17 replies to this topic

[Dallas]

If you have used Cameta Camera to purchase your equipment, please give them a rating by voting in our poll.

Let others know about your satisfaction with the merchant by posting a review of your experience with them in this thread. This thread will be indexed on our equipment pages.

[Luke_Miller]

Bought my refurb 200 f2 VR from their ebay auction.  Very satisfied with the lens and Cameta.

[Harrie Gerrits]

Worst experience ever ..... Cameta's customer service is only servicing themselves.

Won an ebay auction in 2006 for a NOS D1 and D1H - camera's were bought to be converted for IR and UV.

Package was shipped to the Netherlands and went through customs but was never offered at my home address but shipped back to the US.

Cameta contacted me and stated that I refused the package - which is not correct - and if I was still interested I had to pay shipping costs again.

This was unacceptable and I cancelled the order.

Cameta promissed a full refund on my credit card but deducted shipping costs, insurance and handling fee.

Also they tried to block my ebay account.

Unreliable company to deal with.

[golunvolo]

I order a factory demo d200. Was delivered on time to my house -actually, I run to the ups office...- My first camera ever. I look it up and down and in and out and return it for.... no reason. They took it without question and send another one in two days.
  I have nothing but good comments for this people. Personal experience.

[hillsidekim]

No complaints and reasonably fast shipping.  I needed a copy of my invoice so I could send my MB-D10 to Nikon and I had a printable copy as an attachment within 24 hours of my original email.
P.S. I got the MB-D10 back from Nikon in about 10 business days from the time I mailed it and it works fine now.

[fks]

i purchased my 70-200VR from cameta when the lens first came out. no complaints, everything went fine, no push to buy a filter or anything extra. purchased a 28-200mm demo from them through ebay. lens was as good as new.

i wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

ricky

[Bart Willems]

I bought both my Nikon digital SLR's with Cameta - factory demos. The D200 had something like 15 clicks, the D40 something like 400 - both were in brand new condition and worked excellent.

The D40 came with two manuals both in Spanish. After complaining and sending one back I received a (clearly second hand) English manual. Personally I didn't care too much about it - I wanted to print the PDF manual anyway so I could enlarge it - but something to keep an eye on.

It is rumored that Cameta bids on the cameras if the price stays too low. I'm not sure if that is the case. However, do "stake out" the auctions and be prepared to miss out on a few in order to win one at a good price. It might take some patience (and clever picking - an auction that ends at 5 in the morning has less chance of sniping than one that ends at 11 at night) but that can easily save you $200 at an auction.

[ThomasAdams]

My 2 experiences with them have been wonderful. The first being the D3, and then a simple accs. add on I wanted. I received the same level of attention and knowledgeable customer service on both counts. My D3 is a refurbished/factory demo, I saved a bit of money and to my delight the camera was in "NEW" condition everything still wrapped up as new. Shutter count was under 200 I believe. The questions I sent them via email (from an impatient man awaiting a fairly major purchase) were fast(responsive) and extremely informative. Updating my shipping after the sale was made went very smooth.

[DougJGreen]

I've been a long time customer of theirs for well over a decade, long before the existence of ebay.  I've bought used gear from them with no problems, new gear from them with no problems, and mostly demo and refurb gear from them with no problems.  Their prices are great, and their service has been impeccable.  I've bought more stuff from them than from any other dealer, and they are the first place I look when I am seeking something.

[Ann]

I used them for the first time last week.

I had never used them before and was a bit nervous because this was for a major purchase (a 200-400mm VR) but they seemed to be the only guys who had one in stock.

I needn't have worried: their service was courteous, efficient and fast; their pricing was  very reasonable; the packing was exemplary; and this superb lens reached me in perfect condition.

I can highly recommend Cameta Camera.

[Shashinka Ichiban]

I've never bought from them. I did bid once but didn't win so I haven't really bothered to try again, thoguh I had heard too many horror stories after I made my initial bid an in the ned was glad I hadn't actually won the auction. I've also heard that if the bid stays too low that they will self-bid against eBay policy. IMHO, if the bids were too low then they should jsust set a reserve limit to begin with.

[Ann]

I saw, on the eBay site, that Cameta had a 200-400 VR. (There are virtually none to be had in the country at the moment!)
It was listed as a "Buy It Now" and I e-mailed  (via eBay) an offer that was below their listed-price—which they, not surprisingly, would not accept!
[That tactic can work with some Buy-it-Now items and has for me in the past!)

So I just telephoned their bricks-&-mortar store and bought a lens directly from them. No problems at all.

The above is my first-hand experience with Cameta, and their ratings at Resellerratings are impeccable, so I think that you can probably discount the anonymous hearsay comments.

http://www.resellerr...re/CametaCamera

[Nicolas]

I contacted one of their store when I wanted to buy my D50. The guy was less than helpful when I was asking questions and I had the feeling that my accent was bothering him big time. Since I have no chance of practicing my English speaking (lack of)skill, my accent can be.. horrendous I might say  ;D  But I have no problem sustaining a conversation only if the other person is paying a little bit more attention to what I say.

I ended up choosing a local store instead, even though I paid more than what Cameta was offering.

I cannot say it was really a bad experience with them, but the feeling I got from then was not positive.

[Gardenerbob]

I live not far from their store. I went in to look at a D300, as well as some lenses, but after waiting for a half hour while they worked with other customers, I was told they don't have any to show, only to sell.
I went to Berger Bros. down the road and was take care of nicely.
Since then I have used Berger Bros. In fact, I preordered the D800, but when it still had not arrived by June. I wrote post on Nikonians.
Brad Berger called me up and told me he was getting a fresh supply and would hold one for me, if I wanted. I wanted.
Frankly, I would frequent BBros. over Cameta, any day.
Just my opinion

[Rick Waldroup]

I have used them for years and have never had any problem at all. They offer great service. Good company to deal with.

[Wannabe]

I recall having received an excellent deal on a MB-D100-something-or-another battery-grip for my D100, several years back while they were still being priced at a premium from other sources.The purchase was made via an eBay buyout offering and was received in excellent condition and in a timely manner. That said, my own unimpeachable reputation on eBay (I'm exclusively a buyer) and geographic proximity to Cameta itself may have indeed impacted on my "buying experience", as it were. I have no way of knowing.

[Larry]

Bought 3 items from Cameta on eBay. I requested that the 3 items be combined in one consolidated shipment to save on shipping charges but Cameta refused. Cameta insisted on shipping the 3 items separately to the same address resulting in higher shipping charges. I stopped buying from Cameta since.

Edited by Larry, 08 January 2013 - 19:44 .

[mnscott]

I have ordered a few times from Cameta Camera, and each time had zero issues. Prices were good, and shipping was quick. In fact, I ordered a refurb lens this weekend from them, and it's due to arrive on Thursday. No complaints here.