Beware of Scams When Shopping for Cameras Online

As a photographer, I do much of my shopping online.  I’m always looking to buy new cameras, lenses, flashes, filters and other accessories, and often I can’t find what I’m looking for in local camera stores (and often what I do find is very overpriced!)  With the internet, I can find a huge variety of products for sale and get a great deal!

Unfortunately, I’ve come to find that most online photo and video retailers are running scams!  The most common scam I see is the “bait and switch”.

With these “bait and switch” retailers, you can often buy cameras, camcorders and other electronics for a very cheap price!  However, what they don’t mention is that these products aren’t made in the country that they’re being sold in, so they don’t come with a manufacturer’s warranty.  They also often don’t come with batteries, battery chargers, or other necessary accessories.  Sometimes they’ll even send you a camera kit including lenses that don’t even fit the camera they came with!

Usually once you’ve placed an order with one of these companies, they will contact you or send you an e-mail notification instructing you to call their number to complete your oder.  Once on the phone with you, they will try to convince you to buy an overpriced accessory.  Or they may tell you that one or more of the items you purcahsed is “cheap” and of poor quality, and they will try to upsell you a more expensive alternative.  If you politely decline, they will become rude, sarcastic, insulting and overly pushy.  Often they may even hang up on you!  Quite frequently they will cancel your order if you don’t spend the extra money on overpriced, expensive accessories.  The upselling is how they make their money.  They can’t afford to send you the camera you purchased for the price they advertised!

There are plenty of legitimate camera and electronic online retailers out there!  So before making any purchase online, research the company you are purchasing from.  Read user reviews at websites such as Resellerratings.com.  Learn what the Better Business Bureau has to say by vising bbb.org. 

Be especially careful if the price of the product seems too good to be true… chances are it is!  If you read mostly negative reviews with a few positive ones mixed in, don’t take the chance!  Often companies will pay individuals to write positive reviews for them!

Always do your research and be careful where you shop online.  Avoiding scams will make your online shopping experience much more pleasurable.