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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
NPS Fees.
Nic Coury, Photographer
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Monterey | CA | | Posted: 7:04 PM on 07.20.09 |
->> This is aimed at those of you borrowing long glass from NPS.
I borrowed a 600 a while back and it was great and a 400 recently and it was great, but the charge to our office's account was considerable.
I'm awaiting an email back from them, but what are average fees some of you have been charged for long lenses (i.e. 300, 400, 500, 600, 200-400)?
This is not a rip on NPS. They're a fantastic professional organization and I've had nothing but great customer service from them and recommend them to any Nikon shooter. I am just curious on the going rates, as it were, from other members.
Thanks,
~ nic |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 7:17 PM on 07.20.09 |
| ->> Are you talking about shipping (FedX or UPS) fees? |
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Nic Coury, Photographer
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Monterey | CA | | Posted: 7:24 PM on 07.20.09 |
->> Bert,
Yeah, the Fed Ex shipping fees.
The 600 was about $100 and the 400 was like over $200.
I'll get an email back from them soon. |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 7:30 PM on 07.20.09 |
->> Overnight and even 2nd day air is very expensive for FedX and UPS.
I do a fair amount of shipping equipment and it is not cheap even with our corporate rate.
Shipping fees in this instance are C.O.B. |
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Jonathan Roberts, Photographer
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Louisville | KY | USA | Posted: 7:31 PM on 07.20.09 |
->> To expand on Robert's question, NPS doesn't charge to borrow their equipment. The only cost is the shipping to and from their facility with FedEx or UPS.
Yes, it is expensive to ship and insure a $5000 to $10,000 lens. Planning ahead and requesting a lens for a special occasion will cut the shipping cost with 2nd Day Air instead of Next Day Air. |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 7:31 PM on 07.20.09 |
->> I've borrowed long glass from NPS and don't remember paying fees. They DO ship the gear to you on YOUR UPS account. So any 'fees' were just shipping charges, and even then they were straight from UPS. It wasn't like NPS was tagging on a handling fee to box up the gear or marking up the rates.
One thing that I can't remember is whether they insure the packages at replacement cost. I know that when I ship to them I DO NOT insure the packages through UPS but instead upped the limits on my commercial policy to cover $20K of gear in transit. Last year I had 2 of their 400's and some trinkets so prior to sending it all back I called my agent and upped the transit limit to $30K. It was a lot cheaper than trying to buy $30k of UPS coverage. |
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Nic Coury, Photographer
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Monterey | CA | | Posted: 7:45 PM on 07.20.09 |
->> Ok thanks everyone.
I know they don't charge for the actual lens borrowing, I was curious if my shipping rates via Fed Ex were about right from them. |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 7:50 PM on 07.20.09 |
->> Just ran a quick check:
Shipping a 400mm 2.8 to Nikon via:
UPS 2nd day air is $83.79
UPS next day air is $118.70
This is NOT INSURED. The weight is a conservative 25-pounds (the 400mm in just its case was 22.65-pounds).
Which service was the lens sent? Were the shipping charges outbound and return?
Taking into account the cost of renting long glass (going by an old Samy's Rental catalog: 400mm 2.8 is $300 plus shipping & insurance --- 4 x $75 daily fee; 600mm is $320 plus shipping and insurance --- 4 x $80 daily), it seems the cost of getting loaner long glass from NPS is cheaper. |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 7:52 PM on 07.20.09 |
->> Keep in mind that NPS loaner gear is usually for special events or "purchase evaluation".
Nikon and Canon are not of the mind to give out free or inexpensive loaner equipment because they would be competing against their dealers that have rental departments.
As I mentioned, I think shipping fees (though very high, especially for overnight or 2nd day delivery) is C.O.B. |
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Chuck Steenburgh, Photographer
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Lexington | VA | USA | Posted: 8:09 PM on 07.20.09 |
->> Which one do you mean, Bert?
COB Close Of Business (day)
COB College of Business
COB Coordination Of Benefits
COB Chip On Board
COB Commission des Operations de Bourse (French stock market regulator)
COB Children of Bodom (band, Finland)
COB Church of the Brethren
COB Comitê Olímpico Brasileiro (Brazilian Olympic Committee)
COB City of Bellingham (Washington)
COB Conduct of Business
COB Central Obrera Boliviana (Bolivian labor organization)
COB Chairman of the Board
COB College of the Bahamas
COB California-Oregon Border
COB Conan O'Brien (TV personality)
COB Contingency Operating Base
COB Country of Birth
COB Chief Of the Boat
COB COBOL Source Code (file name extension)
COB Crew-Overboard
COB Case of Beer
COB Continuous Open Bidding (sorority/fraternity recruitment)
COB Continuity of Business
COB Capital One Bank
COB Civilians on the Battlefield
COB Carry on Business (license; India)
COB City of Berkeley (California)
COB Class of Business
COB Corn, Oats, & Barley (livestock feed)
COB Church Office Building (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
COB Command Operating Budget
COB Certificate of Birth
COB Chrome Over Brass (snare drums)
COB Cost Of Business
COB Collocated Operating Base
COB Continent Ocean Boundary
COB City of Brass (game)
COB Center for Oral Biology (Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden)
COB Clean on Board (shipping)
COB Circle of Bosses
COB Clear-Over-Base (2-component car paints)
COB Change of Basis (linear algebra, changing vectors from one basis to another)
COB Commencement of Business
COB City of Bridgetown (Barbados)
COB Cranky Old Bastard
COB Current on Board
COB Contractors on the Battlefield
COB Citizen Oversight Board
COB Cash on the Barrelhead
COB Cut Out Background (digital photo manipulation)
COB Crusty Old Bastard
COB Conformity Assessment Body
COB Council Of Brothers (gaming clan)
COB Cargo Onboard
COB Call On Business
COB Communications Office Building (NASA)
COB Cost of Billing
COB Concluding Observation (United Nations)
COB Continuously Overwhelmed with Blessings
COB Combined Order of Battle
COB Call Out Bonus
COB CONUS Operating Base
COB Commander of Brothers (gaming community)
COB Coalition of Brothers (gaming community) |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 8:11 PM on 07.20.09 |
| ->> Another P.W. heard from! |
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Dave Prelosky, Photographer
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Lower Burrell | Pa | US | Posted: 8:21 PM on 07.20.09 |
->> Nic,
I just got the FedEx bill for some loaner gear. Roughly $49 for 12 lb of gear to Pittsburgh next day |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 8:24 PM on 07.20.09 |
| ->> Sorry ... we have a little "glossary" of terms we like to use down here amongst some of us... I sometimes drift into using it without thinking. |
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Nic Coury, Photographer
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Monterey | CA | | Posted: 8:56 PM on 07.20.09 |
->> Well I guess $200 for a weekend of shooting is still cheaper than $8k on the actual lens.
Let's see, to even the $8k, I could rent for 40 weekends. Taken into account, there are only about 8 events a year (that's on the high end), that I'd use a 400 for, mostly sports, it would take 5 years to even out.
Hopefully by then I could afford a 300 and forget about renting...
Thanks everyone for the notes. |
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Scott Serio, Photo Editor, Photographer
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Colora | MD | USA | Posted: 12:12 AM on 07.21.09 |
| ->> NPS had been decent. The big key is to get to them EARLY so you can get UPS Ground. I recently needed a 500/4 and an extra D3 and the UPS Ground was $19. That is how they shipped it. Ditto on the coverage for loaner equipment (in transit) to save on the return. Granted, I also took like 2 weeks to get in touch with them for a shipment once and the Next Day at $115 was brutal - though still much cheaper than renting. |
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Michael Troutman, Photographer
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Carmel | CA | USA | Posted: 1:11 AM on 07.21.09 |
| ->> As the Kahuna points out, this is simply C.O.B. (cost of business). |
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Jordan Murph, Photographer, Assistant
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Carlsbad & Honolulu | CA/HI | USA | Posted: 6:33 AM on 07.21.09 |
| ->> Open an account with Fed Ex or UPS. The rates are cheaper. Print your labels online with Fed Ex ground and an account and rates go down even more. |
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Chuck Steenburgh, Photographer
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Lexington | VA | USA | Posted: 1:46 AM on 07.23.09 |
| ->> Here we say "cost of doing business." When I see C.O.B. used in regard to shipping, I always think "clear on board." |
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