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VANITY - Buying Electronics From Amazon A Good Deal or a Risk?
self | 01/06/08 | self

Posted on 01/06/2008 2:39:14 PM PST by Yaelle

I am buying a very expensive though small piece of electronics (a HD camcorder that can fit in a purse or pocket). It's got a great price on Amazon, better than anywhere else. I was thinking that because it's so small and I have little kids, I might need some kind of extended warranty, which I usually never get nor need.

Can I count on the manufacturer to provide good customer service for this product? Should I buy elsewhere in case something goes wrong or I get a lemon? Any suggestions from the techies?


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: amazon; electronics; ripoff; warranty
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To: Yaelle

How about a link, or the actual model number in question?


41 posted on 01/06/2008 3:55:50 PM PST by JoJo Gunn (Help control the Leftist population. Have them spayed or neutered. ©)
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To: JoJo Gunn
OK, here is the link. Sony HDR-CX7
42 posted on 01/06/2008 4:23:05 PM PST by Yaelle (If Fred loses it's our loss. Not his.)
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To: Yaelle
Price: $811.93 & eligible for free shipping with Amazon Prime
You Save: $138.06 (15%)
Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com

This means that the item is at an Amazon Fulfillment Center (probably in KY) and will be shipped from Amazon, not a 3rd party. It also means that there are no charges for second day delivery if you do/had signed up for Amazon's "all you can eat" Prime shipping rate ($79 annually for everything you buy that qualifies for Prime).

I buy 95% of my electronics and many other items from Amazon. I recently purchased my entire home theater system from Amazon. That included LCD TV, A/V receiver, DVD, Tivo HD, furniture cabinet for components, cables, power conditioner, etc. I researched on Amazon, CNET, and forums (avsforum.com). I installed and integrated all the components myself. My savings vs buying from Circuit City or Best Buy, and using either of their install services, was close to $3000.

Amazon also offers a 30 day money back return policy on items they ship directly.

Should you buy from Amazon? Absolutely. I have not shopped the price of your item, but you can try B&H Photo (reputable) and JR (jr.com) if you want to be certain.

43 posted on 01/06/2008 4:50:54 PM PST by NewLand (Always remember September 11, 2001)
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To: Yaelle

I can highly recommend Amazon. I buy almost everything on-line from them basically because of their no questions asked return policy, their great tracking system, great delivery, prices that are very competitive, no sales tax and they sell just about everything. I started out buying books, which I still do, but moved on to electronics, cameras, batteries, lenses, memory chips, you name it and I’ve bought it from them.

Give them a try. Your really can’t go wrong with Amazon.


44 posted on 01/06/2008 7:26:59 PM PST by InterceptPoint
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To: NewLand
From the price I see, $811.93, and assuming it's for a new unit, Amazon's lower than anywhere else I've looked. (Someone mentioned newegg, which is a very good outfit, but they don't list the HDR-CX7. I was going to mention checking out Crutchfield, which is very highly rated, but they want a kilobuck).
45 posted on 01/06/2008 7:43:27 PM PST by JoJo Gunn (Help control the Leftist population. Have them spayed or neutered. ©)
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To: NewLand

Thanks! Going to get it now. I really appreciate your advice, as well as that of the other experienced Amazonians (LOL) on this thread. Yeah, I have Prime too - love it.


46 posted on 01/06/2008 7:58:21 PM PST by Yaelle (If Fred loses it's our loss. Not his.)
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To: Yaelle
I still can't find any hint of the supplier.

Well, if you take a look at the availability, it should tell you. For instance, if you go to the Amazon web page and do a search for hasselblad h3d, you'll see the availability near the top that it's sold by, and ships from Adorama, and it could be yours for just $34,000 dollars. No, that's NOT a typo. You pay a lot for a 39 megapixel camera, especially one by Hasselblad. Oh, and I believe that's for JUST THE BODY: No lens. Figure on adding several thousand dollars for a lens.

On the other hand, if you search for a Nikon D300, you'll see that according to the availability, it ships from and is sold by Amazon. Oh, and the fact that Amazon offers a factory mail in rebate means that they are an authorized Nikon dealer, and Nikon will honor the factory warranty.

You might also check with the manufacturer to see if Amazon is an authorized dealer. BTW, if you're looking for video, two reputable mail order dealers are B&H and Adorama. If nothing else, they can give you prices to compare.

From many posts here, Amazon seems to be highly regarded and reputable. While I've never bought any electronics from them, I do know that in the 2 times that I bought DVDs that came in defective (out of countless CDs and DVDs that I've bought from them), Amazon didn't hesitate in giving me postage paid mailing labels to ship them back, and Amazon cross-shipped replacements.

Mark

47 posted on 01/06/2008 8:06:07 PM PST by MarkL
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To: Yaelle
OK, here is the link. Sony HDR-CX7

From the Amazon web site:

Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

So Amazon is the dealer.

If you go to their web site, and click on "Online Dealers," you'll see that Amazon IS an authorized dealer.

For what it's worth, B&H has it for 849.95, Amazon had it for 811.93, and Adorama has it, but I'll be darned if I can find a price on it!

Given what people have been saying about Amazon, I'd certainly go with it from them, especially since I do happen to have their "Prime Shipping."

Mark

48 posted on 01/06/2008 8:20:08 PM PST by MarkL
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To: MarkL

Would that I were in the market for a Hasselblad; times would be good indeed. :)

In post 43 the person checked out my item and said it’s at Amazon’s Fulfillment Center. I just bought it and will get it Weds. It seems like it’s worth the risk with all these Freepers pretty happy with their purchases. Plus I can then order the telephoto from somewhere else (Amazon doesn’t sell it) and have it be “almost free.”

And of course now I need some kind of editing software - I read that Pinnacle Studio will work for AVCHD.


49 posted on 01/06/2008 8:26:27 PM PST by Yaelle (If Fred loses it's our loss. Not his.)
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To: MarkL

Did it. I have their Prime too. Excited that it will be here Weds. I have to learn how to use it by next weekend.


50 posted on 01/06/2008 8:29:24 PM PST by Yaelle (If Fred loses it's our loss. Not his.)
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To: Yaelle

Good deal - no idea. Risk no: Amazon is very returns-friendly. When I returned a cell phone over a PC interfacing problem, they even paid return shipping. I’d buy tech from them in a heartbeat.


51 posted on 01/07/2008 2:00:49 AM PST by Slings and Arrows (When Ehud Olmert had his bris, they threw away the baby and saved the foreskin.)
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