Most people use their mobile telephones and tablets to photograph what they see, which is generally a viable option — but if you want to use an actual camera to take better photographs during your travels, consider these 7 ways to save money on purchasing a camera.
7 Ways to Save Money on Purchasing a Camera.
Despite the advances in technology that mobile telephones have experienced over the years with regards to photography and videography, a number of factors still do not match those of an actual camera — including being able to change lenses for optical zoom capabilities versus the limited digital capabilities with which mobile telephones are equipped; and more custom adjustments to better control the results of the photographs as two of numerous examples.
The 7 ways to save money on purchasing a camera — or, for that matter, products such as computers, tablets, mobile telephones, and other electronics — are as follows:
1. Wait For Official Rebates.
A new camera can be purchased for less than the manufacturer suggested retail price if you wait until the manufacturer offers rebates on it products — and you usually do not need to wait long for a rebate to be offered on the camera which you want to purchase.
As one example, Canon was offering rebates on some of its cameras and accessories at the time this article was written at its United States web site.
Unfortunately, when rebates are offered, they may not apply on the product that you want to buy; so prepare to be flexible — or wait until the next round of rebates — if this happens.
2. Purchase Through Internet Web Sites Which Offer Cash Back.
Sites such as Rakuten, Top CashBack, and RebatesMe usually offer a rebate of a small percentage of the purchase price of a camera from a manufacturer. For example — at the time this article was written — Rakuten offers 2.5 percent cash back on new items that are purchased directly from Canon; but if you are lucky, you can purchase a camera with a rebate of as much as eleven percent during a promotion by Rakuten, as was offered recently.
3. Discontinued New Equipment.
If you do not need the latest and greatest new camera, consider purchasing new equipment that is discontinued.
As one example, the Canon EOS 90D digital single lens reflex camera is no longer manufactured or sold by Canon; but you can still purchase it brand new from reputable authorized resellers such as B&H Photo and Electronics. At the time this article was written, the price for the camera was $999.00 for the body only; but although that is a good camera for the money, that is a little pricey for a discontinued product, in my opinion…
…but you can still potentially save hundreds of dollars when compared to the price of a comparable new camera that has not been discontinued.
Do your research before purchasing a discontinued camera and ascertain whether you would not be better off with a new current camera.
4. Refurbished Equipment.
Manufacturers and their authorized resellers and retailers offer refurbished cameras and equipment at a lower price than the brand new versions of the products — often with a warranty and a guarantee of a full refund…
…but the refurbished version of the product for which you want to purchase may not be available at the time you want to buy it; so you may need to be flexible as to the timeline of when you want to purchase a refurbished camera.
5. Used Equipment.
Used camera equipment can cost even less than refurbished camera equipment — but unless you purchase a used camera from the manufacturer or authorized reseller or retailer, you are likely incurring risks.
If you intend to purchase a used camera, ensure that the seller offers a money-back guarantee of at least 30 days so that you can rigorously test and research the camera — including finding out its origin, as well as finding out as much information as possible — but even then, if the camera fails after the guarantee expires, you are out of luck…
…but if the camera lasts a long time and operates flawlessly, you scored — big time.
6. Greentoe.
You can purchase a brand new camera through an authorized reseller using a service called Greentoe, which works as follows:
- You offer a price that you want to pay for a product
- Greentoe notifies only resellers which are officially authorized by manufacturers
- An authorized reseller:
- Accepts your offer; and the product that you purchased is shipped directly to you from the authorized reseller
- Presents a counter offer, which you can choose to accept or counter the counter offer
If the price that you offer is considered to be too low, no authorized reseller will accept or counter your offer. You can choose to submit a new offer with a higher price. The authorized reseller of the product is unknown to you until after the product is purchased.
Greentoe sells other types of products other than cameras and accessories — such as televisions, watches, home theaters, lighting, furniture, and accessories for vehicles as six of numerous examples. The products are new and never used; come with a full warranty; and the minimum return policy on purchases is 30 days. Shipping is free.
I used Greentoe earlier this year to purchase a telephoto zoom lens. I saved as much as $91.00 off of the manufacturer suggested retail price; and the lens was sold by an authorized reseller of the manufacturer.
7. Grey Market.
The grey market actually is named for being between what are known as the white market and the black market as follows:
- White market is trading and selling of genuine goods legally and officially — such as the sale of products by their manufacturers, by owners of the brands, or by retailers and sellers who are officially authorized to sell the products.
- Black market is the trading and selling of goods illegally that are not regulated by government entities — such as the sale of cheap imitations of products that are designed to deceive customers by emulating genuine products and are sold on sidewalks or in markets; or the sale of stolen merchandise for a substantial discount through nefarious individuals.
- Grey market is the trading and selling of genuine goods legally through legitimate channels that are not officially authorized by the manufacturers or owners of the brands.
The main benefit of purchases of products that are considered grey market — which is also known as parallel imports — are significant discounts off of the suggested retail price set by the manufacturer on genuine new merchandise from legitimate retailers. A consumer can save hundreds of dollars on a brand new camera and accessories by purchasing grey market items.
The disadvantages of purchases of products that are considered grey market include:
- No guarantees of quality by the manufacturer
- The official warranty by the manufacturer may be null or void; so if the product malfunctions, the purchaser is out of luck
- Authorized service centers may refuse to fix the product — even if the owner of the product is willing to pay full price for the repair
- The product may originate from a different country; so the equipment is manufactured for that country — which could mean a different type of electrical outlet to charge a product or incompatible measurement standards as two examples
- The products may actually have been used and repackaged to appear as new
- Key components that are supposed to be included may be missing from the package — such as a manual or an adapter as two examples
When purchasing a product through the white market, a minimum price for that product is usually set by the manufacture to protect income and revenue. This typically means that retailers and resellers that are authorized to sell the product cannot sell that product for less than the aforementioned minimum price. The only ways that retailers and resellers can differentiate themselves are either by offering a membership program that can potentially save money for its members; or by bundling other items or services with the product — such as extended warranties or accessories.
Some legitimate resellers and retailers find that selling products that are considered grey market are lucrative in the sense that they can acquire — and, thus, sell — the genuine products for a lower price than authorized resellers and retailers.
If the grey market item was meant for resale in Canada, the purchaser in the United States likely will not know the difference between that item and one that was meant for resale in the United States. The same might not be true for grey market items that were meant for resale in countries such as Romania, Nigeria, or China — but the purchaser does not know in advance as to the origin of the grey market item that is being purchased; nor to the actual market in which it is meant to be sold.
Although horror stories do exist as to the purchase of grey market items in general, many purchasers of grey market items are completely satisfied with their purchases. As one example, cameras typically do not malfunction before the official warranty expires anyway; and they get to save a lot of money. Also, the grey market for cameras in particular has existed for decades with many satisfied customers.
Still, caveat emptor — or buyer beware — pertaining to purchases of grey market items. If peace of mind is critical to you when purchasing a camera, you can avoid the grey market and purchase your camera from an authorized manufacturer.
Final Boarding Call
Keep in mind that due to increased tariffs — and the fact that most cameras are manufactured outside of the United States — the prices of cameras and accessories have been increasing as well.
When I recently purchased my new Canon EOS R7 mirrorless camera with RF-S18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM lens kit, the price was $1,799.00 after a rebate of $200.00 from Canon. The rebate was still in effect at the time that this article was written; but the price had already increased to $1,849.00.
If you are not sure of which camera, lens, or other camera accessories to purchase, consider using Camera Decision, which compares the features and prices of up to three products simultaneously.
Hopefully, this article will help you save money if you are thinking about purchasing a new camera — or other electronic items such as mobile telephones, computers, and tablets, as most of the information in this article covers saving money on those items as well.
All photographs ©2015, ©2017, and ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
