Time to buy 2 DVX100B's, where to do it?

D

drdobs

Active member
Okay, I know this question has been asked quite a few times and I've searched and read some of the replies but most of the times, these questions were asked quite some time ago.

As a matter of fact, the post by Barry Green talking about the vendors who are Panasonic Authorized doesn't even work anymore.

I'm in the market to purchase two brand new DVX100B camera's and I want to be sure I'm buying from a fair and reputable place.

B&H Photo Video is too expensive & EVS Online which everybody loves quoted me a price that was BARELY cheaper than B&H and they are going to charge me tax for being inside California. So that rules them out as well as Newegg.com.

Basically I need to buy from an out of state vendor. The three I have considered are:

www.buydig.com
DVX100B @ $3199.00/ea + reasonable shipping & handling

www.profeel.com
DVX100B @ $3218.95/ea + $69.95 S&H

www.willoughbys.com
DVX100B @ 3324.00/ea + $33.00 S&H

Obviously, I don't want to buy grey market or from some supplier that's going to try and jack me for accessories, etc. I just want to be a legit camera from a reputable dealer where I'll get my rebate. I don't have to pay rock bottom price, but the $3499.95 that I'm getting from B&H and some of the other "big" guys is just too much when I'm buying two. (I tried to deal, they'd take $100 off, but that ain't enough). :Drogar-Dolar(DBG):

Any suggestions/help is greatly appreciated,

Jon
 
neither buydig nor profeel are authorized resellers, so you run the risk of getting gray-market product. Willoughby's is an authorized dealer, but I don't really get that place -- sometimes their tactics seem awfully similar to those of the places we don't speak of.

Try EVS, try Abel, try Birns, try Spec-Comm, try FullCompass, try ProMedia, try Roscor, try Samy's...

... and if you want to go with a non-authorized dealer, people have been reporting good results from newegg. Just make absolutely sure that they'll let you return it if it's gray-market product.
 
Thanks Barry,

I'm going to give a few of those places a shot. Seems most on here haven't had too many problems with Buydig or Profeel. Curious what others experiences are and where they bought their camera's from..

Jon
 
Willoughbys: I actually couldn't believe they were authorized at first. I mean they offer a $39.95 SUNPACK FLUID tripod and a $900 2GB P2 card as accessories for the HVX on their website? Huh? Okay then...
 
drdobs said:
vidled.... do tell... Did you buy from them???
Click to expand...

No, not a chance. Their website is way too scary for me: I could never buy from a company that lists a $299.00 SUNPACK "fluid effect" tripod as their TOP OF THE LINE tripod for the HVX.
For the amount they are charging for the HVX I'd go with Spec Comm ANY DAY!
 
NewEgg has been getting lots of rave reviews lately. Great price, fast service, rebate good.
 
Ming said:
NewEgg has been getting lots of rave reviews lately. Great price, fast service, rebate good.
Click to expand...

Yes, but as I stated in my original post, buying from either EVS or NewEgg isn't an option becaus of the salex tax which would run me $600+ for the two camera's.

Jon
 
drdobs said:
Yes, but as I stated in my original post, buying from either EVS or NewEgg isn't an option becaus of the salex tax which would run me $600+ for the two camera's.

Jon
Click to expand...

What, read before slapping the keyboard? The BODY of the post? AND comprehend? :-KnockedOut(D This board is so out of control.

(sorry missed that)
 
If you buy from EVS or Abel Cine you can fill out out a California state form (6278) that allows them (or any seller in the state) to reduce state sales tax by 5% from whatever it is in YOUR area. The concept is to stop so many folks from buying out of state and diluting the sales to CA businesses. This is for film and video only. The form says you intend to be using it to produce videos, etc. No business license is required and nothing else is required beyond your signature.

Having said that, Newegg doesn't participate in that program because they don't want to. They'll tell you you have to wait until tax time to submit it as a deduction on your state taxes.

Ken
 
I went with Buydig.com

After taking some of your advice and contacting many of the companies you recommended, the prices quoted still weren’t in line with what I felt I wanted to pay. I’d happily pay $100 - $200 total to order from a “reputable” dealer, but wasn’t going to pay $500 -$600 more.

So... I called Buydig.com to inquire about some of the claims made on this board. My experience was pretty good. I waited on hold for probably 10 minutes which I fear is a bit too long to wait to spend $6,500.00. Anyhow, the salesman came on the line and I laid into him pretty hard in that I’m trying to purchase a couple of camera’s but his companies reputation isn’t the best in the business and I’m being warned by my associates (that’s you guys) to steer clear of vendors offering equipment at these prices. I further pointed out the various negative experiences people have experienced including harassment to buy accessories, accepting the order and not shipping etc…

The salesman was quick to point out that I must be confused with other companies in the New York area and that they’ve been in business for a long time and don’t operate in any of the ways I was speaking of. He also suggested I look at their reputation on Price Grabber and mentioned they had a very positive rating there. I confirmed with him that the product I buy would be 100% for the American Market with a US Warranty and the Rebate would be in tact and he confirmed “absolutely”. I went ahead and placed an order with him for 2 cameras @ 3199.00/ea. When it came time to S&H he gave me all my options, with 2-3 days being $33 and change. I accepted that option and he proceeded to take my payment info and email address. That process only took 60 seconds and my order was complete. He confirmed that the shipping time was 2-3 days but that they don’t always ship within 24 hours but it would definitely not be longer than 48 hours. He did the math and said I should have it by Tuesday of next week. I checked my email and got a very professional looking email confirmation with order number.

I will keep you all posted!

Jon
 
drdobs said:
...I laid into him pretty hard in that I’m trying to purchase a couple of camera’s but his companies reputation isn’t the best in the business and I’m being warned by my associates (that’s you guys) to steer clear of vendors offering equipment at these prices. I further pointed out the various negative experiences people have experienced including harassment to buy accessories, accepting the order and not shipping etc…

The salesman was quick to point out that I must be confused with other companies in the New York area...
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First off, congrats on your purchase! :thumbsup:
Secondly: OUCH! That salesperson you talked to was 100% correct, I think you ARE confusing buydig with some other vendors. Buydig is one of the better ones. All that was conveyed to you [in this thread], is that you may get a greymarket camera, or at the very least that you are not buying from an authorized dealer.
Buydig would fit somewhere between category 1 and 2 in the where-to-buy guide mentioned here:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=70059
There are very good, and honest companies that sell in the middle [yellow] category; but it still isn't as safe as to buy from an authorized dealer.
 
best price and choice i got

best price and choice i got

www.mytaxfree.com these guys are great the price is 2610.00 and thats the real price then you get the full 350 rebate on top of it, brand new us version and they deliver quck. ask for chris hes who i delt with and it worked out great, though it still took 4 weeks to get the rebate check from pana.
 
There are three categories of dealers: authorized dealers, legit non-authorized dealers, and scammers.

Buydig and Profeel and Newegg are not authorized dealers, but I don't think they're scammers by any stretch. They're good companies by all accounts, they just haven't become official authorized dealers or whatever.

I have never heard anyone with a horror story that would put any of those three in the category of "scammers", which are typically those companies that have multiple complaints on resellerratings.com usually complaining about the same bait 'n' switch tactics.

The thing is, a non-authorized dealer cannot guarantee their supply of product because they can't buy it direct from the manufacturer. Panasonic won't sell DVXs to Profeel or Newegg or Buydig or anyone like that. So where do they get their product? That's the question, and where the potential risk comes in. If they bought it "under the table" from an authorized dealer then you'll be fine. But if they couldn't get any dealer to sell to them, then they have to import it from another territory and that's when you run into lack-of-warranty issues.

As long as the company you're dealing with is trustworthy, and they will guarantee you that the product you receive is legitimate USA authorized, rebate-eligible product, (and if it isn't they'll let you return it), you shouldn't have a problem.
 
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Longdistancetraveler said:
www.mytaxfree.com these guys are great the price is 2610.00 and thats the real price then you get the full 350 rebate on top of it, brand new us version and they deliver quck. ask for chris hes who i delt with and it worked out great, though it still took 4 weeks to get the rebate check from pana.
Click to expand...

Out of curiousity, I went to that site and couldn't find the camera anywhere...

Jon
 
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