p.3 #1 · Your favorite buying stop for photographic equipments?
Eric214 wrote:
B&H isn't even into to November yet with filling Z9 pre-orders yet. This was 3 weeks ago or maybe 4. It took them months to get through the 1st hour, YIKES! Can't do B&H for hot pre-order items, to many order there. If you dfont have issues there, then you need to be playing the lottery! haha
Well, R5, R3, RF400, 100-500, all hot items and in my hands the day of release. This applies also to every single new hot release since 2001, including 100-400v2 or the D60 that was made of unobtanium. Maybe I should play the lottery...
p.3 #2 · Your favorite buying stop for photographic equipments?
jcolwell wrote:
Maybe, but B&S is more like Kijiji or CL, as the plaftorm (FM) does not get involved in the transaction, with regard to money changing hands. That's done outside of FM, at the mutual agreement of the buyer and seller.
OTOH, if I was Fred and I was forced to collect sales tax for B&S transactions on the FM platform, then I'd drop the B&S forum, completely.
I edited my comment to add j/k.
But I wouldn't put this pass the tax authorities sometime in the future.
p.3 #3 · Your favorite buying stop for photographic equipments?
downhillonwater wrote:
Interesting. I would like to do this, supporting the little guy. But I thought everyone had to charge tax on mail orders now. Can you pls provide more info?
technically, you don't get away with not paying taxes for buying commodities out of state; when you file your ITR, you declare "use tax" for these items, which is effectively the sales tax you didn't pay for when you bought it...at least this is in NJ...
p.3 #4 · Your favorite buying stop for photographic equipments?
dalegaspi wrote:
technically, you don't get away with not paying taxes for buying commodities out of state; when you file your ITR, you declare "use tax" for these items, which is effectively the sales tax you didn't pay for when you bought it...at least this is in NJ...
p.3 #5 · Your favorite buying stop for photographic equipments?
docusync wrote:
Any out of state camera store that doesn't charge tax.
downhillonwater wrote:
Interesting. I would like to do this, supporting the little guy. But I thought everyone had to charge tax on mail orders now. Can you pls provide more info?
dalegaspi wrote:
technically, you don't get away with not paying taxes for buying commodities out of state; when you file your ITR, you declare "use tax" for these items, which is effectively the sales tax you didn't pay for when you bought it...at least this is in NJ...
Same in CA. That's why B&H is better - I do everything legally, because I am actually paying CA sales tax, without really paying it.
p.3 #6 · Your favorite buying stop for photographic equipments?
RoamingScott wrote:
except no one does this
insert shifting eyes brown monkey meme
May 19, 2022 at 11:53 AM
AmbientMike Offline • • • • • • [X]
p.3 #7 · Your favorite buying stop for photographic equipments?
B&H, Adorarama, and KEH.
Been more positive on ebay if you try to get good sellers. Good feedback and a return I feel like I am probably in good shape and there are some good, knowledgeable sellers on there. Bought here more lately , too. No return makes me uncomfortable but I get better condition gear same price it seems so if I can get a good seller it can be great
Hate to admit it but Amazon for small stuff. B&H putting an SD card in a big box and if I have a sales tax number I'm going to have to pay sales tax anyway so I'd rather just have it collected up front. Although if I didn't I'm probably not going to get one to pay sales tax if it's not collected. Although I did call the number one time and the guy said I didn't have to pay sales tax on out of state purchases several years ago
p.3 #9 · Your favorite buying stop for photographic equipments?
So many great camera shops are now gone, even here in New England. About the last I still use (are there others?) is Hunt’s Photo headquartered in Melrose Massachusetts, which has a handful of locations. I have used them for both new and used gear without problems. They sometimes have surprising good deals or sales. Otherwise it’s the same web-based stores we all know well. B&H, Midwest Photo, Samy’s, Abe’s of Maine, etc.
p.3 #12 · Your favorite buying stop for photographic equipments?
I've had good luck with B&H, Adorama and KEH for various things. KEH has great used stuff. B&H lots of everything and very fast service. Adorama is close behind on selection and service but for some reason seems to have the best selection and prices on Nikon refurbs.
Early in this thread someone mentioned Green Mountain Camera, in Burlington, VT. A good store and one of the last remaining brick and mortar places, though they do also have a web presence. This is the place to go if you can get there and want actually to look at things and hold and try them. The sales people appear to be knowledgeable, and because they're a real store with a fairly small clientele, they sometimes have things that are hard to find elsewhere.
Since Nikon USA prices are pretty well fixed, and discounts as well, there's very little difference in price between GMC and the big discounters, and I'm really happy to go there, try a thing out, find out if I like it, and walk out with it.
May 23, 2022 at 12:54 AM
jim allison Offline • • • [X]
p.3 #13 · Your favorite buying stop for photographic equipments?
I frequently buy and sell right here, but when I can't find what I want, MAP camera in Japan is my go to vendor. MAP makes
KEH look like a small local shop and there prices are lower and there shiping is faster. They also regularly under grade
their equipment even more then KEH. I've purchased lenses from MAP that were graded as good but, in my opinion were excellent plus. I get delivery in three or four days from Japan and there are no shipping charges. I don't know about returns,
because I've never had to make one. I use Adorama and BH for smaller items and when I want to buy new.
p.3 #14 · Your favorite buying stop for photographic equipments?
RoamingScott wrote:
except no one does this
In states that have income taxes, if you report nothing, there's a much higher chance of being audited. Texas doesn't have a state income tax, so I guess you can get away with it there.
p.3 #15 · Your favorite buying stop for photographic equipments?
B&H happens to be my "local" shop and I use their Payboo card to save the equivalent of the sales tax, which is 8.875% in NYC. The only thing I ever had to wait for was the 70-200S, which took exactly one month. I used to give about half my business to J&R, another large but independent NYC shop, but they went out of business some years ago. There was also a very local photo shop a few blocks from my home that I used to give my film processing to, but they're also long gone. I give as little business as possible to Amazon and it doesn't look like I've ever purchased photo equipment from them. Some people like Adorama, but I've always gotten a bad vibe when I've walked into their store.
B&H ships quite quickly. I ordered an SSD drive late Saturday night after they reopened ordering after their Sabbath and it arrived early Monday morning which surprised me - I didn't expect it until Tuesday. And shipping is almost always free.
But it is true that you can wait a long time for in-demand products and the general consensus (although I'm not sure I totally believe it) is that Nikon doesn't allocate more units to B&H than they do to a small local dealer. While I don't like buying from chains, if Nikon allocates say 2 units per store, Best Buy would get 2000 units overall, which can be shared across all their stores as needed. So sometimes they have stock when no one else does. (But I don't buy from Best Buy anyway).
p.3 #16 · Your favorite buying stop for photographic equipments?
I stopped shopping @ B&H - because why I shall settle on just getting sales tax back when a brick&mortar dealer across the state line simply does not charge a state sales tax and I enjoy my 2%+ cashback from a credit card (not a store card) ?
p.3 #17 · Your favorite buying stop for photographic equipments?
RoamingScott wrote:
except no one does this
If you report your photography income and also take deductions for business expenses related to your photography, trying to outwit the tax code carries some risks.
- - -
I often purchase from online retailers, most frequently B&H, though also Adorama and occasionally others. My preference is to support local brick and mortar shops. For years I would trek to a Bay Area photography business first. I would buy from them if I needed to handle the gear that they had on display before purchasing — even if that cost me a bit more that online alternatives. I felt that it was worth supporting a business that provided a service critical to my decision-making.
They were also willing to discount prices on large purchases by an amount that erased the added cost of paying the local state sales taxes. Basically, I told them that "I'd rather buy from you than online if you can do this." And they did. That doesn't always work. At another local retailer this conversation only incensed the sales person. (That business is closer to me, but I almost never go there.)
p.3 #18 · Your favorite buying stop for photographic equipments?
B & H, though I have bought plenty from other stores including Roberts, and last year, I snagged the rare 14-35 f/4 RF lens at Pixel Connection, while visiting friends in Ohio. Also, the Buy/Sell forum here, and the occasional purchase at KEH.
