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by tringa on Fri Feb 08, 2013 8:00 pm
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I've always heard that I should check ResellerRatings.com before buying gear from an unfamiliar store.  Are they still reliable?

For some context, I am considering picking up a 1D X, and noticed that 42nd Street Photo is selling the 1D X for ~20% less than B&H (obviously a red flag).  42nd Street Photo has good reviews on ResellerRatings.com, as well as on Google Shopping and Pricegrabber.  But when I did some more searching, I found a Yelp page with all the bait-and-switch horror stories one would expect for an outfit selling at 20% under B&H (http://www.yelp.com/biz/42nd-street-photo-new-york-4).  So, is ResellerRatings.com not reliable anymore?
Jacob Spendelow
Tringa Photography
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by Greg Downing on Fri Feb 08, 2013 9:04 pm
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Your best bet is to ALWAYS check multiple sources and do a thorough search before buying - I can't answer specifically about 42nd street photo but 20% sounds too good to be true and generally if it sounds too good to be true it is :)
Greg Downing
Publisher, NatureScapes.Net
[url=http://www.gdphotography.com/]Visit my website for images, workshops and newsletters![/url]
 

by E.J. Peiker on Fri Feb 08, 2013 9:26 pm
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They are a legitimate business but also one that deals in a lot of Gray market items so be certain you are getting a USA model and be certain it is the entire thing.  Sometimes these companies will piecemeal ot a box and then sell you all of the components separately and it ends up being more.  Things like a battery, or the cables, or anything else that might come with it.  I'm not saying 42nd St does that but beware. If it's 20% below B&H it's either gray or parted out or possibly a refurb.
 

by J. DeYoung on Fri Feb 08, 2013 9:32 pm
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Based on the BBB review linked below. I wouldn't do any business with them.
http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/busine ... rk-ny-4261
 

by E.J. Peiker on Fri Feb 08, 2013 9:33 pm
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I finally found it on their site. My guess based on reading their Yelp feedback (there are several 1 star) is that this is not a Canon USA body but rather a gray market one. They say it comes with a USA warranty but that could be a third party warranty. Usually it would say Canon USA warranty if it were a legitimate Canon USA camera not just the words USA Warranty.
 

by tringa on Sat Feb 09, 2013 12:34 am
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Thanks, guys. I guess the camera stores must be writing a lot of their own reviews on these sites - otherwise it's hard to see why the reviews would vary so much between the review sites.
Jacob Spendelow
Tringa Photography
[url]http://www.tringa.org[/url]
 

by dougc on Sat Feb 09, 2013 2:53 pm
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If you buy from any New York dealer other than B&H or Adorama, you are far better off investing in lottery tickets.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Sat Feb 09, 2013 3:23 pm
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dougc wrote:If you buy from any New York dealer other than B&H or Adorama, you are far better off investing in lottery tickets.
J&R is no problem either!

Or you could try site sponsors Hunt's or Robert's - the former in boston, the latter in Indianapolis
 

by dbostedo on Sun Feb 10, 2013 11:41 pm
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Resellerratings.com was great for a while, but you have to read the reviews carefully now and not trust the rating the last few years.

Here's a bit of resellerratings examination I did a few years ago that's relevant here. Places that are grey-market and bait-and-switch can still have good overall numbers on resellerratings.
David Bostedo
Vienna, VA, USA
 

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