Prodigital 2000 -- Buying Lens Question

JeffJS · 03-12-2010, 01:12 PM

I wonder how many people actually pay it. They call it a Use tax and I'm certain they are trying to figure out a way to collect it. The deal is from what I understand, is if you've paid the sales tax in another state for the item, you can't be charged for it in Michigan. By compare though, I think Michigan actually has one of the Lower State Sales tax rates at 6%.

SteveM · 03-12-2010, 01:31 PM

Originally posted by StephenMerola

I have heard they don't maintain stock. So you will get the lens....but the wait can potentially be long.

You can always give them a phone call to find out if it is in stock and when it will ship.... The phone number is listed in their ebay store

LRB21 · 03-12-2010, 02:05 PM

Looks like they listed 5 more today. I bought one for the same price 2 days ago when it said 2 were sold & 3 were left. I paid thru PayPal & they emailed me right away. As of yesterday I have a UPS tracking # & as of this morning it says my package is en route!
This is also my first time w/Prodigital - so far so good.

Marc Sabatella · 03-12-2010, 02:38 PM

Yeah, they're funny in a lot of ways, but when they have a deal, it's often an amazing "how on earth can do they do that" kind of deal - but it's always legit, assuming you don't mind potentially-less-than-optimal packing procedures that have yet to ever actually cause problems that I've heard of. While they sometimes are accused of listing products they don't actually have, I haven't experienced that myself, and I wouldn't be so sure this isn't something that just happens because of some quirk in inventory management when selling on Ebay (eg, two people trying to buy the same item at the same time). Anyhow, their current price on the DA70 is within $20 or so of the lowest I've ever seen it offered (yes, before the price hikes).

J.Scott · 03-12-2010, 02:53 PM

Originally posted by Marc Sabatella

Yeah, they're funny in a lot of ways, but when they have a deal, it's often an amazing "how on earth can do they do that" kind of deal - but it's always legit, assuming you don't mind potentially-less-than-optimal packing procedures that have yet to ever actually cause problems that I've heard of. While they sometimes are accused of listing products they don't actually have, I haven't experienced that myself, and I wouldn't be so sure this isn't something that just happens because of some quirk in inventory management when selling on Ebay (eg, two people trying to buy the same item at the same time). Anyhow, their current price on the DA70 is within $20 or so of the lowest I've ever seen it offered (yes, before the price hikes).

Not true!
My lens was packed well; no complaints at all.

see post #29

rockmaster1964 · 03-12-2010, 03:15 PM

My lens was packed well also.

SteveM · 03-12-2010, 03:19 PM

I've bought quite a bit from them and have had mixed results with shipping (especially when it was listed as free). I have never had an issue with packaging if I have paid for faster shipping, so I've used that route more recently.

jsherman999 · 03-12-2010, 04:16 PM

Originally posted by smc

I've bought quite a bit from them and have had mixed results with shipping (especially when it was listed as free). ...

Me too. Probably 4 or 5 lenses (I forget) bought from them, one or two came in only a padded envelope

But the deals are pretty sweet. Before the lens price hikes, they were almost 'am I being scammed somehow?' good.

Right now looks like they have new 16-45's for $279! And of course, the Tamron 17-50 2.8 for $389, still a very good deal for an uber-sharp zoom.

twokatmew · 03-12-2010, 04:20 PM

Wow ... I hope my DA70 comes in more than a padded envelope!

JeffJS · 03-12-2010, 04:38 PM

Originally posted by twokatmew

Wow ... I hope my DA70 comes in more than a padded envelope!

My DA35 f2.8 came in a padded envelope. It did arrive without any damage or crushing to the box. My DA*300 came in a box. Arrived in the same condition. My experience with PD2k is that they handle their problems but if something does arise you have to work with them, not against them. The DA35 was supposed to come with a 7 year Mack warranty and the 300 was supposed to come with a UV filter. Both cases, those items were missing. A couple simple emails and they rectified the problems at their expense.

Enjoy that 70mm...

twokatmew · 03-12-2010, 05:04 PM

Originally posted by JeffJS

My DA35 f2.8 came in a padded envelope. It did arrive without any damage or crushing to the box. My DA*300 came in a box. Arrived in the same condition. My experience with PD2k is that they handle their problems but if something does arise you have to work with them, not against them. The DA35 was supposed to come with a 7 year Mack warranty and the 300 was supposed to come with a UV filter. Both cases, those items were missing. A couple simple emails and they rectified the problems at their expense.

Enjoy that 70mm...

My asthma inhalers come in a padded envelope, and the boxes look like they've been sat on by an elephant. I'm amazed that any company would risk an expensive item in such flimsy packaging, but I guess as long as it arrives OK. I thought I wasn't in a hurry for that DA70, but now that I've ordered it, I want it NOW!

NeverSatisfied · 03-12-2010, 07:11 PM

Originally posted by JeffJS

the 300 was supposed to come with a UV filter.

The DA12-24 I bought from them about a year and a half ago came with a "bonus" free UV filter, but it's at least a full grade below window glass!

I didn't care, their prices are awesome. Never any issues with shipping, well-packaged and always arrived quickly (although I only live in Michigan...)

Enjoy your new lens!

JeffJS · 03-12-2010, 08:00 PM

Originally posted by twokatmew

My asthma inhalers come in a padded envelope, and the boxes look like they've been sat on by an elephant. I'm amazed that any company would risk an expensive item in such flimsy packaging, but I guess as long as it arrives OK. I thought I wasn't in a hurry for that DA70, but now that I've ordered it, I want it NOW!

I've only had the one experience with getting anything like that in a padded envelope. It was a very heavily padded envelope though.. I don't know that they are still doing it but they do have the history of sending small items that way..

Originally posted by NeverSatisfied

The DA12-24 I bought from them about a year and a half ago came with a "bonus" free UV filter, but it's at least a full grade below window glass!

I didn't care, their prices are awesome. Never any issues with shipping, well-packaged and always arrived quickly (although I only live in Michigan...)

Enjoy your new lens!

I didn't care about the filter either but it was advertised as part of the package, so I made them send it. I didn't think Cokin was a grade below window glass though. It's never been on the lens so I guess it could be. The pretty padded case the filter is in is nice to look at there on the shelf. I'm in SE Michigan too (outside of Detroit).. The 300 was in stock and it took about a week to get here. The 35 was backordered for about a week or so and took a little while longer.

NeverSatisfied · 03-13-2010, 01:46 AM

Hey Jeff, nice to meet another Michigan Pentaxian. As far as the filter, I think it's the same one that they reviewed on LensTip.com-
UV filters test - supplement - Cokin UV 72 mm - Lenstip.com
Oh well. Still a good buy!

twokatmew · 03-13-2010, 09:55 AM

Originally posted by NeverSatisfied

Hey Jeff, nice to meet another Michigan Pentaxian.

There seems to be a number of us from Michigan. I hardly ever see people from Michigan on other forums....

Re Prodigital, I'd read several posts saying they offered fantastic deals. I've been watching them on Ebay off and on, and I ended up getting my DA35 from B&H, because they were $60 cheaper than Prodigital! Then I saw this amazing deal on the DA70! Now if only they'd offer a DFA100 Macro for $350.

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03-12-2010, 01:12 PM	#16
JeffJS Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,484	I wonder how many people actually pay it. They call it a Use tax and I'm certain they are trying to figure out a way to collect it. The deal is from what I understand, is if you've paid the sales tax in another state for the item, you can't be charged for it in Michigan. By compare though, I think Michigan actually has one of the Lower State Sales tax rates at 6%.

03-12-2010, 01:31 PM	#17
SteveM Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Vancouver Island, BC, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,294	Originally posted by StephenMerola I have heard they don't maintain stock. So you will get the lens....but the wait can potentially be long. You can always give them a phone call to find out if it is in stock and when it will ship.... The phone number is listed in their ebay store

03-12-2010, 02:05 PM	#18
LRB21 Forum Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Seattle, WA USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 55	Looks like they listed 5 more today. I bought one for the same price 2 days ago when it said 2 were sold & 3 were left. I paid thru PayPal & they emailed me right away. As of yesterday I have a UPS tracking # & as of this morning it says my package is en route! This is also my first time w/Prodigital - so far so good.

03-12-2010, 02:38 PM	#19
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	Yeah, they're funny in a lot of ways, but when they have a deal, it's often an amazing "how on earth can do they do that" kind of deal - but it's always legit, assuming you don't mind potentially-less-than-optimal packing procedures that have yet to ever actually cause problems that I've heard of. While they sometimes are accused of listing products they don't actually have, I haven't experienced that myself, and I wouldn't be so sure this isn't something that just happens because of some quirk in inventory management when selling on Ebay (eg, two people trying to buy the same item at the same time). Anyhow, their current price on the DA70 is within $20 or so of the lowest I've ever seen it offered (yes, before the price hikes).

03-12-2010, 02:53 PM	#20
J.Scott Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,675	Originally posted by Marc Sabatella Yeah, they're funny in a lot of ways, but when they have a deal, it's often an amazing "how on earth can do they do that" kind of deal - but it's always legit, assuming you don't mind potentially-less-than-optimal packing procedures that have yet to ever actually cause problems that I've heard of. While they sometimes are accused of listing products they don't actually have, I haven't experienced that myself, and I wouldn't be so sure this isn't something that just happens because of some quirk in inventory management when selling on Ebay (eg, two people trying to buy the same item at the same time). Anyhow, their current price on the DA70 is within $20 or so of the lowest I've ever seen it offered (yes, before the price hikes). Not true! My lens was packed well; no complaints at all. see post #29

03-12-2010, 03:15 PM	#21
rockmaster1964 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Frisco Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 382	My lens was packed well also.

03-12-2010, 03:19 PM	#22
SteveM Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Vancouver Island, BC, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,294	I've bought quite a bit from them and have had mixed results with shipping (especially when it was listed as free). I have never had an issue with packaging if I have paid for faster shipping, so I've used that route more recently.

03-12-2010, 04:16 PM	#23
jsherman999 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,237	Originally posted by smc I've bought quite a bit from them and have had mixed results with shipping (especially when it was listed as free). ... Me too. Probably 4 or 5 lenses (I forget) bought from them, one or two came in only a padded envelope But the deals are pretty sweet. Before the lens price hikes, they were almost 'am I being scammed somehow?' good. Right now looks like they have new 16-45's for $279! And of course, the Tamron 17-50 2.8 for $389, still a very good deal for an uber-sharp zoom.

03-12-2010, 04:20 PM	#24
twokatmew Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Lansing, MI Photos: Albums Posts: 509 Original Poster	Wow ... I hope my DA70 comes in more than a padded envelope!

03-12-2010, 04:38 PM	#25
JeffJS Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,484	Originally posted by twokatmew Wow ... I hope my DA70 comes in more than a padded envelope! My DA35 f2.8 came in a padded envelope. It did arrive without any damage or crushing to the box. My DA*300 came in a box. Arrived in the same condition. My experience with PD2k is that they handle their problems but if something does arise you have to work with them, not against them. The DA35 was supposed to come with a 7 year Mack warranty and the 300 was supposed to come with a UV filter. Both cases, those items were missing. A couple simple emails and they rectified the problems at their expense. Enjoy that 70mm...

03-12-2010, 05:04 PM	#26
twokatmew Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Lansing, MI Photos: Albums Posts: 509 Original Poster	Originally posted by JeffJS My DA35 f2.8 came in a padded envelope. It did arrive without any damage or crushing to the box. My DA*300 came in a box. Arrived in the same condition. My experience with PD2k is that they handle their problems but if something does arise you have to work with them, not against them. The DA35 was supposed to come with a 7 year Mack warranty and the 300 was supposed to come with a UV filter. Both cases, those items were missing. A couple simple emails and they rectified the problems at their expense. Enjoy that 70mm... My asthma inhalers come in a padded envelope, and the boxes look like they've been sat on by an elephant. I'm amazed that any company would risk an expensive item in such flimsy packaging, but I guess as long as it arrives OK. I thought I wasn't in a hurry for that DA70, but now that I've ordered it, I want it NOW!

03-12-2010, 07:11 PM	#27
NeverSatisfied Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: S.E. Michigan Photos: Albums Posts: 688	Originally posted by JeffJS the 300 was supposed to come with a UV filter. The DA12-24 I bought from them about a year and a half ago came with a "bonus" free UV filter, but it's at least a full grade below window glass! I didn't care, their prices are awesome. Never any issues with shipping, well-packaged and always arrived quickly (although I only live in Michigan...) Enjoy your new lens!

03-12-2010, 08:00 PM	#28
JeffJS Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,484	Originally posted by twokatmew My asthma inhalers come in a padded envelope, and the boxes look like they've been sat on by an elephant. I'm amazed that any company would risk an expensive item in such flimsy packaging, but I guess as long as it arrives OK. I thought I wasn't in a hurry for that DA70, but now that I've ordered it, I want it NOW! I've only had the one experience with getting anything like that in a padded envelope. It was a very heavily padded envelope though.. I don't know that they are still doing it but they do have the history of sending small items that way.. Originally posted by NeverSatisfied The DA12-24 I bought from them about a year and a half ago came with a "bonus" free UV filter, but it's at least a full grade below window glass! I didn't care, their prices are awesome. Never any issues with shipping, well-packaged and always arrived quickly (although I only live in Michigan...) Enjoy your new lens! I didn't care about the filter either but it was advertised as part of the package, so I made them send it. I didn't think Cokin was a grade below window glass though. It's never been on the lens so I guess it could be. The pretty padded case the filter is in is nice to look at there on the shelf. I'm in SE Michigan too (outside of Detroit).. The 300 was in stock and it took about a week to get here. The 35 was backordered for about a week or so and took a little while longer.

03-13-2010, 01:46 AM	#29
NeverSatisfied Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: S.E. Michigan Photos: Albums Posts: 688	Hey Jeff, nice to meet another Michigan Pentaxian. As far as the filter, I think it's the same one that they reviewed on LensTip.com- UV filters test - supplement - Cokin UV 72 mm - Lenstip.com Oh well. Still a good buy!

03-13-2010, 09:55 AM	#30
twokatmew Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Lansing, MI Photos: Albums Posts: 509 Original Poster	Originally posted by NeverSatisfied Hey Jeff, nice to meet another Michigan Pentaxian. There seems to be a number of us from Michigan. I hardly ever see people from Michigan on other forums.... Re Prodigital, I'd read several posts saying they offered fantastic deals. I've been watching them on Ebay off and on, and I ended up getting my DA35 from B&H, because they were $60 cheaper than Prodigital! Then I saw this amazing deal on the DA70! Now if only they'd offer a DFA100 Macro for $350.