Lens off eBay

Does anyone worry purchasing lens of eBay?

I just worry that it's a good way for a seller to get rid of a lens that may have been dropped (no marks though) or is faulty or has some other problem with it.

I know that people get excellent bargains off eBay buying second hand lens, but has anyone ever had a bad experience?

Same.. I always worried about the same thing. Like someone could be trying to get rid of a non-sharp but working lens.. :/ But i bought a Tamron 28-75 off eBay and i'm pretty satisfied. I'd say it's only worth it if you are getting a significant discount 40-50%. The only reason i bought the tamron was because i was able to snag it for $190. Reg price is $380. Only buy if you will save a significant amount of money.

tester3000 wrote in post #8105445
Same.. I always worried about the same thing. Like someone could be trying to get rid of a non-sharp but working lens..

Thats what worries me. Sure the majority (hopefully) are people that just don't need the lens anymore for any given reason. But it just seems a very easy way to "dump" a lens thats visibly perfect, but has "issues".

buy using PayPal. I have experience as a seller, and the buyer seems to always be right when it comes to a dispute.

jxg wrote in post #8105490
buy using PayPal. I have experience as a seller, and the buyer seems to always be right when it comes to a dispute.

Even with a working lens? Say you are selling a lens. You say it's a 100% working copy, but it's not a sharp copy. You don't comment on the sharpness in the listing,, you just say it's a working copy. Would the buyer win the dispute just because the lens wasn't sharp enough for them?

I've bought 3 lenses through ebay and haven't had any problem whatsoever.

I bought a refurbished Canon 17-40L off of ebay a few weeks ago for $470. Beautiful lens!

I have bought and sold over 150 lenses in the last 2 years from eBay. Just your normal common sense helps. Yes, there are some Newbies and some non-photographers selling lenses. But, it can be a great place to get something different. I would not buy new from eBay, just used. Yes, If I can also find it at Keh.com for about the same price I will get it from Keh. Adorama? It is a toss up. If you are wondering about any certain eBay auction, you can always PM me a link. I will try to help.

The only time I have really been burnt buying online was not on Ebay but on this very forum. Use common sense and Paypal on Ebay and you won't have any problems.

My eBay purchases include:

Zeiss 85 f/1.4
Tamron 28-75

and

My 1Ds Mark II.

All have been fine. Just buy from sellers with high feedback and a return policy, and you'll be fine.

What would be the difference buying used lens from anywhere? The owner could be sending for just about any reason I hope you don't think every lens sold from this site is perfect and razor sharp.

tester3000 wrote in post #8105445
Same.. I always worried about the same thing. Like someone could be trying to get rid of a non-sharp but working lens.. :/ But i bought a Tamron 28-75 off eBay and i'm pretty satisfied. I'd say it's only worth it if you are getting a significant discount 40-50%. The only reason i bought the tamron was because i was able to snag it for $190. Reg price is $380. Only buy if you will save a significant amount of money.

I'm not only talking about only ebay,, i'm talking about used lenses in general.

tester3000 wrote in post #8105725
Even with a working lens? Say you are selling a lens. You say it's a 100% working copy, but it's not a sharp copy. You don't comment on the sharpness in the listing,, you just say it's a working copy. Would the buyer win the dispute just because the lens wasn't sharp enough for them?

I sold a perfectly good Canon XT on ebay. Buyer complained to PayPal on the 44th day after the sale that the pictures were "blurry". They made me refund the money. I disputed the claim with pictures I had taken with the camera (both before and AFTER I got the camera back - which was returned with a very large scratch in it, by the way). They basically ignored me, saying buyer has every right to dispute - they said I sold an item that was not as advertised.

So it locally on Craigslist, and the buyer was very happy...

tester3000 wrote in post #8105725
Even with a working lens? Say you are selling a lens. You say it's a 100% working copy, but it's not a sharp copy. You don't comment on the sharpness in the listing,, you just say it's a working copy. Would the buyer win the dispute just because the lens wasn't sharp enough for them?

A lens that performs under specification i.e. softer that it should be is not a working lens.

gasrocks wrote in post #8107227
I have bought and sold over 150 lenses in the last 2 years from eBay. Just your normal common sense helps. Yes, there are some Newbies and some non-photographers selling lenses. But, it can be a great place to get something different. I would not buy new from eBay, just used. Yes, If I can also find it at Keh.com for about the same price I will get it from Keh. Adorama? It is a toss up. If you are wondering about any certain eBay auction, you can always PM me a link. I will try to help.

Why wouldn't you buy new from ebay ?
I bought my two "L"s from a ebay store. One of them was absoluterly perfect another required calibration. Canon had no problem with the fact that the lens was bought from a e-bay store in fact when I checked later both stores appeared to be Canon authorized dealers.