How To Finance A Camera
Probably just about everyone has at least one camera and the thought of not having one these days is very strange. There are all sorts of cameras on the market from cheap cameras built into cell phones to really expensive DSLR cameras used by professionals.
Unfortunately being able to afford the camera you want to buy isn’t always easy. Of course, there’s not just the camera body to think about. If you’re serious about photography you’ll want to buy some accessories to go along with it such as camera lenses, tripod, case and filters. Some of these accessories are pretty cheap but if you want a lens that wildlife photographers and paparazzi use then you could easily pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
So how do you go about financing a camera and other camera equipment? Well, to start with, it’s a good idea to find out what sort of credit rating you have. If you don’t have any idea then you ought to request copies of your credit reports at annualcreditreport.com. If you have good credit then that’s fantastic. If you have fair or bad credit then you should, ideally find ways to rebuild your credit score, otherwise you will find it more difficult to get affordable financing.
Just because you want to finance a camera doesn’t mean you have to take out any specific camera finance. You could just as easily take out a personal loan from a bank or credit union. Try whatever company you currently bank with to find out what sort of loan they can offer you. Then when you know the terms of the loan you can shop around to see if anyone else can better it.
Please stay away from loans such as payday loans because they aren’t designed for the purpose of buying a camera. They are intended for emergency purchases and the interest rates can be really high and can be particularly expensive if you don’t pay the loan back at your next payday.
The shop where you want to buy your camera from may also offer financing. Have a look at purchasingpower.com, qvc.com and electronics.hsn.com.
If it’s been a while since you applied for a credit card you could look for one which has an introductory APR for the first 6 months or so. If you think you can pay it off this quickly then it’s a good way of getting cheap finance. However some people get a bit addicted to this cheap finance technique and open up new credit cards whenever the into offer expired. If you fall into this trap you can end up lowering your credit score so let that be a warning to you.
