Been buying from B&H for years now, probably spent way too much on glass and bodies there, but I'm hitting a wall with this price tracking stuff. I'm trying to time a purchase for a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II because I have a huge wedding gig coming up in mid-July in Seattle and I really need that lens in my bag. The thing is, the price seems to be bouncing around like crazy lately. I checked last week and it looked like there was a decent rebate going on, but then I refreshed today and it's gone? Or maybe it was just a instant savings thing that expired at midnight? I don't know.
It's so annoying because with Amazon I just pull up CamelCamelCamel and I can see exactly when it hits its floor. But B&H is like a black box for me. I've tried using Honey but the price history feature is always unavailable for this item or it's just plain wrong. I'm super frustrated because I have a strict $2,300 budget for this and I'm trying not to waste $200 that could go toward filters or a new SD card.
What I'm looking for is:
I feel like a total noob asking this since I've been in the game so long but I honestly haven't found a reliable way to do this for photo gear outside of the big A. Is there a specific tool you guys use that actually pings their servers regularly? I'm worried if I wait too long it'll go up even more but I hate buying right before a major price drop...
Just caught this thread. B&H is honestly a beast when it comes to pricing because of how they handle MAP. In my experience over the years, those in-cart prices are basically invisible to trackers. I remember trying to time a purchase for my current gear and getting so frustrated because the rebates would vanish overnight. Then I learned that you really need a tool that can monitor specific page elements rather than just a generic price field. Eventually I started using a browser monitor that lets me select the exact price area on the screen. Honestly, its the only way I have been able to stay under budget lately. You basically need something that tracks the actual html changes on the page rather than just a price feed. Ive found this tool is the best way to catch them. Good luck with the Seattle wedding!
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I totally feel your pain! Last summer I lost out on a massive discount for the setup I got because I waited too long. It was so frustrating watching the price spike right before my trip! Now I use Visualping and it is absolutely amazing for watching those B&H shifts.