Beware online photo shops

[Dark Cobra]

I posted this guide a long time ago over at DPReview and it might be of great help to many over here as well. The below web sites primarily concentrate on the greater New York Area of camera shops. However, there are a sprinkling of other areas included.

Sadly, the vast majority of these shops are little more than fake addresses or mob store fronts where you clearly do NOT want to make purchases. However, there are a handful of very good reputable shops that are also included (Adorama, 47th Street Photo, B&H, J&R, etc.). These and a few others are fine to deal with IMHO.

The rest of a great many of these shady looking places you deal with at your own PERIL and RISK. In the end, the rock bottom lowest advertised price is often NOT the best deal for a host of reasons IMHO. Do your homework and purchase through shops that have a track record for being around and providing honest service.

The below shops are primarily Brooklyn NY based, Manhattan NY based or Out-of-Area based:

http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/#active
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/#moved
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/#out

http://donwiss.com/pictures/ManhattanStores/
http://donwiss.com/pictures/ManhattanStores/#moved
http://donwiss.com/pictures/ManhattanStores/#out

http://donwiss.com/pictures/OtherStores/#new

[nodpete]

Hi everybody, I'm new to this site and this is my first post! I was reading some older posts and came across this one.
One of the best places to check out a store before buying is:

www.resellerratings.com

[Dark Cobra]

Hello Nodpete!

Welcome to the group. Yes, this is a very good tool to use from what I can see. Real world users rating the merchants. The sites I provided were merely a snapshot at a given point in time of what a good many of these shops actually looks like. Clearly, in many cases the images are astounding. The problem is these shop come and go literally overnight in many cases. But it does serve to prove that sadly a great many of these on-line shops are little more than "fronts".

I really like the site you have provided because unlike the images I provided which admittedly was just a point in time snapshot of what existed at that point in time, your site is dynamic, fluid and up-to-date with current reviews. Great find and great contribution.

[David Metsky]

There are a half dozen threads that cover this topic.

This is probably the most prolific. http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14677

[Dark Cobra]

A good thread as well though a tad "dated" now. Still, many of the shops are still around and good information in that thread for sure. I think it's good that "nodpete" resurfaced that web site for us all. These shops do come and go over the years and what was relevant about them in ratings from years ago can indeed change. It's definitely more important to see how shops are holding up NOW. Thanks again "nodpete".