I don't recommend Butterflyphoto.com...after you place your order you get an e-mail wanting you to call. You call, they confirm your order then start telling you other things you may need to go along with your purchase...ugh. When I got my camera the box looked like it had been drop kicked by an NFL kicker...could actually see the Canon box inside the usual brown shipping box. Probably not there fault, but, FedEx ground...I cheaped out and went for low shipping cost, still I expected to get it in good shape. No worries, my camera was OK.
This is a very good question as I learned when I was shopping around for a camera recently. For some reason the online camera market seems to be particularly flush with con artists.
My method of shopping was to find a camera that I wanted and then look at the prices from different vendors. If the price was too good then I considered it to be a con of some type. I looked for a fair price instead of the absolute lowest. I also did google searches on the names of each vendor to get an idea of the kind of feedback that people give them. Froogle also has a good feadback system that I used. In the end I got my camera from Beach Camera.
I've been in both B&H and Adorama, so I know they both exist. lol. Customer Service & Tech Support record is pretty good for both, but B&H is s'huma shabbas and won't ever be available even online on Saturdays.
I found the best price on the web then went to a few camera stores and asked them if they could match it. THey came pretty close... main advantage for impatient me is I didn't have to wait for delivery...
Its easy to find a cheap camera store, but its difficult to chose one that your trust. I recently had this problem while shoping for a remote digital slave flash. I can say with no reservations Calumet Photo in Chicago, gave me the best price and treated me honestly, even after I selected the wrong item and wanted to exchange it for the right one. The staff is knowledable and is available for phone consultation, no charge. They are not the cheapest on every item, but I can vouch for their honest business practice. The item was shiped to me the same day, and I received it the next day (midafternoon). Ebay also works well but beware and make sure you get an U.S. Waranty.
i found the one i wanted at the super walmart after all,with none of the hassle.thanks to all of you for responding so quickly. but like samatar im also impatient.
In the UK I've used cameras2u and they were excellent. My A620 had 2 hot and dead pixels and they exchanged it without question. The courier came the next day and picked up the original camera while he was dropping off the replacement. The price was superb too. Highly recommended.