Archives for March 2018

Various PayPal Policy Updates effective April 19

PayPal is updating various Policies with the new changes taking effect on April 19 in 2018. I don’t know if any of the changes are influenced by eBay’s decision to phase out PayPal in the next few years. You can read the whole thing over there. Among the changes:

+ the “Pay After Delivery” option is going away

+ customers with unverified identifying information cannot use their PayPal balance
to make purchases or send money (they can still keep it or transfer it to a bank or debit card)

+ sending money (PayPal balance; not credit/debit) to friends/family outside the US
will have a flat fee of $3 to $5; not a variable percentage rate

+ business accounts who select faster withdrawal to a linked debit card will now pay a 1% flat fee

+ updates to “Unauthorized Transactions” and “Purchase Protection Program”

+ updates to the Privacy Policy

+ various other changes

eBay: 10% off $25+ orders from 202 sellers (up to $100 off)

eBay is back with another coupon promotion, this one with a March Madness theme, coupon code PLAYMAD gets you 10% off orders of $25+ among eligible items of eligible sellers with a maximum discount of $100. The coupon expires on 3/12/18 at 11am eastern time.

A total of 202 sellers are eligible for this promotion, including Anker, aSavings (Focus Camera), BackCountry, Deals All Year, Electronics Express, Overstock, PhotoVideo4Less, Tech Rabbit, VMI, and more.

Over 3700 items are listed under the Camera and Photo category. As usual, eBay has a variety of sellers featuring a variety of products in a variety of conditions and authorized dealer status, so check each listing in detail!

Now shipping: Wacom Intuos Creative Pen Tablets

Wacom has revealed the new Wacom Intuos Creative Pen graphics tablets and they are already in-stock and shipping at various dealers with prices ranging from $80 to $200 depending on size and options. They are available at Adorama (all nicely organized in a single page) and B&H Photo and Amazon itself

Speaking of Wacom, a number of their refurbished Cintiq HD and PRO models are on sale for $100 with coupon SAVE100 at BuyDIG (with a 1-year Wacom warranty).

Planet Earth II 4K/UltraHD Blu-Ray for $30 w/free S&H

If you want to enjoy the photography and cinematography of Planet Earth II with optical physical media (not to mention stay under the ISP’s data cap), the 4K/UltraHD BluRay set of this documentary series is currently on sale for $30 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon itself with up to five sets per customer at the sale price.

If you prefer digital 4K/UltraHD and you are a Prime member, as we mentioned in today’s Trending Five, the digital copy in 4K/UHD goes for $15 for Prime members only

DJI Mavic Air Drone for $720 after coupon

Back to the eBay Deals we go, where coupon code PLAYMAD (a March Madness themed coupon, yes, it’s already that time of the year!) gets you the new condition DJI Mavic Air quad-copter, in the onyx-black color-scheme for $720 with free shipping from eBay seller “Consumer Electronics Cost Savers” (Philly; cheesesteak not included). The coupon is a 10% off orders of $25+ with a maximum discount of $100 this time (it’s usually $50 max discount). The coupon expires 3/12/18.

Celebrate International Women’s Day with Susan Sontag’s “On Photography”

Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day! Our pick to photographically celebrate this day is to read or re-read, parts or in-whole, the photography classic book from 1973, “On Photography” by Susan Sontag. It is also available on Kindle for instant gratification, or if you want to rest your eyes, there is also an Audiobook version (6 hours and change).

We Got An Award! Top 20 Camera Gear blog!

Just in time to be fashionably late for the Oscars, we got an award! This blog is ranked #7 among the “Camera Gear Blogs” at Feedspot. This is the digital version of the award below. I don’t think a hardware version is coming in the mail, but it won’t stop me from checking the mail daily 🙂

Camera Gear Blogs

FREE to Watch (starts 12pm ET): “(HS) Senior Photography”

Another day another round of free-to-stream/watch classes at the CREATIVE LIVE On-AIR free-to-watch classes.Of photography interest, they have the “High School Senior Photography: Break the Mold” class by Blair Philips. The class will be streaming for free for two days, today and tomorrow. Each streaming cycle is 24 hours from 12pm eastern of the starting day. The classes repeat throughout the night, cable-TV style, so you don’t have to catch them during the daytime.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS
+ MAR-09: High School Senior Photography: Breaking the Mold
+ MAR-12: Adobe Photoshop CC Bootcamp (WORLD PREMIERE)
+ MAR-15: LEICA M10 Fast Start (WORLD PREMIERE)
+ MAR-15: LEICA M Typ 240 Fast Start (WORLD PREMIERE)
+ MAR-29: Flash for Dramatic Images (WORLD PREMIERE)
+ MAR-29: Flash for Beauty Images (WORLD PREMIERE)
+ MAR-30: Flash for Children/Family Images (WORLD PREMIERE)
+ APR-05: The Wedding Story (WORLD PREMIERE)
+ the above is just a sampling, see them all at the CREATIVE LIVE On-AIR Schedule

30% off Dell Docking Stations (Dell Refurb coupon)

Another coupon promotion has been launched at Dell Refurbished, you can get 30% off any Dell Docking Station using coupon code DELLDOCK30. Prices start at $34. Free ground shipping. Cannot be combined with other offers. Expires 3/21/18 at 11:59 PM CST.

The Trending Five: $4 microSD reader, refurb Wacom Cintiq with 1-YR warranty, Etc

The “The Trending Five” is a round-up of some of the hottest current/surviving deals as of the time of writing. This focuses on things that are towards the bottom of the front page and pages #2 and later, since the top of the main page is easier to read/skim/scan. It helps people who are checking in occasionally get a summary of what’s available. I try hard to stick to a maximum of five 🙂

+ AmazonBasics Hiker Camera and Laptop Backpack for $40~ in blue (it was $49 when we posted the deal alert earlier on in the Camera Bags posts

+ Sandisk USB microSD card reader for $4 with free shipping from Verizon Wireless – no contract needed 😉

+ $100 off refurbished Wacom Cintiq HD and PRO graphics tablets with coupon SAVE100 at BuyDIG with a 1-year Wacom warranty
+ you can clip the coupon on the individual product pages, you don’t have to type it in – more details

+ Planet Earth II Ultra HD for $15 at Amazon Instant Video (Prime members only)

+ Generic Canon Lens Cap (replaces E-58 II) for $2.55 with free shipping for Prime members (you can get a $1 digital credit for slow-shipping) or with a $25+ order for Prime members
+ shhhhh! it’s an an Add-On item 🙂

Photography Masterclass: Your Complete Guide to Photography for $20 [Stacksocial]

On the “learnings” side of things, Stacksocial is offering the Photography Masterclass: Your Complete Guide to Photography by “Video School Online” for $20. It consists of 13 hours of content in 175 lessons, outlined in the product description over there. This offer lifetime access via streaming to the class. They offer a 15-day satisfaction guarantee (you get a store credit refund if you don’t like it).

Stacksocial also offers a handful of Pay What You Want bundles, including two general photography bundles, and an Adobe CC bundle, among others.

Tired of stirring your coffee and have extra AAA rechargeables you want to put to work? This self-stirring lens-shaped coffee-mug goes for $13. It saves the disposable stirring sticks or having to wash yet another spoon 😉

NewEgg Warehouse Clearance Sale includes FAR Nero and $170 Moto G5 Plus (32GB)

If you are a fan of the way of the Huevo Nuevo (New Egg), they have just launched a Warehouse Clearance sale with the usual assortment of sales, promo codes (email required for some of them) and mail-in rebates (NERO Standard 2018 is FREE after MIR; Rome NOT included). Computer monitors, laptops, storage, etc.

And if you are looking for a budget sub-$200 smartphone, the new condition unlocked with USA warranty 32GB Moto G5 Plus XT1687 (works with all four major US carriers) goes for $170 with free shipping using promo code EMCSPSPX2 (ends Friday night). Note however that the 32GB model has 2GB RAM, while the more expensive 64GB model has 4GB RAM. It may not be a bad idea as a backup phone or something for a kid or a tech-averse person, or someone who mostly uses a phone for …communicating! With a versatile 2-in-1 type of a tablet/laptop hybrid thing, one can easily off-load tasks from the phone back to those devices; but I’m going on a tangential tangent; more on this at 1001 Noisy Smartphones 😉

Refurbished LG 27″ 5K Ultra Fine LED Monitor for $620

Woot is getting more and more Amazonified, and one of the things they have introduced since their purchase is Best Seller Lists. Currently in the Top 10 is the factory reconditioned LG 27″ 5K Ultra Fine LED Monitor going for $620 with free shipping for Prime or +$5 for non-members. It comes with a 90-day LG warranty. The offer runs for the next two days and charge (it is not a daily deal).

It supports Thunderbolt 3, DCI-P3 99%, Screen Split 2.0, Ambient Light Sensor, 5120 x 2880 pixels, and weighs around 30 pounds.

(ENDED) Friday Daily Deals: Nexus 5X, 6P, BeBop 2

These daily deals expired…

[Read more…]

(ENDED) Friday Gold Box: Dolica, YI Action Cam, Thule, Etc

These expired BUT for more Gold Box posts here, follow the Yellow Brick Road of Gold-Box tagged posts

[Read more…]

(ENDED) eBay Madness until 11pm ET tonight: 20% off items priced $25+ (up to $100 off)

This 12-hour flash sale expired…

[Read more…]

(ENDED) B&H: Glidecam UltraShot $150, Vello Ringbox Ringflash $50, Joby GripTight for $8

These expired but for more action, check the B&H Featured Sales

[Read more…]

(ENDED) Dell Refurbished Coupons: 50% off Laptops/Desktops $500+ (40% off $400+; 30% off $300+)

This weekend coupon expired, but new coupons usually come out on Fridays…

[Read more…]

512GB WD MyPassport SSD (USB-C, USB-A) for $140

Speaking of storage, the new condition 512GB WD MyPassport Portable SSD is on sale for $140 with free shipping by Amazon itself with up to three per customer at the sale price. The shipping estimate is 1-3 weeks, a sign that it is starting to run out. This works with USB-C version 3.1 (and Gen 2 ready). And of course it is backwards compatible with USB 3.0 and 2.0 full size (Type A, not Taipei).

Alpine Labs Spark Camera Remote for $59

Another crowdfunding success story, the Alpine Labs Spark Camera Remote is currently on sale for $59 at Stacksocial. If you join their email list as a first time customer, you get a 10% off coupon. There are four different cable option bundles. You can check the camera compatibility to see which cable works with which cameras.

GetOlympus Outlet store listings improvements

The main listings index of the Olympus USA Outlet store has finally seen some improvements. You can now see from the index of available items which ones are out of stock and you can add-to-cart directly. A step in the right direction, but more work must needs be done!

Pre-order new Z CAM K1 Pro Cinematic VR180 Camera

Another new “alternative camera” is now available for pre-ordering. It is the Z CAM K1 Pro Cinematic VR180 Camera going for $2995 with free shipping at B&H Photo. The shipping estimate is “coming soon”…

For more pre-order alerts, check our … pre-order alerts posts 🙂

Now shipping: Steadicam AIR 25 Monopod

Another new arrival, the new condition Steadicam AIR 25 Monopod is in-stock and ready to ship for $499 at B&H Photo. On the same listing, they also have a kit with fluid head for $625 with free shipping.

For more in-stock alerts, check our …In-Stock Alerts posts 🙂

GoPro HERO5 Session for $199

The new condition GoPro HERO5 Session is now down to $199 at a number of sellers including MooseJaw (earn $20 in Moosejaw rewards) and Adorama and Amazon itself (max three per customer) and Abt (eBay)… Already, B&H Photo has sold out…

Speaking of action cameras, there are a couple of active sales on YI action cameras at the moment..

YI 4K+ Sports and Action Camera for $238 [limit 2]

Separately and independently from the YI Lite action camera being a lightning deal, the official YI Amazon store has also put on sale (not a lightning deal) the new condition YI 4K+ Sports and Action Camera with 4K/60fps Resolution, EIS, Live Stream, Voice Control and 12MP Raw Image for $238 with free shipping. Limit up to two per customer. This being an “old fashioned sale”, I do not know if/when it ends…

Adorama 48 Hour and Lighting/Studio Sales

Adorama is currently running two sale promotions. First up is a 48 Hour Sale featuring a mix of products, and then there is a Lighting Week sale featuring lighting/studio type of products. Digest/breakdown of these later today on a time-permitting basis. If only I was Watson/Siri/GA/Bixby/Cortana/HAL…

Massdrop Vast 35-Inch Curved Gaming Monitor for $600 w/FS

If you are a fan of curved computer monitors, the shopping club/website that is Massdrop is offering the new condition Massdrop Vast 35-Inch Curved Gaming Monitor for $600 with free shipping to US addresses. This is a 3440 x 1440p, with FreeSync, 2ms response, 1800R curvature, 100% sRGB, VA panel, static contrast ratio of 2,500 to 1, etc. This is made by AU Optronics in collaboration with Massdrop, thus they put their name on the product.

A total of 1500 units are available as part of this sale, with just over 1000 of them sold as of the time of writing. They come with a one year warranty on the panel, and two year warranty on the electronics inside.

Unlike Amazon, there is no such thing as Prime shipping for Massdrop. The more unique and custom a product, the longer it takes. This one is estimated to ship in mid July 2018. I repeat, this ships mid-July 2018, so if you don’t want to wait, do not buy this!

NEW: $6/mo Prime membership for qualifying Medicaid recipients

Overshadowed by the LOL-worthy and Black Mirror-esque news of Alexa laughing at customers (it’s not you, it’s Alexa, or the ghost inside the Echo 😉 was another new expansion of the Prime pool by Amazon. They are launching a Prime discounted membership option for qualifying Medicaid recipients for $6 per month. This is similar (or an expansion) of their existing $6/mo EBT membership. Just like “Amazon Student”, a customer can be on this discounted program for up to four years.

The list of Prime benefits is getting longer and longer, and Amazon is also making noise about getting into the health care business. Certainly this Medicaid development is a step in the right direction.

What next? Prime NOW will deliver a doctor to your front door when you want/need one?

Take #2: 16×20″ Canvas Print for $18 with free Ship-to-Store [also: 50% off Wall Art]

Take #2! The original post that went live in the middle of the night was broken in many different ways. All apologies for the confusion.

So here we go again, now with a working link! Coupon code FLASH60 gets you 16×20″ Canvas Print for $18 with free Ship-to-Store at CVS Photo. The promotion ends Thursday at 11:59pm eastern.

Further down that page, promo code ART50 gets you 50% off Wall Art (posters, wood panels, metal, acrylic, blocks, ice prints, curved glass [thank you Samsung!], and more. Canvas prints are also eligible (if you miss the 2-day 60% off promotion). This promotion expires 3/10/18 at 11:59pm ET.

(ENDED) Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary + USB Lens Dock for $770 [N]

As of a mid-day 3/9/18 re-check, this is sold out….

[Read more…]