Buying from B&H?

[ZenoWai09]

Dear all,

I'm thinking of buying a lens from http://www.bhphotovideo.com/.

I'm wondering if anyone has experience buy from there?
R they trustworthy? or I'm better off buying from a local store?


Regards,,

 

[Fragment]

Yes, yes, & depends on factors such as price, warranty, availibility.

 

[Narsuitus]

I have made big and small purchases from B&H for many years.

They have competitive prices and provide great service.

 

[raydio]

I have made big and small purchases from B&H for many years.

They have competitive prices and provide great service.

B&H is one of the most trustworthy and reputable camera stores in the U.S. You will have no problems with them.

 

[weegk]

no issue so far . . .

 

[nightwolf75]

it is the mecca of photographers in new york city... makes our biggest shop in Singapore, Cathay, look like a kindergarten. :bsmilie:

watch this episode from DtownTV and you will know wat i mean...

http://kelbytv.com/dtowntv/2010/11/30/live-at-bh-cyber-monday-replay/

and yes, they are super trustworthy. pretty fast in shipping too, if you don't mind paying a bit more for expedite shipping.

 

[CS TAN]

B&H superstore in NYC is a "must visit" place for photographers. You will know what is the meaning of BIG when you visit the place...

There are different sections selling different gears. I guess in that way, the sales are much more well-trained on the stuff they are selling. Most of the time, each section will have individual queues and people have to wait in line to be serve. A bit different from the kind of mass mob trying to get serve like we see in places such as J3:16 in SG.

While in NYC, I would suggest visiting Adorama as well since they are not that far away from B&H, they are relatively small in size compare to B&H (but still big in size compare to places like CP in SG). They also provides great service and competitive price. I

 

[HelenOster]

While in NYC, I would suggest visiting Adorama as well since they are not that far away from B&H.........They also provides great service and competitive price.

Thank you so much for the recommendation for Adorama, which is very much appreciated.:heart:

 

[Rawbeansta]

it is the mecca of photographers in new york city... makes our biggest shop in Singapore, Cathay, look like a kindergarten. :bsmilie:

watch this episode from DtownTV and you will know wat i mean...

http://kelbytv.com/dtowntv/2010/11/30/live-at-bh-cyber-monday-replay/

and yes, they are super trustworthy. pretty fast in shipping too, if you don't mind paying a bit more for expedite shipping.

Does B&H list the value of the items that you buy? I'm not very willing to pay additional GST for items above S$400

 

[CS TAN]

Does B&H list the value of the items that you buy? I'm not very willing to pay additional GST for items above S$400

Well, whether to buy from overseas really depends on how much the local stores are selling. If Cathay, TK or J3:16 are selling at a very competitive price, I don't think people will be crazy enough to go through all the trouble and then wait for 7-10 days for their stuff to be courier in.

But, a lot of times, after adding up the shipping and handling charges as well as GST charges, the items are still a lot cheaper than what you can get locally.

 

[geraldkhoo]

Does B&H list the value of the items that you buy? I'm not very willing to pay additional GST for items above S$400

You'll hv to pay GST if it is above $400/- (which includes shipping)... so may be better to buy locally.

 

[nightwolf75]

You'll hv to pay GST if it is above $400/- (which includes shipping)... so may be better to buy locally.

any local shop will charge you GST, regardless of the amount, so long as the shop is legally obliged to collect GST (IIRC, the shop has to hit a certain amount of revenue in a yr).

some times, especially for hard-to-get items, even with GST, items from overseas might end up cheaper than local, since the USD to SGD exchange rates are in our favour now. what i do is to do a general comparison for prices on ebay, KEH, bhphotovideo and adorama with local prices before i make the decision.

also you have to remember not all items have international warranties.

 

[nikonlensman]

I have been buying from both B&H & Adorama for over 10 years. never had a problem with them. Have also visited their stores in NYC. I visit B&H whenever I have a few hours to spare in NYC. They list prices on the website, but sometimes if the price is too low, they cannot list it. In such cases you have to add item to cart to see the price. Also they take customer service very seriously & you will have no cause for complain. You have to pay 7% GST even on local purchases,but the US prices are cheaper. So even paying GST you save money. Beware though that many cameras & lenses do not come with local warranty if you buy them in the US. B&H also lists parallel imports, but states clearly that the item is not with a US warranty.

 

[Doctor Inferno]

I got a question. What if you buy someting of B&H, and the items arrives, but its faulty, then how?

And they ship to Singapore also meh? How come Canon allow?

 

[eleveninth]

I got a question. What if you buy someting of B&H, and the items arrives, but its faulty, then how?

And they ship to Singapore also meh? How come Canon allow?

Faulty u pay for shipping to send it back.

yes they ship to singapore, why would they not allow? :think:

 

[Doctor Inferno]

Faulty u pay for shipping to send it back.

yes they ship to singapore, why would they not allow? :think:

Hmmm. Then I'll probably get my gear from B&H in future. The stuff are so much cheaper there!

 

[Rawbeansta]

Hmmm. Then I'll probably get my gear from B&H in future. The stuff are so much cheaper there!

Remember to factor a possible 7% GST + the shipping costs.

 

[DM101]

Remember to factor a possible 7% GST + the shipping costs.

Applies only if the item(s) + shipping is > S$400

 

[Rawbeansta]

Applies only if the item(s) + shipping is > S$400

If you're buying a lens or speedlite, 90% you will exceed this amount

 

[verselines]

buy from bnh, adorama or even ebay sellers if you can accept not being able to handle/check the item before purchasing. with reputable sellers it should be fine. i'm all for buying online rather than giving my hard earned money to local stores with their largely substandard customer service and attitude.