[Rush2112]

I've seen good feeback for these guys on Ebay, they seem like a monster seller and all seemed good initially so I tried them out. Here is my experience:

On ebay they listed 5 brand new 100mm f/2.8 WR Pentax Macro lenses for $599.00 USD, of which I bought one of them last friday. They processed my payment asap, but did not show the item shipped by monday, so I began to get nervous and started emailing them.

I just got a reply from them stating that " we just got a message 5 minutes ago that those lenses were not being shipped afterall, and we dont have them in stock".

Uh , not in stock? Why would you list 5 separate lenses on ebay if you didn't have them in stock in the first place?!

All they said at that point was "sorry for the inconvienence" and said they were to process a refund for my money which they had for 4 days.... of which I do not have yet, and, will watch for on an hour by hour basis.

I emailed them a link showing they had 4 more of them listed on ebay and they said "sorry we removed them from ebay, I was unaware they were listed".

So they have 5 listings of the same lens on Ebay that they didnt' have stock for, and supposedly they were unaware of any of them being listed on Ebay eh?

Don't know about you, but that doesn't fly with me. Not a good first impression with seller with such a big reputation on Ebay.

I could understand it happening once or something but not that. And the only compensation I was afforded was "if you want to wait till mid april we could have a lens for you", otherwise "sorry for the inconvience".

Just letting you guys know.

Carl

[JeffJS]

It happens. Is it right? No, I don't think so. But I do know that they've just had a buying run on the 100mm DFA even from members here on the forum. Mine arrived from prodigital last thursday, 3 days after I ordered it. I don't think the sales department knows what the in stock and shipping departments are doing some of the times.

Your Sig says you already own the lens. Why buy a second (just out of curiosity)?

[Rush2112]

thats the lens I ordered on friday, I figured it would come with no hassle from such a highly reputable seller.

You sound pretty quick to rush to their defense. Well I'm not here to bash or anything, just letting people know what happened in my particular experience. Of course it happens, do you think I'm blind to that and needed to be reminded of such?

It just happened to me. So that's obvious. Perhaps, if that happened to you, you might view this experience a bit differently ? Perhaps not, thats beside the point here.

The purpose, of this post, is to let others know so perhaps they could call them in advance and check on stock status first before ordering from them, rather than have $650.00 of thier own funds tied up for near a weeks time (it will be near a week when I get my refund) and not be able to make a purchase elsewhere to someone who has the item in stock instead.

I'd gladly share the rest of my experience if you'd like. I'm sure others might benefit knowing how it was handled by them.

Carl

[Gooshin]

flowing inventory
planning for the future

a lot of companies advertise inventory they do not yet have, hoping that during the time their inventory levels stock up, a customer will show up.

This increases sales, and reduces "empty" time.

the side effect is if your supplier messes up, then you have no inventory which you promised to your clients.

so you lose a client.

which is what happened in your case.

in the meantime however, they have had your money for close to 2 weeks now, giving them the cashflow needed to operate their business.

as far as i understand, prodigital2000 is not making big bucks... at all... so its a hit and miss with him/her.

[Rush2112]

Well if I get my refund by thursday it will be less than a week they have my money. How something like this is handled, is the important part of the process here, not the mistake.

It could have been handled better, nobody expects perfection, just accountability.

That's fine if they want to operate that way being risky and all, however, be prepared to take care of the customer in the event it doesn't work out.

You never know that a customer could be a professional photographer who also runs a very decently sized website to boot. , who now isn't going to be recommending this seller in the future- unless of course that seller somehow miraculously returns my phone message I left with them and can convince me otherwise.

If what you say is true (the aren't making much money) perhaps this could be the reason, I don't know, personally.

Carl

[Gooshin]

Well if I get my refund by thursday it will be less than a week they have my money. How something like this is handled, is the important part of the process here, not the mistake.

It could have been handled better, nobody expects perfection, just accountability.

That's fine if they want to operate that way being risky and all, however, be prepared to take care of the customer in the event it doesn't work out.

You never know that a customer could be a professional photographer who also runs a very decently sized website to boot. , who now isn't going to be recommending this seller in the future- unless of course that seller somehow miraculously returns my phone message I left with them and can someone convince me otherwise.

If what you say is true (the aren't making much money) perhaps this could be the reason, I don't know, personally.

Carl

If i was a professional photographer with a decently sized website and a strong clientele, i would not be purchasing products at bargain prices from an internet retailer with a shack for a storefront (some lucky Canadians have had the opportunity to pick up the products themselves out of Barrie), and isntead buy from brick and mortar stores, locally, with extended warranties.

but thats' just my opinion

[aleonx3]

Rush2112, this is not to defend the retailer, as it is not meant to be. However, many companies now operate on JIT (just in time) delivery to reduce the cost of stocking items. A typical retailer have a few stock on hand, and also get the supplier to buy in to additional stock for buffering. Once the existing stock is depleted, they have to go to the supplier and ask them to release the stock which they previously agreed to.

As consumers, as long as I get the product at a good price, we generally don't care how they operate. But if you are in a hurry to get the product, then it is a different story. That is where the brick-&-mortar company comes into play.

[Rush2112]

Yeah I would have loved too, but Amazon was selling the same lens for $250.00 more, and no "brick and motar" stores nearby had it in stock or carried it.

In a perfect world...eh.

Carl

[séamuis]

If i was a professional photographer with a decently sized website and a strong clientele, i would not be purchasing products at bargain prices from an internet retailer with a shack for a storefront (some lucky Canadians have had the opportunity to pick up the products themselves out of Barrie), and isntead buy from brick and mortar stores, locally, with extended warranties.

but thats' just my opinion

thats a good opinion.

[aleonx3]

Carl, if the lens means a lot to you; you may not see the same price again in the near future.

I can honestly say that, all my Pentax lens investment have appreciated. All my DA* lens, my FA limited lens (except of course my Sigma and Tamron).

[Rush2112]

thats a good opinion.

"Yeah I would have loved too, but Amazon was selling the same lens for $250.00 more, and no "brick and motar" stores nearby had it in stock or carried it."

Great opinion otherwise.

[omega leader]

I've ordered from them. I'm in Ontario and not had problems, but I did call first to confirm with them that the item was in-stock.

They were good on the phone.

I ended up getting the item shipped rather than driving about 90 minutes.

I'll confirm with them first by phone.

[Rush2112]

I would have too, only 5 of the same lens were listed on Ebay, so I assumed it wouldn't be an issue. That's what get for assuming! No worries if my money is returned quick enough. Just figured it was worth posting here is all- if anything as a reminder to check first.

C

[Dan]

They are the only dealer that meets the following criteria:

(1) They are reputable (i.e., they will actually deliver at the prices stated, and will refund if there is a problem).

(2) They often have prices that are far below other reputable dealers.

How do they manage this?

(a) Do they have special insider deals with Pentax? NO

(b) Are they willing to lose money on every trade? NO

(c) Do they have magic fairy dust? NO (I don't think so!)

The answer is rather mundane:

(d) They have low overhead costs and low inventory holding costs.

This means that you must sometimes wait a bit for the item. It means that if you visit them you may find that their facilities are "low rent". But it also means that you can get great deals, that are credible.

When a retailer can sell for less than others there is always a reason, and it is rarely magic fairy dust. Either put up with the inconvenience or pay more. The choice is simple. I prefer to wait, and have never been disappointed. Just don't expect that they can magically sell for less than others.

Dan

[deadwolfbones]

I had a similar situation with the DA 40 Limited I ordered from them. Ended up getting it 2 months after ordering, though this was acceptable to me since the price on the lens jumped by ~$100 immediately after I ordered it, and I was locked in at the old, lower price.

Annoying, but it is what it is, and I got the lens eventually. Had I needed it that week, it would have been a different story.