Anyone Use Amazon?

Next time, try heating up the sticker with a hair dryer. That will soften the glue and usually enables one to take of a label or sticker without damaging what's underneath.

mpix345 wrote in post #17667258
So we should just order from Adorama directly because you might be filling the GreenToe order anyway?

Are you suggesting that we call Adorama and ask for better pricing? The couple of things I've purchased through GreenToe were markedly lower in price than the big 3 (Adorama, B&H, Amazon) that I usually default to, and who generally are priced pretty similarly.

If you are only shopping on price, and not customer service, ship time, support after sale, etc then Greentoe may not seem any different. The fact still remains though that the two are very different. if I was going to take a chance on buying a product from a retailer I've never heard of, the pricing better be attractive enough. On a $2k lens, for me that means over a $100 difference.

As I've never done a sale through Greentoe, I don't know if most products come through the larger companies anyway or not. if I had some data that showed the odds of getting something from one of the bigger companies then I'd be more apt to use the site.

mikeinctown wrote in post #17667317
If you are only shopping on price, and not customer service, ship time, support after sale, etc then Greentoe may not seem any different. The fact still remains though that the two are very different. if I was going to take a chance on buying a product from a retailer I've never heard of, the pricing better be attractive enough. On a $2k lens, for me that means over a $100 difference.

As I've never done a sale through Greentoe, I don't know if most products come through the larger companies anyway or not. if I had some data that showed the odds of getting something from one of the bigger companies then I'd be more apt to use the site.

GreenToe basically brokers a deal between you and an authorized retailer. Free shipping; no tax; money back guarantee (I think 14 day minimum unless retailer they use for the deal has a better policy). But you don't know who the retailer is before making the deal. You do control the price offer that you make though, so you set whatever level is worth it to you to lose some of that control and relationship with a specific retailer. The 5% you cite as being worth it is generally less of a savings than most people seem to get with GreenToe. I know in my case it was somewhere between double and triple that.

Since Amazon started charging sale tax in my state, I almost completely switched to B&H and Adorama for camera related purchases, more of the former lately. For items over $50 it is free "expedited" shipping, which for me turns out to be just one day service.

mikeinctown wrote in post #17667317
if I was going to take a chance on buying a product from a retailer I've never heard of, the pricing better be attractive enough. On a $2k lens, for me that means over a $100 difference.

In this case, you should try it out.

I agree that if speed and after-sale support is a higher priority, you should definitely skip Greentoe. However, saving over $100 on a $2k lens should be fairly easy to get from Greentoe (on Canon gear, not sure about the markup on other brands). Honestly, it's not so much Greentoe is so good at getting better prices as it is the inability for retailers to sell gear at a lower price publicly even if they wanted to given MAP (yet to a certain point, I'm sure they don't mind the larger margins of MAP either).

I will say that all $15K+ gear that I got using Greentoe as a middleman, they were all fulfilled by authorized dealers that I was able to verify and was billed/invoiced by the retailer directly.

There's a thread dedicated to Greentoe somewhere around here. I imagine if someone here ever got any gear from an unauthorized dealer, that thread would blow up a bit.

mikeinctown wrote in post #17667317
If you are only shopping on price, and not customer service, ship time, support after sale, etc then Greentoe may not seem any different. The fact still remains though that the two are very different. if I was going to take a chance on buying a product from a retailer I've never heard of, the pricing better be attractive enough. On a $2k lens, for me that means over a $100 difference.

As I've never done a sale through Greentoe, I don't know if most products come through the larger companies anyway or not. if I had some data that showed the odds of getting something from one of the bigger companies then I'd be more apt to use the site.

I would hope that GreenToe picks its partners carefully; for example, if you bid through GreenToe and Adorama fills the order, your after-sales support etc is identical to buying directly from Adorama.

HelenOster wrote in post #17670727
I would hope that GreenToe picks its partners carefully...

They guarantee US products, no grey market, manufacturer authorized resellers, 14 day (or more) return policy. They don't sell everything and sometimes the savings isn't worth the extra trouble but I'm not all worried about being ripped off by them.

mpix345 wrote in post #17667258
Are you suggesting that we call Adorama and ask for better pricing?

I was just thinking about doing that, are you saying they won't budge?

B&H didn't accept my offers

In light of the recent information on how Amazon treats it's employees, I'm seriously considering not doing any further business with them. Perhaps there is something to be said for supporting my local shop. The extra money I spend can be looked at as my way of doing something nice for my hard working local neighbors. After all I make the same argument to potential clients to choose me over the big chain studios.

I am Prime member, but I prefer to shop elsewhere for expensive camera stuff
* Amazon packages lens and cameras just like books - box with some void fill.
* Amazon may repackage returns and sell as new

* Amazon doesn't charge sales tax - your state does - so nothing wrong with amazon collecting it, you suppose to self report and remit sales tax on out of state purchase. Amazon just does it for you - so you don't forget.

Usually price is the same and B&H or Adorama will care more about your purchase

I am a Amazon Prime member in Pa and they deliver in two days with no issues, live close to a big warehouse. But I do most of my purchases from B&H if not buying some used things here. If I get them the order usually before 4 pm, I get my stuff the next day. Packaged perfectly and always very happy with the results. Have a lot of confidence in B&H.

I buy home supplies, tools and lots of miscellaneous stuff from Amazon. Prime member... it's just so easy to shop there.