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Buyer beware! How to avoid online retail crooks
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The price causes the reader to do a double take. The camera costs about half of what it does everywhere else. Is this a dream come true? Chances are, no, it could be a nightmare waiting to happen.
With the growth of the Internet as a business place, many new companies have sprung up in recent years. However, it should be noted that not all online retailers are reputable. Some offer top notch service and products while others exist to take advantage of unwary buyers. The unfortunate truth about Internet based business is that the uninformed shopper is often unaware of shady business practices until it is already too late.
Here are some steps to avoid being scammed by online camera “stores.”
1. If the price is looks too good to be true, it probably is. For online camera stores, three very reputable giants are Adorama and B&H, and, although it isn't a specialty camera store, Amazon. These businesses typically set the bar for low prices. Anything greatly lower than what is found here should be regarded as suspicious. Note: I have no affiliation with any of these companies other than as a customer.
2. Standard accessories are overpriced and sold separately is often a sure sign of a scam. Before placing the order, check the Web Site. These places may sell batteries for $150, USB cables for $75, and software for $300. Obviously, all of these prices are extreme. Another point here is that all of these accessories should, and do, come as standard with the camera kit when buying from a legitimate business.
3. Do research. Check Resellerratings.com This Web Site is an invaluable source for customer feedback about businesses, with ratings ranging from 1 to 10, plus written reviews by customers. True, people tend to complain louder than they praise, but when a businesses scores a 1 or even less, red flags should start to fly. Besides Resellerratings, online photography forums are also great places to do some research about camera stores. Stories of horror, as well as praise, are to be found here.
4. Inflated shipping charges are another sign of a scam. It does not cost $100 to send a camera to a buyer standard service via overland courier.
5. For Ebay users, these same stores typically advertise here, too, somehow often managing high feedback ratings. Again, Resellerratings is a better source of information. Like with the store Web Sites, inflated shipping charges are common here, as are huge kits. The problem with the kits is that they often consist of the lowest grade items, such as extremely cheap lenses (with thread on focal reducers and extenders often counting as a lens), non name brand memory cards/storage and transfer accessories, cheap tripods, and sometimes a low grade point and shoot camera.
6. Be vigilant. Many of these less than honest online retailers will typically close down their Web Sites once they get a bad name and then reopen under a new banner. It is vital to keep up to date with online businesses as the Internet is a great way to hide bad business practices.
For those people who continue with the order, these are some of the things that can be expected.
1. The store sends an email asking for a phone call order confirmation. This is where the questionable sales practices come into play. Chances are, the retailer won't even ship the order until the prospective buyer has called and unwittingly subjected him/herself to the aggressive, bait and switch sales techniques that push overpriced accessories that usually come as standard or a more expensive model camera altogether.
2. Gray market/imported and/or refurbished items sold as new. While buying gray market/imported or refurbished can be a great way to save money, companies deliberately misrepresenting products is obviously an unethical business practice. Unfortunately, the prospective buyer will not know this fact until calling to confirm the order, at which time he/she will be asked whether they would prefer the camera model with the full warranty, albeit at a much greater price. Legitimate businesses sell gray market/imported and refurbished products, but will state this fact explicitly in the product description.
3. The item is suddenly out of stock. During the phone order confirmation, if the buyer refuses the additional items offered in the sale, they will often be informed that the camera they want is out of stock. The next scenario is often being pushed to buy a more expensive item or being told to wait until the item comes back into stock, which it, conveniently for the business, rarely will.
4. If the buyer does go through with the order, an incorrect, lower priced item may arrive or the correct item might come, but sometimes with parts missing. The hope is that the customer won't be willing to go through the hassle of returning the item, usually with an attached restocking fee, sometimes up to 20% total item cost. Chances are that the store will be in no particular hurry to refund money, either.
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Location shots for many less than reputable stores by Don Wiss
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