Author Topic: Buying photo equipment in USA - help needed (Read 7080 times)

Lizard · « **on:** December 18, 2006, 12:35 »

I have a "friend of a friend" somewhere in USA write now and he is willing to buy me Canon 24-70 f2.8 L lens and its at least 2 times cheaper than here in Croatia.

But the problem is that he doesn't know where to buy it and like i understood I will have to find the way and the place where he will buy it , cause he doesnt want to bother with that.

I don't know even where is he , I just have the zip code : 48864 and I know is somewhere near Chicago.
He is flying for Croatia 10 days from now.
So I don't have much time , I have to find a dealer in that area , but I cant.

I found a good deal at BH photo video , so if he orders from there will 10 days be enough for shipment of the lens to him, how much will he be charged ....etc ?

If anyone has any suggestions or know how to find a dealer or anything please help cause I don't have any experience with things like that , and who knows when will I have another chance to buy that lens that cheap.

Thanks

leaf · « **Reply #1 on:** December 18, 2006, 13:05 »

i would buy from B&H. If you buy quickly it should get to him if you purchase quick shipping.

If you walk through all the steps to purchase the lens, except payment you can see how much the shipping will be.

Greg Boiarsky · « **Reply #2 on:** December 18, 2006, 13:06 »

Given how much you'll save on the lens by buying here in the U.S., I'd have your friend order it with the more-expensive overnight shipping option. I have bought from Beach Camera, and recommend them. I just checked for you, and the lens is $1,100 U.S., with overnight shipping charges of $40 and guaranteed arrival by Dec. 20th if you purchase it today.

B&H has the same price for the lens, and they offer next-day delivery for $48.

Lizard · « **Reply #3 on:** December 18, 2006, 13:19 »

Quote from: Professorgb on December 18, 2006, 13:06

Given how much you'll save on the lens by buying here in the U.S., I'd have your friend order it with the more-expensive overnight shipping option. I have bought from Beach Camera, and recommend them. I just checked for you, and the lens is $1,100 U.S., with overnight shipping charges of $40 and guaranteed arrival by Dec. 20th if you purchase it today.

B&H has the same price for the lens, and they offer next-day delivery for $48.

Thanks

Well over here the price of the lens is over 2300$ so almost everything is acceptable for me

The problem is that I personally dont know that person that is buying the lens for me, and he is doing me a favor , he is buying it with his money and I will pay him when he arrives. But as i understood he prefers buyng stuff directly in the store and lives in a small town. The shops over there dont have internet addresses etc.

So if I want him to buy it over the net I will have to explain him how step by step.

So as I understand you I should mail him him to order it as quick as possible from BH photo , with express shipping and this shipment will be charged about extra 50 $ ?

Thanks

GeoPappas · « **Reply #4 on:** December 18, 2006, 13:33 »

Why don't you just purchase it yourself via the Internet and then have it shipped to him with overnight shipping (or some other fast shipping method). This way he doesn't have to shell out the money or even go to the store. All he has to do is then receive the shipment and bring it to you.

If you don't trust him, then do the same thing as above but ask him for his credit card and use it to purchase the order and have it sent to him. Then you can repay him when you receive the merchandise.

Another option is to purchase it on eBay thru a seller that has a good reputation and have them ship it to you directly.

Lizard · « **Reply #5 on:** December 18, 2006, 14:14 »

Quote from: GeoPappas on December 18, 2006, 13:33

Why don't you just purchase it yourself via the Internet and then have it shipped to him with overnight shipping (or some other fast shipping method). This way he doesn't have to shell out the money or even go to the store. All he has to do is then receive the shipment and bring it to you.

If you don't trust him, then do the same thing as above but ask him for his credit card and use it to purchase the order and have it sent to him. Then you can repay him when you receive the merchandise.

Another option is to purchase it on eBay thru a seller that has a good reputation and have them ship it to you directly.

Well unfortunately I don't have a credit card and paypal doesn't work in Croatia.

Even if i could , internet shopping is not a good option in country like mine. I heard many unpleasant experiences mostly with high taxes and provisions they charge you here , and the final price is often higher that to buy it here.

I guess I will try convincing him to buy it from BHphoto with overnigh shipment option.

Thanks again people

Striker77s · « **Reply #6 on:** December 18, 2006, 14:49 »

The zip code you gave puts him in Lansing MI, which most likely doesn't have a photography shop large enough to carry a wide seletion of Canon L lens. The nearest place would probably be Detroit. But once again he would have to drive to Detroit (1.5 hours) and try and find a photo shop. If your friend doesn't like the internet just have him call B&H (800.952.1815). He won't have to touch a computer. Just give him the item numbers or description. I'm sure he could have the ordered completed within 5 minutes. A whole lot easier than driving around trying to find a shop with the items you want. Get overnight or two shipping and it will get there in plenty of time.

He must be one nice guy to be willing to buy thousands of dollars of equipment for someone he barely knows.

Good luck,
Mark

w7lwi · « **Reply #7 on:** December 18, 2006, 19:07 »

Here's a site I've used to see where I should purchase my equipment. Go to www.nextag.com. Then just put in what you are looking for. They will come up with several different companies that sell the item and show what they are asking for it. They also have ratings of the individual companies so you can see if they have a good track record or not. I've probably saved several thousands of dollars over the past few years by using this site. And it's free!

There are a couple of other sites that do the same as Nextag, but this is the one I've been using.

p.s. I've no financial or pecuniary interest in Nextag. Just good experiences.

yingyang0 · « **Reply #8 on:** December 19, 2006, 23:19 »

Quote from: Striker77s on December 18, 2006, 14:49

The zip code you gave puts him in Lansing MI, which most likely doesn't have a photography shop large enough to carry a wide seletion of Canon L lens. The nearest place would probably be Detroit. But once again he would have to drive to Detroit (1.5 hours) and try and find a photo shop.

Lansing is the capital of Michigan, and it does infact have many camera shops able to sell this type of gear. Here is one: http://www.castle-photo.com/

Why people make comments like the one above when they don't know the area is beyond me. I grew up in Kalamazoo, MI (about 45min to 1hr from Lansing). Kalamazoo has one of the best camera stores in the midwest, Norman Camera Co.