Something peculiar from online retailer

[MrSandman]

I ordered a 5D Mark III kit (i.e. with the 24-105 lens) from Beach Camera, and what is being shipped to me is the non-kit body and the 24-105 lens, both in their own boxes. Basically, they didn’t have any kits so they decided on their own to send me the body and lens as separate items, but only charge $4299 for them. If one were to purchase them separately, they'd pay about $4650. That’s a $350 price drop for Beach Camera.

I certainly don’t have a problem with receiving these items separately, but I am a little curious as to how they can do this. When they buy these items from Canon, it costs them more to buy them separately. So clearly they must be losing profit by giving me separate body and lens units for the price of a kit. Could they be sending me something that has been bought and returned, or gray-market products? Or do they just really want my business?

 

[Loswr]

Sounds like a case of trying to keep the customer happy. If they listed the kit as in stock or available, but they didn't really have it, they would've had to tell you they couldn't meet your order. So instead, they took a loss and gave you the product you ordered at the price you ordered even if the packaging was different.

 

[MrSandman]

Actually, when I ordered it, I knew they didn’t have it in stock. So there would have been no disappointment on my part by having to wait. Really, the only thing that makes me raise an eyebrow is the fact that they could possibly even be losing money by giving me the product this way.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

They were separating kits earlier to satisfy body only orders and then selling the lens in its white box separately, so you may get the white box kit lens that was earlier pulled out of a kit.

Its not costing them a penny more.

 

[MrSandman]

Just got the 5D3 body and the 24-105 lens. Both came in their individual retail boxes, with warranty cards, CDs, etc.

So, I can conclude the following (unless someone tells me otherwise):
1. These are not gray-market items
2. They didn’t mix-and-match parts of kits. They just plain sold me a separate body and lens for the same price of a kit.

Is there any reason for me to suspect otherwise?

 

[Loswr]

Really, the only thing that makes me raise an eyebrow is the fact that they could possibly even be losing money by giving me the product this way.

They may, but maybe not. The difference in cost of separate vs. combined packaging is probably insignificant to Canon, and it seems plausible that if the vendor confirms to Canon that both items were sold on the same invoice, Canon will credit them the difference in the wholesale price of kit vs. separate items.

 

[preppyak]

Just got the 5D3 body and the 24-105 lens. Both came in their individual retail boxes, with warranty cards, CDs, etc.

Well, having gotten a body with kit in other cases, all you really got was an extra 24-105 L box...since the kit boxes come with the CD, warranty cards, etc.

Like Neuro said, the price difference is probably just a few bucks.

 

[JR]

Good news if you have two retail boxes in the future unlikely event you want to sell the 24-105 say to get the 24-70 or something else some buyers might like the fact you have the L lens in the retail box...just saying...

Enjoy your new kit!

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

Good news if you have two retail boxes in the future unlikely event you want to sell the 24-105 say to get the 24-70 or something else some buyers might like the fact you have the L lens in the retail box...just saying...

Enjoy your new kit!

Yeah, if you are planning to sell off the kit lens, you might get another $25+ or so out of it now.

 

[MrSandman]

Good news if you have two retail boxes in the future unlikely event you want to sell the 24-105 say to get the 24-70 or something else some buyers might like the fact you have the L lens in the retail box...just saying...

Enjoy your new kit!

Oh, don’t worry, I am definitely going to enjoy the camera.

I am, however, thinking about selling the lens and using the money from it to buy the 28-300. I hate changing lenses, and I could definitely use more zoom than 105mm.

 

[Aaron78]

If you go online and register both items on canon's site and they go through, then you don't have gray market products. That's actually cool of them IMO, the lens sells for around $1,200 on it's own in retail packaging...

 

[Bosman]

MT Spokane said it. They are from kits being separated to sell body only. Lucky for them they can get rid of a few now w/o having the kit boxes in stock.