International purchasing at B&H NY

Last weekend I went to Ifema and saw the Foto Madrid exhibition that was there. I must confess my disappointment when I saw that the fair was mainly about the exhibition and sale of photographs themselves, not photographic equipment (logical on the other hand, since in that sense there is already “FotoVentas”).

However, I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered a small booth with the name B&H on it. Surely many of you know the famous professional photo and video store located in New York. I’ve only had the actual experience of shopping there once: a Graid hard drive when I was studying in Maine, and I have to say that it was pretty cheap and with good service.

B&H has an international reputation but what about all the customs issues that come into play every time we buy something outside the European Union? I went to ask them and they immediately replied (I’m sure I wasn’t the first one to ask) that they offer a duty calculation service, so when you look at the price of a product you can see EXACTLY how much it’s going to cost when it arrives at your home. No hidden costs, no customs letters, no delays (three days at the door).

Sounds good, huh? Well, the truth is that unfortunately today I have done a price test. I looked at a Sigma 24-70 2.8 lens for Canon in Pixmania, Amazon UK (which serves free to Spain) and B&H with the shipping calculator to Spain. Amazon wins (as so many other times) but you know that maybe in something else Amazon can be more expensive.

In any case B&H goes to my favorites in the “Shopping” folder. It is a good price reference point and worth comparing when shopping for professional equipment.

And you know where to go if you happen to be in New York 🙂