken, B&H will take it back.
-it's 3-5 days. If you call earlier in the day, B&H will ship out the same day. At most, it's one extra day.
-nope, no better in my mind. Fedex Priority will get you your shipment by 10:30 the next day (am). UPS Saver costs a lot less, you're still guaranteed next day receipt, but it's just "by the end of business day", which is 8pm here.
-imported means you get an international warranty, and I believe you're basically still covered. That extra bit gets you a full USA warranty, and no worries about whether your huge investment can't be fixed or whatever. It's worth the extra pocket change.
-never heard of problems with the 70-200L IS. Fantastic lens. I would never expect to have problems with a 70-200...they're superb lenses, and rarely a problem. Any lens will have issues here and there, though. Heck, some people get bum 300 2.8's.

[cgratti]

I only buy my stuff from B&H, their shipping is SUPER fast and I usually have it before the 3rd day. They do an excellent job of keeping the tracking info up to date and they have the best customer support out there.

Fear not, buy from them!

[KirkHMB]

Call me a fool or total idiot but now I really regret not going to check out and shop at B&H earlier.

Being a noob at buying (such a costly thing) online, I was wondering:
-If their "delivered in 3-5 days" is really 3-5 days and not more
-If the FedEx shipping option (costs about 50% more) is better than the "UPS Saver" which is kinda cheap-sounding


I live at the far end of the US relative to B & H, and have always had great shipping. I've paid extra for the 3 day in the past, and it always arrived in 3 days. Now waiting on a 5-7 business days order, and its currently showing 5 Biz days on the UPS site.

No diff between UPS and FedEx as far as I can see, both find my rural house with no problem.

B&H is the only place to buy in my opinion, has been for 20+ years, back when you had to call them on the phone while perusing their small printed advert in Popular Photography.

[EOS Man]

Hi all, thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. If the "USA" version is essentially one with an international warranty, then by all means I will get the US-version only. No way am I gonna send it back (and shipping kills).

I'm actually not hesitating because of a broken lens during shipping but more of it getting stolen by the UPS people, customs, delivery guy, etc anyone that the lens passes through. I've heard many people talk about items getting lost thru shipping (that was eBay sellers/buyers though) and personally, I have never ordered any real object online before (only services like web hosting). Any experience/opinions on theft/loss during shipping?

So with an international warranty (assuming all Canon lenses have international warranty and the 70-200 has too?), I don't have to worry about receiving a bad copy of the lens. Ie, my 24-70 is a bad backfocusing copy at f2.8-3.5. No idea why I have to stop it down to f4 for it to stop backfocusing, but I'm sending it to the Canon service center next week (purchased locally btw)

[Mark_Cohran]

Be aware, and I believe this is still true, to get the rebates in the USA you have to buy the US version. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

Mark