I'm looking at this Nikon | AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II Lens | 2185 | B&H

And both BH and Adorama have it for the same prices. Soooooooo, am I supposed to flip a coin? Why have the same price? It reminds me of gas stations.

Not only is B&H a trusted sponsor here, but they have better feedback at resellerratings. So for me it's no contest.

B&H for me every time, I have a running wish list that never seems to empty

Adam & Paul:
Thank you. Much appreciated.

I thought Adorama was a sponsor as well. My question still remains; I've talked to BH sales people before about price 'beating' heck, even by 10 bucks, I always get a flat response.

Adorama does not support DV Info Net. B&H does. That should be enough to sway your decision.

Thanks Chris. I was really just asking a question about how camera stores market. But thanks again. My memory failed me, I thought Adorama was.

No big mystery: product makers have a wholesale price and dealers have a markup. Companies of a similar size will likely have the same wholesale cost and need for profit. Best Buy counts on the convenience (and the 'knowledgable' sales staff) to justify the increased markup.

There is something of a disagreement between makers and dealers over the 'lowest advertisable price' which leads to 'add item to cart to see the discount price' thingy.

Minimum Advertised Price = MAP. This is a different thing from MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price). MSRP is the high end of the price range while MAP is the lowest price that a dealer can advertise, per agreement with the vendor or manufacturer. Andy's right, when you see "add item to cart to see price," that is the dealer's way of showing a price lower than MAP without actually breaking that agreement.

I thought Adorama was a sponsor as well. My question still remains; I've talked to BH sales people before about price 'beating' heck, even by 10 bucks, I always get a flat response.

B&H considers each price match inquiry individually and even has a sales exec dedicated to this task. We say yes as often as possible and regret when we cannot. We consider a variety of issues including our price and theirs, who the other retailer is (and we check ressellerrsatings.com, which you should also), the total out-the-door pice including required but not included accessories, s&h and so on.

B&H hands down. their website is better and they seem to carry everything under the sun.

B&H hands down. their website is better and they seem to carry everything under the sun.

Plus the B&H superstore on West 34th is one of those places you have to visit at least once in a lifetime :-).

I've been a happy B&H customer for years and years.

Been buying from BH Photo for 6 years. Good prices, fast shipping, good with returns/exchanges. Only complaint I have and it's not really legit is that they take too many holidays. Wish us Christians had that many Holidays. ;)

Placed another order today at B&H ...

B&H is hands down better. I've ordered a few times from Adorama. One time I returned some items. They only counted one item in the box for my return credit. I had to call them numerous times to get credit for some of the other items. Some items I never did get credit for. I probably lost about $100 on the deal. A second time I ordered something from them off of eBay. The item description was wrong. They didn't refund my money after the product was returned until I called them. Will never buy from them again.

Brett

I was concerned to read your posting and at this point can only apologize for our past failings.; I am more than happy to track down the orders you referred to and ensure that any refund due to you is paid.

If you would like to email me directly with a bit more detail, including any order numbers if possible, I will give it my immediate attention.

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
Everything you wanted to know about Adorama Camera........but didn't know who to ask! (http://helenoster.blogspot.com)


helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
Digital cameras, all other cameras and everything photographic from Adorama Camera (http://www.adorama.com)

We purchase from B&H 95% of the time, and only from Adorama if B&H is out of stock or if the price is quite a bit cheaper (rare). We've had zero problem issues with Adorama but also the same for B&H. We prefer B&H.

Brett

I apologize for missing your posting until now - and of course for your disatisfaction with the service from Adorama in the past.
From your description of your experience, in your position I have little doubt that I would feel the same way. While I absolutely respect your decision to shop elsewhere, I am particularly concerned that you may have lost money through our negligence, and would like the opportunity to put this right.

If you could spare a moment to email me with the order number(s) and a little more information I will give this my immediate attention.

I do look forward to hearing from you.

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com

Thanks Chris. I was really just asking a question about how camera stores market. But thanks again. My memory failed me, I thought Adorama was.

We are, now, Steven!

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

I just ordered another $3.5K video camera for a friend. No flexibility on their prices (not even on larger orders) but their service is stellar.

I've ordered from both, with more orders towards B&H, but have to say I think they're about the same if you know what you're looking for.

Dan

B&H considers each price match inquiry individually and even has a sales exec dedicated to this task. We say yes as often as possible and regret when we cannot. We consider a variety of issues including our price and theirs, who the other retailer is (and we check ressellerrsatings.com, which you should also), the total out-the-door pice including required but not included accessories, s&h and so on.

I'm with Steven Davis on this one...When asking about price matching I have never been given an answer other than a flat NO. I'll remember to point out this posting the next time I go to order again...which is soon. Thanks for this information, Henry!

From my experience, both Adorama and B+H are about equal in price, speed of delivery, and customer service. Adorama didn't use to be as good as they are now, but have improved. I also go to B+H first, then Adorama if B+H is out of stock.

I'm pleased to read that you've noticed the improvements, Jim. We've been been working hard!

Clearly we still have a way to go, and I would love to hear from you with any ideas you may have for us to get better still: HelenO@adorama.com

The number one aspect, for me, of ordering production equipment online is whether I can trust the website indication of stock. When I place an order Sunday night or Monday morning, it'll arrive on Friday and I'll have it for the weekend. Or, if it's a day later, I can trust the vendor order process to accurately predict when it will arrive with 2 or 3 day shipping. If the website says it's in stock and it's wrong, that vendor becomes unreliable and a source of irritation for me. I'll wait a year before trying them again.

Years ago I had some bad experiences in this regard with Adorama but it's much better now. When I want to order from them now, I still call to check stock and then order on the phone. I hope some day that I can trust the website stock indication, enter the order online, fire and forget. I do like the Adorama filters on their website for shopping.

Returns is an area I'd like to see both vendors upgrade to the system used by Amazon where the shipping label is printed as part of the RMA process and the shipping cost is deducted from the return reimbursement. This saves me a substantial amount of time and influences where I place my order.

When you're in NY visit both they're within walking distance of each other, even on Sunday morning you have to get in line to get in.

I counted 30 at BnH and about 20 at Adorama, great service at both. Have what you want written down or you'll miss your plane.

Cheers.

The number one aspect, for me, of ordering production equipment online is whether I can trust the website indication of stock......
Years ago I had some bad experiences in this regard with Adorama but it's much better now. When I want to order from them now, I still call to check stock and then order on the phone. I hope some day that I can trust the website stock indication, enter the order online, fire and forget. I do like the Adorama filters on their website for shopping.

Returns is an area I'd like to see both vendors upgrade to the system used by Amazon where the shipping label is printed as part of the RMA process and the shipping cost is deducted from the return reimbursement. This saves me a substantial amount of time and influences where I place my order.

Our two greatest barriers to having live inventory are firstly that we sell across a number of portals eg Amazon, buy.com etc. The second, and the most challenging in many respects, is that we don't charge until an order actually ships.
When orders are cancelled by a customer, this occurs typically within the first 45 minutes. I don't have access to any data which would clarify exactly how many orders are placed on the Adorama website each day, or how many of those are cancelled. However, as retailers we are trying to walk a fine line between providing website inventory that is as reliable as possible, without discouraging customers who may believe we don't have an item available to ship, when in fact we do.

An improved system is in the planning stages right now:

http://theframptonfiles.blogspot.com/2011/02/electronics-retail-and-mail-order.html

Alexander Interactive Building One of the Largest Magento Platform Websites for Leading Online Photo Supply Retailer, Adorama (http://mediadesigner.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=1342916)

As you noted above, the most reliable indication is to call an order in.

In relation to your comment about return shipping costs, Adorama offers an extremely generous 30-day returns period. In addition, if an item is faulty or not as advertised, then we will always email you a pre-paid returns label which you can print off.

Your suggestion that we should also offer pre-printed labels for the return of non-faulty items and then deduct the cost from the refund is an interesting one, which I have forwarded to the Operations Manager for consideration. Thank you!

Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
Everything you wanted to know about Adorama Camera........but didn't know who to ask! (http://helenoster.blogspot.com)


Now that I know who to ask... Why won't Adorama's Ebay store ship to Canada while the regular store will?

Both are excellent in every regard, IMHO. B&H definitely has a far more extensive physical store and it is much more fun to browse. While Adorama is moving more into the ranges of pro video, the B&H Studio not only sells but also has on display high end products with knowledgeable staff. But here is a customer service story about Adorama that I have never experienced at B&H. Last year I wanted a Canon T2i just as they were being introduced. B&H said to keep checking for stock or just click Notify When In Stock on the web site. I then walked over to Adorama where the sales rep said that more were coming shortly. Two days later he phoned me to tell me that he had already put one aside for me. I consider that superb service for a large retailer to be that attentive to a small sale.

I have ordered from Adorama a few times when they had items on sale or with free shipping that B&H didn't and I had no problems. Having said that though I have been doing business with B&H for years and have never had a single issue with any order. B&H is my go to source for Video production needs. Their selection is unbeatable and I have 100% confidence when I order that the products are legit (not gray market) and B&H will be there to stand behind the order.

One really cool thing about B&H is that you can go online and look at your order history going back years. It helps if you are trying to remember the brand or model of some piece of equipment you purchases.

Now that I know who to ask... Why won't Adorama's Ebay store ship to Canada while the regular store will?

We'd like to, but because Ebay's feedback system enables a customer to kill a retailer's ratings if they are unhappy about shipping costs, (which are higher to Canada) we've chosen for the time being not to ship outside the US.

This is under review, but in the meantime you should be able to find the same items via the Adorama store.

I hope this helps but please don't hesitate to email me directly if I can help with anything particular.

..... Last year I wanted a Canon T2i just as they were being introduced. B&H said to keep checking for stock or just click Notify When In Stock on the web site. I then walked over to Adorama where the sales rep said that more were coming shortly. Two days later he phoned me to tell me that he had already put one aside for me. I consider that superb service for a large retailer to be that attentive to a small sale.

I'd love to know who that was, so I could share it with his manager - if you can remember.....

I'd love to know who that was, so I could share it with his manager - if you can remember.....

I'll dig up the file and let you know...

Both my experiences with B&H and Adorama were good. Loved going into the B&H store. With regard to Adorama, I bought my Glidecam online and they shipped to an address that shipped it to me in Trinidad and Tobago. I've had no problems at all, and now am glad to see that they're on an upward trend!!

With regard to Adorama, I bought my Glidecam online and they shipped to an address that shipped it to me in Trinidad and Tobago. I've had no problems at all,

Delighted to hear it!

......am glad to see that they're on an upward trend!!

Us too; looking back at our feedback from resellerratings, in June 2005 we limped home with a miserable 3.79/10.
Today, we're right up to 9.54 / 10. Still a little way to go to a 'perfect 10', but as you say, headed in the right direction!

I have to admit, I've had great luck with both retailers.
However most of the time I find myself ordering from B&H, as they rarely are out of stock on something. And most importantly to me I generally get my shipments (regular UPS Ground shipping, just so you know) in 1-2 days.

Lately I have been getting my orders in 1 days time, which I find simply amazing. I know that B&H is in NY and I'm in DC and they're close and all. But how in the world is B&H able to process the order and get it sent out so quickly.

Thanks. Our shipping department manager got his Masters degree from Hogwarts. :-)

Ahh, that explains it.

So I gather UPS are no longer using trucks, but flying brooms? =)

I get really tired of site banners saying essentially 'we can't do business right now.'

I always compare the prices and I've saved money buying from Adorama many times over the last several years.

I once complained about this on another site, my post was labeled as anti-semitic and removed despite writing my criticism as politely as possible. I don't comment on it anymore but I'd feel the same about any large business that closely aligned with any sect of religion.

That said B&H provides unmatched selection, service and price. I only buy from Adorama when I can't get it at B&H.

I wasn't referring to the religious influence. That I respect and have no problem with.

I frequently have seen banners saying 'our store is closed for X hours and we will resume business at a specified time. I'm assuming this is due to some other aspect of their business management.

No its owned by orthodox Jewish and hire mostly ppl of that sect. They are not open for business on Saturday and any orthodox holiday, which is completely in their right just inconvenient for the rest of us. I don't mind the Saturdays, its when they shut down for 3 weeks and I really need something. I believe Adorama is also the same.

.......I believe Adorama is also the same.

At Adorama we do appreciate that our closing times can be inconvenient to some of our potential customers.
Adorama's owner is an observant orthodox Jewish gentleman, whose beliefs prohibit him - his family and his business - from operating on the Sabbath and on many of the religious holidays (which all begin an hour prior to sunset the evening before the day of the holiday, which is why we close early on Fridays).

We can't employ non-Jews here during those days, (although we employ many non-Jewish people during the year), because to do so would involve the company conducting business - which is forbidden in Jewish Law.

Most holidays are actually only one or two days; two are week-long holidays (not 3 weeks). We do try to minimize inconvenience to our customers, by publicizing our closing dates well in advance.
After the holiday(s) end(s), we do reopen our sales and shipping departments as soon as possible in order to deal with the inevitable backlog of orders.
We also take on additional staff in the customer service, sales and shipping departments if necessary to help reduce backlogs and speed up the service to our customers.

In this era of 24-hour commerce which seems to take for granted that we all sleep with our i-phones under our pillows and work a relentless 60 or 70 hours a week, this is a special time for us to be with family and friends.
I guess it's unusual to find that there really are still people who consider their spiritual duty to be more important than making an honest buck out of our customers at every opportunity. I receive frequent emails from customers who state that in this day and age it is comforting to know there are people around who do not place money before all else.

Many businesses in the US and elsewhere in the world force employees to work on holidays when the time is better spent with their friends and families - or just relaxing by themselves

We are grateful for the understanding of our customers that this is an important element of our owner's value system. Perhaps the following links to articles in the Washington Post & the New York Times will help to make some sense of our closure policies:

Ruling Guides Orthodox Sites' Sabbath Sales - WSJ.com (http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB109269113906892796-IVjg4NnlaJ3o5yubXSHaK6Jm4.html)


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/09/te...=1&oref=slogin


Now would be a good time to remind you that next week is Passover. Our Store and offices will be closed from Monday, April 18th at 1pm thru Tuesday, April 26th. There will be website order availability April 21st from 10-5, April 22nd and April 24th from 10-3pm; all other departments will be closed.

All order placed by 4/18 12:00 PM will ship before the holiday (subject to verification delays); orders placed after 12:00 on the April 18th thru April 24th at 11.00 will be guaranteed to be delivered by Friday April 29th. *Please note, this guarantee does not apply for orders with the free shipping option selected and it excludes PayPal, BML & Google orders. Amazon order won't get this offer either. Customers will be notified of this during checkout and will be advised to use different payments method to qualify.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Thanks for a thorough explanation. The only time its an issue is if a piece of equipment breaks without warning and I need a quick replacement.

Btw, I have had many positive shopping experiences with Adorama in the past. And I feel Adorama has tried its best to match B&H service.

Btw, I have had many positive shopping experiences with Adorama in the past. And I feel Adorama has tried its best to match B&H service.

Good to hear!

I'm a big fan of these business precisely because they put faith and family first. Some things after all are more important than making money. I'm sure that they're as grateful as I am to live in a country that allows them to run their business as they see fit, and to observe their faith in whatever way they choose.

Well call me informed. I had no idea this was the reason for the stores being closed during what I would consider normal business hours. Thanks for enlightening me.

And you're right Chris, we do live in a country that allows us rights we some times take for granted. Just take a look at all the conflict in the world right now and be thankful.

No its owned by orthodox Jewish and hire mostly ppl of that sect. They are not open for business on Saturday and any orthodox holiday, which is completely in their right just inconvenient for the rest of us. I don't mind the Saturdays, its when they shut down for 3 weeks and I really need something. I believe Adorama is also the same.

Helen Oster's post was right on the button. Thank you Helen.

More precisely, B&H is owned by an orthodox (Hasidic) Jewish gentleman. We hire Hasidic and non-Hasidic, orthodox and non-orthodox, Jewish and non-Jewish alike.

The Sabbath rule, basically says no commerce by our owner's company; the whole company. You can read more about that at Shabbat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbat) and about activities prohibited on Shabbat at Activities prohibited on Shabbat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activities_prohibited_on_Shabbat)

Helen Oster's post was right on the button. Thank you Helen.

More precisely, B&H is owned by an orthodox (Hasidic) Jewish gentleman. We hire Hasidic and non-Hasidic, orthodox and non-orthodox, Jewish and non-Jewish alike.

The Sabbath rule, basically says no commerce by our owner's company; the whole company. You can read more about that at Shabbat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbat) and about activities prohibited on Shabbat at Activities prohibited on Shabbat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activities_prohibited_on_Shabbat)

I respect the religious views and practices of B&H and Adorama. Everyone is free to practice their own religion at least in a few countries where we live.

I am happy that there are messages on the website which helps us in planning our purchases. Though I am based in India, I have been purchasing a lot of my equipment from B&H. I have heard great things about Adorama, but never purchased from it. Just now I ordered the Oconnor 1030 HD fluid head and it was not available in Adorama. I ordered from B&H. I am very happy that the representatives of these two businesses are active in this forum.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

I go to these stores in the city all the time, and I like them both for their strengths. B&H has everything, Adorama has a lot. B&H is more likely to have any particular item, but sometimes Adorama has special items I wouldnt even expect to be able to buy besides on ebay. Also I've found occasionally Adorama just has a great deal on a particular item, sometimes memory cards or something and I also generally find their location more convenient. On the other hand, B&H more generally has equal or lower prices, and their store is like another world. You can go to B&H and try any lens or camera you want sometimes on the floor and otherwise from one of like 60 sales stations. You can try lenses at Adorama, but they have to get them sent up from the warehouse rather than just pull it off the wall near them.

I bought some Diva-light knockoffs that somehow Adorama carried that were a steal for the price and no one else had. But B&H is definitely my choice for trying out cameras, lights, lenses since their showroom is huge.

I used to live 2 blocks from Adorama so I grew somewhat comfortable with them, and I've been using their ridiculously cheap rental department a lot lately. What do you guys recommend as a backup on friday/saturday when neither is open? Are there any stores that compare?