The Canon Direct Store restocked about 30 minutes ago. There was one or two each of the super-desirable items in-stock, including the 24-70 II, 100L Macro, 85L, and others. They are featuring 20%-off refurbished lenses and select bodies with coupon code “PUMPKIN2014”. The sale ends October 31st.
It looks like most items sold out within 10 minutes or less. The best way to get notified about restocks is by setting a notification on our refurbished stock tracker. You can see what’s in stock via that handy single page, and set notifications using the ‘Notify’ button (on the far right) on out-of-stock items.
There are still a few great deals left, check them out at our refurbished stock tracker. There might be another micro-restock in the next few days, so keep on watching. These 20%-off sales are rare, and represent Canon’s highest refurbished lens discount.
Here’s my experience trying to purchase the 24mm TSE: get the notification, click the link to the refurb store, and the lens is already sold out. Repeat for about 3 months.
Get a notification, go to the refurb store, and the lens is not sold out! Go through the order process and submit payment info. Instead of a confirmation screen, I get an out of stock screen. I call customer service and they tell me that lenses will still show in stock between the time that someone hits “add to cart” and “submit”. Anyone can still add an item to their cart even if someone else is already into the ordering process. The sale goes to the first person who hits “submit”. The refurb store does not allow you to backorder or reserve items at today’s sale price.
Bookmark the lens page and start checking every day to stay one step ahead of the rest of you who are getting these email notifications. I see the lens in stock and add it to my cart. The email notification comes in seconds later (great timing on my part). Make it through the order process, click “submit” before anyone else, and get a confirmation screen. My lens does not ship. I call customer service and they tell me the lens is back ordered (you know, that thing they don’t let you do). The offer to cancel the order for me and I decline. I wait for 5 more weeks until the lens is in stock and it ships.
There is a lot of competition for these popular lenses. You might have to work hard to get one.
Do you feel it is worth it to go through those hurdles? I respect your perseverence but this is stunning to me that a large multinational thinks these ‘sales’ are somehow good for anyone other than a small number of people. Mind you, these are not limitied edition art objects. My best to you, Mark. I’m finally done with Canon. They have simply made it too hard to feel good about as a user and a consumer. As others have observed, the competition is really fierce and there are some excellent innovations occurring elsewhere coupled with some exceptiopnal deals at the moment. Real deals and not these rarefied catch as catch can refurbs.sorry for the rant but when it comes to taking pictures, you have to feel good about the tools used as well. Sol
The lens I bought was one I had already been renting from time to time. I was always free to buy it in stock at full price, but was more attracted to the $500 savings on the refurbished model. Yes, the amount of time I spent chasing this lens was worth $500 to me.
This is a joke. To run a sale on what you don’t have defeats the purpose of having a sale. A much as I have enjoyed shooting Canon for the last 25 years, It’s time to say goodbye to canon for good. The level of greed is staggering.
Did I miss it? Yes and no. Got the email alert on my phone as I’m sitting in front of the computer. Pull up my email on the computer. Follow the link. There are 2 in stock as I begin the process. Add to cart. Notice there are other things in my cart from who knows when that I don’t want. By the time I’m able to remove them, the lens is sold out. Crap.
agree with others here. total waste of time. i just spent the last 30 minutes purchasing a 70-200 f/4. check out was a nightmare with strange error messages – something like ‘the total payment must be the same as the total cost of the item’. i believe, it was glitching due to the discount. once my order was accepted, i was congratulated on my purchase but the item was listed as out of stock at the same time in the confirmation. i called canon to try to make sense of this and calmly asked for clarification on whether i am getting the lens or not. i also communicated to the cs agent that the lens was still on the website and listed as in stock. she was aware of a similar problem with another lens on canon’s website. so, i will be out some time and effort and getting a temporary hold on my credit card until the transaction is cancelled. i expressed to canon’s cs rep in as polite a way as i could that this is really sapping consumer confidence. i further asked that the cs agent express to the powers that be that i would rather canon run no sale at all than run a sale that is so poorly executed and supported. as i commented in another of your entries here on cpw, this saps consumer goodwill and eats away at our confidence in the brand. I further asked that the cs agent express to the appropriate department that the website is in dire need of an overhaul. many of these debacles would be far less amplified if the site’s e-commerce and checkout was better implemented. All of this truly underscores how poorly prepared many brand manufacturers are for direct sales to consumers. it may benefit canon to cut out middle men retailers but at great expense to consumer confidence. stellar retailers in america have spent the greater part of the last two decades transforming e-commerce into a hassle free, seamlessly easy experience in ways producers from numerous sectors simply can not match.
I was able to get the 35mm F2 IS without any issues thankfully. Thanks CPW!!!
I got 35mm F2 IS too. When I got the notice,there were 5 in stock, after I submit the order only 2 left. That’s in 3 minutes.
BOO2014 seems to be giving extra 10%
… so, basically, you are getting 70d for 690+tax. Or 70d kit 18-135 stm for $900+tax.
Oh, we found something even better. Post going up shortly.
How’s that? 🙂
Loool. Anyway, I wanted either 6d, or 17-40L, or both, and there didn’t seem to be any opportunity anyway.