advice

[ifurlong]

I am looking to buy a 400mm f/5.6L and was thinking of trying ebay to save a few bucks, any advice on getting a good deal and making sure that the auction is real? thanks

[deztoys]

My personal belief is that I don't buy things on eBay that I can't afford to loose. So that $$ threshold is kind of an individual thing. There are a lot of scams, but equally as many real honest folks selling stuff. Personally, Id recommend B&H Photo. They are pretty consistent on prices and have been very reliable from all my dealings with them. Think of the 5-10% extra you will pay as insurance on the sale. Either way, make sure you know what you are buying (ie import vs USA product) BH sells both.


Scott

[Belmondo]

Ive been prowling around eBay a lot over the last few weeks looking for old Pentax cameras. A couple things are obvious:

1. Most of the sellers are completely honest, and you will very likely get what you've purchased.
2. There are some real sharks out there, and you can get seriously skinned, especially on big ticket items.
3. You are giving up the assurance of dealing with reputable retailers in order to save a few bucks. That's okay as long as you understand the risks.

I'm buying old cameras, all of which are represented as being in 'good condition.' The fact is, probably one in four is what I'd really consider 'as represented.' That's not a problem because I factor that into my bidding.

My personal recommendation is to watch it very closely. Read the feedbacks from other buyers, and only after you're completely satisfied that you're dealing with someone reputable, place your bid.

For whatever it's worth, I don't think I'd buy something unseen from a private party unless it was at least 30-40% below what you could buy the same thing for from a legitimate dealer.

eBay has done a pretty good job of trying to protect people using the service, but there are limits to how much they can do to protect us from ourselves. In short, if you were buying a $50 lens, I'd say, 'Go for it.' In the case of a lens approaching $1,000 in value, I'd counsel against it.

Whatever you do, I wish you luck. You'll love the lens---I'm sure happy with mine.


Tom

[CyberDyneSystems]

Untill recently I had only bought very inexpensive items on E-bay.

I was never concerned and all my transactions went smoothly.

Recently however too decided to go the lens route,.. and boy did I go BIG! A $1,600.00 500mm f/4.5 Sigma.

Well,.. I was scared to death and rightly so. I insisted on escrow payment. Oddly he excepted.

....and then proceeded to send me the wrong lens!!!???

(the photo was of the NEW EX HSM version of the lens,.. he sent me the old APO Non-HSM non-EX crappy peice of squeel like a pig junk! It won't even work on a 10D )


So, fortunately I am out olnly the escrow fees.

INSIST on Escrow for any high dollar item!!!!!!

[Belmondo]

My point exactly. Ya gotta' be careful.

[ssim]

For me personally, I don't do ebay purchases. However, my son lives on that website and has made dozens of purchases and has never been burnt yet.

[BCdives]

Well I appreciate that everyone's experience is different on Ebay...

However if you just use your brain and look carefully at who you are dealing with and how much good feedback they have, read the comments, you should be OK, I have purchased many many, big ticket items and sold many as well, and my experience with Ebay has been nothing but a 100% pure pleasure. Last year alone I bought and sold over $15,000 dollars worth of toys on Ebay and have yet to have the first problem.

I won an auction this week for a NEW 70-200 L glass, and the price was hundreds under cost, It arrived 2 days later in MINT condition, US warrenty, factory package, and it takes AWESOME pictures, plus the company gave me positive feedback on my Ebay profile even before I had a chance to respond to them.

Ebay is like any other market place in the world, do your homework and be smart and you shouldn't have a problem.

BC

[tanneuby]

As for watching feedback on Ebay, BE CAREFUL. I recently was the victim of the new 10D scam(I am out $844.00). The seller had a power rating and all good feedback, however, the hacker that stole the account didn't. And dumby me, I bought outside of Ebay cuz I thought I was getting the sweet deal. I have been reading the Ebay photography forum too and there have been many like me. Also, from what I understand, even if you get ripped off on Ebay, they only reimburse you up to a wopping $175.00.

I too have had many positive experiences on Ebay, but now I think that my Ebay times are done. Mainly because Ebay had been told about the scam I fell for, but still let the user name post items. I notified of my experience and guess what, this criminal is still listing under the same user name. You would think Ebay would be able to block this name after being told about twice. Sure they shut down the listing before it is scheduled to end, but come on, don't let it be there in the first place.

Anyway, I was able to get a refurb 10D from my local retailer for $1250. So the way I look at it, I actualy paid $2100 for a refurb 10D.

[abwhitt]

I recently sold my Fuji 602 on Ebay in UK. I included everything, extra batteries, 384mb memory, flash, card reader etc, etc. I was delighted with the price it achieved, and equally important, the buyer e-mailed to say that she was over the moon with the condition of the camera and everything with it. So, yes there are rogues out there, but the majority have a happy ending.
Regards
Frank

[mkaplan]

I have done a bit of both buying and selling on eBay so far (fingers crossed) without a hitch. Like so many have said, if the deal looks too good to be true it probably is. Not only look for feedback but if that person has only sole $15 items and is now selling a $1000+ item, I'd think twice as well. There are a lot of stores also selling on eBay and you surely have a better chance of satisfaction with them but all you can do is be vigilant and enjoy your purchases.