First, good job! You shouldn't have to take that sort of thing from anyone and you didn't!
Second. A story of "the old days"(Sorry, I'm old...). I'm going to try to be diplomatic about this... But, I'm also going to try to be honest(Quite dangerous!). If you have to do any "reading between the lines", so did the successful buyers I'm going to talk about. Keep in mind that this is all speculation, all "theory", no known facts will appear from here on in this post... It's a story......
There used to be something in the photography magazines called, generically here, so as to leave no actual seller out - "New York Camera Stores".
Idea was that compared to your local camera store(Unless you happened to live in NYC?), you could save big money by mail ordering from any number of camera stores that advertised in the photo magazines. Like my lens which would have cost 800+ dollars down the street, which I picked up for 249, NY..!!! Well, to keep the story short, I won't delve far into "gray market", "shorted box"(Item without the accessories specified by the manufacturer or official US importer, such as batteries, camera case, standard lens, etc.), item markings in a "foreign"(Non-English) language or other things, but I will bring up one thing that used to be a regular topic of discussion among photogs.
The theory was that some of these stores would advertise and then accept orders for darned near anything you could think of, photographically, charge your credit card, or deposit your check, immediately, then WAIT for weeks to ship your order. Prevailing thought was that every day they got to hold your money in their bank..? Alot of interest could be generated..? They may have(As you state) just have waited until they got enough orders - in advance - money in the bank gaining interest - then go buy the stuff, in bulk, for cheap(No difficult warehouse to manage? Maybe no "fancy" office or showroom either, alot of these folks just had PO boxes?) and ship it all out at once..? Who knows? Just a theory...
Expert buyers(And many mailorder buyers became experts! Maybe like EBay users today?) did several things to combat these "problems", which may have been mostly imaginary, and still get their low, low price successfully:
1. Use a reputable dealer! There always were reputable dealers(And still are, in NYC and everywhere.). Still, keep firmly in mind, what does "reputable" mean? It was thought that it might not mean exactly the same thing to everyone and here's another theory as to why. It was long thought that customers were being lied to! Sometimes maybe so, but maybe not! Maybe they were simply getting what they asked for when they asked for it. That's all. I say, THAT'S ALL! No MORE no LESS! Anyway, eventually it was postulated that at least some of these stores were owned by people who(You either know why or you don't, I'm not getting pinned down on this forum.) COULD NOT LIE! Just couldn't do it! Ask a question(Properly, clearly.) and you'd get the answer. Period. Simple really.
Important thing was that any UNASKED questions MAY NOT BE "ASSUMED" or were "answered" in a way that an unaware buyer might confuse as "being ripped off". Some might call it skirting the issue or playing games, but with a whole lot of money on the line and when every penney counts..!..? "Let the buyer beware" applied(A statement much older than even I am...).
So. Know what questions to ask(And ASK THEM! Don't be bashful!).
BE KNOWLEDGABLE! The seller will be smart enough to know...
Is it in stock?
How soon will it ship to me?
Does it come with all accessories listed?
Is it an "official US importer" item(Or whatever country)?
What kind of warranty does it have? Many sellers, for instance, offered "their own" warranty! Some of them very, very good warranties, but NOT neccessarily warranties from any "official" source, but their own warranty, done by their own personnel or 3rd. party service shops. Maybe no problem - long as you know...
Is it an "open box"(Return, etc.)
Are there any "extra" charges? Will they "conveniently include" the batteries, case, etc., which YOU forgot to ask about, for "only a slight additional charge", so they, "kindly" took the liberty of including same('Cause they knew you wanted 'em!) and, of course, charged your card appropriately(Thankyou!)...
Some "New York Camera Stores" now sell everything under the sun(The camera biz ain't what it used to be, Walmart and all, I suppose, and the internet has allowed anyone, anywhere to do business the same way, so prices are sometimes no better now.), but buying mailorder still has it pitfalls. You CAN get a good deal from a good dealer - no matter their address. But you may still have to work at it... do YOUR part to make sure the transaction goes smoothly.
Sad fact is that unless you "know", some of the sellers are not now or never were "bound by a higher authority"(Did I say that?) to tell the truth and even those that are still may not feel(Or be!) bound to "ask questions for you".....
End of story.
Sorry this has nothing to do with the original post, but, thought I'd throw it in...
TG
Edited by Teddy G.
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