Buying used Tamron and Sigma is crazy, isn't it?

Was just shopping around on Ebay a couple days ago and ordered my Canon 60mm Macro, and saw a Tamron 60mm macro F:2, and almost snapped it up but decided I would check the waranty and neither Tamron or Sigma have transferable warranties. My goodness, with all the folks who have to send their 3rd party lenses back for focus adjustment and problems, why on earth would someone take a small amount like a hundred bucks off the new price AND GIVE UP A 6 YEAR WARRANTY? That's crazy.

That Tamron is like $424 after rebate brand new, so I would have gotten about 75 bucks off the new price, and would have been out my six year warranty, can you imagine that? I know in my soul i would have got that thing here and it most likely would have needed adjustment, and i would have been stuck with the price of sending it in and paying for the labor and everything.

This means that Tamron and sigma resale value should be terribly lowcompared to the new price.

I didn't mind buying my 60mm used because it was made by Canon and it was designed to work with my very bodies (450D and 500D) I have much more confidence that when it arrives it will perform as it should, but no way could i feel the same way about buying a Tamron or sigma used like that and lose the warranty. I don't feel likeI would have wanted to spend more than 225 dollars on that Tamron without the 6 year warranty because you are taking a huge risk it seems to me.

Do you guys feel the same? I almost get sick now when I see guys asking only a small amount off new prices on Ebay and realize that these buyers will be on their own if there are focus problems or even worse, hardware faults that need more than just adjusting. You would think Tamron and Sigma would realize this and do something about it. People are less intent on buying their lenses when they realize that the resale value is very low, or should be to knowledgeable buyers.

Considering the very low rate of 'failure' due to manufacturing defect, I don't think the real implication of non-transferability of warranty is that much of a consideration. The fixing of careless user damage is not a normal warranty-covered service, after all.

No warranty doesn't mean no repair. It just means you have to pay for repair, so no, buyers are not "on their own". For problems like focus adjustments, the cost is quite cheap anyway (I think sigma charges ~$40 or something along those lines? Though my memory may be failing me here) and the problem is not as common as the internet would have you think. If there is a hardware fault, that will either be mentioned by the seller, or if it is not mentioned, and you pay via paypal, paypal has so much buyer protection that you're pretty much guaranteed your money back if you file a claim. If you pay via credit card, your cc company will also have protection in place. If you pay via cash and fail to notice a major hardware fault when testing the lens, well that is your own fault.
When you go for canon, you don't have any warranty either if the lens is over a year old.
So I fail to see the issue.

Personally I wouldn't buy modern 2nd hand lenses of any brand because there's not enough savings (usually far less than 20% off retail) for me to take a risk on getting a lens from someone who didn't treat it to my standards.

You have to decide if the warranty is worth $75?

How much does the average owner of the lens you were looking at pay in repair costs over the lifetime of an equivalent warranty (that would be covered by the warranty?)

It comes out to a very acceptable risk. Rather have an emergency fund and not pay for warranties. You'll have more money at the end of the day.

Sirrith's note about the treatment of the lens from the previous owner also needs to be taken into account if you cannot verify the state of the lens.

I'm glad I got my tamron new with 5 year warranty i think it has and I already sent it off once for a focus adjustment and came back dead on nuts so I'm happy.

I bought my sigma used and was very worried about the focusing but it's dead nuts accurate so I'm not worried about anything else. It is registered and I have the original receipt so theoretically I could still send it in.

Talley, not to veer from the OPs question. What does "dead nuts accurate" mean?

guitarjeff wrote in post #14421087
Do you guys feel the same? I almost get sick now when I see guys asking only a small amount off new prices on Ebay and realize that these buyers will be on their own if there are focus problems or even worse, hardware faults that need more than just adjusting. You would think Tamron and Sigma would realize this and do something about it. People are less intent on buying their lenses when they realize that the resale value is very low, or should be to knowledgeable buyers.

No... I could care less what others buy. It's their decision. These buyers are probably just as smart as you and me.

klimraamkosie wrote in post #14421762
Talley, not to veer from the OPs question. What does "dead nuts accurate" mean?

more accurate than my wife after a few drinks and being mad at me swinging and nailing me right in the go nads.

Some of the prices I see for a used Canon lens , are crazy for me .

You can get a Mack 3 yr warranty for lenses less than $1000 for just $29.95 if it's important to you.

I completely understand the OP's point. A six-year manufacturer's warranty is worth more than $75 or $100.

That being said, a few years ago I bought a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens off ebay for $295. It was only 3 months old, and the buyer sent me the original receipt. About a month after I got it, a big piece of lint showed up on the inside of the front element. I called Tamron and explained the situation, making sure they understood that I was not the original owner. The polite young lady told me that, although it technically wasn't covered under warranty, they would clean the lens for free because it was only 4 months old. About 10 days later, I had my lens back, squeaky clean and free of charge. I've bought 3 additional Tammies since then, all brand new from authorized dealers. They earned my business.

If you are buying used, you can check out the lens (Craigslist not Ebay). Test it before you buy. Take a laptop to enlarge the images easier. If everything (focus and such) are on, then don't worry about the warranty. As WILT said, mechanical failure is not common on most lenses. Other problems (as caused by user error) is not covered anyway.

if you get them to include the reciept, or a copy of the reciept then you have a warranty...they don't care if it's been transferred or not, just send the the receipt and warranty card in and you're good...so yeah it's not crazy at all

DreDaze wrote in post #14424903
if you get them to include the reciept, or a copy of the reciept then you have a warranty...they don't care if it's been transferred or not, just send the the receipt and warranty card in and you're good...so yeah it's not crazy at all

Not true. Taken from the Tamron USA web site, which states,
" The Warranty shall not extend to anyone other than the original purchaser of the lens or the person for whom the lens was purchased as a gift. This Warranty is valid only in the Continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii, and is valid only upon presentation of a valid proof of purchase from an authorized Tamron dealer (valid proof of purchase must be a dated bill of sale that includes price, model and serial number of lens and/or when fully completing Tamron’s Online Warranty Registration at www.tamron-usa.com).
This Tamron lens is warranted against defective materials or workmanship for Six Years from the date of original purchase, and is limited to repair, adjustment and/or replacement of defective parts. This Warranty covers all defects encountered in normal use of the lens. This Limited Warranty does not cover normal wear and tear such as scratches, etc.
This Warranty does not apply to defects due to abuse, mishandling, tampering or removal of serial number, repair by a non-authorized agent, unsuitable storage, transport damage, sand damage, liquid damage, fungus damage, impact damage, or tampering."

So when John Smith buys the lens new, and later sells it to Joe Acquirer, the receipt is still in John Smith's name and therefore of no real value to Joe Acquirer in making a warranty claim to Tamron USA. OTOH, if Joe Acquirer thinks he would submit the lens for repair because he neglected to turn off AF but forced it to manual focus which in AF mode, there is no valid warranty claim anyway.