Hey guys living in Japan but neither Japanese nor English are my native language sorry for that.
I’m wondering if it’s better if I buy my camera in person or in their online store, is there any benefits buying in person ? Like discounts, warranties or even negotiating the price ?
I’m planning to pay all the money in cash, the reason is I don’t have a credit card for now and it’s gonna take some time until I get one.
I’m aware about kakaku and between the famous stores like yodobashi and bic camera seems that camera no kitamura has the best good prices.
Thanks in advance!
11 comments
whichever method is more convenient for you in terms of time and money
I would recommend buying at Yodobashi or bic camera if it’s brand new. You can save points.
If it’s a used digital camera check out map camera!
the main benefit of buying in person is that if something goes wrong, it will be much easier to get it serviced / repaired / replaced / returned
If possible in person after reading buyer guides and recommendations.
How easy it is to hold and handle is a big part of enjoying photography.
Both! Go to a store, find something you like in person, then price it online. If you can get a better deal in person, take it. If you want to support local business, you’ll probably overpay, but Japan still has plenty of mom and pop camera stores too.
I’m baffled why anyone would buy something online unless it was unavailable locally, unless perhaps it was massively discounted (although that’s a red flag right there).
You get it instantly when you go to the store, you can see exactly what you’re buying, and if there’s a problem you can return it easily. The store staff can answer your questions and provide advice in real time, and you can easily compare any number of options that are available.
Japan has no shortage of camera stores and cameras at all price points, both new and used. Go to one.
What kind of camera are you looking to buy?
Also be sure the camera you want can be put into the language you need. For example, Sony used to (and maybe still does) lock the Japanese cameras to Japanese only – it’s unchangeable.
Again, this might be outdated, so do some research to make sure.
The benefit of buying in the store is knowing an expensive, high spec piece of technology didn’t get knocked around on it’s delivery to your apartment.
You might have had the experience of a package arriving from a courier all banged up, I wouldn’t want to risk that and deal with the headache/paranoia if such an expensive device being affected.
I bought a ‘new’ camera off Amazon for about 20,000 less than what the stores were offering. Reputable seller, but what I actually received was an immacutely refurbished unit.
I wouldn’t have been able to tell except the original owner wrote his name/purchase info on the inside cover of the owner’s manual and the factory reset of the camera didn’t delete his copyright info.
OTOH, for a second camera purchase, the Bic Camera guy let me pick two items from the accessory bin they had (got a gel carry case and photographer vest). Plus the 8% in points.
If we’re talking _used_ cameras, remember that the shutter count (aka shutter actuations), is something you want to pay attention to. Cameras usually come with a rating for the amount of shutter actuations they should be able to pull off before mechanically failing. Usually around 100k.
If someone took good care of their camera, it can look fantastic on the outside, but might still be past its theoretical lifetime in terms of the shutter count. This is why every single guide and content creator tells you to skip shops that won’t list the number of clicks.
And this is where I would advice against Kitamura. It is their _policy_ to not tell you the number of shots taken, even if you ask for it in person, in a store. They deliberately make it a secret. Fuck that shit.