Going to buy Cannon GL2, need last minute advice

[videocheez]

I finally received my biannual bonus and before my wife getsa hold of it I plan to purchase the Cannon GL2 camera online. I'm kind of nervous about spending $2,000 on line from one of these online vendors. I checked on cnet .com and they have a list of about 30 distributors that are "cnet certified" I'm wondering if anyone has experience purchasing anything online via cnet's distributors and if i should be worried.
I fear that i will receive defective merchandise or used equipment. I also fear that I y have difficult receiving warrant service.
Despite these fears, a $900 savings from buyng it a Fry's or Ritz camera has me willing to take some risk.
Any comments will be appreciated?

Thanks,

VC

[mrtristan]

I use bizrate, pricegrabber, and resellerratings to evaluate online companies. It's takes a while, but it's worth it to check out a company's rep using more than one resource.

I do pay attention to prices, but I check the company's return/replacement policy before anything else. A lot of these guys send out refurbished or used items as new. Generally speaking, the places with the lowest prices usually are too good to be true.

I have a knack for recieving damaged merchandise, whether I buy it online or locally. Not everyone is as unlucky as me, but I do tend to be over cautious when it comes to online purchasing, especially for an amount like $2,000.

Anyway, good luck.

Oh yeah, be sure to read the customer comments, too. Sometimes a company's bad comments are exclusively related to something like shipping time or order processing time. Everything takes forever to get to Hawaii, so I just ignore those.

[videocheez]

Thanks for the tip. I have been wondering how there could be such a difference in price.

A lot of these guys send out refurbished or used items as new. Generally speaking, the places with the lowest prices usually are too good to be true.

This is my biggest fear. I need to calm down and feel comfortable about the decision. If anyone else replies to the thread, please let me know of any online vendors that you have had sucess with.

Thanks in advance,

VC