> > I hadn't really realized how much legitimate (or maybe illegitimate) scamming > goes on. Especially on high ticket items like camera equipment.
What you described is clearly illegitimate scamming. But yes, it is rife; just check out the feedback about the lowball advertisers in any photo magazine. Don't let the "seal of approval" from the rag fool you - that's for sale to anyone who buys enough advertisng. Legitimate scamming (if such a thing exists :-) would be folks like B&H, Adorama, CameraWorld, ... charging amazingly similar prices to the early-adopters. Now the camera is more readily available, so I would expect the profits to be trimmed before too long. Bait-and-switch, or unadvertised pre-conditions, are illegal. Dealer markup isn't - it's just the price of impatience. Nobody forced me to buy my *ist-D a month ago, just like nobody forced me to buy our Mini from the dealership with a three-month waitlist instead of from a dealer with a twelve-month delivery forecast.
