Nikon D200 cheap, what am i missing?

[HowardE]

yes, I am a sucker.

But one week I saw several different sites touting the D-200 body for 688, 730..etc.

Giving your card number to a bad company is not really that dangerous...you are only liable for 50 dollars.... LOts of unethical companies have had mine, i know.

I bought a Stinger for 260 that was new...and I sent it to Suunto and they changed the battery ????

I just think people should know Am X stands behind you contesting charges. I have done this about ten times. It was actually very easy.

Calmly telling vendors that it's nothing personal and I can contest the entire charge with Am X, has led to speedy and satisfactory resolutions.

That only works if you're not present for the transaction. If they swipe your card and/or imprint your card, it's a different story. Also, if they UPS it and require that YOU sign for it, it could be more difficult to dispute a transaction. As a merchant, I know how to protect myself against people who try to take advantage of the system.

 

[Cacia]

hmm...did not know that.

well, I was standing there on the rental car and they failed to state that the taxes would be slipped through after we left town on the next month's statement.

Certain practices are just unacceptable.

When I bought my D-100 froma Caribbean duty free store for well under Adorama prices, I heard lots of doomsday stories as well.

In fact, I would go there for the D-200.

 

[HowardE]

hmm...did not know that.

well, I was standing there on the rental car and they failed to state that the taxes would be slipped through after we left town on the next month's statement.

Certain practices are just unacceptable.

I have disputed charges too - if there is a contract that isn't honored, or sale that isn't completed... But Amex needs to see verification.

Also - If you buy a camera or other product with an amex platinum card - they will extend the warranty... But if it doesn't have a warranty then what?

You can't double zero...

 

[RonFrank]

hmm...did not know that.

well, I was standing there on the rental car and they failed to state that the taxes would be slipped through after we left town on the next month's statement.

Certain practices are just unacceptable.

When I bought my D-100 froma Caribbean duty free store for well under Adorama prices, I heard lots of doomsday stories as well.

In fact, I would go there for the D-200.

If you had good luck with the Caribbean duty free store, you may want to consider them again.

As for the NY city fly by night shops often, if you don't order the extras from these shops, they will never send the product. They will however charge your card, and wait until you call to refund. They are not interested in taking a loss on their product, so they just never ship, and at some point the consumer cancels the transaction.

So you are lucky, and do get a D200 from one of these crappy companies you get, no battery, no charger, no manual, no covers, no LCD cover, no strap, no cables, no software, no warranty. Catherine, you NEED the manual with this camera, take it from me! You are also now having to deal with the issue of finding all these parts.

By the time you order a battery, charger, and all the other stuff that should come with the camera, you will have spent several hundred $$$.

Another issue, if you have to send you camera in for service, minimum is about $500 no matter WHAT is wrong. Nikon may even force you to send the camera in for service to the country it was manufactured for. Authorized USA dealers have no obligation to service non USA cameras, and can refuse to do so. They may even have an agreement with Nikon to refuse service of grey market products, but this is something that I've had difficulty researching.

So you can save a couple hundred bucks, roll the dice, and hope you get a camera with no focus issues, no defects, and no banding. OR you can pay a couple hundred more and get a USA warranty, and have a camera that has more of a resale value to boot. The other side of grey, or stripped kits is that you have MUCH less resale value if you do decide to dump the body in the near future as most savvy buyers avoid grey merchandise used.

I have no issue with grey, and have purchased grey lenses. I mean, what is to go wrong? However with VR, and all the technical junk inside a DSLR there is just too much to go wrong to take a chance IMO. Grey from a reputable dealer often saves very little $$, so there is not point in considering it.

 

[HowardE]

So you are lucky, and do get a D200 from one of these crappy companies you get, no battery, no charger, no manual, no covers, no LCD cover, no strap, no cables, no software, no warranty. Catherine, you NEED the manual with this camera, take it from me! You are also now having to deal with the issue of finding all these parts.

By the time you order a battery, charger, and all the other stuff that should come with the camera, you will have spent several hundred $$$.

Another issue, if you have to send you camera in for service, minimum is about $500 no matter WHAT is wrong. Nikon may even force you to send the camera in for service to the country it was manufactured for. Authorized USA dealers have no obligation to service non USA cameras, and can refuse to do so. They may even have an agreement with Nikon to refuse service of grey market products, but this is something that I've had difficulty researching.

I asked my friend (store next to mine) about Nikon USA and sending in cameras that weren't purchased in this country.. either grey market or a bona fide purchase from Europe, then brought back into the united states, like by a tourist, or maybe an immigrant who moves to the US, and bought their camera there... He said, "Nikon won't touch it. They'd make them send it back to the country where they bought it for service" I would tend to believe Ron's statement about it costing $500 - like Dave (neighbor) said, they won't even touch it.

Then Dave told me about some people who came to him to buy 3 Canon 30D's. They got a package price from Dave, then they shopped online, and found one of those "great deals" where the camera was only $699 then the place made a "package deal" for them, and included a "lens" and a memory card. The package deal was still less expensive, so they took the whole deal...

They got...

a 2 GB 4x CF card for $200 - smoking deal eh... but the company didn't specify the speed on the purchase... just a 2gb card

They also put in the package a smokin deal on a lens, a "promaster 28-80mm" lens... WOW!

Good thing they went for the deal eh.

They got totally hosed.

 

[RonFrank]

I asked my friend (store next to mine) about Nikon USA and sending in cameras that weren't purchased in this country.. either grey market or a bona fide purchase from Europe, then brought back into the united states, like by a tourist, or maybe an immigrant who moves to the US, and bought their camera there... He said, "Nikon won't touch it.

Actually Nikon will service camera's purchased in another country if the owner can prove they purchased it in that country. That is not considered Grey, because it was purchased from an authorized dealer in the country it was intended to be sold in.

What Nikon may not touch is camera's purchased in the USA, for example, that were intended to be sold in China, or any other country.

Then Dave told me about some people who came to him to buy 3 Canon 30D's. They got a package price from Dave, then they shopped online, and found one of those "great deals" where the camera was only $699 then the place made a "package deal" for them, and included a "lens" and a memory card. The package deal was still less expensive, so they took the whole deal...

They got...

a 2 GB 4x CF card for $200 - smoking deal eh... but the company didn't specify the speed on the purchase... just a 2gb card

They also put in the package a smokin deal on a lens, a "promaster 28-80mm" lens... WOW!

Good thing they went for the deal eh.

They got totally hosed.

Yeah, this is the daddy of loss leaders! They put out the bait, a $2000 camera for $800. The customer orders online and all is well. The customer then gets a call from the SaleRep confirming the order, and he says, well that price is for the body only, and it will not work without a battery. If things go well for the SaleRep by the end of the transaction he will have sold the customer cheap non-manufacture replacement components in place of the OEM parts for as much ore more than the OEM parts cost, and the end result is one get's a no-warranty grey body with sub par batteries, chargers, a photocopied manual, and no customer service if something does go wrong. Accessories like the 2gb card in Howarde's example are also generally outdated, overpriced, and may not even work with the camera sold.

It is REALLY a very bad way to do business, and the term buyer beware is never truer. These practices have been going on for Decades, so these shady scams must work for the retailer...How I can not imagine.

The old saying if it's too good to be true it likely is should be considered before jumping at one of these deals. Resellerratings.com is a reasonable resource however, I've seen some good companies slammed on that site, so understand that no everything you read on the net is true!

 

[HowardE]

Actually Nikon will service camera's purchased in another country if the owner can prove they purchased it in that country. That is not considered Grey, because it was purchased from an authorized dealer in the country it was intended to be sold in.

What Nikon may not touch is camera's purchased in the USA, for example, that were intended to be sold in China, or any other country.

How could they tell the difference? Only if you actually have the receipt.

The old saying if it's too good to be true it likely is should be considered before jumping at one of these deals. Resellerratings.com is a reasonable resource however, I've seen some good companies slammed on that site, so understand that no everything you read on the net is true!

It's not even a "loss leader" because they're not taking a loss so to speak, they're hiding the costs by jacking the prices of the "accessories" - either way... like you say - if it's too good to be true, it probably is.

There's also an old favorite trick of the photography game, the "out of stock price"

Where the camera store runs an ad for a camera at an unbelieveable price, but when you go in, they're "out of stock" on that model, but they do have another model (at regular price) that they'd be happy to sell to you

 

[RonFrank]

How could they tell the difference? Only if you actually have the receipt.

Yes, the receipt is required for any Nikon warranty service. Nikon is also fussy about registration. Do no just keep the blank warranty cards, the original receipt, and then HOPE that Nikon will do warranty work. I think they may as long as you have proof of time/date purchase. But with advanced printers out these days, forging a receipt is not that difficult which is why Nikon expect the consumer to register within ten days of the purchase.

There's also an old favorite trick of the photography game, the "out of stock price"

Where the camera store runs an ad for a camera at an unbelieveable price, but when you go in, they're "out of stock" on that model, but they do have another model (at regular price) that they'd be happy to sell to you

Yeah they run the gamut.

My advice to anyone making a purchase online.

USA Warranty (or warranty of the country of purchase), all original packaging and accessories, and use Authorized Dealers. If you choose to purchase grey that is not an issue, but I'd still insist upon instructions in YOUR language, original packaging, and make sure the retailer offers a warranty. Most dealers like B&H offer their own warranty on Grey products.

 

[Cacia]

thanks guys, I learned a lot on your posts.

 

[mcknight4]

I am in the market for a Nikon D80. There are a lot of discounters with prices and equipment packages all over the place. Has anyone tried http://www.expresscameras.com ? Some of these places say they have units in stock, but really don't. Who can you trust?