great price for this item, I wish I could afford one.

Concur with #1

If you buy this from Abes of Maine, then you deserve what you get.

#1: I have one of these.

sincerely,
toddsucks

I am a newbie. I have this and it makes great pictures.
#3, in English, please.

dont bother with the XS. It's a stripped version of the XSi. And now that the canon T1i is coming out (with HD video capability), this XS will be worth about 250bux in 3months.

#3 What's wrong with Abes of Maine?

#6, for some people, like me, this XS is more than enough to take BEAUTIFUL pictures. AFAIK, Adorama carries some refurbished Rebel XT (XT, not XTi) body at $250 sometimes. The stock lens alone come with this XS costs roughly $150. I also have the XTi, which is the XSi's predecessor, also a very nice machine, but not much more useful than the XS.

I have owned and used several brands, both film and digital. I landed with Canon due to its flexibility and wide range of affordable accessories.

#7 According to BB posters there are a number of problems with Abe's (which you'll undoubtedly read about in these comment sections if you pay attention over a period of time).

Among the complaints I've read are: Abe's is not in Maine, offers less than exemplary customer service, and makes follow up calls after online orders, ostensibly to check on the details of the order, but in reality to badger purchaser into unwanted upgrades or accessory purchases.

Have I left anything out?

#6 is right, the XSi is bound to drop in price once the T1i hits the market in a few weeks, so you'll be able to pick it up for the price of the XS pretty soon. Although, #8 is also right, the XS does take beautiful pictures too.

Abes of Maine is located in Brooklyn NY. That in itself should tell you something is odd.

great price

these companies in NY and NJ - you can't trust them at all.

If it's cheaper than the reputable photo firms ( B&H, Adorama, Buydig/Beach ) or the major e-tailers then it's a scam or fraud, count on it.

I have bought items from this location and other locations in NY and NJ and never had an issue. If you have a problem, then do not buy from them again.

In any case if you pay with a credit card and the company you buy does a switch on you the you can complain to your credit card company and the will help you out sort any problems. At least that's how Amex and Discover work for me.

I ordered a $150 item with Abe's of Maine... they charged my card right away and claimed they shipped it.. after a week I tried to cancel my order and they would not.. AFter 2 weeks they said they were 'just about' to ship it. I had to threaten legal action, and after numerous faxes and calls I got my money back.

Never again!

Thanks #17 for sharing the story.
I have never done a business with them before but was thinking the store looked reliable.

BTW, forgive me for a little sidetrack, folks.
Probably CC is best. Paypal seems no longer protect buyers effectively.

Thank you for the posts, rip off city.

In addition to the places named by #15, I'll also say that J&R (jr.com) is one of the few trustworthy vendors in NY. Ordered a Nikon DSLR and lens from them through previous deals posted here, and everything's been great.