Obviously the 'kit' is crap, but it is the lowest price for the 40D I have seen and with a 98-99% feedback rating as a power seller it doesn't seem much like a scam.
Thoughts?
Bah...figured. I did perform a resell ratings report check on them...some mixed reviews but over all 8 out of 10 in the past 6 mo's. Figured I'd see if there were any first hand experiences with them. B&H is great...if you don't live in NY. Boo sales tax. I could always get it from abes of main for about 1120.00 (no tax free shipping, I'm a bargain shopper).
If you buy from a powerseller like many of the HK etailers you'll have no issues. I've bought TC's, CPL's etc with no problem. Of course the camera is anoter of order magnitude dearer.
"Kits" like those on ebay, I ignore completely. My buddy actually got scammed on ebay from one of these merchants who never shipped out his 40D. I personally would look on ebay for sellers who have photos of the actual body of the camera, and not some generic illustration or logo.
I would go with US1photo.com - I have mentioned this earlier - nice store, and nice customer help, and they have the 40D for $1069 and FREE shipping!
PS. M Vers - you did not miss any sales - the price on the body will continue to come down in the next months, about $30 per month in general I have noticed, on the average...
This place is actually the place I bought my 30D kit.
The equipment has worked flawlessly, so I can't fault them there, but I would not recommend buying from them...
Customer service was horrendous, the type where they strongarm you into giving them a good or no feedback rating or else they will give you a poor rating.
My kit came with open boxes, removed warranty cards (even though the add clearly stated "Original Manufacturer Sealed Box - USA Product" or something of the sort), and a poor packing job. The product was also Gray Market (internet searches revealed the serial and product numbers were probably European.)
Needless to say, I've learned my lesson and will, henceforth, only buy local (probably pictureline.com). My experience with this company and all it's other sister companies (there are many) is without a doubt my worst eBay experience ever.
Unless you're obsessive about buying a brand new camera, you might want to consider buying used on the Buy and Sell board. I bought a used 5D a couple of years ago at photo.net for a great price from a fine fellow. I'm still using and loving the camera. Virtually all my lenses were bought used without problem or complaint. 40D cameras show ups from time to time. Check the seller's feedback and make an offer if the person is credible. If you have to buy new don't pinch a penny quite so hard and buy from the reputable online sellers. B&H has a great reputation but Beach Camera/BuyDigital, Norman's and others perform as well. And good luck getting your new camera. Money spent will help keep the economy afloat...
The 40d kit new was $1279 a couple times today with free 3 day Fedex and no tax most states from here: http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=88875
keep watching it could drop again..add to your cart to see the lower price
no sooner did I post this and the price was back down to $1279
