Another one of the Brooklyn scammer stores. Stay away. Buy from B&H.
Yeah I called Nikon and they said that warranty may not be valid if the camera was purchased from a non authorized dealer. They said CameraKings is not authorized and the stuff could be gray market.
I guess I'll just have to grit my teeth and pony up another $400 at B&H
Never ever buy from a crap hole like that place Andy gave a link to (camera kings). You'll probably be sorry down the road, or immediately if they come back with a 'oh the camera doesn't come with a battery for that price' statement after you order. Basically, scam artists and too lazy to work for an honest living.
Whenever you run into a camera store that you aren't familiar with that has prices that are too good to be true, check out resellerratings.com. In this case, when I checked them out, they had an overall good rating, but the site also noted their association with some other less than honest camera stores.
I would also say to check out the used market. If I recall correctly, I saw a D700 going for around $2250 used on Fred Miranda, I think. While they don't have any used D700s in stock right now, keep an eye on KEH.com, too, as they're considered one of the best, if not the best place online to buy used gear.
HTH,
Heather :
My blog: Heather's Lightbox My pics
"He who cannot dance will say: "The drum is bad!" --African proverb.
Yeah I called Nikon and they said that warranty may not be valid if the camera was purchased from a non authorized dealer. They said CameraKings is not authorized and the stuff could be gray market.
I guess I'll just have to grit my teeth and pony up another $400 at B&H
It is the same company as "Broadway Photo," a Brooklyn based company that has been scamming folks out of money for about 30 years or so.
This is what will happen. When you place an order, you will get an e-mail from them asking you to call them to "verify" your order. Then the salesman will say it's a nice camera and that you should get some accessories. All the accessories like CF card, filters, and lenses will be very cheap items marked up by a huge amount. So if you buy all the accessories, you will have actually overspent for the camera and the cheap accessories.
If you tell them no thanks, then they may say that the camera is only at that price and the battery (usually included in box if you buy from a reputable dealer) is now $100, the charger is $200, manuals and CD $100, and so on and on.
If you still refuse, then the camera will suddenly be "back ordered" and may ship in 3-4 months, at which you'll cancel your order and some scam artists will have your address, name, and CC info.
Thanks all. I'm not buying from these guys. I also called Nikon and they said that there's a good chance that warranty will not be valid, since these guys aren't authorized dealers.
I wrote to CameraKings "OK I'll buy the camera. Once I get it, I'll call Nikon with the serial number. If they tell me there's no US warranty, I'll return the camera for a full refund. Sounds fair?"
Their reply "If you did not receive the unit that you were supposed to get then yes, you can return it for a full refund."
www.resellerratings.com has feedback and ratings - surprisingly "camerakings" has some positive customer feedback
yeah I read this too, which is what prompted me to look into this.
Today, I see that camerakings has upped the price on the D700 by 250 but guess what, now there are a few other shops selling the camera for 2k when adorama/amazon/b&h are selling it for 2500.
Do not purchase from a "low price" vendor. I cannot be more emphatic or explicit than that.
If you want moderate risk, shop Amazon. I shopped there for a low price on a camera and got a refurbished camera (which I understood I was getting) without either a battery or a charger (which I definitely did not expect.) This was from the Amazon warehouse itself. Lesson learned.
If you want recommendations, shop at:
B&H
Adorama
Tallyn's
Calumet
While there may be some other places that provide a reputable sale as well as great service after the sale, these are places that consistently provide the best overall experience from my experience.
If you purchase from a "too good to be true" vendor, you will be subject to unnecessary risk and probable hassle and failure.
The markup on cameras is not all that great, so finding prices outside of the the range offered by the vendors I mentioned is almost always an indicator that something is not right. It's really just that simple.
Do not purchase from a "low price" vendor. I cannot be more emphatic or explicit than that.
If you want moderate risk, shop Amazon. I shopped there for a low price on a camera and got a refurbished camera (which I understood I was getting) without either a battery or a charger (which I definitely did not expect.) This was from the Amazon warehouse itself. Lesson learned.
If you want recommendations, shop at:
B&H
Adorama
Tallyn's
Calumet
While there may be some other places that provide a reputable sale as well as great service after the sale, these are places that consistently provide the best overall experience from my experience.
If you purchase from a "too good to be true" vendor, you will be subject to unnecessary risk and probable hassle and failure.
The markup on cameras is not all that great, so finding prices outside of the the range offered by the vendors I mentioned is almost always an indicator that something is not right. It's really just that simple.
If you want moderate risk, shop Amazon. I shopped there for a low price on a camera and got a refurbished camera (which I understood I was getting) without either a battery or a charger (which I definitely did not expect.) This was from the Amazon warehouse itself. Lesson learned.
Funny, I had a similar experience with a refurbished item from Amazon. I won't buy a refurb from them again. However, for new stuff, I don't think their service can be beat, even by B&H. Amazon is my first choice for camera gear now primarily for speed of fulfillment and shipping. I'm an Amazon Prime member, so 2 day shipping is free, and overnight shipping is 3.99. It's pretty amazing that I can order something right now and have it on my doorstep tomorrow for four bucks.
Comments
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/h0227.htm
Another one of the Brooklyn scammer stores. Stay away. Buy from B&H.
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Yeah I called Nikon and they said that warranty may not be valid if the camera was purchased from a non authorized dealer. They said CameraKings is not authorized and the stuff could be gray market.
I guess I'll just have to grit my teeth and pony up another $400 at B&H
I would also say to check out the used market. If I recall correctly, I saw a D700 going for around $2250 used on Fred Miranda, I think. While they don't have any used D700s in stock right now, keep an eye on KEH.com, too, as they're considered one of the best, if not the best place online to buy used gear.
HTH,
Heather
My pics
"He who cannot dance will say: "The drum is bad!" --African proverb.
Great Job!!
This is what will happen. When you place an order, you will get an e-mail from them asking you to call them to "verify" your order. Then the salesman will say it's a nice camera and that you should get some accessories. All the accessories like CF card, filters, and lenses will be very cheap items marked up by a huge amount. So if you buy all the accessories, you will have actually overspent for the camera and the cheap accessories.
If you tell them no thanks, then they may say that the camera is only at that price and the battery (usually included in box if you buy from a reputable dealer) is now $100, the charger is $200, manuals and CD $100, and so on and on.
If you still refuse, then the camera will suddenly be "back ordered" and may ship in 3-4 months, at which you'll cancel your order and some scam artists will have your address, name, and CC info.
I wrote to CameraKings "OK I'll buy the camera. Once I get it, I'll call Nikon with the serial number. If they tell me there's no US warranty, I'll return the camera for a full refund. Sounds fair?"
Their reply "If you did not receive the unit that you were supposed to get then yes, you can return it for a full refund."
Very fishy!
yeah I read this too, which is what prompted me to look into this.
Today, I see that camerakings has upped the price on the D700 by 250 but guess what, now there are a few other shops selling the camera for 2k when adorama/amazon/b&h are selling it for 2500.
http://resellerratings.nextag.com/serv/resellerratings/buyer/ProductM.jsp?shipping=Ground&sort=subtotal&units=1&ptitle=613117831
If you want moderate risk, shop Amazon. I shopped there for a low price on a camera and got a refurbished camera (which I understood I was getting) without either a battery or a charger (which I definitely did not expect.) This was from the Amazon warehouse itself. Lesson learned.
If you want recommendations, shop at:
B&H
Adorama
Tallyn's
Calumet
While there may be some other places that provide a reputable sale as well as great service after the sale, these are places that consistently provide the best overall experience from my experience.
If you purchase from a "too good to be true" vendor, you will be subject to unnecessary risk and probable hassle and failure.
The markup on cameras is not all that great, so finding prices outside of the the range offered by the vendors I mentioned is almost always an indicator that something is not right. It's really just that simple.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Funny, I had a similar experience with a refurbished item from Amazon. I won't buy a refurb from them again. However, for new stuff, I don't think their service can be beat, even by B&H. Amazon is my first choice for camera gear now primarily for speed of fulfillment and shipping. I'm an Amazon Prime member, so 2 day shipping is free, and overnight shipping is 3.99. It's pretty amazing that I can order something right now and have it on my doorstep tomorrow for four bucks.
Cheers,
-joel
Link to my Smugmug site