# 5D Mark 3 Queue @ B&H



## Sinsear (Mar 9, 2012)

I pre-ordered the camera at approximately 12:20am EST the night that it was announced at B&H. I called up B&H today and asked them where I stood in the pre-order queue. He couldn't give me an exact answer, but he indicated that I was in the first 500 pre-orders, but in the latter half (so around position 350-450). He also stated that the current queue has ballooned well past 10,000 pre-orders (but again, didn't give me the exact figure).

When I asked him how many units they will receive in the first shipment, he said that they were still unsure as to the number as of this point. Anywhere from 100 to 1000 was the ballpark number that he gave me, but said to take those figures with a grain of salt.

Fingers crossed that they receive at least 350 in the first shipment.


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## Drizzt321 (Mar 9, 2012)

Wow! That's a lot of pre-orders! I guess it'll be a few months, at least, before I'll be able to get my hands on one. Of course, I'm saving up the cash for it first instead of just pre-ordering it on my card. But still, I hope they'll have cleared off the pre-orders by the beginning of May so I can get one *crosses fingers*


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## yellowkamper (Mar 9, 2012)

I pre-orderd mine from Wex in the UK and I an number 9 on the List


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## CowGummy (Mar 9, 2012)

Sinsear said:


> *...He also stated that the current queue has ballooned well past 10,000 pre-orders* (but again, didn't give me the exact figure).



Looks like there's plenty of people out there who don't think the price is too high! As I said before, I'm sure it would sell by the truck load even if it was priced $4000. 
This comment will no doubt earn me another handful of smites, but it doesn't change my opinion - the price is right!


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## JerryKnight (Mar 9, 2012)

I pre-ordered from B&H around that time as well, but I used the BillMeLater option. I've used it before, and it's a handy way to pay for things across 6 months with no interest. Just be 100% sure to pay it off before then, because otherwise you get charged the interest on the entire amount over the whole 6 months, with normal credit card rates (~20%?, not sure). 

EDIT: Looked it up, 11:36PM (Central), so I should also be in that first group! I would have expected so, having jumped on it so quickly.


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## cmunozs (Mar 9, 2012)

I also thing the price is right...
Should the order number at B&H say something about the pre-order queue? I mean... comparing them?

EDIT:
I used Paypal, connected to my credit card, but the money wasn't there until yesterday... I've got the email order confirmation at 12:43 PM that day. They tried to get the money from the account on monday!
Did someone have a similar experience?


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## DLitterio (Mar 9, 2012)

Looks like I won't be getting mine for quite some time if that's true. I put in my order around 12:30pm on March 2nd because I had to get my card limit raised... :-[ :'(


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## Drizzt321 (Mar 9, 2012)

DLitterio said:


> Looks like I won't be getting mine for quite some time if that's true. I put in my order around 12:30pm on March 2nd because I had to get my card limit raised... :-[ :'(



Don't worry, I'm sure they'll have shipments at least weekly, if not bi-weekly for the first few month at least, so even ordering on the 2nd I'm sure you're pretty high up the list. 



JerryKnight said:


> I pre-ordered from B&H around that time as well, but I used the BillMeLater option. I've used it before, and it's a handy way to pay for things across 6 months with no interest. Just be 100% sure to pay it off before then, because otherwise you get charged the interest on the entire amount over the whole 6 months, with normal credit card rates (~20%?, not sure).



Hmm...I've always stayed away from that. Also, on big purchases, I'd lose out on all the points I can get from my CC, which also has a pretty low rate (9.9% I think, or maybe it's 8.9%).


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## Maui5150 (Mar 9, 2012)

JerryKnight said:


> I pre-ordered from B&H around that time as well, but I used the BillMeLater option. I've used it before, and it's a handy way to pay for things across 6 months with no interest. Just be 100% sure to pay it off before then, because otherwise you get charged the interest on the entire amount over the whole 6 months, with normal credit card rates (~20%?, not sure).
> 
> EDIT: Looked it up, 11:36PM (Central), so I should also be in that first group! I would have expected so, having jumped on it so quickly.



Be careful with BillMeLater. I have been much happier with PayPal or a credit card. I has an issue with damaged goods received off of eBay that I had used BillMeLater on. Now with eBay or PayPal, on similar issues I have had, no problems, not only did I get refunded, but they even sent me a pre-paid return label?

BillMeLater? Hard to find the form, then had to print out, fill out, fax, wait wait and wait... Long and short, cumbersome process and what would have be protected with eBay or PayPal WAS NOT with BillMeLater. 

Your Mileage may vary, but I will NEVER use this again. As much as I hate PayPal, they have always been fairly decent with buyer protection, and Amex has been excellent in terms or covering damage or purchase issues.

BillMeLater should be renamed to "GrabYourAnkles"

You may save 6 month of interest... But best of luck if you run into issues with your purchase. Thankfully I only lost $385 on my purchase... Risk $3500 for the process I went through??? No eFffing way!


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Mar 9, 2012)

A lot of would be buyers will cancel, some idiots place orders with every online camera shop in hopes that they will be the first to get one and then cancel the other 10 or more orders.


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## JerryKnight (Mar 9, 2012)

Maui5150 said:


> Be careful with BillMeLater. I have been much happier with PayPal or a credit card. I has an issue with damaged goods received off of eBay that I had used BillMeLater on. Now with eBay or PayPal, on similar issues I have had, no problems, not only did I get refunded, but they even sent me a pre-paid return label?
> 
> BillMeLater? Hard to find the form, then had to print out, fill out, fax, wait wait and wait... Long and short, cumbersome process and what would have be protected with eBay or PayPal WAS NOT with BillMeLater.
> 
> ...



Your impression is far different than mine. As I said, I've used them before. In fact, I've used them many times before. I only use them with B&H, and on things that I definitely would not want a refund on (camera bodies, etc.), and I would never use it on eBay. I don't think I'll ever need buyer protection with companies like B&H, which is why I primarily shop with them.


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## Hkq4D (Mar 9, 2012)

I placed my order on March 4, 6:30 am. Where do u think I am in the pre-order list?

Also, I find it hard to believe that canon would release a new camera & have just 1000 inventory to a store like b & h.


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## dr croubie (Mar 9, 2012)

With any luck, with the huge amount of pre-orders they're getting around the world, canon rump up production at all their factories to fill al those orders quickly (before people get tired of waiting and jump to the D800).
Then, once all the pre-orders are filled, production stays ramped up for all the people ordering once the reviews come out (up to june-sept or so)
After that, production stays ramped up for a while (like the xmas rush), but everyone who wants one (or two) has already got them, the market gets flooded by early next year, the street price falls to $2.5k, then I can afford one...


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## Hkq4D (Mar 9, 2012)

I guess these cameras will be "Made in japan". I hope they are!


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## Sinsear (Mar 9, 2012)

Hkq4D said:


> I guess these cameras will be "Made in japan". I hope they are!


Yeah, they most certainly will be made in Japan. "The EOS 1100D is also the only Canon EOS model currently in production that is not made in Japan but in Taiwan." They wouldn't start making a XD series camera in Taiwan when XXXD and XXD series are still made in Japan.


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## Sinsear (Mar 9, 2012)

dr croubie said:


> With any luck, with the huge amount of pre-orders they're getting around the world, canon rump up production at all their factories to fill al those orders quickly (before people get tired of waiting and jump to the D800).
> Then, once all the pre-orders are filled, production stays ramped up for all the people ordering once the reviews come out (up to june-sept or so)
> After that, production stays ramped up for a while (like the xmas rush), but everyone who wants one (or two) has already got them, the market gets flooded by early next year, the street price falls to $2.5k, then I can afford one...


I know you were thinking rhetorically, but it's extremely unlikely that in a year from now, the camera will be $1000 less.


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## jalbfb (Mar 9, 2012)

dr croubie said:


> With any luck, with the huge amount of pre-orders they're getting around the world, canon rump up production at all their factories to fill al those orders quickly (before people get tired of waiting and jump to the D800).
> Then, once all the pre-orders are filled, production stays ramped up for all the people ordering once the reviews come out (up to june-sept or so)
> After that, production stays ramped up for a while (like the xmas rush), but everyone who wants one (or two) has already got them, the market gets flooded by early next year, the street price falls to $2.5k, then I can afford one...



I posted this info on another thread here but in the frenzy of the first two days of its release, I read somewhere on some blog, that Canon had two factories dedicated to the Mark III. It do not recall where they were, but that they where making an effort not to run into the problem they had when they released the Mark II with low volume of inventory and months waiting to get the camera into the hands of those who ordered. So, fingers crossed, this is the case, because I ordered mine 4 days after it came out.   My bad!!


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## David KM (Mar 9, 2012)

Ordered through B&H at 8:20 PST March 2... just as the 5DmkIII page came up. It was called a back order, went back 45 minutes later that site changed to pre-order status. Talked with staff the next day and was told that meant I was fast on the ordering and I would be super happy with the results. There was an implication that back-order status was for first stock supply... pre-order for subsequent shipments. A friend order the next morning and by the looks of the order number, his is about 380 down the line from mine and pre-order status. 

Canon EOS 7D, Canon EOS 5D mkII, Canon EOS 5D mkIII, 24mm f/1.4L USM II, 35mm f/1.4L USM, 50mm f/1.2L USM, 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 135mm f/2L  USM, 300mm f/4L IS USM, 17-40 f/4L USM, 24-70mm f/2.8L USM, 1.4x II Extender, Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX DG Fisheye, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM


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## frisk (Mar 9, 2012)

Ugh...well, I guess Adorama's queue is similar .... I ordered from them several hours after the event ... I wonder where I am in their queue.

Ah, well.... no reason to worry - I'll get my camera sooner or later.


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## Somnipotent (Mar 9, 2012)

ordered mine the morning after the announcement around 9ish... i'm in no rush either.


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## takoman46 (Mar 9, 2012)

dr croubie said:


> With any luck, with the huge amount of pre-orders they're getting around the world, canon rump up production at all their factories to fill al those orders quickly (before people get tired of waiting and jump to the D800).
> Then, once all the pre-orders are filled, production stays ramped up for all the people ordering once the reviews come out (up to june-sept or so)
> After that, production stays ramped up for a while (like the xmas rush), but everyone who wants one (or two) has already got them, the market gets flooded by early next year, the street price falls to $2.5k, then I can afford one...



That's quite a theory you have here lol. I'll give you a +1 for optimism . I have been meaning to call B&H to upgrade my pre-order to next day air shipping and to hopefully get some insight on where my pre-order stands. If it is true that the first shipment will be at most 1000 units, then I'm not sure if I ordered soon enough. I placed my order at 12:34am EST... approx. 14 min. after the original poster (who may already be between 350-450 on the list. I suppose a lot can happen in 14 min. so we'll see what the B&H customer service rep tells me when I call on sunday (they're already closed today and tomorrow). Will post findings.


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## frisk (Mar 10, 2012)

I do wonder - how many of the orders in the various queues are going to be cancelled?

I have seen several posts from people saying that they placed an order with multiple retailers, and intend to cancel all but the one first to deliver.

So, maybe some of us who placed just a single order will move up in the queue just before shipping actually starts- just speculating, though.


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## Crapking (Mar 10, 2012)

Got my initial order in very quickly RIGHT after announcement (backorder NOT pre-order screen) and I received a confirmation email AND an email with billing info, AND my CC was actually charged. 
When I looked at my CC statement this week, I saw the original bill posted,BUT a few lines later, I also saw a "credit" reversing the original charge ??? Tried to reach B&H to see what's up, but they are closed today. Have ordered a few other things from them in the past, but never a pre-order (backorder) item like this. 
Should I be more worried than everyone else ??


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## Tkshotz (Mar 10, 2012)

Sinsear said:


> I pre-ordered the camera at approximately 12:20am EST the night that it was announced at B&H. I called up B&H today and asked them where I stood in the pre-order queue. He couldn't give me an exact answer, but he indicated that I was in the first 500 pre-orders, but in the latter half (so around position 350-450). He also stated that the current queue has ballooned well past 10,000 pre-orders (but again, didn't give me the exact figure).
> 
> When I asked him how many units they will receive in the first shipment, he said that they were still unsure as to the number as of this point. Anywhere from 100 to 1000 was the ballpark number that he gave me, but said to take those figures with a grain of salt.
> 
> Fingers crossed that they receive at least 350 in the first shipment.



I just checked my email I per ordered 12:19 est on march 1


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## swampler (Mar 10, 2012)

I also have to wonder how many of those are body only Vs kit? I haven't ordered yet, figuring the kit would be in less demand.


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## RKang (Mar 10, 2012)

I've been reading some posts about telling where you stand on the queue. How can you tell based off the confirmation number? I want to know where I stand.


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## hoousi (Mar 10, 2012)

2 thumbs up for a thread full of PRO mkIII! Was at the local shop (Basel, Switzerland) yesterday one day after a mkIII preview session, everything seems on time, maybe even earlier according to the Canon rep, everybody raved about the camera. Promising!


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## FyreStorm (Mar 10, 2012)

Tkshotz said:


> Sinsear said:
> 
> 
> > I pre-ordered the camera at approximately 12:20am EST the night that it was announced at B&H. I called up B&H today and asked them where I stood in the pre-order queue. He couldn't give me an exact answer, but he indicated that I was in the first 500 pre-orders, but in the latter half (so around position 350-450). He also stated that the current queue has ballooned well past 10,000 pre-orders (but again, didn't give me the exact figure).
> ...



12:18 EST!!! LOL!!


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## wookiee2cu (Mar 11, 2012)

Crapking said:


> Got my initial order in very quickly RIGHT after announcement (backorder NOT pre-order screen) and I received a confirmation email AND an email with billing info, AND my CC was actually charged.
> When I looked at my CC statement this week, I saw the original bill posted,BUT a few lines later, I also saw a "credit" reversing the original charge ??? Tried to reach B&H to see what's up, but they are closed today. Have ordered a few other things from them in the past, but never a pre-order (backorder) item like this.
> Should I be more worried than everyone else ??



Same situation as you (but I haven't checked my cc statement regarding the credit), I think B&H ran an authorization to see if the funds were there and your card will actually be billed once it ships, I think that's what the "credit" means. For confirmation though it is best to check with B&H. I'll be a little ticked if my order is scratched because I got it in too early but the only email I have received is my order confirmation so I'm assuming everything is good to go.


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## takoman46 (Mar 12, 2012)

Ok so I just spoke to a customer service rep at B&H. Basically, he did not provide any specific information but did tell me this:
1) They do not know how many units they will be receiving in the first shipment. But it will be "a lot". (Um... ok... a lot is good lol).
2) The customer service rep apparently has some idea of the number of units they are expecting to receive and stated that since I ordered within the first hour of the 5dmkIII going live on their site, i would be at the top of the list. (speculating this means that if you got you order in within the first hour, you should be within the first shipment ;D). 

Anyone hear anything different?


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## Crapking (Mar 12, 2012)

Followed up with B & H today - they acknowledged they do a credit hold x 48 hrs then reverse the charge. They did not cancel the order , but they would not let me know where I was in the pre-order line, nor when they expected to ship


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## takoman46 (Mar 13, 2012)

I did a routine check on my online banking statement and noticed that there is now a hold on the funds for my 5DmkIII preorder. My method of payment for the preorder was with my debit card and the temporary charge has appeared and removed a within a few days of placing my order on March 2nd. But now the funds are on hold again? They weren't on hold until now. 

Could this mean that B&H has received stock or at least has a figure from Canon regarding the number of units they are receiving in the first shipment?

Has anybody else noticed that the funds for the pre-order being suddenly put on hold like a pre-charge? I hope this means that B&H is sending out the charges to customers that have made the initial shipment!


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## 5dmk.iii (Mar 13, 2012)

Spare a thought for the rest us who ordered very late... i.e. March 5th ;D

What does it mean when BH says the status = Back ordered; does it mean I missed the first batch?


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## takoman46 (Mar 13, 2012)

5dmk.iii said:


> Spare a thought for the rest us who ordered very late... i.e. March 5th ;D
> 
> What does it mean when BH says the status = Back ordered; does it mean I missed the first batch?



No my order status also shows "backordered". I think the general consensus was that it shows that because the product is not yet available. Supposedly nobody knows how many units will be available in the first shipment so I wouldn't say that it's impossible for you to have made the first shipment.


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## t.linn (Mar 13, 2012)

5dmk.iii said:


> What does it mean when BH says the status = Back ordered; does it mean I missed the first batch?



B&H has already said they don't know how many they are receiving so it would be impossible for them to indicate one way or another whether your order will be filled from the first batch. It may be possible for them to tell you where you are in line but nothing else.


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## erfon (Mar 13, 2012)

takoman46 said:


> I did a routine check on my online banking statement and noticed that there is now a hold on the funds for my 5DmkIII preorder. My method of payment for the preorder was with my debit card and the temporary charge has appeared and removed a within a few days of placing my order on March 2nd. But now the funds are on hold again? They weren't on hold until now.
> 
> Could this mean that B&H has received stock or at least has a figure from Canon regarding the number of units they are receiving in the first shipment?
> 
> Has anybody else noticed that the funds for the pre-order being suddenly put on hold like a pre-charge? I hope this means that B&H is sending out the charges to customers that have made the initial shipment!



as soon as you order, they put that hold on there. it's just a temporary thing though. they will charge your card for real once your item is ready to ship.


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## Crapking (Mar 13, 2012)

I re-checked but no 'second' posting of charges yet - only the initial 'hold' with prompt cancellation of the hold.
My original email time was 12:28 AM, 3/2, and mine also states 'backordered' but the customer service rep told me they all say that.


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## SomeGuyInNewJersey (Mar 13, 2012)

I preordered at 12:13am on the 2nd so I have a relatively good place in the line. 

I ordered body only but changes in my lens plans means I'd kinda like to change to the kit... I guess I can't because I'd go to the back of the kit line... Oh well, body only it is


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## takoman46 (Mar 13, 2012)

erfon said:


> takoman46 said:
> 
> 
> > I did a routine check on my online banking statement and noticed that there is now a hold on the funds for my 5DmkIII preorder. My method of payment for the preorder was with my debit card and the temporary charge has appeared and removed a within a few days of placing my order on March 2nd. But now the funds are on hold again? They weren't on hold until now.
> ...



I think you misunderstood my post. I have already gotten the temporary charge the day after I placed my order (March 2nd) and that charge has been removed a few days after that. What I have discovered is new and just occurred today when I checked my account balance.


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## takoman46 (Mar 13, 2012)

Crapking said:


> I re-checked but no 'second' posting of charges yet - only the initial 'hold' with prompt cancellation of the hold.
> My original email time was 12:28 AM, 3/2, and mine also states 'backordered' but the customer service rep told me they all say that.



Did you pre-order with a credit card or debit card? Maybe what I'm seeing on my account only affects debit card pre-orders? My order confirmation from B&H came in at 12:34am EST so a few minutes after yours. I dunno. Just thought it strange that the funds are have been reserved when the camera isn't supposed to be getting shipped until next week.


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## Kingw (Mar 15, 2012)

BH still doesn't seem to give customers any estimated ship dates of the camera. Many other sites have already started giving out this information. I'm not sure why B&H is holding this information against their customers but it is certainly making me uncomfortable. Especially I pre-ordered my camera internationally and paid the full amount at the time that I made the order. I feel like I should have at least the right to know when am I getting my product that I have paid for.


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## K-amps (Mar 15, 2012)

Kingw said:


> BH still doesn't seem to give customers any estimated ship dates of the camera. Many other sites have already started giving out this information. I'm not sure why B&H is holding this information against their customers but it is certainly making me uncomfortable. Especially I pre-ordered my camera internationally and paid the full amount at the time that I made the order. I feel like I should have at least the right to know when am I getting my product that I have paid for.



Yes you do... I would like to know as well... if the customer is King, treat them as such!


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## Crapking (Mar 15, 2012)

Uh oh, I am looking at my email confirmations from B & H for both the 5d3 and 1Dx, there does seem to be a difference between backordered and pre-ordered status, so those with 'backordered' 5d3's may be waiting longer than those with 'pre-ordered' status. 

Screen shots cut/pasted from my B&H emails...


Canon CAE5D3
EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) 
Back-ordered	

Canon CAE1DX
EOS-1D X Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) 
Pre order. Released in limited qty


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## 5dmk.iii (Mar 15, 2012)

K-amps said:


> Kingw said:
> 
> 
> > BH still doesn't seem to give customers any estimated ship dates of the camera. Many other sites have already started giving out this information. I'm not sure why B&H is holding this information against their customers but it is certainly making me uncomfortable. Especially I pre-ordered my camera internationally and paid the full amount at the time that I made the order. I feel like I should have at least the right to know when am I getting my product that I have paid for.
> ...



Not to thread hijack, but I spoke to Adorama today and they are shipping last week of March and did not seems to have issues with stock.. Spoke with BH also, and those guys are very tight lipped and not very helpful...


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## dho81 (Mar 15, 2012)

interesting. i just checked mine (i pre-ordered 2x 5d3)--one says "backordered" and the other says "released in limited qty" -- payment method was different though. on the backordered one i used a credit card, the other was paid with paypal (and the money was processed at time of transaction).

all though the order status for both on the BH website says backorder for me.



Crapking said:


> Uh oh, I am looking at my email confirmations from B & H for both the 5d3 and 1Dx, there does seem to be a difference between backordered and pre-ordered status, so those with 'backordered' 5d3's may be waiting longer than those with 'pre-ordered' status.
> 
> Screen shots cut/pasted from my B&H emails...
> 
> ...


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## Kingw (Mar 15, 2012)

5dmk.iii said:


> K-amps said:
> 
> 
> > Kingw said:
> ...



Exactly, should have ordered from Adorama or Amazon if I knew the guys @ B&H do not like to share any information with their customers. And I thought B&H has a higher reputation than the other stores. I have the patience to wait for my product, but right now I'm not allowed to have any information about my current order status, it is ridiculous customer service.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 15, 2012)

Kingw said:


> Exactly, should have ordered from Adorama or Amazon if I knew the guys @ B&H do not like to share any information with their customers. And I thought B&H has a higher reputation than the other stores. I have the patience to wait for my product, but right now I'm not allowed to have any information about my current order status, it is ridiculous customer service.



Well, Amazon seems to cancel preorders for no reason sometimes, so they're probably not the best option. Now...which would you prefer...Adorama tells you that you're 500th in line, and B&H _doesn't_ tell you that you're 500th in line. B&H gets 600 cameras in their first shipment, and Adorama gets 400. Who's better off?


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## myocyte (Mar 15, 2012)

I pre ordered a 24-70L II the day it was announced, and it said the item was backordered instead of pre ordered. I find it hard to believe that there's going to be huge shortages of that lens, especially since I pre ordered one as soon as it showed up on the B&H website.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 15, 2012)

myocyte said:


> I pre ordered a 24-70L II the day it was announced, and it said the item was backordered instead of pre ordered. I find it hard to believe that there's going to be huge shortages of that lens, especially since I pre ordered one as soon as it showed up on the B&H website.



I suspect that 'backordered' just means they don't have stock to ship to you, and means nothing about your place in the queue.


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## 5dmk.iii (Mar 15, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Kingw said:
> 
> 
> > Exactly, should have ordered from Adorama or Amazon if I knew the guys @ B&H do not like to share any information with their customers. And I thought B&H has a higher reputation than the other stores. I have the patience to wait for my product, but right now I'm not allowed to have any information about my current order status, it is ridiculous customer service.
> ...



Yes... but then no one tells you where in the line, and BH could have more pre-orders in and could run out sooner...

I think I will switch orders once I find a etailer that does not charge tax and has ready stock... (unless BH tells me they have shipped already)... don't know about you guys, but in Indianapolis I see the trees beginning to blossem with beautiful flowers... cannot believe this weather in march... typically we'd be under a foot of snow this time... but today... 80F!


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## Jamesy (Mar 15, 2012)

5dmk.iii said:


> Spare a thought for the rest us who ordered very late... i.e. March 5th ;D
> 
> What does it mean when BH says the status = Back ordered; does it mean I missed the first batch?



I noticed there is no tax on your invoice. I looked it up and IN has 7% sales tax, does that not apply to your purchase?


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## 5dmk.iii (Mar 15, 2012)

Jamesy said:


> 5dmk.iii said:
> 
> 
> > Spare a thought for the rest us who ordered very late... i.e. March 5th ;D
> ...



Does BH charge you taxes?


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## SomeGuyInNewJersey (Mar 15, 2012)

5dmk.iii said:


> Jamesy said:
> 
> 
> > 5dmk.iii said:
> ...



If you order Online B&h will only charge you sales tax if you are having it delivered to New York state. Online retailers are only obliged to charged sales tax if the shipping/billing address is in a state they have a physical presence in. 

This is starting to get contentious especially with sites like amazon as they have warehouses and distribution centers in states they don't charge tax in. I think you are meant to declare goods you have purchased from out of state in your tax return and pay the sales tax to your state of residence. 

There are retailers who have been prosecuted for charging sales tax to out of state orders and then not paying the money collected to the state they are located in.


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## K-amps (Mar 15, 2012)

SomeGuyInNewJersey said:


> 5dmk.iii said:
> 
> 
> > Jamesy said:
> ...



They need to streamline tax collection... who will remember every item they got in the last year? )ok Maybe 5dmk.iii will remember getting the 5d.mkiii


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## sheedoe (Mar 15, 2012)

Non-Jersey residents can save tax when they preorder from places like Abes of Maine and Buydig. Buydig is saying that the 5D III ships in 10 days. Abes of Maine offers a $15.00 off coupon (code:LOYALTY15).

http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=CNEOS5DM3

http://www.abesofmaine.com/item.do?item=CNEOS5DIII&id=CNEOS5DIII&&kbid=5d%20mark%20iii


----------



## Jamesy (Mar 16, 2012)

5dmk.iii said:


> Jamesy said:
> 
> 
> > 5dmk.iii said:
> ...


Yup they do. I am in Canada and they charge whatever the provincial tax rule is. I live in Ontario therefore it is 13% but if you live in Alberta it is 0%.

Canadian retailers do the same thing - they charge the destination provinces tax rate on any online purchase - they don't trust us to remit taxes at the end of the year, unless of course you are a business.


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## bigblue1ca (Mar 16, 2012)

Jamesy said:


> 5dmk.iii said:
> 
> 
> > Does BH charge you taxes?
> ...



Jamesy, B&H only charges GST unless you are lucky enough  to live in a province with the HST (BC & ON), then you fine folks get to pay the HST.


----------



## Jamesy (Mar 16, 2012)

bigblue1ca said:


> Jamesy, B&H only charges GST unless you are lucky enough  to live in a province with the HST (BC & ON), then you fine folks get to pay the HST.



Suddenly I feel very special


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## SomeGuyInNewJersey (Mar 16, 2012)

Crapking said:


> Uh oh, I am looking at my email confirmations from B & H for both the 5d3 and 1Dx, there does seem to be a difference between backordered and pre-ordered status, so those with 'backordered' 5d3's may be waiting longer than those with 'pre-ordered' status.
> 
> Screen shots cut/pasted from my B&H emails...
> 
> ...



I think when your order first goes into their system is says pre-order first because that is the sale type before the payment amount has been authorized on your card. After card authorization it then tries to fulfil the order when it finds they have no stock because the item is a preorder so its obviously not in stock yet the order flips into back ordered status...

I think thats whats happening... I may be wrong of course


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## scottk (Mar 16, 2012)

Not true. My 5dIII says backordered, and I ordered when the link first went live (about 2 minutes later) before they even changed the status from backordered to preordered. 



SomeGuyInNewJersey said:


> Crapking said:
> 
> 
> > Uh oh, I am looking at my email confirmations from B & H for both the 5d3 and 1Dx, there does seem to be a difference between backordered and pre-ordered status, so those with 'backordered' 5d3's may be waiting longer than those with 'pre-ordered' status.
> ...


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## Smith (Mar 16, 2012)

I have multiple B&H orders listed as "backordered. I know for a fact that I am in the top 10 on the order list, for all DSLRs, as confirmed by a sales rep. Regardless, I really don't care whether I'm in the first, second, or third allocation. The new tools will probably be sitting in a box for a while anyways.


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## 5dmk.iii (Mar 16, 2012)

SomeGuyInNewJersey said:


> I think when your order first goes into their system is says pre-order first because that is the sale type before the payment amount has been authorized on your card. After card authorization it then tries to fulfil the order when it finds they have no stock because the item is a preorder so its obviously not in stock yet the order flips into back ordered status...
> 
> I think thats whats happening... I may be wrong of course




Makes comeplete sense... 

but the only thing thats goning to make the lads happy is to know really when it is in their hands... we can't stop thinking about every lost opportunity with no 5Diii in hand. :'(


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## se7en (Mar 16, 2012)

Whether you know or don't know when it will ship, does it make it any faster getting there? This crisis evades me...


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## NutsAndBolts (Mar 16, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> myocyte said:
> 
> 
> > I pre ordered a 24-70L II the day it was announced, and it said the item was backordered instead of pre ordered. I find it hard to believe that there's going to be huge shortages of that lens, especially since I pre ordered one as soon as it showed up on the B&H website.
> ...



Edit: I am referring to what crapking posted: Then why the 1D X says pre-order?, it should also say 'back-order' since they do not have any 1D X in stock either.


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## takoman46 (Mar 19, 2012)

Here's an email update I just received from B&H regarding my 5DmkIII pre-order:

You placed order #(order number) on 03/02/12.

One or more items from this purchase are still out of stock as we haven't 
yet received the merchandise from our supplier. We are sorry for any 
inconvenience this may have caused. We will keep you posted on a weekly basis. 

We appreciate your patience and patronage. Feel free to contact us with any 
questions or comments about this order.

Thank you.

B&H Photo-Video
www.BandH.com 

Weren't retailers supposed to have received the first shipments this past thursday-friday? What does this mean? Maybe I didn't make the first shipment... :'(


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## cmunozs (Mar 19, 2012)

takoman46 said:


> Here's an email update I just received from B&H regarding my 5DmkIII pre-order:
> 
> You placed order #(order number) on 03/02/12.
> 
> ...




I've received the same email today morning... Although, they already took my many a week ago!


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## bchernicoff (Mar 19, 2012)

B&H is probably keeping quiet for one simple reason: Business intelligence. If they tell people how many they have coming or how many preorders there are, their competitors might gain an advantage. What if B&H has *special* terms with Canon on receiving priority over others...say receiving 5x many bodies initially as their closest competition. If that were to get out, every other retailer would complain to Canon and that advantage might get taken away.


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## NutsAndBolts (Mar 19, 2012)

bchernicoff said:


> B&H is probably keeping quiet for one simple reason: Business intelligence. If they tell people how many they have coming or how many preorders there are, their competitors might gain an advantage. What if B&H has *special* terms with Canon on receiving priority over others...say receiving 5x many bodies initially as their closest competition. If that were to get out, every other retailer would complain to Canon and that advantage might get taken away.



Nobody is asking how many they will get. People want to know when they are likely to get their camera. By answering a customer's question on when they are likely to ship the camera is not going to reveal their numbers nor will it reveal any 'special' agreement with Canon. And by the way I doubt that would be the case. This is USA, if that got out and if Adorama/Amazon did not sue to Canon some other two bit retailer could. Why would Canon risk it?


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## bchernicoff (Mar 19, 2012)

NutsAndBolts said:


> Nobody is asking how many they will get. People want to know when they are likely to get their camera. By answering a customer's question on when they are likely to ship the camera is not going to reveal their numbers nor will it reveal any 'special' agreement with Canon. And by the way I doubt that would be the case. This is USA, if that got out and if Adorama/Amazon did not sue to Canon some other two bit retailer could. Why would Canon risk it?



The reply from B&H when asked, "When will my camera ship?" has been "We don't know how many we are getting, we don't know when yours will ship." And you think B&H doesn't have a deal with Canon? Why does Canon allow them to be an authorized retailer when they also offer grey market Canon gear? And in order for someone to sue Canon for allotting more bodies to B&H there would have to be a law against doing that? Do you think the US Government attempts to regulate how Canon chooses to allocate inventory? Of course they don't.


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## kiniro (Mar 19, 2012)

When I pre-ordered from BHPhoto on March 2nd the availability of the product was Backordered. That was before it showed up as Pre-Order. So I did e-mail BHPhoto to asked them what the difference was and they said...

"Thank you for contacting the Customer Service Department at B&H Photo Video and Pro Audio.

They both mean the same thing, but it comes down to the same conclusion - we don't have it yet.
Pre-order means that the item is on Backorder, and is available to be pre-ordered as this is a new item that wasn't released yet, rather than just Backorder which may mean that we just ran out of stock."

This past saturday I received an e-mail telling me that my Backordered product (5d Mark III) is still in Backordered status. duh! lol

I also e-mailed them asking them if they know when they're going to ship these out and how much it'd cost me to change the shipping method to Overnight and the response I got was...

"I sincerely apologize, but Canon has not advised anybody of the shipping date yet. It will cost $65.25 to have the package shipped over night. With the free shipping that you have now, it will take 3 days. "

Bottom line...gotta wait patiently.


----------



## MARKOE PHOTOE (Mar 19, 2012)

Per an email response I rec'd from B&H last Friday, they use the term 'pre-ordered' and 'backordered' interchangeably, or in other words, its doesn't matter which is listed. This is in writing from B&H. 

I for one am sitting on the edge of my seat patiently waiting for the 5D3 and 24-70 II. I too have already paid via PAYPAL so you would think that B&H would take care of those who have already paid. Maybe, maybe not.

Good luck Canon shooters! In about a week, we'll be seeing 5D3 images posted on our websites.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 19, 2012)

kiniro said:


> It will cost $65.25 to have the package shipped over night. With the free shipping that you have now, it will take 3 days.



That's one nice thing about being in Boston...B&H's free UPS ground is overnight shipping for me.  But since I ordered a 1D X, I have a longer wait than you...


----------



## bchernicoff (Mar 19, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> That's one nice thing about being in Boston...B&H's free UPS ground is overnight shipping for me.  But since I ordered a 1D X, I have a longer wait than you...



I'm in DC, so it's usually 2 days. Which means if it ships Thursday, I'm probably not going to see it until Monday. I sold my Mk II last week and am camera-less with the cherry blossoms peaking this week!! ARGHH!!


----------



## kiniro (Mar 19, 2012)

The level of impatience and desperation for knowing when the camera will be shipped to me has led me to start checking my credit card account online to see if I have any pending charges from B&H. lol
just like when I preordered I had a pending transaction of $3500 for 2 days and then I had a pending credit of $3500.


----------



## NutsAndBolts (Mar 19, 2012)

bchernicoff said:


> NutsAndBolts said:
> 
> 
> > Nobody is asking how many they will get. People want to know when they are likely to get their camera. By answering a customer's question on when they are likely to ship the camera is not going to reveal their numbers nor will it reveal any 'special' agreement with Canon. And by the way I doubt that would be the case. This is USA, if that got out and if Adorama/Amazon did not sue to Canon some other two bit retailer could. Why would Canon risk it?
> ...



But they know how many they ordered. I have heard the same thing from a number of retail shops, including small local shops, they ordered x but not sure what they will get. Now I buy that argument, may be Canon cannot tell them for some reason how many they will get on a given shipment. So even though they know what they ordered they cannot be sure how many they will get, and furthermore how many they will get the subsequent shipments. This would be a natural outcome where if the camera is really popular as it appears to be, Canon would be sharing the current inventory between a number of retailers so they may end up shipping fewer than what the retailer asked for. Hence the uncertainty on when a customer may get their order shipped.

You did not say 'deal' you said 'special deal'. I doubt Canon gives BH special treatment. It would be against fair business practice and would look really bad on Canon if it came out you can bet someone will think of suing Canon (not that it would be easy to prove, but that will not stop people, it is our national sport). Just because Canon is allowing BH to sell grey market Canon products, does not mean BH will get preferential treatment when it comes to fulfilling their stock request, in fact the opposite may be true, who knows? BH is a big player and I suspect their allotment is one of the largest, but that is it.


----------



## grahamsz (Mar 19, 2012)

I have a preorder waiting with Amazon but they gave me a 4/3 delivery date for the kit.

Just talked to my local shop and they said they expect to have them in stock tomorrow, but don't know how many they'll have. They have some people preordered but sound like they are expecting more.

They also said they expect the kit to arrive first.


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## gravediggingaditch (Mar 19, 2012)

Any word or updates from folks who ordered from Adorama? ???

I was told last week that Adorama expects to send 5d3s out in approx 3 weeks. WHAT?!?!


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## kiniro (Mar 19, 2012)

I called B&H a couple of minutes ago to change my shipping method to Overnight delivery. Asked them when they're going to have the camera in stock and the guy on the phone didn't know.
In any case, I hope that having modified the order won't send me to the bottom of the list!!! :-\
On the other hand, hope rumors about retailers receiving kits first, and then bodies, isn't true because I ordered body only. lol


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## 5dmk.iii (Mar 19, 2012)

grahamsz said:


> I have a preorder waiting with Amazon but they gave me a 4/3 delivery date for the kit.
> 
> Just talked to my local shop and they said they expect to have them in stock tomorrow, but don't know how many they'll have. They have some people preordered but sound like they are expecting more.
> 
> They also said they expect the kit to arrive first.



What city is this local shop in? ???


----------



## SomeGuyInNewJersey (Mar 19, 2012)

kiniro said:


> I called B&H a couple of minutes ago to change my shipping method to Overnight delivery. Asked them when they're going to have the camera in stock and the guy on the phone didn't know.
> In any case, I hope that having modified the order won't send me to the bottom of the list!!! :-\
> On the other hand, hope rumors about retailers receiving kits first, and then bodies, isn't true because I ordered body only. lol



I dont think changing your shipping wont send you to the bottom of the list, changing from body to kit or vice versa would have because its a different product.


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## nvsravank (Mar 19, 2012)

The local shop in NJ - Unique photo is having a 5DIII launch party on Wednesday (21st). So they are getting some by then for sure or they already have it and are putting a couple on display then.


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## bohaiboy (Mar 19, 2012)

My online retailer in California said he would have the camera on Wednesday March 21 and ship out that same day to me.


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## grahamsz (Mar 19, 2012)

5dmk.iii said:


> What city is this local shop in? ???



Denver


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## jalbfb (Mar 19, 2012)

nvsravank said:


> The local shop in NJ - Unique photo is having a 5DIII launch party on Wednesday (21st). So they are getting some by then for sure or they already have it and are putting a couple on display then.






bohaiboy said:


> My online retailer in California said he would have the camera on Wednesday March 21 and ship out that same day to me.



So maybe B&H will be getting/releasing their allotment on the 21st as well so we may have some idea about how many they'll be shipping out in the first batch. If that is the case, maybe, hopefully they can let those not in the first wave more info on when those people might be getting theirs. I figure I'm in either wave two or probably 3 depending upon have many cancel their orders.


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## kiniro (Mar 19, 2012)

I preordered (body only) on March 2nd at 12:28am EST. I'm hoping I'm in wave 1.


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## Ninja1283 (Mar 19, 2012)

Visited my local camera shop (California) to pick up a few supplies for an upcoming photo class I'm teaching, and they had the 5D3 in stock ready to go already...


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## Invertalon (Mar 19, 2012)

Wouldn't California get stock before anybody else? Doesn't the boat carrying all the 5D3's come in at a port over on the West Coast?

That is probably why the East side of the country is a bit more delayed, if being transported via train/truck/whatever. I doubt it is by air, but I could be wrong.


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## jalbfb (Mar 19, 2012)

Ninja1283 said:


> Visited my local camera shop (California) to pick up a few supplies for an upcoming photo class I'm teaching, and they had the 5D3 in stock ready to go already...



Yes, I think B&H has their allotment already but they are just not saying anything. 
After all if all of these smaller camera stores are getting theirs surely the big players like B&H, Adorama and the like are.  In 2 maybe 3 days we BETTER have a better idea.


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## Invertalon (Mar 19, 2012)

dr croubie said:


> the market gets flooded by early next year, the street price falls to $2.5k, then I can afford one...



I highly doubt such a drastic price decrease... I mean, the 5D2 years after release were still selling for what, $2100 or 2200 used... Only $200-300 less then brand new. I have a feeling the 5D3 will be the exact same way.


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## Ninja1283 (Mar 20, 2012)

jalbfb said:


> Yes, I think B&H has their allotment already but they are just not saying anything.
> After all if all of these smaller camera stores are getting theirs surely the big players like B&H, Adorama and the like are.  In 2 maybe 3 days we BETTER have a better idea.



Yeah, that's what I figured. Tempted to cancel my order with B&H and just pick it up local now since they actually communicate.


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## bohaiboy (Mar 20, 2012)

I placed my online order early last week, so March 12 or so and should have the cam on Friday


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## kiniro (Mar 20, 2012)

So if I'm number 1 on the list (hypothetically and in a dream world), how long will it take B&H to process the order from "Backorder" to "Shipped"? Because if the camera goes officially on sale on the 22nd, will they ship it that same day? Or the next day?


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## SF DTM (Mar 20, 2012)

because all the mom and pop shops already have their cameras for sale, I'm guessing BH will be shipping either tomorrow-wednesday to have cameras in peoples hands by the 22nd.


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## Arkarch (Mar 20, 2012)

SF DTM said:


> because all the mom and pop shops already have their cameras for sale, I'm guessing BH will be shipping either tomorrow-wednesday to have cameras in peoples hands by the 22nd.



I have to believe BH, Adorama, and other US mail houses are not going to take another day of the whole world - but them - shipping. So yeah, I expect activity on Tuesday, in the "spirit" of the May 22 release.

Not sure I'd want to be the Canon VP of US Sales right now. But I may want to be his/her cel phone carrier  


edit - on the bright side, since they have not begun shipping, we all can still hope we are all in wave 1.


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## mtavel (Mar 20, 2012)

B&H warehouse worker sorting through 5D3 shipments:


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## jalbfb (Mar 20, 2012)

mtavel said:


> B&H warehouse worker sorting through 5D3 shipments:



I hope mine is the box where all the metal flows towards!


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## Warninglabel (Mar 20, 2012)

I like the Indiana Jones Picture 

I see a lot of people posting they pick one up, but I don't see a lot people posting pictures to back it up.


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## K-amps (Mar 20, 2012)

BH sent me the dreaded email about my item being on backorder... I guess I am not getting a 5d3 before April..


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## Live Refocused (Mar 20, 2012)

K-amps said:


> BH sent me the dreaded email about my item being on backorder... I guess I am not getting a 5d3 before April..



I wouldn't draw that conclusion (unless you ordered late in the game, of course). With an operation the size of B&H, they are likely to have automated batch processing jobs that generate such e-mails on a regular (perhaps weekly) basis. I seem to recall some option like that or being told that on their website somewhere, but I can't find it now.

Incidentally, my B&H order confirmation was received at 12:12 AM ET on 3/2, so fairly early (I hope), and I too received that e-mail.

I did get an e-mail from them this morning asking me to rate their customer service (I had called them to change my shipping options). I took the opportunity to politely inform them that choosing not to communicate was damaging their image. FWIW.


----------



## K-amps (Mar 20, 2012)

Live Refocused said:


> K-amps said:
> 
> 
> > BH sent me the dreaded email about my item being on backorder... I guess I am not getting a 5d3 before April..
> ...



Woohoo!!! Just got a call from my local shop; Robertscamera in Indy, they Got it and are holding one for me!!! I cannot wait till my lunch break to go pick it up !!! ;D ;D ;D ;D

Cancelling BH now...


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## AnselA (Mar 20, 2012)

> Woohoo!!! Just got a call from my local shop; Robertscamera in Indy, they Got it and are holding one for me!!! I cannot wait till my lunch break to go pick it up !!! ;D ;D ;D ;D



Happy days are here again....


----------



## jalbfb (Mar 20, 2012)

K-amps said:


> Live Refocused said:
> 
> 
> > K-amps said:
> ...



Congrats K-amp!! I'm both happy and jealous at the same time. That means i've moved up one spot since I think I ordered after you! Hope more do the same as they get their hands on the 5D3 from other sources! Unfortunately, my "local" camera shop is over an hour and half away, and does not have it yet.

Oh, I think those emails from B&H are automatic ones that are generated two weeks after you ordered. So if that is true I should be receiving one sometime today and probably has nothing to do as to when they actually get or ship the camera from B&H


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## Jamesy (Mar 20, 2012)

K-amps said:


> Woohoo!!! Just got a call from my local shop; Robertscamera in Indy, they Got it and are holding one for me!!! I cannot wait till my lunch break to go pick it up !!! ;D ;D ;D ;D
> 
> Cancelling BH now...


Picking up today (March 20th) at lunch???


----------



## Warninglabel (Mar 20, 2012)

K-amps said:


> Live Refocused said:
> 
> 
> > K-amps said:
> ...



Gratz k-amp 

I'm about 1 hour and 45 mins outside of indy. I called Roberts camera and they in fact have them but they're all for pre-ordered customers and bodies only.

Gratz again enjoy your camera


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## K-amps (Mar 20, 2012)

Thanks guys

I could not wait for lunch... I went and got it now!! 

It's a beaut! I upgraded from a 5dc, so this is so much better. Sorry can't post pics till I get home and put a lens on it... ;D ;D ;D

This AM I was ready to drive 4 hours to St. Louis to get it from a local shop there, but before I called them, Roberts called me. I hope all you guys get yours BEFORE you expect it.


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## Jamesy (Mar 20, 2012)

K-amps said:


> Thanks guys
> 
> I could not wait for lunch... I went and got it now!!
> 
> ...


NICE!!! Enjoy


----------



## Crapking (Mar 20, 2012)

Local shop in Pittsburgh (Bernie's) is still waiting on body only cameras - expecting shipment Th or FR. Did pre-order for 4 customers but placed an order for 'a few extra' for walking customers ??


----------



## K-amps (Mar 20, 2012)

Crapking said:


> Local shop in Pittsburgh (Bernie's) is still waiting on body only cameras - expecting shipment Th or FR. Did pre-order for 4 customers but placed an order for 'a few extra' for walking customers ??



You can almost track the shipments coming west to east. Yesterday it was St. Louis, today Indy, tomorrow Pittsburg!! They are getting the bodies 1-2 days earlier than planned. Good luck on yours.


----------



## jalbfb (Mar 20, 2012)

Man, I'd imagine B&H, Adorama, Amazon must all be getting hammered by angry and/or frustrated callers wanting to know when they'll start shipping the camera. On several threads people are jumping ship and cancelling their orders after getting their hands on one from local shops or jumping on Adorama's special package. for those of us who did not order w/i the first 48 hours, our only consolation is to seek out a local store that may be getting some in or to hope with enough cancellations we move up maybe a day in the queue. Either way, to those who already have their hands on one-cheers.


----------



## Dylan777 (Mar 20, 2012)

K-amps said:


> Thanks guys
> 
> I could not wait for lunch... I went and got it now!!
> 
> ...



Keep us updated with high ISO pictures


----------



## Warninglabel (Mar 20, 2012)

K-amps said:


> Crapking said:
> 
> 
> > Local shop in Pittsburgh (Bernie's) is still waiting on body only cameras - expecting shipment Th or FR. Did pre-order for 4 customers but placed an order for 'a few extra' for walking customers ??
> ...



I was thinking the same thing but really Canon USA snail mail it (2 to 5 days) because if they would have ship it so everyone would get it at the same time, local shops would only have got in a case here and there. So this means they didn't flood UPS or Fedx with 5D mark III (2 day shipping)on there trucks as you can see the boxes are a nice size. Why? because as soon as B&H and Amazon got the camera they would be shipping it right back out cause of the pre-orders. I can't believe our shipping companies couldn't handle the flow and a little overtime? but anyway canon your cheap lol. Show the east coast a little love. Call UPS and reroute some shipments to B&H and make the world happy


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## RedEye (Mar 20, 2012)

This is my first order from B&H. I'm trying to remain patient as the March 22nd date is rather, well, hypothetical. On the otherhand, having a number of people simply walk down the street and pick one up while the rest of us wait is somewhat unusual. 

If they did get what some have mentioned to be 10,000 pre orders (not likely, however as it's been formentioned we can use it as a statistical waypoint), that would be about $35,000,000 in product sales for B&H and with even 10% margin, I would think that there is sufficient cash flow related to selling this product that they could devote some resources to an ovbously sensitive group of customers to sufficiently white glove the distribution and delivery of such a simpel 'in box' product. 

I have a few mutually exclusive hypothesis of my own then: 1) B&H is gaming the system by keeping their cards close to their chest to protect the quantity and quality of their product delivery (as mentioned elseware) 2) B&H is unable to ship until the 22nd becuase of a contractual canon requirement to not deliver until the 22nd, and they can't ship becuase they can't charge the cards until they ship, and they can't charge the cards until the 22nd as an official sale. (This is appearing less likely as smaller dealers are either bold enough to break the rules of the game, or there are simply no rules and they are delivering early)
3) B&H has no greater volumes guaranteed than any other retailer and they are completely overwhelmed at the moment by lack of product to fufill orders
4) In line with #1, B&H has already shipped and they are either accidently or purposefully laging the notice of shipment.
5) B&H stands for Buggs & Hobbs and they have ran off with the entire lot to sell them in strong currency countries like.... Iceland... humph!


----------



## kiniro (Mar 20, 2012)

RedEye said:


> 4) In line with #1, B&H has already shipped and they are either accidently or purposefully laging the notice of shipment.


I wish that was the case but I don't believe that the case. If they had shipped the cameras already I would expect to see a pending charge on my credit card. I don't think they'd ship and wait to charge your credit card a few days later. At least not for that big amount of money.


----------



## K-amps (Mar 20, 2012)

kiniro said:


> RedEye said:
> 
> 
> > 4) In line with #1, B&H has already shipped and they are either accidently or purposefully laging the notice of shipment.
> ...



And someone would have come forward and said they got a BH shipment.... My guess is, they have not gotten the lot yet... it is still on some UPS truck going east 

Perhaps they should give us the tracking number of the truck (s) ;D ;D ;D


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## kiniro (Mar 20, 2012)

K-amps said:


> Perhaps they should give us the tracking number of the truck (s) ;D ;D ;D


That's a good idea! Anybody asked B&H if they have the tracking number of their order?lol
I must admit that I'll be disappointed if I do not receive my camera on Friday. For now all I can do is check the forum for any updates and check my B&H order status and check my credit card for any pending transactions.


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## TexPhoto (Mar 20, 2012)

I am tempted to order from Adorama with their "bundle" and then cancel when one ships.


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## gravediggingaditch (Mar 20, 2012)

When you google Canon 5d mark iii. . . B&H's website is the top sponsored hit. 

It says "The Kits Start Shipping Today 3/20! Order Now, $3499 Charged Upon Ship"


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## kiniro (Mar 20, 2012)

gravediggingaditch said:


> When you google Canon 5d mark iii. . . B&H's website is the top sponsored hit.
> 
> It says "The Kits Start Shipping Today 3/20! Order Now, $3499 Charged Upon Ship"



Isn't the body only $3499?


----------



## Seamus (Mar 20, 2012)

But still waiting for them to actually ship from B and H. Hopefully we will start to get shipping confirmations soon.


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## aZhu (Mar 20, 2012)

TexPhoto said:


> I am tempted to order from Adorama with their "bundle" and then cancel when one ships.



As of now, I don't see that bundle anymore. Good thing I ordered it when it was still up.


----------



## Jamesy (Mar 20, 2012)

aZhu said:


> TexPhoto said:
> 
> 
> > I am tempted to order from Adorama with their "bundle" and then cancel when one ships.
> ...


It looks like Craig took it down off of the main page too.


----------



## takoman46 (Mar 20, 2012)

gravediggingaditch said:


> When you google Canon 5d mark iii. . . B&H's website is the top sponsored hit.
> 
> It says "The Kits Start Shipping Today 3/20! Order Now, $3499 Charged Upon Ship"



Wha???... Just tried googling and it shows up! But why hasn't anybody reported getting charged or shipping confirmations yet?... Nice find gravediggingaditch ??? Unfortunately this leaves me even more puzzled now lol


----------



## Ninja1283 (Mar 20, 2012)

Talked to B&H again...this time the sales department. They informed me that a 'small' number of 5D3 orders shipped today, but would not give me any information on how many, or how long it would take to fulfill even the first day orders.

Taken from the chat:
"a small amount was received and shipped out to fulfill pre-orders. We do not currently have any in stock at this time."


----------



## kiniro (Mar 20, 2012)

Ninja1283 said:


> Talked to B&H again...this time the sales department. They informed me that a 'small' number of 5D3 orders shipped today, but would not give me any information on how many, or how long it would take to fulfill even the first day orders.
> 
> Taken from the chat:
> "a small amount was received and shipped out to fulfill pre-orders. We do not currently have any in stock at this time."


I chatted with a customer service representative and they couldn't give me any information.


----------



## RichATL (Mar 20, 2012)

Ninja1283 said:


> Taken from the chat:
> "a small amount was received and shipped out to fulfill pre-orders. We do not currently have any in stock at this time."



More info than I got...
Apparently we will know immediately when it is shipped because of the confirmation email.

It's disappointing, but at the same time...3/22 was to be the day anyway... 
I just hope I get it before next Monday...


----------



## Ninja1283 (Mar 20, 2012)

kiniro said:


> I chatted with a customer service representative and they couldn't give me any information.



Yeah, I tried chatting with them a few times, but their answers seemed to get more and more scripted as time progressed, so I tried the sales department. (Generally speaking from my experience, the sales department will almost always give you the quickest, more informed answers.)


----------



## dho81 (Mar 20, 2012)

According to Fred Miranda: "B&H should get them tomorrow morning and start shipping. "

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1090680/8#10458904


----------



## JerryKnight (Mar 20, 2012)

Guys, B&H has a very limited PR outlet via Twitter (@bandhphoto and @bhphotovideo). See their tweet here:

https://twitter.com/#!/bandhphoto/status/182149483298177024



> "I believe they come in from the west coast & are sent to retailers by truck. if so, the east coast is farthest. They're coming"



It's just geography. They probably all got off the boat on the west coast at the same time, but it's taking an extra day to get to the east coast. All the camera shops in between can't (and shouldn't) wait to get them off their shelves so they can get dibs on the next round from Canon.

It's clear the B&H Twitter accounts aren't authorized to give out hard estimates, but they are communicating a little. The effort it would take for them to individually update their pre-order customers just is not worth it to them. Does it frustrate us? Definitely, but it won't hurt their sales in the least.


----------



## kiniro (Mar 20, 2012)

I'd be very happy if they ship mine out today. ;D


----------



## K-amps (Mar 20, 2012)

Dylan777 said:


> K-amps said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks guys
> ...



For you Dylan.... First test shots

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php/topic,4541.0.html


----------



## epiieq1 (Mar 20, 2012)

While this may seem like impatience, etc. with the camera "officially" releasing on the 22nd, keep in mind that it's not a $30 movie or something like that. The cheapest it'll be is $3500, more if you got a kit or a speedlight or 2 or 3. When customers are spending $3500-5000 easily with your store, they expect service. This is where B&H is failing miserably at this point. Especially when the smaller stores that are in town have stock and are selling them. If you're supposed to be the "premier" camera store, to stay there, you need to have good customer service, and this is the opposite of that. Stonewalling only leads to unhappy customers and a reduced NPS. If I can find it locally, I'm going to buy there regardless of taxes due to getting better service. Same with the Speedlights. This is my first major purchasing experience there, and they've not encouraged me to come back.

BTW - my order went in as Confirmed 9:10 PM PST on 3/1 (so 12:10 am EST on 3/2). I haven't seen any pre-auths beyond the initial one that expired and can't get any answers at all either.


----------



## danny_oz (Mar 20, 2012)

Frustrating times @B&H
_"Chat Transcript
Welcome to Live Chat at the B&H Customer Service Department. Please wait while we connect you to an agent who will be able to assist you...
You have been connected to Greg K.
Daniel : When is this camera shipping?

Greg K: I apologize for the delay and for any inconvenience. Unfortunately, the manufacturer fails to provide us with the time of arrival information. We do not know when the orders will be filled. We also do not have the line details.

Daniel : What do you mean about line details? Is that something to do with stock?
Greg K: I would not be able to tell you your place in line
Daniel : Okay, I see what you mean. How long does it take to get a refund if I request it?
Daniel : Sorry Greg, How long does it take to get a refund if I request it?

Greg K: 3-5 days

Daniel : Do you think B&H will forfill preorders by the end of this month?

Greg K: Hopefully some

Daniel: I have 3 friends in my town who have got the camera in their hands from local stores, how is this possible a leading professional camera store like B&H can not even give me a rough ETA? This is not a cheap item, why are you advertising "stock will ship today" on your site?

Greg K: I apologize for any inconvenience. I do understand your frustration. We do try to fill orders as quickly as possible, that is in our best interest. We also try to be as informative as possible. Unfortunately, for this particular item, we are not provided with the exact time of arrival information. We can only continue to wait for it. Please excuse the delay."_

Very Scripted answers:

_Hello Daniel, my name is Gabe M: 

Thank you for contacting the Customer Service Department at B&H Photo Video and Pro Audio. 

Unfortunately Canon has not provided us with an estimated time of arrival. If you wish, we could cancel the order for a refund. 

Thank you for shopping with us, _


----------



## etg9 (Mar 20, 2012)

I got the same answers from B&H as everyone else. If I don't have a camera being shipped to me by this weekend I will find a retailer who wants to sell me something, even if it's the kit.


----------



## jalbfb (Mar 20, 2012)

etg9 said:


> I got the same answers from B&H as everyone else. If I don't have a camera being shipped to me by this weekend I will find a retailer who wants to sell me something, even if it's the kit.



I called a local dealer about 1.5 hours from me. The got 3 in but they are already accounted for. I'd be 6th on the waiting list but could bump up to 4 if a put a $100 non-refundable deposit down. They have NO idea when the next batch will be coming in. So I told them to put me down but just on the waiting list. i'll see if anything breaks loose from B&H tomorrow. I mean some of the early pre-orders should be hearing something soon?? I would hope. :-\


----------



## David KM (Mar 20, 2012)

BH charged my credit card for the full price today at 3:25pm PST, March 20th... 

Hopefully I will be done with CR forum and out shooting this weekend!!!


----------



## kiniro (Mar 20, 2012)

David KM said:


> BH charged my credit card for the full price today at 3:25pm PST, March 20th...
> 
> Hopefully I will be done with CR forum and out shooting this weekend!!!



Sweet!! Body or kit?


----------



## David KM (Mar 20, 2012)

Body


----------



## dho81 (Mar 20, 2012)

David KM said:


> Body



When did you place your pre-order?


----------



## David KM (Mar 20, 2012)

dho81 said:


> David KM said:
> 
> 
> > Body
> ...



About 30 seconds after BH went live with mkIII page... last week I was told I was 118 in the cue. I was also told they were only recieving 100 copies. BH are total BS'ers though and not sure I will ever order from them again. Just checked again and card was def charged for the full price, now waiting for delivery notice. Signature is required so I will have to have this info to know when shipped.


----------



## dho81 (Mar 20, 2012)

David KM said:


> dho81 said:
> 
> 
> > David KM said:
> ...



hm..what was the time stamp? I received my order confirmation at 9:16pm PST on 3/01 ...


----------



## kiniro (Mar 20, 2012)

I preordered body only on March 2nd at 25 minutes past midnight EST so I'm hoping I see a charge on my credit card soon!


----------



## kiniro (Mar 20, 2012)

David KM said:


> dho81 said:
> 
> 
> > David KM said:
> ...



what does the status of your order say on B&H's website?


----------



## David KM (Mar 20, 2012)

I have not recieved any new email with shipping info *yet*. Only my credit card was charged... 

My order was termed a "Backorder" , when I spoke with them I was told that meant I was pretty fast as they were supposed to be "Pre-order" status. About 2 minutes after I placed my order that was indeed changed to preorder but my order remained a "Backorder".

Like I've said, until I get a shipment confimation... hopefully this evening here in Cali, it all is up in the air. Actually, until it's in my hands... 

Just checked again... def charge for 3529.65

Sub Total $3499.00 
Shipping $30.65 
Sales Tax $0.00 
Total $3529.65 

BTW... did anyone else get a customer service survey this morning? I did and it was specifically about this order.


----------



## dho81 (Mar 20, 2012)

David KM said:


> I have not recieved any new email with shipping info *yet*. Only my credit card was charged...
> 
> My order was termed a "Backorder" , when I spoke with them I was told that meant I was pretty fast as they were supposed to be "Pre-order" status. About 2 minutes after I placed my order that was indeed changed to preorder but my order remained a "Backorder".
> 
> ...



So does your credit card just show a lower available balance? Or does it actually show a processed charge from B&H?


----------



## David KM (Mar 20, 2012)

It is a charge not an authorization, I just recieved a call from BofA asking if this charge is legit.

And no... Im not giving you my credit card number.


----------



## unclegit (Mar 20, 2012)

dho81 said:


> hm..what was the time stamp? I received my order confirmation at 9:16pm PST on 3/01 ...



I got mine @ 9:11:22 pm 3/01 

No shipping yet... 

David KM what time was the timestamp on your confirmation email ?


----------



## David KM (Mar 20, 2012)

unclegit said:


> dho81 said:
> 
> 
> > hm..what was the time stamp? I received my order confirmation at 9:16pm PST on 3/01 ...
> ...



8:42:12 pm 3/01 which I can only assume was 3/02 in NY

I did talk to Leon ( a CSR) at BH and he did confirm my order, changed my shipping method to 3 day and confirm I was 118 in the cue. Changing my shipping method did not move me (forward or back) in the cue. 

Until I recieve a shipping notification, who knows what the real story is. Bank of America did call to confim this charge though... hopefully I get an email with shipping confimation. Only then will I feel a bit better, then next will be it ACTUALLY arriving.

Anyone else pissed about BH's "policy" in regards to the 5DmkIII? Enough to never shop there again. I am pretty close to never going back, or at least making them the last resort.


----------



## unclegit (Mar 20, 2012)

David KM said:


> 8:22:12 pm 3/01 which I can only assume was 3/02 in NY



What time zone are you in - I thought I was pretty quick on the draw getting in 11 mins after midnight EST - but you look to be in well before... 

EST mine worked out to be :

Fri, 2 Mar 2012 00:11:20 -0500 (EST)

This was still while it was flagged as "backordered" rather than pre-order.

Congrats on the new camera - enjoy it


----------



## jmac1 (Mar 20, 2012)

If it helps any. I just cancelled my pre-order that I ordered on Mar. 1st at 9am EST @ B&H. 

I decided to get a 1DX, however since I only got on that list today not sure how long I will have to wait? I hope not as many will be buying the 1DX so hopefully I won't have to wait too long


----------



## RichATL (Mar 20, 2012)

Ordered mine around 8am EST on the 2nd...
I imagine I'd be in the first batch but maybe not...
I did use Bill Me Later...so I've already paid for the camera...:/

I'll give them to the 22nd to start shipping...before really freaking out.


----------



## sencem (Mar 20, 2012)

i'm surprised b&h has not started to deliver anything. i've got my kit on monday 19th in the UK, albeit limited tock, i've got mine neverthe less


----------



## jalbfb (Mar 20, 2012)

David KM said:


> unclegit said:
> 
> 
> > dho81 said:
> ...


In the past whenever I ordered from them, I would always get the shipping confirmation/info in the following morning's email. so if some orders are going out tomorrow people should be getting notification-so let the rest of us know, please.


----------



## JR (Mar 21, 2012)

jmac1 said:


> If it helps any. I just cancelled my pre-order that I ordered on Mar. 1st at 9am EST @ B&H.
> 
> I decided to get a 1DX, however since I only got on that list today not sure how long I will have to wait? I hope not as many will be buying the 1DX so hopefully I won't have to wait too long



funny, I did the same, cancelling my 5dmkIII order to pre-order the 1dx first. I will end up with both bodies eventually but needed to manage my cash flow a bit! Got too excited ordering both now...or so my wife told me!


----------



## Mike Ca (Mar 21, 2012)

The Canon Rumors guy tweeted this evening that B&H confirmed to him that they will get their shipment on March 21st and begin shipping pre-orders on March 22nd. 

You can see the tweet here:

https://twitter.com/canonrumorsguy

3rd tweet down now, but will go further down.


----------



## takoman46 (Mar 21, 2012)

Mike Ca said:


> The Canon Rumors guy tweeted this evening that B&H confirmed to him that they will get their shipment on March 21st and begin shipping pre-orders on March 22nd.
> 
> You can see the tweet here:
> 
> ...



If B&H didn't receive their shipment yet; then how did some of the users on this forum get credit card charges today for the full amount? Isn't the charge supposed to happen when the order ships? Something fishy going on here... ???


----------



## Seamus (Mar 21, 2012)

Lots of different information going around. I think I'll just wait it out, hopefully the shipping confirmation email will arrive soon. Good luck guys, try to stay sane. Or sane-ish.


----------



## Mike Ca (Mar 21, 2012)

takoman46 said:


> Mike Ca said:
> 
> 
> > The Canon Rumors guy tweeted this evening that B&H confirmed to him that they will get their shipment on March 21st and begin shipping pre-orders on March 22nd.
> ...



I'm not sure. I'm just reporting the tweet from the Canon Rumors Guy, since not everyone in this thread is following his tweets.

I have an order confirmation email from B&H at 9:32 PM PST on 3/1 and there is no charge on my credit card yet. The person who reported the credit charge had a email at 8:42 PM PST on 3/1. It is possible B&H got a small shipment already, which allowed them to fill a small number of earliest the pre-orders. Perhaps a much larger shipment is arriving on March 21, which will allow B&H to fill a large number of the pre-orders.


----------



## jalbfb (Mar 21, 2012)

Seamus said:


> Lots of different information going around. I think I'll just wait it out, hopefully the shipping confirmation email will arrive soon. Good luck guys, try to stay sane. Or sane-ish.



Let's hope that when the shipping starts with the pre-orders that B&H will be a little more open about where the rest of us (those who ordered after the first 24-48hrs) stand.


----------



## danny_oz (Mar 21, 2012)

I Ordered mine on the 12th of March, as an international customer they have taken funds at the time of order. After reading all these posts and speaking with customer service, its safe to say I probably will be waiting weeks, not days to get my camera. 

I found citiwideonline.com selling for $3490.00 AU with free express shipping and no TAX / VAT, although they only had 1pc left at the time I ordered today. So i will cancel my order at B&H and hopefully bump up the shipping time for someone else!


----------



## prestonpalmer (Mar 21, 2012)

That means we might have it at the end of next week!? WOOT!!! Ive had mine pre-ordered since the moment it came out.


----------



## prestonpalmer (Mar 21, 2012)

I have mine coming overnight to Hawaii. Hopefully we see some tracking numbers soon! C'mon BH!


----------



## takoman46 (Mar 21, 2012)

prestonpalmer said:


> I have mine coming overnight to Hawaii. Hopefully we see some tracking numbers soon! C'mon BH!



Nice to see another user on this forum from Hawaii lol. I got one on next day air as well and received the order confirmation email at 7:34pm HST... which would be 12:34am EST but haven't been charged by B&H as some other user on this forum reported already. Their order went in 18 minutes before mine... but then again a lot can happen in 18 minutes haha!


----------



## danny_oz (Mar 21, 2012)

Got this message just now, (I asked to cancel because there were so many people getting 5D3's without pre-ordering from other stores, yet BH could not give any indication on ETA)

"First of all you placed this preorder on 3/10/12, secondly we started accepting pre-orders on 3/2/12, so there are quite a few who pre ordered ahead of you. We are expecting our first shipment later this week. Once that arrives we can see how many ship, and how many will come with the next shipment. Perhaps at that point there will be a better idea of when you will get yours. If you can find it elsewhere and wish to cancel you can do so just let us know."

I cancelled.


----------



## Kingw (Mar 21, 2012)

B&H sells too much stuff and they don't care about a "small" portion of 5d3 users. Instead local or smaller camera stores who treasure every single customer, are doing a much better job. 

Maybe all the guys who pre-ordered 5D3 from B&H should go onto google Review and start leaving negative comments, heh.


----------



## JerryKnight (Mar 21, 2012)

Wow, it must be really hard for some people to accept the possibility that they might not know for sure. Canon might not be telling them exactly how many they're getting when, so B&H can't possibly give their pre-order customers individual estimates.

This is still speculation. It's also possible you're all right and B&H really doesn't care about a few frustrated pre-order customers, but to me it seems more likely that they don't want to give false estimates.

As far as general updates, watch their two Twitter accounts (@BandHPhoto and @BHPhotoVideo). They are communicating about it some. Not as much as you'd like, but it's not 100% silence.


----------



## chuckjr (Mar 21, 2012)

Via chat today they told me they had no idea when, nor could tell me where i was in line. I started looking on other sites and see availability dates of May 3. 

I will definitely use this experience and reconsider my dealings with B&H. As much as I would like to support my local camera shop I have a hard time stomaching an additional $300 in taxes. 

Funny thing when i searched google for a release date the top-most paid add is for B&H stating the kit would ship 3/20. 

_New Canon EOS 5D Mark III | BHPhotoVideo.com
bhphotovideo.com/Canon_5D_Mark_III - 
75,419 seller reviews
The Kits Start Shipping Today 3/20! Order Now, $3499 Charged Upon Ship
1,507 people +1'd B and H_


----------



## JasonATL (Mar 21, 2012)

Kingw said:


> B&H sells too much stuff and they don't care about a "small" portion of 5d3 users. Instead local or smaller camera stores who treasure every single customer, are doing a much better job.
> 
> Maybe all the guys who pre-ordered 5D3 from B&H should go onto google Review and start leaving negative comments, heh.



I was finding the comments here amusing. Now, I just find them utterly ridiculous. 

Before smearing a reputable chain, consider this. When you pre-ordered from B&H, when did you expect them to ship the camera? There are only two reasonable answers to this question: 1) when they received them; 2) March 22. At time of pre-order, I was in the former camp, as no set date had been given upon which I could set my expectation. I think the 5D3 announcement said something about late March, so perhaps that was my expectation, but it was rather imprecise. Later, I started expecting March 22, mostly based on CR, which has consistently identified this date as both the date which Canon set for U.S. sales and shipments and the date that B&H specifically should be expected to ship.

The only legitimate complaint you might have is whether B&H could communicate more or better. My experience in business tells me that they shouldn't have communicated anything, as the timeline that they internally might be planning on depended critically on receiving a shipment 3/21 or 3/22 from Canon. Any communication to this effect would set expectations based on something out of their control. Worse, it risked putting Canon, their business partner, in a bad position. Suppose Canon missed the delivery. Then everyone here would be complaining about Canon, threatening (even more than now) to switch to Nikon. While B&H still might capture the Nikon business, they still have the reputation problem with Canon.

The above even ignores the possibility that B&H had to agree with Canon not to disclose a firm ship date. This agreement would have been in OUR (customers of B&H) best interest, as they might have agreed to this to get a larger initial alotment. 

As I said elsewhere here. I'm anxious for this thing to get here. But, my expectation all along has been that it would ship from B&H as soon as they got it and that could be as early as 3/22. So far, there is NOTHING to cause me lose confidence in that expectation. Unlike smaller stores, B&H has a huge, well-earned reputation at stake with its large customer base and a beneficial (for us) relationship with Canon.

The lack of patience here rivals that of my 3-year old niece headed to Disneyworld. No, we're not there yet! But we're on the way and we'll get there when we get there!


----------



## Live Refocused (Mar 21, 2012)

JasonATL said:


> Kingw said:
> 
> 
> > B&H sells too much stuff and they don't care about a "small" portion of 5d3 users. Instead local or smaller camera stores who treasure every single customer, are doing a much better job.
> ...



+1. You're right, I myself have been impatient. Your perspective is refreshing.


----------



## epiieq1 (Mar 21, 2012)

I think the lack of patience is, in large part, due to the lack of communication from B&H. While they may be dealing with a large shipment, and trying to figure out the best way to handle it and get it out to all of their pre-orders, refusing to communicate with paying customers (a number of whom are probably new or fairly new) is not good business practice in this day and age. In the pre-online days, sure it's fine, but with the massive communication that goes on (read the entire thread we're in for a good example), they appear (while this probably isn't true) to be treating their customers as if they're insignificant nothings who don't matter. Communication is an extremely important part of customer service, and that's where people are having issues with them.


----------



## Cooperphile (Mar 21, 2012)

From CR:



CR said:


> Lots of excitement
> There is a ton of excitement for the new 5D Mark III, I’d still call the response overwhelming and completely beyond whatever I expected.
> 
> B&H, Adorama and Amazon are beginning preorder shipments this week. B&H has said they should be able to fill all preorders with their first 2 shipments of cameras.
> ...


----------



## kiniro (Mar 21, 2012)

Bottom line, everybody just has to wait and be patient. Remember, this is a brand new item in high demand that as far as I know, never had an official sale release date (I might be wrong). B&H probably has their reasons why they are not communicating. More than likely, they're playing it safe or do not have any information at all. I believe customers from Adorama and Amazon are experiencing the same lack of information.
Are you going to have this only issue as the basis for saying that B&H sucks?
Plus, it is a pre-order item. It's definitely a special unique scenario.


----------



## epiieq1 (Mar 21, 2012)

kiniro said:


> Bottom line, everybody just has to wait and be patient. Remember, this is a brand new item in high demand that as far as I know, never had an official sale release date (I might be wrong). B&H probably has their reasons why they are not communicating. More than likely, they're playing it safe or do not have any information at all. I believe customers from Adorama and Amazon are experiencing the same lack of information.
> Are you going to have this only issue as the basis for saying that B&H sucks?
> Plus, it is a pre-order item. It's definitely a special unique scenario.



Agreed. I'm definitely not canceling mine and am keeping my place in line with B&H based on their reputation for handling returns and quality issues in a customer-friendly manner. I did talk to the local camera store who told me how many pre-orders they had, but not the number of items they'll be receiving. It sounded like they had a 4 to 1 ratio of bodies vs. kits. If this is happening all over, and is not something Canon had prepped for, this could be causing a bit of a supply constraint.


----------



## SomeGuyInNewJersey (Mar 21, 2012)

JasonATL said:


> Kingw said:
> 
> 
> > B&H sells too much stuff and they don't care about a "small" portion of 5d3 users. Instead local or smaller camera stores who treasure every single customer, are doing a much better job.
> ...



I am probably part of some of the things you say are ridiculous on thse forums but I agree with you on all you say here... 

B&H did not form with the specific purpose of only filling 5d3 preorders, the systems they have in place for their business, big business as it is, are not designed to cope with these kind of events. They have all sorts of other business reasons to handle thinsg the way they are. To get so irate with B&H/Amazon and say you are new going to buy anything about them again because of this is pointless and something I suspsect those who said it will not stick to anyways... Just because stores that had no preorder mechanism have them in stock now and B&H have trucks full coming through to handle but cant give a specific ship time for each every one of their thousands of preorders does not make B&H evil all of a sudden.


----------



## SomeGuyInNewJersey (Mar 21, 2012)

Ive just posted on the other preorder thread

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php/topic,3808.msg92844.html#msg92844

About chaning from body only to kit on my preorder...* you dont lose your place in line if you switch body to kit*... see the other thread for details...


----------



## bchernicoff (Mar 21, 2012)

The solution to this of course is to drive to NYC and line up outside there store Apple-style!

I kid.


----------



## Ninja1283 (Mar 21, 2012)

JasonATL said:


> Kingw said:
> 
> 
> > B&H sells too much stuff and they don't care about a "small" portion of 5d3 users. Instead local or smaller camera stores who treasure every single customer, are doing a much better job.
> ...



Another possibility is that they did not want to disclose ship dates because they do not want to deal with cancellations and lose business to other vendors who can ship/deliver before they can...


----------



## aluckyshot (Mar 21, 2012)

JasonATL said:


> Kingw said:
> 
> 
> > B&H sells too much stuff and they don't care about a "small" portion of 5d3 users. Instead local or smaller camera stores who treasure every single customer, are doing a much better job.
> ...



Good post. Meanwhile...I'm still taking great pictures with my trusty 5D Classic while waiting on my new Mark III...


----------



## Kingw (Mar 21, 2012)

JasonATL said:


> Kingw said:
> 
> 
> > B&H sells too much stuff and they don't care about a "small" portion of 5d3 users. Instead local or smaller camera stores who treasure every single customer, are doing a much better job.
> ...



Ok so tomorrow is Mar.22nd. We will see what happens then. I will be curious of what you will say after tomorrow.


----------



## JasonATL (Mar 21, 2012)

aluckyshot said:


> Good post. Meanwhile...I'm still taking great pictures with my trusty 5D Classic while waiting on my new Mark III...



Good point!  If I had a Mk II, I'd be doing the same thing rather than watching these threads! I'm looking forward to having the Mk III. Only a few more days...


----------



## Seamus (Mar 21, 2012)

Kingw said:


> JasonATL said:
> 
> 
> > Kingw said:
> ...



Probably "how do you like you like your new mark iii?". Or so we all hope.


----------



## JasonATL (Mar 21, 2012)

Ninja1283 said:


> Another possibility is that they did not want to disclose ship dates because they do not want to deal with cancellations and lose business to other vendors who can ship/deliver before they can...



Agreed. That is a possibility. But not one that I'm inclined to think likely. B&H has earned its good reputation and earned my "benefit of the doubt" in this case. Moreover, it isn't clear that this is what is happening. Are any large U.S. retailers shipping in quantity before B&H? Not that I'm aware of. My point isn't that B&H can do no wrong here. It is that they have not yet done wrong here... and they have done plenty right by their customers in the past.

Come Friday, if Amazon, Adorama, and Best Buy are shipping to all of their pre-orders and B&H isn't, then complaints would be legitmate. I doubt this will happen and my excellent experiences with B&H are enough reason alone for me to give them the benefit of the doubt UNTIL such time as they prove otherwise. To speculate that this could happen and suggest acting now accordingly is what is ridiculous, in my opinion. 

Again, I'm an excited 3-year, too. I'm excited about this camera arriving. If I weren't, I wouldn't be reading or posting here.


----------



## Seamus (Mar 21, 2012)

Nicely put JasonALT. Hopefully the tension will ease as soon as someone posts that they have received shipping confirmation fom B and H. Or maybe they will just start screaming "why haven't I...".


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## kiniro (Mar 21, 2012)

Seamus said:


> Nicely put JasonALT. Hopefully the tension will ease as soon as someone posts that they have received shipping confirmation fom B and H. Or maybe they will just start screaming "why haven't I...".



then the debate and screams about "but I was first on the waiting list" will start.


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## canonzz (Mar 21, 2012)

I called B&H to change the ship address on my 5D3 body preorder last week and the rep told me over the phone that i had a "good chance" at getting one from the first shipment "at the end of the month". I pre-ordered on the 10th. Not a guarantee obviously or an indication as to what day they will actually ship... but there ya have it. I suspect they'll be shipping a lot of cameras out soon.

I'm anxious to have the camera as well and have a trip coming up soon where i'd love to have the 5D3, but i didn't preorder at midnight on launch day so i'm being patient and not holding my breath.


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## vWings (Mar 21, 2012)

+1 Jason


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## HighDefJunkies (Mar 21, 2012)

Since I got an email from Adorama saying my item has shipped and I have a tracking #, I'm going to assume BH is right behind them. I wouldn't worry to much.


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## prestonpalmer (Mar 21, 2012)

Good to know Adorama is shipping! Hope BH isn't far behind.


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## AFurtado (Mar 21, 2012)

It is very interesting how CS will say different things to different people. I called today and they told me that it is impossible for CS to determine the position in the queue since their system does not record this. He also told me that B&H has not received any shipments yet and that they do not know how many cameras they will receive. So, even if he could determine what position I was in, he would not be able to tell me if I was in the first lot.
Just for the record my past experience with B&H has been excellent.


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## geminix (Mar 21, 2012)

Just got off the phone with B&H, cancelled my body order as I was able to get a kit yesterday from Crutchfield which just shipped and will be here in the morning. While he was cancelling the order, I asked him when they planned on shipping the pre-orders out - he said they expect their first big shipment on Friday, and would begin shipping them hopefully the same day, or Monday.


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## nvsravank (Mar 21, 2012)

Looks like Body only are in short supply while KITS are aplenty. I found two retailers having them in stock! Both in NJ and charging me Tax


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## TexPhoto (Mar 21, 2012)

It is really frustrating to find B&H at least a few days behind neighborhood camera stores. They still have my pre-order because I live in Puerto Rico, and shipping from the small guys is $$$.


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## MARKOE PHOTOE (Mar 21, 2012)

AFurtado said:


> It is very interesting how CS will say different things to different people. I called today and they told me that it is impossible for CS to determine the position in the queue since their system does not record this. He also told me that B&H has not received any shipments yet and that they do not know how many cameras they will receive. So, even if he could determine what position I was in, he would not be able to tell me if I was in the first lot.
> Just for the record my past experience with B&H has been excellent.



I rec'd the exact same response today from B&H so maybe we spoke to the same CS rep. I'm hanging on a thread and if I don't get some shipping information by Friday of this week, I 'might' cancel and look for another retailer who has the body and/or the kit in stock.


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## roumin (Mar 21, 2012)

Just bought the last 5D3 body at Kenmore Camera in Washington and cancelled my order at B&H.


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## kiniro (Mar 22, 2012)

any updates from anybody?


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## JerryKnight (Mar 22, 2012)

Still "Backordered"... (pre-order 3/1 11:36pm CT)

Switched my shipping to Next Day, just in case they meet the rumored 22nd date.


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## Bubbaknoxz (Mar 22, 2012)

I am still showing backordered order on 3/2 at 12:05 EST order #524XX. I could have picked up one today at Unique but I paid for my 5D3 in full at B&H.


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## kiniro (Mar 22, 2012)

Tomorrow will be a better day...let's hope! On a different note, if you go to the B&H website and search for Canon 5d Mark III, the items now show an image that says "New Arrival". First time I notice it. Anybody notice it before?


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## JerryKnight (Mar 22, 2012)

I didn't notice that before, but it's also on the BG-E11 grip but that's certainly not an eminent release, so it's probably not related..

Unless Canon moved up the BG-E11 shipping date, which would be fantastic.


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## Seamus (Mar 22, 2012)

The new arrival badge is interesting. I have high hopes for tomorrow, come on power of positive thinking!


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## peederj (Mar 22, 2012)

Oy vey...

"B&H will be closed Friday April 6th in observance of Passover and will reopen on Sunday April 15th at 10:00AM EST."

Let us pray the Angel of Delay passes over our orders! I'm putting lamb's blood all over my front door, stat!

(And yes I am tribe enough to joke)


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## takoman46 (Mar 22, 2012)

So the Amazon pre-orders are being filled as I type... Adorama pre-orders have already been shipping from today... will B&H ship our orders tomorrow? I'll say that they BETTER!!!... or else... i'm just gonna sit around sulking over the weekend lol. (expecting something more dramatic?) sorry to disappoint lol. So I got my fingers crossed and going to pray every hour on the hour until I recieve shipping notification. BTW, tonight at midnight, I'm also sacrificing a small rodent on a little alter I made out of some pebbles from my driveway!


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## Dignan21 (Mar 22, 2012)

I haven't been charged formally but about 3600 US just got knocked off my available limit.


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## scottk (Mar 22, 2012)

takoman46 said:


> So the Amazon pre-orders are being filled as I type... Adorama pre-orders have already been shipping from today... will B&H ship our orders tomorrow? I'll say that they BETTER!!!... or else... i'm just gonna sit around sulking over the weekend lol. (expecting something more dramatic?) sorry to disappoint lol. So I got my fingers crossed and going to pray every hour on the hour until I recieve shipping notification. BTW, tonight at midnight, I'm also sacrificing a small rodent on a little alter I made out of some pebbles from my driveway!



Pictures, or it didn't happen. ;D


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## Warninglabel (Mar 22, 2012)

Ok kinda late with this info but just got back from Chicago, IL, on my way there, I stopped @ Roberts Camera in Indy (thanks K-amps Roberts North in Carmel is a great place) I'm going to start buying stuff from them, they all seem nice. 

But anyway after leaving the American Girl Doll store. I call B&H because I've read so much about people getting thier 5D Mark 3 and was hoping I would get my body before the weekend. So I wanted to change my shipping to overnight. I told the CS rep I wanted to change my order to overnight but will you first check and see if my order will be shipped before this weekend, so I don't waist my money? He pause a min and said, It looks like we are getting a shipment on Friday so overnight wouldn't help you. I placed my order @ 12:10am, March 2nd, the CS rep was really nice and I sure he didn't want to charge me overnight shipping unless I had a chance to get it Friday. This is the first time I have ever Pre-ordered anything and I really don't see why I did and will most likely not in the future unless its a local seller. I wanted to give you guys some info, so you can enjoy the nice weather the next few days.

I bought a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, nice little lens @ Roberts BTW


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## takoman46 (Mar 22, 2012)

scottk said:


> takoman46 said:
> 
> 
> > So the Amazon pre-orders are being filled as I type... Adorama pre-orders have already been shipping from today... will B&H ship our orders tomorrow? I'll say that they BETTER!!!... or else... i'm just gonna sit around sulking over the weekend lol. (expecting something more dramatic?) sorry to disappoint lol. So I got my fingers crossed and going to pray every hour on the hour until I recieve shipping notification. BTW, tonight at midnight, I'm also sacrificing a small rodent on a little alter I made out of some pebbles from my driveway!
> ...



Wow, whatever happened to taking a guy's word for it? I mean... would I lie to you guys?


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## kareshi (Mar 22, 2012)

Seamus said:


> The new arrival badge is interesting. I have high hopes for tomorrow, come on power of positive thinking!



The new arrival thing has no meaning. If you check the 24-70II page, you can see the same thing.


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## bchernicoff (Mar 22, 2012)

Bubbaknoxz said:


> I am still showing backordered order on 3/2 at 12:05 EST order #524XX. I could have picked up one today at Unique but I paid for my 5D3 in full at B&H.



Thanks for the info. My order was placed 25 minutes after you and is 528XX. My hopes of shipping in the first wave have faded knowing there are 300-400 people between us. I realize not all of those are 5D orders, but I would bet most of them are...


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## sebastiencote.com (Mar 22, 2012)

CANON RUMORS on Facebook...

Canon Rumors
Amazon has started shipping and B&H will this AM.
J’aime · · Partager · 111 · Il y a 10 minutes · 

my order nb.. 530xx ... cross my fingers !


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## carmello22 (Mar 22, 2012)

Just called B&H and they said they weren't receiving stock until Friday. The CSR wasn't sure what time the shipment would arrive, so he couldn't tell me if the order would ship out Friday or not.


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## kevinmundo (Mar 22, 2012)

I called B&H this morning also to check and customer support confirms the camera will arrive "sometime" today and will ship between now and "anytime" next week. But he will not confirm if my order will ship or not. I was on early pre-order and also got the backorder status so I told them to cancel my order as this was poor sales service. I called Adorama and it's in stock. I placed my order. The camera will arrive tomorrow. If you can wait, stick with B&H, otherwise go elsewhere.


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## Kingw (Mar 22, 2012)

carmello22 said:


> Just called B&H and they said they weren't receiving stock until Friday. The CSR wasn't sure what time the shipment would arrive, so he couldn't tell me if the order would ship out Friday or not.



Great. Thank you for the update. 

I bet some of the B&H fan boys on this forum will now say "just be patient, with my multi years of million dollar experience with B&H, they won't fail me!"

Personally I believe how they handle this pre-order situation, resembles a total failure. My friends in Hong Kong have already been shooting with a 5D3 for several days. lol.


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## Bubbaknoxz (Mar 22, 2012)

kevinmundo said:


> I called B&H this morning also to check and customer support confirms the camera will arrive "sometime" today and will ship between now and "anytime" next week. But he will not confirm if my order will ship or not. I was on early pre-order and also got the backorder status so I told them to cancel my order as this was poor sales service. I called Adorama and it's in stock. I placed my order. The camera will arrive tomorrow. If you can wait, stick with B&H, otherwise go elsewhere.



You didn't happen to talk to a Israel S.? Because I got the same response when I talked to him about 5 minutes ago.


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## AFurtado (Mar 22, 2012)

Bubbaknoxz said:


> kevinmundo said:
> 
> 
> > I called B&H this morning also to check and customer support confirms the camera will arrive "sometime" today and will ship between now and "anytime" next week. But he will not confirm if my order will ship or not. I was on early pre-order and also got the backorder status so I told them to cancel my order as this was poor sales service. I called Adorama and it's in stock. I placed my order. The camera will arrive tomorrow. If you can wait, stick with B&H, otherwise go elsewhere.
> ...


The answer you get will depend in the rep you get. I have called more than once and the explanation keeps changing back and forth.


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## JerryKnight (Mar 22, 2012)

Kingw said:


> carmello22 said:
> 
> 
> > Just called B&H and they said they weren't receiving stock until Friday. The CSR wasn't sure what time the shipment would arrive, so he couldn't tell me if the order would ship out Friday or not.
> ...



Kingw, what exactly are you expecting from them (B&H)? In what way have they made this a "total failure"? Do you honestly think that they have them but are deliberately not shipping them? No, they clearly don't have them, and they can't pull them out of a magic hat. They are completely at Canon's mercy (or the drivers of the trucks). They can't communicate any more than they have been because they can't afford to give false estimates. No estimates or over-estimates are better.

If anything is a total failure, it's Canon's distribution processes in the US. They can't afford a cargo plane or two for the east coast? They can't have legal agreements with retailers saying they can't sell or ship them until a specific date, so that everyone in the country gets them at the same time? (That's how Apple does it.) I blame Canon more than B&H, because the only way B&H could mess this up is to 1.) get the cameras from Canon and not ship them immediately, or 2.) Give customers every rumor they hear from the distribution companies and miss those estimates. I don't think they have done either.


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## kiniro (Mar 22, 2012)

AFurtado said:


> The answer you get will depend in the rep you get. I have called more than once and the explanation keeps changing back and forth.



That is somewhat good if you think about it. lol I e-mailed them last night. Will have to see when and what they respond.


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## Bubbaknoxz (Mar 22, 2012)

> The answer you get will depend in the rep you get. I have called more than once and the explanation keeps changing back and forth.



It was the first time I actually got any info directly from a B&H source. Usually its the "we don't know when we will get it" routine.


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## Warninglabel (Mar 22, 2012)

I have always ordered from B&H for years but I cancel my order today and had one overnight-ed from Onecall.com they still have some kits as of 5 min ago but now sold out with the body. My order XXXXX5261X was way earlier then most, posted on this forum. What makes me sad about this experience with B&H, is that they never ask why I was canceling "OK will do, have a nice day, bye." Just under 5 sec I was sitting in my chair dumb founded. I was one of their customers, I have bought a lot from them over the years and I was just a order # nothing else. But anyway, some of you are one step closer, good luck.


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## kevinmundo (Mar 22, 2012)

AFurtado said:


> Bubbaknoxz said:
> 
> 
> > kevinmundo said:
> ...



I don't remember who was on the other line at B&H csr but I wasn't satisfied with the uncertainty so it was best to take my business elsewhere. I have now placed my order with Adorama with overnight shipping so unless the order get canceled by them, I "hope" to have it in my hands tomorrow.


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## Warninglabel (Mar 22, 2012)

JerryKnight said:


> Kingw, what exactly are you expecting from them (B&H)? In what way have they made this a "total failure"? Do you honestly think that they have them but are deliberately not shipping them? No, they clearly don't have them, and they can't pull them out of a magic hat. They are completely at Canon's mercy (or the drivers of the trucks). They can't communicate any more than they have been because they can't afford to give false estimates. No estimates or over-estimates are better.
> 
> If anything is a total failure, it's Canon's distribution processes in the US. They can't afford a cargo plane or two for the east coast? They can't have legal agreements with retailers saying they can't sell or ship them until a specific date, so that everyone in the country gets them at the same time? (That's how Apple does it.) I blame Canon more than B&H, because the only way B&H could mess this up is to 1.) get the cameras from Canon and not ship them immediately, or 2.) Give customers every rumor they hear from the distribution companies and miss those estimates. I don't think they have done either.




I think after 300+ calls from customers in one week, management @ B&H would had a meeting with their CS associates and prep them with Talking Points and stop having different answers each time someone called.


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## FyreStorm (Mar 22, 2012)

Their website has been down for the past 3 minutes...what does it mean Basil?


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## FyreStorm (Mar 22, 2012)

I think I know...I **JUST** received notification my credit card was billed by B&H for the body only 5D3!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Their shipping baby!!!!


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## mtavel (Mar 22, 2012)

Looks like the B&H web site is dead.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

Edit: Looks like it's coming back up now. My order is of course still backordered - no miracles to report after the outage


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## kiniro (Mar 22, 2012)

My order status now says "In stock, order sent to warehouse"!!!


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## Live Refocused (Mar 22, 2012)

kiniro said:


> My order status now says "In stock, order sent to warehouse"!!!



As does mine. Almost there...just need a tracking number now. It's a race between Adorama and B&H for me.


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## SomeGuyInNewJersey (Mar 22, 2012)

kiniro said:


> My order status now says "In stock, order sent to warehouse"!!!



Mine too... shipping today then hopefully


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## starflux (Mar 22, 2012)

JUST GOT NOTIFICATION FROM B&H A FEW MINUTES AGO MY ORDER IS BEING PROCESSED AT THEIR WAREHOUSE.


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## Mike Ca (Mar 22, 2012)

This morning my order status changed from "backordered" to "In stock, order sent to warehouse".

My confirmation email from B&H was at 9:32 PM PST March 1st.


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## kiniro (Mar 22, 2012)

Sweet! I guess the next step is for the Warehouse to verify the stock for our preorders. I guess the Warehouse will determine on which wave our shipments will be done.
I pre-ordered at 25 minutes past midnight on March 2nd. My order ends in 528XX.


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## SomeGuyInNewJersey (Mar 22, 2012)

kiniro said:


> Sweet! I guess the next step is for the Warehouse to verify the stock for our preorders. I guess the Warehouse will determine on which wave our shipments will be done.
> I pre-ordered at 25 minutes past midnight on March 2nd. My order ends in 528XX.



I preordered 12:13 est on 2nd my order ends in 525xx. Mine was originally body only but I switched it to kit yesterday.


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## naterz (Mar 22, 2012)

My debit card was just charged! I hope that means that they'll be shipping out today. My order number ends in 540xx so I think there are quite a few before me, but if my card was charged, that means they're shipping soon right?


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## Cooperphile (Mar 22, 2012)

SomeGuyInNewJersey said:


> I preordered 12:13 est on 2nd my order ends in 525xx. Mine was originally body only but I switched it to kit yesterday.


ACK! 573XX still equals Backordered. But yippee for the change.


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## mspivak (Mar 22, 2012)

Just spoke to a rep at B&H, who said that the first pre-orders of the 5DM3 will start shipping tomorrow, Friday.


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## sebastiencote.com (Mar 22, 2012)

530xx and now "in stock" "order sent to warehouse"


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## FocalFury (Mar 22, 2012)

Ordered kit on Fri. 2nd. #57xxx. "In stock, order sent to warehouse ".


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## henryp (Mar 22, 2012)

I am sorry for any dissatisfaction and happy to report we have received our first batch of EOS 5D Mk III bodies and body+kit packages. They should be shipped this afternoon. You will receive an email with a UPS package tracking number. UPS will be able to confirm the tracking number several hours later as we affix the number before the package is handed off from us to UPS. We expect our next batch to be delivered to us next week.

Henry Posner
*B&H Photo-Video*


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## sgennrich (Mar 22, 2012)

My B&H account also says "In stock, order sent to warehouse."


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## bchernicoff (Mar 22, 2012)

I ended up canceling my B&H order for the body after speaking to the rep at onecall.com. They have (or had) body kits in stock, to ship today with overnight shipping for tomorrow. When I called B&H to cancel he made sure I was aware that my order would be shipping later today. A tough decision, but the onecall.com guy was extremely nice and genuinely wanted me get it in time for use this weekend.


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## Stephen Melvin (Mar 22, 2012)

henryp said:


> I am sorry for any dissatisfaction and happy to report we have received our first batch of EOS 5D Mk III bodies and body+kit packages. They should be shipped this afternoon. You will receive an email with a UPS package tracking number. UPS will be able to confirm the tracking number several hours later as we affix the number before the package is handed off from us to UPS. We expect our next batch to be delivered to us next week.
> 
> Henry Posner
> *B&H Photo-Video*



Good to see you here, Henry. Do you have an estimate as to what percentage of your backorders will be filled between these two batches? I wasn't able to order until yesterday, so I'm sure I'm not in the first batch. But my fingers are crossed that Canon sent you enough that perhaps I'll be in the second.


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## Isurus (Mar 22, 2012)

henryp said:


> I am sorry for any dissatisfaction and happy to report we have received our first batch of EOS 5D Mk III bodies and body+kit packages. They should be shipped this afternoon. You will receive an email with a UPS package tracking number. UPS will be able to confirm the tracking number several hours later as we affix the number before the package is handed off from us to UPS. We expect our next batch to be delivered to us next week.
> 
> Henry Posner
> *B&H Photo-Video*



Is it safe to assume that if our Order status is still "back ordered" that we won't be part of the first shipment?


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## dho81 (Mar 22, 2012)

my B&H order status is now reporting SHIPPED! Whoohoo!

my two orders (body only) were made Mar 1, 9:16pm and 9:38pm PST; order # ending in 526xx and 529xx


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## Live Refocused (Mar 22, 2012)

I now have a tracking number with UPS for a body only that was ordered at 12:13 on 3/2, order #52xxx.

B&H won the race (barely), but gets demerits for their too-little very-late communication. Props nonetheless to Henry Posner @B&H for his belated attempt.


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## peederj (Mar 22, 2012)

538xx body only shipped FedEx o/n.

WAAAHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOO

Tomorrow morning we begin our partnership.


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## LilPhotog (Mar 22, 2012)

559xx body only ordered 3/2 at 7:32am still listed as 'backordered'.

Just talked to a sales rep. He said that they expect them in today. He plead ignorance that anyone's cards were being charged and that any were shipping yet. And of course no way to tell me where I was in the queue. He said that if I'm not included in the first batch, another batch would be sent out in 7-10 business days. 

I'm going to be really unhappy if I get stuck in the Passover window (B&H closed from 4/6-4/15) and have to wait until after 4/15 for shipping.


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## Live Refocused (Mar 22, 2012)

henryp said:


> I am sorry for any dissatisfaction and happy to report we have received our first batch of EOS 5D Mk III bodies and body+kit packages. They should be shipped this afternoon. You will receive an email with a UPS package tracking number. UPS will be able to confirm the tracking number several hours later as we affix the number before the package is handed off from us to UPS. We expect our next batch to be delivered to us next week.
> 
> Henry Posner
> *B&H Photo-Video*



Hi Henry,

First, thanks for posting here with your update. As you can no doubt see, our angst has been brewing for some time, and communication from someone like yourself at B&H goes a long way towards establishing that someone there cares.

That said, I would be remiss if I didn't suggest that B&H can learn a number of lessons from this experience. I only speak for myself, but my perspective is that our frustration with B&H has nothing to do with the past, or the fact that you just didn't have cameras to ship. It has much more to do with the lack of consistent communication - either through social media such as Twitter, the forums, or your customer service reps - to your customers about the order. I can imagine that B&H was feeling a great deal of pressure to satisfy their customers, but lacking communication really, at least in the short term, damaged your reputation.

So, I have two suggestions that might help this be a better experience for both yourselves and your customers.

First, use the vocal feedback you've received as leverage through your channel partnership with Canon. Make it clear to Canon that, as a valued reseller, you simply cannot be put in this position the next time a major launch is upon you. As one of the largest resellers of their products, you should be able to leverage your channel relationship to improve the process and craft a communication plan for next time.

Second, get hip. That is, recognize and understand that a part of your customer base is rabid, (relatively) loyal, and makes full use of technology to socialize, vocalize, and gain what little leverage we as individuals have. For example, next time, don't wait until the "official" launch day to post on canonrumors or your twitter account - watch the forums, get engaged, and communicate what you can, as soon as you can. I can say that having read the experiences that others have had with Adorama and your other competitors, it wasn't as if they had _better_ information or _better_ news, but the fact that many of them made an _effort_ to communicate more freely and openly made a huge difference. Just being able to get that comfort level that there is someone in management who is willing to share what he can could have utterly turned this micro-debacle into a win for B&H.

Thanks for listening, and I truly wish you the best. Hopefully you and the folks at B&H can get some sanity back now that the first shipments are out the door.

Dane


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## Seamus (Mar 22, 2012)

Ah, sweet relief. Who knew that a tracking number could be so sweet...
Order #531xx. I hope the higher numbers ship too


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## vWings (Mar 22, 2012)

532xx for body only is on it's way.


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## kiniro (Mar 22, 2012)

got my tracking number also. Order 528XX.
Should have my camera (body only) tomorrow (overnight shipping).


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## takoman46 (Mar 22, 2012)

My B&H order number is 528XX and status on B&H Tracking is "SHIPPED"!!! CHEEEEHOOOO!

Haven't received email shipping confirmation and the UPS tracking number is not active yet so I'm guessing UPS does not actually have the package in their possession yet. I think they pick up after 4pm EST though. So I hopefully will receive the 5D mkIII by tomorrow! ;D ;D ;D


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## Crapking (Mar 22, 2012)

xxx527xxx EN ROUTE / UPS tonite - shooting tomorrow


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## scottb (Mar 22, 2012)

I have a tracking number for UPS and my order lists as "shipped". I just took the free shipping. Order #533XX.

I'm hoping, due to the weekend, it gets here (Los Angeles) the same time as my 35 1.4L which shipped yesterday.


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## nvsravank (Mar 22, 2012)

552XX - Body Only - Backordered still. March 2nd 5:45 AM ET confirmation email


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## naterz (Mar 22, 2012)

Good news! I'm order number 540xx and my status on B&H says shipped. So I should get mine tomorrow. It has a tracking number and all! WAHOOOO!!! I was worried that I wouldn't be on the first batch. Looks like they got a BUNCH!


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## magicc (Mar 22, 2012)

Just spoke with customer service and this was the response for an order # x553xx order 

You're order for the camera will likely we fulfilled in our next shipment which we should be receiving sometime around April 2nd.

Bummer! too late for the shoots the weekend previous too! Now I can only pray that something changes and it somehow gets in the frist batch sent out.


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## SomeGuyInNewJersey (Mar 22, 2012)

Order number 525xx and I am now shipped... UPS tracking number on the website


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## Mike Ca (Mar 22, 2012)

My order status now says shipped and I have a tracking number. 

Order number 528xx, confirmation email at 9:32 PM PST on 3/1, body only.


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## nvsravank (Mar 22, 2012)

naterz, body only or Kit?


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## prayharder (Mar 22, 2012)

Order 536xx body only just shipped out w/ tracking number!


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## Higs42 (Mar 22, 2012)

Order 586XX for kit is shipping today.


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## FocalFury (Mar 22, 2012)

57xxx for kit has been shipped to Canada w/ tracking #. Seems like there were far fewer kit orders.


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## Sinsear (Mar 22, 2012)

OP here, order 528xx body-only shipped. They must've received 1000+ inventory on the first shipment. Impressive indeed.


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## aluckyshot (Mar 22, 2012)

Could be awhile at 1000 units a pop for me. 618XX on 3/2 at 1:33 pm CST. Body only. :-\


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## echojs (Mar 22, 2012)

Same here.. at 636xx on 3/2 at 3:43 pm CST. I don't really NEED it until April 3rd. Hoping and praying!...body only


----------



## naterz (Mar 22, 2012)

nvsravank said:


> naterz, body only or Kit?



body only

i haven't got the email notification yet, but if i check my order status, it says shipped with tracking number.


----------



## bp (Mar 22, 2012)

aluckyshot said:


> Could be awhile at 1000 units a pop for me. 618XX on 3/2 at 1:33 pm CST. Body only. :-\



Just get it from somewhere else.

My B&H preorder number was XXXX812XXX, placed on the 7th... god knows how many batches down I would've been. Cancelled and ordered from Profeel and it should be in my hands by Monday.

A bit confused why so many are sticking to their BH preorder so fervently, and bemoaning the wait ahead of them. Smaller shops all over the place have them in stock, ready to ship (most had them ready to roll apparently before B&H even received their first shipment which boggles the mind). As stated before though, this is not B&H's fault - can you imagine the heart palpitations their executives are having?


----------



## yjiang (Mar 22, 2012)

Chatted with B&H. #574xx body only might be fulfilled on next shipment which is expected on April 2.


----------



## echojs (Mar 22, 2012)

bp said:


> aluckyshot said:
> 
> 
> > Could be awhile at 1000 units a pop for me. 618XX on 3/2 at 1:33 pm CST. Body only. :-\
> ...



I'd like to but I personally need the Bill Me Later option. If someone else has extra bodies in stock with that option so I can have it by 4/3, I'd definitely look that direction.


----------



## thehanyo (Mar 22, 2012)

I was 660XX on 3/2 at B&H. Got scared this morning waiting for that damn status to change to "Shipped," so I called every camera store in NYC. After calling about 7 different places, K&M in Chinatown told me they had a couple in the back, but were reserved for pre-orders. Then I begged. And they said they felt bad for me and would give me one. They also have D800s for those that are interested/in the NYC area.


----------



## Drama79 (Mar 22, 2012)

yjiang said:


> Chatted with B&H. #574xxx body only might be fulfilled on next shipment which is expected on April 2.



I was close then - I was 544xx (you added an extra x!) body only, and mine is in this batch. Nice that they've said their next batch is due on a certain date. Sucks that that's in two weeks though


----------



## prestonpalmer (Mar 22, 2012)

Just got an update from BH!

Order Status: In stock, order sent to warehouse 

Should see a tracking # from them soon!


----------



## RedEye (Mar 22, 2012)

Got a UPS tracking Number! B&H order 537XX. YES!


----------



## RunAndGun (Mar 22, 2012)

Just spoke with a customer service rep at B&H, because I was going to change my shipping IF mine was going to go out today, but no dice... Ordered on 3/2, 597xx and I didn't make the first batch cut. He said they think the next batch should be in in a week to week and a half.

I don't really need it, but it would have been nice to have it this weekend since I'm home and off and have a perfect opportunity to use it on Saturday. Guess I'll just have to use my two 5DmkII's 

I'm not going to pile on B&H like a lot of people have, because I've had a long and good professional relationship with them and they are at the mercy of when they receive the merchandise from manufacturers and distributors, but it is weird that they seem to be the last one's to the party, so to speak.


----------



## Mencho(22) (Mar 22, 2012)

I have my UPS Tracking too  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D


----------



## Seamus (Mar 22, 2012)

Sorry to hear you missed the first batch, runandgun. Way to take it in stride though!


----------



## Sam (Mar 22, 2012)

xx 554 xx

Must have missed by only a few ... 

Body only


Shipping to the land of maple syrup


----------



## LilPhotog (Mar 22, 2012)

bp said:


> aluckyshot said:
> 
> 
> > Could be awhile at 1000 units a pop for me. 618XX on 3/2 at 1:33 pm CST. Body only. :-\
> ...




Thanks for the tip. Couldn't find a place that had them in stock. Just ordered from Profeel too and cancelled my B&H.


----------



## Ckweisler (Mar 22, 2012)

Just wanted to let everyone know that my kit with a mid # 54XXX just shipped. hope this informs some racing minds. Time to cancel my amazon order. Good luck!


----------



## Ninja1283 (Mar 22, 2012)

Order xxxxx542xx (body only) to ship today!


----------



## prayharder (Mar 22, 2012)

5D3 kit in stock at B&H

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/847546-REG/Canon_5260B009_EOS_5D_Mark_III.html


----------



## Mencho(22) (Mar 22, 2012)

Mencho(22) said:


> I have my UPS Tracking too  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D



My order was 526XX


----------



## eason_c (Mar 22, 2012)

Got my tracking number as well... order number 544XX ;D ;D


----------



## nvsravank (Mar 22, 2012)

Well talked to the rep and i have to wait much longer.
So switched to the Kit. getting it tomorrow.


----------



## kareshi (Mar 22, 2012)

sigh my order used to be 530xx. since i needed to cancel it and order again, my order is now 754xx .. guess i will need to wait till end of apr


----------



## Seamus (Mar 22, 2012)

kareshi said:


> sigh my order used to be 530xx. since i needed to cancel it and order again, my order is now 754xx .. guess i will need to wait till end of apr


If you don't want to wait, then cancel and go to another supplier... There are lots of mark iii's out there!


----------



## RunAndGun (Mar 22, 2012)

Seamus said:


> Sorry to hear you missed the first batch, runandgun. Way to take it in stride though!



Thanks Seamus.

If I needed a kit, I'd be in good shape, but I already have a 24-105mm.

Of course I could always order the kit and then sell the lens. And probably come out better since the 24-105 sales for over $1,100 by itself(it only "costs" $800 when you buy it as a kit). 8)


----------



## Seamus (Mar 22, 2012)

Yah, bit of a hassle though. I'll miss shooting this weekend, not arriving until Tuesday...


----------



## m3tek44 (Mar 22, 2012)

I called Amazon and e-mail and they still don't have ETA. They did provide me with one day shipping free of charge. Sooner or later I'm sure Amazon will ship it....


----------



## kareshi (Mar 22, 2012)

Seamus said:


> kareshi said:
> 
> 
> > sigh my order used to be 530xx. since i needed to cancel it and order again, my order is now 754xx .. guess i will need to wait till end of apr
> ...



Thanks, yes I am going to grab one locally as I am going to a trip on Mar 31 and wish to use the MK3. I actually got some deal from B&H so that's why I am keeping it. May put it on sale for little profit . ;D


----------



## yjiang (Mar 22, 2012)

yjiang said:


> Chatted with B&H. #574xx body only might be fulfilled on next shipment which is expected on April 2.



switched to kit and order sent to warehouse now.


----------



## larryf (Mar 22, 2012)

Called and ordered the 5d Mark III kit from B&H. They have a few extra of the kits in stock than they had preorders for. Got a tracking number, will be here tomorrow.


----------



## photodim (Mar 22, 2012)

Just checked my order status and it says shipped with the tracking number available. I ordered the kit on 3/17.


----------



## mrprometheus (Mar 22, 2012)

Canceled my body only preorder that I made on 7am EST 3/2 and walked over to B&H and got one of the last three kits they had in stock. This was ~3:45PM. Lucky to be close to them. =) Sounds like kits are getting pushed more than body only. Guess that makes business sense but is a sketchy trick. 

For what it is worth I called Best Buy on LI and there is a store that starts with W and ends in y  that has 2 in stock now. They would not sell it to me. They are not allowed to let it leave the store until the March 25th. 

Now to test my goods for radiation. : :-\


----------



## bikeboynate (Mar 22, 2012)

I placed my order on March 10th with the order number of xxxxx444xx. Didn't get into the first batch... :'(

Anyone know a good place in the SF Bay area to get one?


----------



## RunAndGun (Mar 22, 2012)

I decided to follow my own (sort of) advice above and ordered the kit from B&H with the intentions of selling the 24-105mm. I imagine there may be a lot of people doing this. One of my audio guys may be interested in one of my mkII bodies(convert him from Nikon AND to FF, Lol) and that 24-105 would go nicely with it. Either way, I probably won't have too hard of a time selling the lens and effectively making my purchase less than buying the body alone.

I have received the tracking # from B&H, but I like to play it safe and hedge my bets, so I won't cancel my original body only order from them until I receive this one tomorrow.


----------



## Stephen Melvin (Mar 22, 2012)

I canceled my order with B&H this afternoon. The person on the other end was very nice and professional. Definitely impressed me.

And the guy at Norman, who I called 10 minutes later, was also super nice. My camera will be here tomorrow.


----------



## Seamus (Mar 22, 2012)

bikeboynate said:


> I placed my order on March 10th with the order number of xxxxx444xx. Didn't get into the first batch... :'(
> 
> Anyone know a good place in the SF Bay area to get one?



Sorry to hear that... Do they still have kits? Someone had posted that Best Buy had some, lot's of them around.
Good luck!


----------



## canonzz (Mar 22, 2012)

I just ordered a Body from ProFeel, delivery by Wednesday. Will call and cancel the B&H order tomorrow morning. I ordered on the 10th and am probably way down the list. Thought I could be patient because B&H has always been good to me, but I have a trip on the 31st and want to spend some quality time with the 5D3 

For those getting one today/tomorrow, have fun this weekend and post some shots!


----------



## Fooleryl (Mar 23, 2012)

Just cancelled my order for a body from B&H and ordered from Norman Camera in MI. Same price and it ships tomorrow! Can't wait to try it out on Thursday's shoot!!


----------



## kiniro (Mar 23, 2012)

Mine arrives tomorrow. but man, reading some threads on the forum about some people receiving faulty cameras scares me


----------



## frisk (Mar 23, 2012)

kiniro said:


> Mine arrives tomorrow. but man, reading some threads on the forum about some people receiving faulty cameras scares me



Look on the bright side - you are not hearing anything from the vast majority of the people who already got their cameras - possibly because they are too busy having fun with their new toy to have any time to hang out on the forum 

Personally I am still waiting....but the UPS truck should be here within the next 3 hours....it takes a bit longer for Adorama to deliver to Europe than within the US.


----------



## kiniro (Mar 23, 2012)

UPS delivered my camera 20 minutes ago. Haven't tested it yet since I'm at the office. Will test it later today.


----------



## TexPhoto (Mar 23, 2012)

Mine is on the way, shipped yesterday. Unfortunately I ordered 2 day shipping so will get it Monday . I am outside CONUS, so overnight was an additional $75.


----------



## Aqualinx (Mar 23, 2012)

Just FYI for those interested - I ordered mine Sun, Mar 4, 2012 at 10:02 PM. I inquired yesterday as to status and received the following reply:



> Thank you for contacting the Customer Service Department at B&H Photo Video and Pro Audio.
> 
> We received our first shipment of these today and they were all shipped out already. We expect to receive more of these next week.
> 
> ...


----------



## okcamera (Mar 23, 2012)

Cancel it if you can! Just get it from Unique Photo: http://store.uniquephoto.com/e/index.php/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-ef-24-105-lk-5260b009.html. If you add that to your cart and make it next day air shipping, shipping is free. I promise. I did it.

I don't know why anyone orders from B&H over Unique Photo. I am seriously obsessed with Unique.


----------



## Crapking (Mar 23, 2012)

xxx527xx arrived today !

Interesting workflow - see other thread on getting .CR2 into LR
ACR (with update) works great, but extra steps if using LR :-\


----------



## V8Beast (Mar 23, 2012)

Any idea on the status of body only 5DIII inventory at B&H?


----------



## jerodkaram (Mar 23, 2012)

B&H order number ...536XX just changed from "sent to warehouse" to an ACTUAL UPS TRACKING NUMBER within the last hour.

I pre-ordered a 5D3 body only--no kit. Confirmation email March 2 @ 1:21 AM. From previous conversations with a B&H customer service rep, I know I was somewhere between #540 and #550 on the wait list.

Hang tight fellas (& ladies)! They're definitely moving out the door! 

#excitedashell


----------



## fido414 (Mar 23, 2012)

Called Norman Camera at 9:30am PST 3/23 they were out of the 5D3 bodies but had kits available. They broke up a kit and sold me the body.  So confirmed for shipping tonight will be here early next week. 

Called BH and canceled my pre-order i placed with them. Order number 635xx


----------



## peederj (Mar 23, 2012)

...And it's here! ;D


----------



## CHpatent (Mar 23, 2012)

Buy.com seems to still have stock for body only 5DIII's.

Just called them and it looks like I'll have mine early next week.  I'll cancel my B&H pre-order once I have the tracking number.


----------



## Bob_McBob (Mar 23, 2012)

UPS managed to not screw up the next day air to Ontario, so I received my 5D3 from B&H this morning (order #53xxx). Looking forward to playing with it a lot this weekend. From some casual usage so far, I am extremely happy, coming from a 1D3 and 5D2. It's basically everything I've ever wanted in a DSLR.


----------



## V8Beast (Mar 23, 2012)

jerodkaram said:


> B&H order number ...536XX just changed from "sent to warehouse" to an ACTUAL UPS TRACKING NUMBER within the last hour.
> 
> I pre-ordered a 5D3 body only--no kit. Confirmation email March 2 @ 1:21 AM. From previous conversations with a B&H customer service rep, I know I was somewhere between #540 and #550 on the wait list.
> 
> ...



That's weird. My order # is 526xx and I've received no updates yet!


----------



## prayharder (Mar 23, 2012)

I just got mine, and I am charging the battery


----------



## V8Beast (Mar 23, 2012)

Nevermind. Mine just shipped out yesterday evening! B&H usually e-mails me a shipping confirmation on all my orders, but not this time. Weird.


----------



## Bob_McBob (Mar 23, 2012)

V8Beast said:


> Nevermind. Mine just shipped out yesterday evening! B&H usually e-mails me a shipping confirmation on all my orders, but not this time. Weird.



Nobody seems to have received a shipping notice for the 5D3 shipments.


----------



## prayharder (Mar 23, 2012)

Bob_McBob said:


> V8Beast said:
> 
> 
> > Nevermind. Mine just shipped out yesterday evening! B&H usually e-mails me a shipping confirmation on all my orders, but not this time. Weird.
> ...



I have my camera in hand, but no notice.


----------



## photochemist (Mar 23, 2012)

B&H still lists both the 5D Mark III body and kit as: "Pre order. Released in limited qty" on their web site.


----------



## takoman46 (Mar 23, 2012)

Bob_McBob said:


> V8Beast said:
> 
> 
> > Nevermind. Mine just shipped out yesterday evening! B&H usually e-mails me a shipping confirmation on all my orders, but not this time. Weird.
> ...



Yup. No shipping confirmation email from B&H although it has definitely shipped. Mine is actively tracking in the UPS network. It is on a truck and out for delivery today! ;D


----------



## RichATL (Mar 23, 2012)

Just a little reference for ya...
I was told by customer service that I will not be part of the first shipment...My order number (placed 3/2 at 8:30am est) is a 576xx number...
So needles to say.. if you are over that... you are in the second batch at the earliest.

He only went on to say that they are expecting their next shipment the first week of April.


----------



## THX723 (Mar 23, 2012)

*UBELEIVABLE!!!*

It was shipped _overnight_ from B&H yesterday ... made it as far as down the street (in CA) today then mysteriously shipped back to NY!
  :'(

Now that's what I call overnight shipping money well spent ... Not! :

UPS Epic FAIL!


----------



## CHpatent (Mar 24, 2012)

CHpatent said:


> Buy.com seems to still have stock for body only 5DIII's.
> 
> Just called them and it looks like I'll have mine early next week.  I'll cancel my B&H pre-order once I have the tracking number.



Got the tracking number. It'll be here Tues! B&H will be canceled.


----------



## takoman46 (Mar 24, 2012)

Just received my 5DmkIII from B&H via UPS next day air. ;D

Hope everyone else gets their orders ASAP! Hang in there!


----------



## smithy (Mar 24, 2012)

It appears that the 5D Mk III is a bit too expensive for most New Zealanders. I went into two camera shops in Auckland today and they just had stacks of them available for sale off the shelf. No queues here... but who wants to pay US$4200? I handled one for a little while - it feels so sturdy and well built - can't wait to buy my own.


----------



## poulsbo (Mar 24, 2012)

takoman46 said:


> Just received my 5DmkIII from B&H via UPS next day air. ;D
> 
> Hope everyone else gets their orders ASAP! Hang in there!



Hey takoman46, what day did you submit your order? I'm still waiting.


----------



## tanicophoto (Mar 24, 2012)

So I ordered mine from B&H on 3/6 body only, kind of late I know, I wasn't expecting to be in the first shipment anyway. Thursday night my card was charged for the amount 3,499 but when I check my order on the website it says that it's backordered. They specifically told me that I wouldn't be charged until it shipped. Has this happened to anyone else??

Thanks


----------



## takoman46 (Mar 24, 2012)

poulsbo said:


> takoman46 said:
> 
> 
> > Just received my 5DmkIII from B&H via UPS next day air. ;D
> ...



I got my order confirmation from B&H on March 2, 2012 12:34am EST. This was within the first hour of the camera showing up on B&H's site. The last five digits of my order number were 528##.


----------



## johnnyontherun (Mar 24, 2012)

Hey Guys, 
Why don't you goto Crutchfield? They seems to be getting regular shipments of Canon 5D Mark III now. I ordered it on 3/21/2012 and they ship it out on 3/23/2012. They also told me that they will be getting more in on a regular basis. With their 5% credit back program, it makes buying from them an even better deal.


----------



## replay0 (Mar 25, 2012)

Hi folks. Been lurking since August, when I bought my first DSLR, a Rebel t2i. Now ordered a 5DM3 to learn FF.

I ordered my 5DM3 + lens kit on 03/15/2012 from B&H. They shipped it 03/22, but said I won't receive it until 03/29. Most likely due to my standard shipping, and it coming from New York to California where I live.

-Randy


----------



## atomicpunk (Mar 25, 2012)

I am done with B&H and their lack of communication. I ordered early on 3/2 and have no idea if they will be getting additional bodies this week or if I will get trapped by their closing for a week next Friday. I can get no information from them.

My order number is 559xx

I will be cancelling a 1Dx pre-order as well.


----------



## Cgdillan (Mar 25, 2012)

Ordered mine 3/6 body only from B&H... so i will likely not even be in the 2nd shipment i guess? =-( 808###


----------



## jalbfb (Mar 25, 2012)

Cgdillan said:


> Ordered mine 3/6 body only from B&H... so i will likely not even be in the 2nd shipment i guess? =-( 808###



Ordered mine on the 6th as well but canceled and got one from a local store instead. Thought I'd be in the third wave, but also thought that I might be getting it by the end of this coming week. Hope yours gets shipped out soon. B&H will be closed from Apr 3-9 for Passover. I would hope that they would really make an effort to get everyone's orders out by then. The only hang up would be if they didn't have the inventory-which I would think they should have given the column of business they do.


----------



## nkbeer (Mar 25, 2012)

I just got off the phone with Customer Service at B&H

"All orders are put into the system together. They are NOT lumped by 5DMIII so any speculation on when people will be getting their order is imaginary."

"It appears that all orders are either already filled or will be filled tomorrow."

IF you ordered a grip or flash with your camera, they are holding the order until everything arrives unless you selected 'ship when available'.

Also, I asked if I could add one, two or three to an order for delivery this week and they said "Sure, how many do you want?"


----------



## atomicpunk (Mar 25, 2012)

I talked with customer service at B&H this morning also. I was told "we will be getting some 5DIII bodies in about a week, but we do not know how many or exactly when"


----------



## Ponte506 (Mar 25, 2012)

nkbeer said:


> I just got off the phone with Customer Service at B&H
> 
> "All orders are put into the system together. They are NOT lumped by 5DMIII so any speculation on when people will be getting their order is imaginary."
> 
> ...



So going by this, when they say ALL orders...they even mean orders placed, oh I don't know, JUST last week (aka mine)? I spoke with them today, and all I got was an order number. Judging by how everyone posts the last 6 of their order number, I'll state mine is 5620xx (not sure how much help that info is). Incredibly excited for this camera.


----------



## P007 (Mar 26, 2012)

I tend to agree with the comment on lack of communication on B&H's part. I also ordered a 5DMKIII body on 3/2/12 and have not been given any details as of when to expect it. I contacted B&H today since I know that their store will be closed for their holiday from 4/6---4/14, I believe, and wanted to know if I should receive my item before closure. The answer I got was, "I hope so." I've dealt with B&H for the longest time and have always been pleased with their customer service and reliability. However, I do not know who to blame for this one Canon or B&H for the lack of clarity. Furthermore, I thought they would service primary Canon users who have pre-ordered a body instead of shipping complete kit (fulfilling the orders by time and date received)? If one orders a body, chances are that individual is already a Canon user with at least one additional body and several lenses. Off course what matters to them is their profit margin. By so doing they remind me of DTV always offering better deals to new but not existing customers.


----------



## Cgdillan (Mar 26, 2012)

jalbfb said:


> Cgdillan said:
> 
> 
> > Ordered mine 3/6 body only from B&H... so i will likely not even be in the 2nd shipment i guess? =-( 808###
> ...



I saw that. I really hope they will be able to get it out before then. Thanks! I just like the fact that I don't have to pay 7.75% tax in CA. So i hope it's worth the wait. Got some jobs coming up that it would be extremely useful on compared to my 60d for lowlight wedding videography...


----------



## GeorgieGirl (Mar 26, 2012)

I spoke with them a short while ago about my 3/7 order and was told that I will not be in the next queue and they could not say when I could be queued. So I just ordered the kit and that I will get tomorrow.


----------



## P007 (Mar 27, 2012)

B&H wouldn't give any possible delivery date for the MK3 body. Their Cust. Service did verify that no order will be shipped during the Passover Holiday 4/6----4/14. Therefore, I'm giving them until 4/2 to cancel my order. Having used BillMeLater as a method of payment, my account has already been charged. I also lost a month of the six-month grace period, and have already paid $1,200 for a camera I don't have. Will cancel so my acct could be credited accordingly and I could purchase it elsewhere.


----------



## Somnipotent (Mar 27, 2012)

i ordered mine on the 2nd and still haven't received notice.... i did however, check and lo an behold they sent off the 600 EX RT i ordered with it though.


----------



## cosedi (Mar 27, 2012)

I was order # 689xx on Feb 4th. Watching the order status and this CR thread every day was getting to be a drain on me. I cancelled from B&H and ordered the body from markertek.com. I should have the body by Thursday with 2nd day air.


----------



## Cgdillan (Mar 27, 2012)

Ordered from B&H body only on 3/6 and also got tired of trying to track when it will be here and getting nothing from B&H so i cancelled and ordered the the kit last night. got notification this morning that it has been shipped and will have it by 4/2.


----------



## Grummer21 (Mar 27, 2012)

Just got off the phone with B&H customer service, and the gentleman said "there's a good chance your camera will ship next week if we get in the number we think we're getting." My order is 558xx. Hope this helps! Keeping my fingers crossed it ships!


----------



## Ab25 (Mar 27, 2012)

Seamus said:


> But still waiting for them to actually ship from B and H. Hopefully we will start to get shipping confirmations soon.





Grummer21 said:


> Just got off the phone with B&H customer service, and the gentleman said "there's a good chance your camera will ship next week if we get in the number we think we're getting." My order is 558xx. Hope this helps! Keeping my fingers crossed it ships!
> 
> Hey order from imagingworld they have them in stock and cancel your preorder!!


----------



## Ab25 (Mar 27, 2012)

Seamus said:


> But still waiting for them to actually ship from B and H. Hopefully we will start to get shipping confirmations soon.



Hey order from imagingworld.com they have them in stock!!


----------



## AustinSchmitz (Mar 28, 2012)

Frustrating, I sure hope 583xx ships on the 2nd. Curious what the numbers are for kit orders and body-only. Seems like they would try and appeal to the professional market and ship a ton of Body-only first. But, anyone have any other sites that have body-only in stock?


----------



## phybbs (Mar 28, 2012)

Not to disappoint you, but I'm 552xx and was told it would be after passover before I saw mine. Here's hoping your rep was right


----------



## Daver1 (Mar 28, 2012)

All, wanted to help you in few ways: 
1) I canceled my B&H order (565xx) so you will now get yours sooner!
2) The B&H rep told me, oh, that's too bad since we are getting more 3/29 (not the 4/2 that others have heard).
3) To let you know that my order from http://www.theimagingworld.com/ got here overnight and is working great--not a scam even though the website is a bit tacky.


----------



## Sam (Mar 28, 2012)

phybbs said:


> Not to disappoint you, but I'm 552xx and was told it would be after passover before I saw mine. Here's hoping your rep was right



554, body only, was told absolutely on next batch. 

Last body shipped reported here was 536, I'm hopeful.


----------



## AustinSchmitz (Mar 28, 2012)

Hey guys ,just chatted a CS and got this. I'm around order 583xx. I sure hope they're right!


----------



## Somnipotent (Mar 28, 2012)

Just got my tracking number... ordered 0625 EST on 3/02


----------



## risc32 (Mar 29, 2012)

I'm in that queue ,10197557xx at the 7am time. today my order went from "backordered" to "shipped" with a tracking #. sweet


----------



## Sam (Mar 29, 2012)

Sam said:


> phybbs said:
> 
> 
> > Not to disappoint you, but I'm 552xx and was told it would be after passover before I saw mine. Here's hoping your rep was right
> ...



Shipped today!


----------



## P007 (Mar 29, 2012)

575 body only, shipped today...great news. Earlier I contacted B&H customer service and was told that a big shippment is expected to arrive on 03/29. if everything is ok I should expect the camera soon. Can't wait!!!


----------



## lifeonvinyl (Mar 29, 2012)

Order #569## Shipped yesterday. Ordered 3/2 around 10am est.

Verification rep said if Canon keeps up with they way current shipments are coming in that they expect all pre orders to be filled in a couple of weeks.


----------



## opiuman (Apr 4, 2012)

Welp, guess I need to revive this thread. Just ordered today <_< 10201027xx, shoot me now.


----------



## nies82 (Apr 4, 2012)

I made my order on 03/15 with #1019893*, still backordered without any tracking number 
I hope i'll get my camera before May

ps: but it's a little bit confusing that I was charged for my camera quite fast by B&H (on 03/17)


----------



## bungae (Apr 4, 2012)

I ordered mine on 03/03/12 with order #64XXX and still waiting patiently..


----------



## ChipSprague (Apr 4, 2012)

611**

Credit card charged today and they have a UPS tracking number at the site - though UPS doesn't show tracking information yet.


----------



## bungae (Apr 5, 2012)

bungae said:


> I ordered mine on 03/03/12 with order #64XXX and still waiting patiently..



Actually, they just shipped my order. My wait is finally over! Good luck to you all!


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## He (Apr 5, 2012)

Ordered on 3/3, 21:00, order #10197659XX
Spoke to B&H CR today and was told not to expect it before Passover.
Then... got notification for shipment just an hour ago


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## Inwardlens (Apr 5, 2012)

I ordered today, but chose to go with Wolf Camera (part of the Ritz company) because the will charge my credit card only once they ship the camera. . . unlike B&H who charges you and you get to pay payments on a camera you did not take delivery on yet.

Any one else order from Wolf or Ritz?


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## nies82 (Apr 5, 2012)

actually, this queue for those who ordered a camera on B&H. That's why i'm not very sure whether it makes too much sense to ask about another place here

i may say, that on B&H it is also written that they will charge on the actual day of shipment, but they charged me much earlier


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## Inwardlens (Apr 5, 2012)

I called B&H and they confirmed that they charge the day you place the order. Wanted to see how everyone else felt about that policy.


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## opiuman (Apr 5, 2012)

Inwardlens said:


> I called B&H and they confirmed that they charge the day you place the order. Wanted to see how everyone else felt about that policy.



My experience is actually contrary to that right now, I did get a temp auth for the camera 2 days ago but it has since been removed.


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## JR (Apr 5, 2012)

Inwardlens said:


> I called B&H and they confirmed that they charge the day you place the order. Wanted to see how everyone else felt about that policy.



As much as i love bh i hate this policy. For international order they explain to me they charge full amount now because of exchange rate risk for the customer (i guess some customer have complained in the past). I told them they should let me make that decision as for my case, i cancelled my 1dx order from them and place it somewhere else because i could not justify paying in full for something i will only get in 2-3 months!

Am sure they mean well but they should let decide if we prefer paying in full to secure exchange rate or not.


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## RunAndGun (Apr 6, 2012)

I believe them immediately charging your CC is only if you are out of the country. I pre-ordered mine on 3/2 and my card was NOT charged then. There could have been a temporary authorization put on it at some point, but I never saw it or was aware of it if they did. I eventually ordered the kit on 3/22 because I didn't make the first shipment for the 'body only' and because the kit was in-stock and ready to ship, I was charged immediately.


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## shredtilldeath (Apr 6, 2012)

ordered my body on april 4th,couple days before a sales rep told me 4-5 week wait,but then heard from a chat rep that it could be more than 2 months


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## DLitterio (Apr 6, 2012)

On April 5th, I talked to Steve from the verification dept about a card issue that we got resolved and my order processed while on the phone with Steve. He assured me that my order would be shipped that day. I also live chatted with sales rep Ethan and he said the same thing and that I should expect it to be delivered on Monday, April 9th.....order status today April 6th says, "in stock, order sent to warehouse". I also never received a confirmation email saying it was shipped.....I think someone dropped the ball. I have a feeling that I won't be getting my camera until after their Passover holiday.


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## nies82 (Apr 7, 2012)

Can someone explain me this:


> Passover Closing
> 
> We are not accepting orders at this time. Online ordering will resume at 9:00PM EDT on Wednesday, April 20th.
> Our SuperStore and offices are currently closed and will reopen on Wednesday, April 27th at 9:00AM EDT.
> ...



Before the reopen was 15Apr , No it's... when?

it's kind of strange. so if the camera wasn't shipped before the passover, the next opportunity will be at the end of April, I think. But is this the XXI century? I'm confused


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## duckgrad (Apr 7, 2012)

nies82 said:


> Can someone explain me this:
> 
> 
> > Passover Closing
> ...



B&H must have posted last year's Passover Closing Dates. Last year Passover was on Tuesday 4/19 and lasts for 7 days..... This year it's on 4/6. I remember that they'll reopen around the 15th of April this year.


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## smithy (Apr 7, 2012)

Do all Americans call the Easter holiday the 'Passover' holiday? Or just Jewish people? No malice, just curious.


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## Inwardlens (Apr 8, 2012)

smithy said:


> Do all Americans call the Easter holiday the 'Passover' holiday? Or just Jewish people? No malice, just curious.



Just Jewish Americans. . . unless you are doing business with people who observe the holiday. When it comes to B&H, keeping a calendar with the Jewish holidays nearby is handy because the owners are Hasidic Jews and very observant. During the holidays you can browse the B&H website but can not check out (or put anything in your shopping cart, I believe).

B&H is an interesting store. Even though they are closed for so many holidays they are still the dominant supply house in the North Eastern US. They pretty much set the price for gear and supplies, smaller shops often boast that they will "match B&H pricing."


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## dr croubie (Apr 9, 2012)

They've certainly got an interesting business model.
Sure, if you want to observe your religious holidays, go right ahead and say "we're on holiday, we're not going to pack or ship anything until we're back at work". But they actually turn off automated online ordering for the holidays too, which wouldn't need any input from them (unless their computer servers are religious too?).
Or maybe it's just to avoid a big backlog when they do get back to work the next morning and having to process all the orders that came in while they were on holiday.
But hey, whatever they're doing, it works, so I won't complain (especially if they decided to set up a branch in australia with local shipping rates. Please?)


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## RunAndGun (Apr 9, 2012)

Also keep in mind that "B&H" is not their only(or biggest business). Think bling bling...


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## TexinAfrica (Apr 9, 2012)

Adorama has a few with lens kits. Ordered mine earlier today.


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## jeremie. (Apr 13, 2012)

Ordered on 3/15 #1019895XXX Still "backordered," but charged... I read the Cameras might get held back for the new firmware.. Crap more waiting time...


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## nies82 (Apr 16, 2012)

a similar thread http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=4791.135
it seems that mine 983xx will be on the fifth shipment


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