If you ever consider buying a camera on-line think twice about those low prices you see from New York area camera stores. There are several very good dealers in New York, but there are many more stores that play a game with their customers, a very serious game that can turn ugly. The item I linked to here is one such story.

What you nave to look out for is that when the price is lower than retail (MSRP) then bells should immediately go off. Camera companies set their pricing and stores really can't budge on that pricing much and they can't advertise at lower than retail. If prices go down they are price protected and everyone can lower their prices. That's for Authorized Dealers. Most of these low price stores are not Authorized and for that matter are selling "grey" market equipment. That is equipment that was purchased over-seas, most likely legally, and then is sold here in the states. The warranty is worthless on these items. They will also pressure you to buy bags, tripods, tape and other equipment.

Now, I did buy my video camera this way and saved money. I also bought some accessories from the store that I new I would buy anyway. My experience was good, but I went through it with some concern. I was treated well though and got my product on-time with everything I asked for and it was the US model. I can't say I was lucky, but plenty of folks were unlucky.

The quote below is just a snippet of this poor lads "unlucky" tale of woe...

"I will make sure you will never be able to place an order on the internet again." "I'm an attorney, I will sue you." "I'm going to call your local police and have two officers come over and arrest you." Just a few of the fun things I got to hear today from someone who said his name was Steve Phillips over at PriceRitePhoto.