Almost got dupped...

I ordered my camera...it should be here on Saturday.

I'm kinda wettin' myself a little over this...

No, seriously.
I am terribly excited!
I have been doing research. Watching videos. Stalking photographers. Looking at pictures.

I am so ready.

But let me tell you about the process of buying the camera...and in the meantime, maybe I can share a little about what I have learned from online shopping over the years.

So first things first, search, search and search. There is almost always a better price out there...but be careful. Sometimes the best deal, isn't really the best deal. Do your due diligence.

You may remember my birthday wish list...I found my camera on sale here, here and here. The first link, was at $599 when I originally posted that blog. Then when I went back to do more price searching I found the price at $574. Of course I nearly fell off my chair...what SAVINGS! Then I looked at the other pages and the prices were different from what they were originally too.

Red Flag #1.

So I did more searching...PriceGrabber, Google Shopping, etc...all the prices I was finding there ranged from $669 and up.

Red Flag #2.

Now, I know what you are thinking...Why did you keep searching? Grab that pretty expensive camera for cheap while you can!!

And I know...I almost did.

Red Flag #3.

The more I thought about the GREAT SAVINGS the more my belly twisted, and my mind raced...along with my heart. It really was a case of too good to be true.

So I took the next step...I googled the companies with the great sale prices; and what I found was downright upsetting...

Bad reviews.
Scams.
Doing business under multiple names.
No business addresses.
No delivery on products ordered.
Receiving the wrong item.

Red Flag #4, #5, #6...let's just say my red flag "buzzer" was going off...!

Just lots of downright dirty, shady, hinky business stuff. So I sat. I waited. There's no rush, I thought to myself. Sure, I want my camera now...but not enough to get scammed, or to get the wrong item, to go through all that hassle. I did more reading...

I found it said on many blogs and forums, that if you are saving more than 65% on a fairly new item...chances are it's a scam of sorts. Rarely do new and somewhat expensive items go on sale that deep. Like I mentioned above...if it's too good to be true it probably isn't.

So I went back to a reputable searching source and began searching. I looked at the lowest prices, within the reasonably safe, yet still saving range and I even headed over to eBay. At least I know with eBay I have buyer protection from scams. I found a pretty decent deal and I was able to make an offer as well...I did and saved $10 more dollars.

Normally, and here's a bonus just for you, when I shop online at consumer stores (places like eBay don't count) I always go to Retail Me Not to look for coupon codes. Many, many times I get lucky. I saved $20 on my laptop skin from Schtickers.com and every time Husby and I order Papa Johns, we save more money by grabbing a coupon code from Retail Me Not. I have saved at many other places as well, there have only been a handful of places that had nothing to offer.

So anywho...I got my camera...still with $100+ savings on the retail price and with decent shipping costs to boot and I narrowly avoided a scammy pileup and some heartache!!

The moral of the story is...take your time. Never be in a rush to buy online. Do your research, check the background and reviews on the company. There are many other people who write reviews for that very reason. Learn from other's mistakes...and if a company does a great job...write a good review too! And remember, the lowest prices may seem good...but may equal alot of annoyances in the process.

Good luck!

Tell me about some of your online shopping successes! Where do you go for great deals??