Mistake #1: Neglecting to check up on your perspective vendor.

Knowing who your buying from is even more important in the online world, then the real world. While getting good customer service can be a challenge at times when face to face, just imagine had hard it could be if that salesperson had the option of hiding behind an email account. While the big online stores like Amazon.com are a known quantity, some of the smaller websites are not. Ideally asking friends or family where they make their online purchases is a good idea. Barring that, at least do a Google search with your perspective vendors name, and words like SCAM, RIPOFF, PROBLEMS, RETURNS. If you find nothing nasty, they may be OK to buy from.

Mistake #2: Misunderstanding the return policy of your camera store.

Return policies can be a haven of fine print loopholes, which more often than not favor the retailer. Some stores simply won’t accept returns of digital cameras (unless there are problems). And even with problems, they may only offer an exchange. Some stores charge a restocking fee of 10 or 15% of the cost of the item. Which seems really silly, as I’m not sure why it costs more to put a $2000 camera back on a shelf, compared to a $200 camera. When purchasing online, be sure to check on who pays shipping costs. These can add up, especially if a camera needs to be returned.

Mistake #3: Making your camera purchase offline.

Even in this day and age of millions of dollars being spent on the internet, some people are cautious about purchasing anything online. That decision could cost you much more in the long run. As a rule, online websites have much lower overhead costs, and can afford to sell cameras for less then your local electronics store. You may have to wait a couple more to days to use your camera, but you may also save yourself several hundred dollars.

Mistake #4: Spending way more money then you have to.

The internet is an incredible tool for comparison shopping. With a few simple mouse clicks, you can find the best and worst prices for hundreds of cameras from dozens of vendors. Having that information gives the consumer big leverage when paying for any product. Since most retailers will price match, there’s no reason not to buy from your favorite store / website and still pay the lowest price offered by Ma & Pa’s Digital Camera Emporium.

Mistake #5: Missing out on purchasing essential accessories.

It’s unfortunate that most camera manufacturers package their cameras with a woefully small memory card, and a set of the cheapest disposable batteries they can. Your going to want to upgrade that memory card right away. So, don’t get caught off card by the high prices of the memory card that salesman tries to upsell you on as soon as you’ve bought a camera. Do your homework ahead of time. Know what size of card you’ll need, what speed of card you’ll need, and what security (if any) features you’ll need in a card. The same holds true with batteries. Do your homework. If you don’t already use rechargeable batteries, and have at least one recharger around the house, then shame on you. Time to get one, the planet will thank you. It’s the green way to go.

Mistake #6: Being naive about the digital camera gray market.

Digital cameras that are meant for sale outside of the US, can often be cheaper, because of minimal warranties, and other regulations. Quite often they are packaged with foreign language manuals, and power adapters meant for non US electrical systems. Be wary of exceptionally low prices on cameras with suspicious warranties. If in doubt, spend a little more with a vendor you trust.

Mistake #7: Paying far too much for accessories.

Memory cards, battery recharger’s, camera cases, filters, and lenses are just a few of the items you’ll want to go with your camera. Quite often these items don’t have to be bought at a specialty camera or electronics store. Likely, these items will cost more at a camera store. The solution is to know what accessories you want ahead of time, and be aware of what a good price is for those accessories. See #3 above.

Mistake #8: Getting scammed on shipping charges.

Check out shipping fees before you decide if a cameras prices is good. Quite often online sites will lure you in with a very competitive camera price, and then ding you a few clicks down the line with outrageous shipping charges. If your comparing prices between store A B & C, be sure you know what all their shipping charges are up front, so your making a fair comparison.

Mistake #9: Falling for manufacture sales hype.

Manufacturers and their perspective marketing departments, know just what to say to get you to buy their product. Take for instance megapixels. A few years ago, this was a big consideration in the price of a camera. Today, not so much. But, still it will be one of the big features listed on any camera packaging you look at today. Be aware of what features are important to you, and WHY those features are important. Don’t just take the manufacturers word for it.

Mistake #10: Being too busy to become an educated consumer.

You’ve already avoided this mistake, just by reading this far. Good for you. While the internet is full of biased and suspect misinformation, the more you read the better your chances of finding good advice.

Good camera prices, and good digital cameras, don’t always find themselves on the same shelf. There are however deals out there for the savvy consumer, who knows a good Digital Camera Recommendation, when he sees it