Where to Get Your Gear - And Why:
Midwest Photo is a mid-sized photo gear retailer located in Ohio.
They have expressed a strong desire to cater to the type of photographers who tend to read this site, and typically bend over backwards to keep the various pieces of small-flash lighting gear (and associated items) in stock. Given the challenges of dealing with the various suppliers, this is a more daunting task than you might think.
MPEX also ships internationally, which is very important for readers who do not have a good gear resource in their home country.
Sometimes thay can get overwhelmed with the order flow that can arise from this site, but they are honest and ethical people to deal with. That is not a given in this day of faceless internet commerce.
I recommend contacting them by phone at (614) 261-1264 as the most efficient means of ordering. If that is not practical from your location, you can reach them via the Strobist section on their website or by email.
(If you e-mail them, please add their address to your address book so their answer will not end up in your spam folder.)
They have expressed a strong desire to cater to the type of photographers who tend to read this site, and typically bend over backwards to keep the various pieces of small-flash lighting gear (and associated items) in stock. Given the challenges of dealing with the various suppliers, this is a more daunting task than you might think.
MPEX also ships internationally, which is very important for readers who do not have a good gear resource in their home country.
Sometimes thay can get overwhelmed with the order flow that can arise from this site, but they are honest and ethical people to deal with. That is not a given in this day of faceless internet commerce.
I recommend contacting them by phone at (614) 261-1264 as the most efficient means of ordering. If that is not practical from your location, you can reach them via the Strobist section on their website or by email.
(If you e-mail them, please add their address to your address book so their answer will not end up in your spam folder.)
Strobist Lighting Seminar DVDs Are Back In Stock
Browse: Reader Photos | Strobist Gear on Amazon
Feed your brain: Great Lighting Books
by David, at 11:59 PM.
24 Comments:
It would be great to see a couple "kits" put together and available as unit purchases.
Moishe is working on exactly that. But he wants to be able to source all of the kit gear in quantity, so that is important to get lined up, first.
Have to say that I am not particularly impressed with Midwest Photo Exchange service. I ordered a Vivitar 285 from them last week and got no order confirmation, shipping, etc. info. I sent an email asking for status a few days later and got a vague form letter email that it would "shipped in a timely manner." I sent an email asking what that meant and if/when it would ship and have not gotten a response.
It would be easier for us to support this (great!) site you've put together if we didn't have to lower our expectations for service by shopping with MPEX. The 2 major NYC photo retailers will both tell us domestic shipping rates at order time, and will also tell us whether they have items in stock. It's unnerving to deal with so many unknowns in this day and age when others will provide the service we desire.
Good or bad you should submit your MPEX ordering experience to Reseller Ratings.
I just had my first experience with MPEX last week at the WPPI convention in Las Vegas. They were wonderful.
Moishe was extremely helpful in getting me the correct cables for my Pocket Wizards.
The lens I purchased from them was $100 less than any other vendor at the show.
I will only shop with them from now on.
To those bad mouthing MPEX, perhaps you should have used the phone number that DW provided as the, "Most efficient means of ordering." I have done onlined based retail before, and it can be quite difficult to set up and maintain. Perhaps, we should give a start up a chance? Order by phone. I recieved my equipment in a timely manner.
I ordered a stand and umbrella holder form them, immediately received an e-mail confirmation, and it ended up arriving a day early. This was last week (early June 2007 for anyone stumbling on this later)
I'll definitely be shopping there again.
I'm with Adam on the MidWest Photo Exchange service. Not the greatest help over the phone, nor in email. I'm sticking with bhphotovideo, quick sharp guys.
I live in Columbus and MPEX isn't my favorite place but I don't hate them either. Most of the photographers around here prefer to work with Gary at the Cord Camera 5th Ave Superstore, but if Gary or Cord doesn't have it...off to MPEX. They each have their niche and maybe it's different since I deal with them in person.
MPEX is disapointing to deal with. I placed my order last Wed and expected it to ship in a day or two (as their policy reads). After mad dashes to the mail box for the last week, I finally called them today to find out that they were doing me a favor and would try and get it out today. Taking over a week to ship an in stock item is not acceptable by online retailers in this day and age. My dollars will go elsewhere from here on out.
I have mixed feelings about MPEX. The first time I ordered from them, they shipped promptly and I was very pleased. The second time I ordered from them, it took over a week to ship the products and they ignored two emails that I sent them asking for status on the shipment (I did get a UPS shipment notification after the second email, but they never replied to me). I was very courteous and even stated that I understood if shipping was delayed, but at least let me know so I make other accomodations for a weekend shoot. I think they have their place in marketplace, but their inconsistent service will hurt them in the long run. I'm sure they are good, well meaning people, but that doesn't mean they run a tight ship.
The best web purchase results I have had are the big 3, Amazon, Adorama, and B&H.
I tried MPEX with so-so experience.
If you are looking for gels for your flash HoniPhoto has a kit with all the Rosco gels you will need with velcro attached to match their Speed Strap. A great deal and super good service.
I've been disappointed with MPEX – doubly so, because I was hoping to send my business to a smaller, friendly company (and Strobist-approved!), but I've had no luck with them.
I ordered one of the Strobist kits. MPEX sent an e-mail confirming my order. It took them 4 business days to realize that they were out of stock on the kit. I replied to their "backordered" e-mail asking how long they expected until they had the kits again. After a week with no reply, I sent a follow-up. No reply, again, and it's been another week.
I'll be calling to cancel my order tomorrow. I've gone out and pieced the kit together myself at my local camera shop. It cost me more to do so, and I'd rather support a start-up, but there's only so much I can do.
I hope MPEX gets it together. I'm willing to try them again someday, but my masochism has its limits. :-)
I'm having the same problem as Mike's post.
I put an order into MPEX around the 5th Jan. I recieved an email to confirm the order, followed by the same "out of stock" email as Mike recieved few days later. I was informed that my order is now on back order, with no idication of how long thes will take. Curiously, all of the items that I ordered were in stock (according to their web site) when I ordered them and still are listed as in stock.
I have replied to their "back order" email but after a week, I have had no reply or update. It's a pretty poor service. I have a shoot comming up soon and I NEED the kit.
Regards,
Gareth Cooper
The same problem.
I ordered two umbrellas, rosco gels and a Clamp a bout a week ago - 24.01...
I haven't reecive any comfirmation emails.
I wrote a letter 25.01 and, just to be sure, from another mail-box on 26.01
Today is 29.01 - still no mail :(
they could send at least some automatic messages, but they didn't
Hi,
I'm disappointed with MPEX as well. I used the phone number to order and that was very good - quick, friendly and helpful. They struggled with my credit card but within 1 day got it working. They told me some items of the kit where out of stock and that I had to wait 1 week. Fine so far.
2 weeks later no news so I email them again. A quick response saying that 3 items were still missing and coming soon.
1 month after my order I email them again - this time still 3 items missing, but not the same ones! And they should be getting them "in a few weeks, hopefully".
Oh - and during all this time I was never able to receive an invoice even though my credit card was charged.
What really frustrates me more is not the waiting, but the feeling that they really don't know what's going on.
And it's a pity because the kits are great.
An update on my previous posting. I have not had any news from MPEX about my delayed order in almost a month. They are now 2 months late - no apologies, no messages.
Unfortunately for me, my credit card was charged immediately.
As I have not received an order confirmation (this was done by phone) I'm not even sure anymore of what I ordered... I've asked them to send me a recap of my order several times, but these messages are ignored.
If it ever gets to me it's going to be a big surprise. Just hope it's before xmas.
photo06=
Your report sounds credible and I would like to follow up on it personally with MPEX. However, you leave me no way to contact you, nor an order number. So they do not know who you are, either.
Please leave some way someone can track this down and help you.
Thanks,
David Hobby
photo06,
They are in violation of their merchant agreement if they charge someones card prior to shipping. Contact your credit card company.
thank you for your blog, i'm going to get into this flash thing and i hope to produce killer images. first i need to get the right equipments.
aloha Brady
www.bradyoshiro.com
For Flash gels in the UK see www.flashgels.co.uk (I'm not affiliated in anyway) - they are inspired by Strobist, have a pack of 5x10 correction gels for just £11 including p&p - superb.
I would be interested in any updated comments on Midwest. I am a firm believer in customer service, and some of the comments here have scared me into using someone else.
Any comments from those of you waiting for equipment would be helpful. I can't believe they charge your card before shipping products.
Thank you everybody for sharing experience with MPEX. I'm about to buy my first strobist kit and I live in Europe. If anyone has an experience of ordering from MPEX to Europe, I would be very grateful.
Cheers,
Denis
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