They have a scope in stock that nobody else has, but bit nervous about ordering from them....
Thanks.
Thanks.
Rifle Scopes Anyone use B&H Photo to order an expensive scope?
- Thread starter Nomad0001
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They are a very reputable seller. I purchased my Kowa Prominar spotter from them. Fast shipping, well packaged, not sure what more you can ask for.
I purchased about $4,000.00 worth of Fuji camera and lenses from them, no issues. I think I may have returned a $$ Canon lens as well, painless. There are a lot of gray marketers in NYC/NJ, but B&H aren't one of them. Discounts are few and far between, but they are a stand up organization, GTG. You might want to try using "Greentoe" (.com). Maybe it'll save you some money.
Ordered a vortex razor spotter with tripod and some pan head swivel gizmo. They were blowing them out. Even gave me a $75 dollar gift card. Had best price around, even after I had to pay sales tax since I live in NY. Had it in a day. Literally live 25 miles away. They have a good reputation and I think you will be happy with your purchase. I would buy from them more often if it wasn't for having to pay sales tax.
I've also ordered a number of things from them. Great outfit they run. Top notch.
Better to have it and not need it, than to not have it and say oh shit.....
Better to have it and not need it, than to not have it and say oh shit.....
B&H is one of the biggest players in the camera area and you shouldn't have any worries. You might call cameralandny or other hide vendor and see if you can't luck out with it being in stock and a good deal.
In case you needed it at this point, I'll echo the above experiences. I've ordered several thousand dollars worth of camera gear from them. Great folks!
What a great thing it is to have this sort of feedback available so quickly!
Ordered Scope.
Thank You!
Ordered Scope.
Thank You!
Looks like I may be the lone voice in the darkness here: B&H has a fairly widespread reputation for selling returns, "floor models", and/or otherwise open-box merchandise as new. The first time it happened to me, on a Cisco wireless access point, I wasn't quite sure, but something just seemed off, just didn't quite seem new. The WAP worked fine, though, and so I wrote that experience off as me being overly paranoid.
About a year and a half later I rolled the dice again and purchased a Bushnell spotter from B&H, mostly because they had it and I couldn't find one in stock elsewhere. This time I knew something was wrong. The first clue was that it came wrapped in the exact same anti-static bag the Cisco WAP came in (no kidding, the exact same bag, I still have both packages). I have 5 other Bushnell optics and the interior packaging of the spotter was unlike any other Bushnell product I'd purchased. The spotter appeared in good condition, but it was really dusty, like it had been on display for a really long time and the dust cover was badly faded, like it had been exposed to direct sunlight for an extended time.
After the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] experience I did a little Googling and found numerous like experiences, mostly on forums related to high-end photography. The general gist was that B&H was pretty well known for such behavior in their circles. So... Caveat emptor...!
About a year and a half later I rolled the dice again and purchased a Bushnell spotter from B&H, mostly because they had it and I couldn't find one in stock elsewhere. This time I knew something was wrong. The first clue was that it came wrapped in the exact same anti-static bag the Cisco WAP came in (no kidding, the exact same bag, I still have both packages). I have 5 other Bushnell optics and the interior packaging of the spotter was unlike any other Bushnell product I'd purchased. The spotter appeared in good condition, but it was really dusty, like it had been on display for a really long time and the dust cover was badly faded, like it had been exposed to direct sunlight for an extended time.
After the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] experience I did a little Googling and found numerous like experiences, mostly on forums related to high-end photography. The general gist was that B&H was pretty well known for such behavior in their circles. So... Caveat emptor...!
Thank you and all the others here kind enough to share their positive experiences. We are very grateful.
-- Henry Posner / B&H Photo-Video
+1 for B&H. Bought my wife a nice SLR camera from them for Christmas last year. Would not hesitate to use them again.
I am very sorry you had an unsatisfactory experience shopping with B&H. We don't sell floor model merchandise. We cannot. 99% of the items on display in our store are supplied by our vendors or the brand's US distributor. They're not ours to sell. Our used department has refurbished, "open box" and other as-new items. Our used equipment rating system includes these categories:
| N | Brand new/Never used - In original manufacturer's packaging |
| OB | Open Box with full manufacturer warranty |
| D | Never owned - Used for demonstration purposes only |
| R | Refurbished by the Manufacturer to original company's specifications |
| 10 | Preowned equipment, but appears as new |
It is certainly possible to find negative comments about us online. It is equally possible to find similarly negative comments about almost every retailer in almost every industry. I've learned that not every individual complaint has merit. I also know we're an "Accredited Business" with an A+ rating from the BBB. We've earned 4.5/5 stars in Yelp; 9.68/10 in Resellerratings, and 9.8/10 in TrustPilot. We have been in business since 1973. We are by no means perfect but we strive every day to be better than the day before.
As I said, I am very sorry you had an unsatisfactory experience.
-- Henry Posner / B&H Photo-Video
henryp B&H: If not a floor model or return, please explain the condition of the Bushnell spotter I received as detailed in my post above. There was nothing on your website listing to indicate it was anything other than 100% new, and the price was in-line with other vendor's "new" price.
BTW: "Dislike"... really? Is this now becoming Facebook? All I did was post an accurate detailing of my experiences.
BTW: "Dislike"... really? Is this now becoming Facebook? All I did was post an accurate detailing of my experiences.
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As if B&H is going to recall a specific listing for a specific product purchased years ago. Accept that you had an outlier experience and move on.
For the record, surgeon, the spotter purchase was earlier this year, just a few months ago. The point is simply that, if B&H does not, ever, sell demo, floor model, return merchandise, et al. as new, as was his claim, how would one explain the condition of the items I purchased? YMMV but a simple Google search will turn-up more than enough similar experiences to validate that mine was far from unique (you won't have to look past page 1). Actually, henryp appears to be kept rather busy responding to such experiences. That's all I got for this one PL out...
I've ordered several Pelican Case and high end DSLR Lenses and never had any issues. I have even returned items to them and they are gtg.
Considering they have a very liberal return policy, it is possible they received, inspected, and re-sold a returned item. Personally, I have no issue if I receive an opened item, if it is unused and has the full waranty.
Does this mean we might be able to contact B&H for "Hide pricing" on certain items
? Better to have it and not need it, than to not have it and say oh shit.....
I don't know anything about this transaction except what you reported. I cannot ID you. Other than "a Bushnell spotter" I don't know which particular product you ordered.
At the very least I'd need the original B&H order number, either here or via email to henryp at bhphoto dot com.
-- Henry Posner / B&H Photo-Video
Well, jumping on the bandwagon I've thrown some substantial coin on photo equipment and have nothing but the best to say. When I've actually called with an inquiry the guys are very knowledgeable and helpful. In 5 years or so I've had one return and it was my bad, went seamless.
OP here. Everything turned out great! They really had the scope in stock that is backordered everywhere else (must have gotten the last one because out of stock now). They called me to verify the transaction (which I really appreciate). They shipped it next day air at a super reasonable rate. Excellent packaging. Original container, obviously never opened previously. Everything in order. Perfect Transaction!
They are GTG.
I bought my Kowa spotter and over $15,000 in camera gear for my wife from them. Never had anything other than a 1st class experience. The comment regarding being notorious for selling floor models, returns and open box is the first I have ever heard of it from anyone. This forum is tiny compared to the camera forums out there and if B&H had a reputation for doing that; it would be everywhere. The only thing they sell are grey market items at a significant discount. They are clearly identified as such.
I bought my Kowa spotter and over $15,000 in camera gear for my wife from them. Never had anything other than a 1st class experience. The comment regarding being notorious for selling floor models, returns and open box is the first I have ever heard of it from anyone. This forum is tiny compared to the camera forums out there and if B&H had a reputation for doing that; it would be everywhere. The only thing they sell are grey market items at a significant discount. They are clearly identified as such.
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