I have been thinking of making an upgrade or two. I am curious to see what people think of the two. I have heard great things about B&H, but I think that Adorama may be reputable as well.
I think it is six of one and half a dozen of the other. I second the opinion that both are reputable and I have purchased lenses from both with no problem. Doc
I have done business with both for many years and think they are both very reputable. Adorama always tries to sell me additional products or a MACK warranty but B&H has not done this and I favor them more. I also order from Berger Brothers Camera and Beach Camera and have had excellent experiences with them as well.
i have been dealing with B&H since 1976 mostly and adorama on and off too for nearly as long too. as of late though the competiveness is lacking in both as smaller shops in the midwest have been a bit more flexible at times.
I've bought quite a bit from both over the last five years and find both to be reputable. I traded in a lens to Adorama (upgraded a 70-200 f/4 to a 70-200 f/2.8 IS) and I think that they pay at the very low end for used equipment. Other than that, they have both delivered what they promised, on time, and at a resonable price.
Mike
A search would have helped you find this.. .https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/599347/0, now I've never had a problem with either company, but prefer B&H because of free shipping as a NAPP member. But I've only purchased from adorama via amazon.com's marketplace with a CC.
Personally, I've had problems with the one and only time I've dealt with Adorama. They had some big confusion about what was in stock and what wasn't and it ended up delaying my shipment for a week until I finally called in and told them to just drop whatever they didn't have in stock and get my things shipped.
Spent $xxxxx this past year at B&H and haven't had a problem.
Both are reputable, but B&H is a far better company. Better customer service and faster shipping. Adorama isn't afraid to sell you "cheap crap" that you won't find on B&H's site.
The few times I have order anything from Adorama it usually ends up being more difficult then it needs to be.
B&H or Amazon, with Adorama a distant third if one of the other two doesn't have what I need in stock. No real issues with Adorama, but with B&H and Amazon you get a nearly immediate email confirmation and very quick order processing, which I prefer.
I've used both over theyears and never been disappointed. Adorama's website is a bit "clunkier" than B&H's. B&H gives eamil confirmation. Other than that it's just great service from both.
matt4626 wrote:
I've purchased from both...no problem.
Ditto.
I've also found Adorama's used dept.and ebay sales dept. to be very responsive and responsible. I would no hesitation buying anything from Adorama. For me the choice between B&H and Adorama comes down to the total delivered costs (shipping rates do vary), and whether they have the item.
I sold equipment to Adorama recently. I got less than I thought I would get, but I thought that it was there, and I did not want to go through the hassle of getting the equipment back and selling it myself or sending it on to B and H or other company. It took well over 1 month from when I sent my package to them to when I received the lens I traded it in for (closer to 1 1/2 months). It took them over a week from when I confirmed that I wanted to trade until they actually sent my lens! This was unacceptable to me, and coupled with what I feel was less than what my equipment was worth, will NEVER be purchasing from Adorama again (B and H all the way for me).
By the way, the same day I confirmed the sale with Adorama, I made a purchase with B and H. The B and H package came before the Adorama one even shipped!
Ordered two SDs on a two for one special. they shipped only one and on the invoiced stated that two was shipped. I had to email them and get that straighten out and that took a few days before they admit their mistake and shipped the other SD. Their prices are good but judging by the experience it was less than what could have been.
On a prior order last year, it took a call from me to confirm the order before it was processed so that ended up taking an extra week needlessly.
I'll probably be less inclined to order from them unless they are the only one stocking the item. Otherwise I'd go with B&H or Amazon, both are great to deal with.
I have dealt with B&H for a few years now and is my first choice usually. But I have done some Price checking on a couple of items and on one Adorama was cheaper. Since these are large cost items I will not be buying all at once anyway so I will usually check both on price and shipping and it seems Adorama has sales a lot more often than B&H or I am not on the right email list with B&H. I get emails two or three times a week from Adorama.
I have about four or five stores I try to check with. Some carry items the other doesn't and some just have better prices on this or that. So I use the two above plus check with Samy's and another that I found was selling Think Tank items at 20% off I believe was the prices. So I found out about adorama and B&H from Magazines originally and never heard of bad service from either, I discovered these two from web sites that I frequent, Samy's supports SportShooter.com and Strobist recommend MPEX( MidWest Photo Exchange) So when I am looking for something I check these four stores for prices along with Amazon.com since they list items from these stores plus others. The one I found with the discounted Think Tank Items I found by doing a goggle search for Think Tank and it was- well I can't find it now.
I trust stores that have both a brick and mortar setup as well as the internet front. i USUALLY VOTE FOR WHICH STORE i USE USING THE SAME CONCEPT THAT i DO SEVERAL THINGS IN LIFE BY WHERE i HAVE A CHOICE ON THE SAME ITEM/SERVICE i GO FOR THE CHEAPER ONE. Sorry about the caps lock I didn't notice until I had already typed it.
