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Sony VX2100 / PD170 / PDX10 Companion
Topics also include Sony's TRV950, VX2000, PD150 & DSR250 family.

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Old October 27th, 2008, 05:35 PM   #1
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 28
Buying a SONY PD 170

At these two places I can get the SONY PD 170 for $999
PricingDepot.com - Compare, Shop & Get the Lowest Price!
ShopDigitalDirect.com


However at B&H it costs $2700
Sony | DSR-PD170 3-CCD Mini DVCAM Camcorder | DSRPD170 | B&H

I am well aware of B&H's reputation for selling high quality products and overall customers are pretty much happy with them. These other two places I have never heard of.

Is this too good to be true?
Tim Bisley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old October 27th, 2008, 05:41 PM   #2
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 28
Buying a SONY PD 170

At these two places I can get the SONY PD 170 for $999
PricingDepot.com - Compare, Shop & Get the Lowest Price!
ShopDigitalDirect.com


However at B&H it costs $2700
Sony | DSR-PD170 3-CCD Mini DVCAM Camcorder | DSRPD170 | B&H

I am well aware of B&H's reputation for selling high quality products and overall customers are pretty much happy with them. These other two places I have never heard of.

Is this too good to be true?
Tim Bisley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old October 27th, 2008, 06:05 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Bisley View Post
Is this too good to be true?
Emphatically.... YES! At best, from those 2 shady outfits, you would get a grey market item... no US warranty, etc.
Buyer beware!
Bill Busby is offline   Reply With Quote
Old October 27th, 2008, 07:15 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Bisley View Post
Is this too good to be true?

YES! stay with a known entity like any DVi sponsor. The others will bait and switch or try to force sell accessories that actually come with the camera and if you don't buy them then suddenly the camera is out of stock and if it isn't then it coulod take a long time to get.
Stay with who you know to be good.

Don
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Old October 27th, 2008, 07:16 PM   #5
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Emphasis on the "at best." You could get less...as in a non-functioning unit, missing components, and a whole load of time spent trying to get them to credit your card account back for something they never should have sold you in the first place.

When I was looking for the best deal on my Sony SR11, I did a lot of reviewing of these "too good to be true deals" and found all of these complaints and more. Just Google each of those places with the word "reviews" after the name...and I bet you'll see what I mean. For example, hit this link:

Shop Digital Direct - shopdigitaldirect.com - Reviews, Ratings and Prices at ResellerRatings

...and have a read. I think the score of 1.3 (out a possible 10) will tell you something.

While they are a very reputable internet store, B&H is often *not* the least expensive place to buy from in many cases. I have bought from Abe's of Maine and NWVDirect.com, and had great experiences from both of them; including having to return items. I would buy from either in a second, if I needed something.

TB
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Old October 27th, 2008, 10:53 PM   #6
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Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 8,425
What everyone says is absolutely correct.

The low prices you mentioned are around half of what the cameras cost at wholesale. In other words, it is a scam.

Buy a used PD170 from someone you trust and you'll be better off.

If you REALLY need a great deal, look for a PD150. Excellent cam, and can be gotten for around $1k or less with few hours on them.
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Old October 28th, 2008, 12:24 AM   #7
Sponsor: Adorama
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: New York
Posts: 44
You might want to check these links before you commit:

Enterprise Photo, EnterprisePhoto.com, mrAccessory.com, Best Price Cameras, BestPriceCameras.com, Razz Photo, RazzPhoto.com, Photo Dynasty, PhotoDynasty.com, Shop Digital Direct, ShopDigitalDirect.com

"Grey market" products aren't necessarilly all bad at least not if you purchase from a repurable dealersuch as the other one you mentioned.
Grey market refers to products imported directly into the US, rather than through the manufacturer's authorized agents / distributors. It's perfectly legal to directly import & sell these products in the US; the term "grey market" was coined by manufacturer's authorized distributors who wanted to discourage consumers from buying these (less costly) goods.

With no factory authorized middle-man involved in the import of these products, costs are lower, so the price is lower to our customers.

Many items which are in short supply or not imported at all by the manufacturer's authorized distributors are available in direct import.

There's no difference in the actual products. Occasionally manufacturers will name them differently for example the Olympus USA Digital Stylus Cameras are called Olympus MJU Cameras in Europe

On such products purchased from Adorama, we offer the same warranty as the USA warranted products carry for a period of one year.
The only difference is that you would need to ship it to us for warranty service

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact me directly: helen.oster@adoramacamera.com


Sincerely


Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
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Old October 28th, 2008, 07:58 AM   #8
sponsor: B&H Photo-Video
 
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Location: New York, NY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Bisley View Post
Is this too good to be true?
You be the judge:

Shop Digital Direct @ resellerratings.com:
Shop Digital Direct - shopdigitaldirect.com - Reviews, Ratings and Prices at ResellerRatings

Pricingdepot.com isn't a retailer, it's a shopping comparison site and their lowest priced merchant seems to be Sonic cameras. They too have a page on resellerratings.com:
Sonic Cameras - soniccameras.com - Reviews, Ratings and Prices at ResellerRatings
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Henry Posner
B&H Photo-Video
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