Hot Camera!?!?

There is a gripped 5D2 with a 35L on my local Craigslist for $900. Is there any way in the world that it is NOT stolen? No boxes, no charger. Pretty sure it is hot. The 'owner' claims it was a birthday present he doesn't need.

A while back I saw a 600 f/4 on the same CL for $800. Stolen for sure. I could not get the local police involved. They did not seem to care.

And finally, my question. Is there a hot-camera web-site I can go to live, while I am checking this thing out? I am not sure what I would do if it really is stolen, but I know I don't want a stolen camera. I damn sure ain't paying for one. It would seem kind of stupid to tell the guy, "Hey, this is stolen! I am calling the cops." Someone else's stolen camera is not worth getting shot over. On the other hand, a gripped 5D2 w/35L for $900 is a sweet deal!

Just in case you are wondering.... I would meet him in the lobby of my bank. If it checks out, and is NOT stolen, then I get the money from the teller. Not before.

I would keep away from it. You do not want to have stolen equipment in your possession. Someone could easily get 900 just for the 35L I think.

It's not a matter of not caring, you just have nothing to go on but a low price. Unless the serial number is listed as stolen, it is a baseless accusation.

LOL....I don't know what to say.

forum went crazy...double post

You say you'd buy it if it turns out it's not stolen, how would that happen? He doesn't even have the charger... Unless he has the paperwork, matching with the serial nr, it's stolen. If you really want to waste some more time on it, ask him to print your message, and let him take a photo of the lens serial nr, the body with serial nr and the offical papers from canon with serial nr, all 3 photographed with the print of your mail next to it. I wouldn't meet with him in person.

A statement like this is absolutely stupid. How many times have people asked on this exact forum how to determine s/n if it is not on the lens. And it isn't always it seems lately. As to paperwork, am I expected to have it from lenses I acquired 10 years ago or should we just consider much of my equipment stolen?

I say buy it if you want it and the price is attractive. But use care, many of these transactions request cash and the buyer gets rolled. Finalize things in a public place and use common sense, or should I say "uncommon" sense.

John from PA wrote in post #16392230
A statement like this is absolutely stupid. How many times have people asked on this exact forum how to determine s/n if it is not on the lens. And it isn't always it seems lately. As to paperwork, am I expected to have it from lenses I acquired 10 years ago or should we just consider much of my equipment stolen?

I say buy it if you want it and the price is attractive. But use care, many of these transactions request cash and the buyer gets rolled. Finalize things in a public place and use common sense, or should I say "uncommon" sense.

Well, I was talking about this guy in particular. most people at least have a charger with their camera and sell it at a non-ridiculous price with a credible backstory.
Do you honestly think this guy got it as a birthday present?

These offers are often scams, some don't actually have the item.

Just remember that guy who showed up to buy a phone and got killed and robbed.

uOpt wrote in post #16392276
These offers are often scams, some don't actually have the item.

Yes. I did consider that. I can get a million gripped 5D2 photos on-line. Free.

auto-clicker wrote in post #16392298
Just remember that guy who showed up to buy a phone and got killed and robbed.

There are always horror stories. That said, we've had a couple of CL-related robberies lately.

I agree about not having paperwork. I never got paperwork, or even boxes, with some of the stuff I bought off of e-bay. The charger is a bigger tip-off. If the deal is legit, I already have a 60D and two LP-E6 batteries and chargers. The whole thing is kind of scary.

Bad deal. Don't mess with it. Whether it's a scam, hot or whatever, don't let your greedy side get in the way of your good sense. If it was truly an unwanted gift, it would be returnable to the store or online supplier, or it would be put on sale for a realistic price. Nobody gets a "gift" of a DSLR without a charger. Since the police won't take any interest, just forget about it.

Does CL have any way of warning potential buyers? I know that it has become a haven for thieves to unload hot stuff. It just seems like too easy a target for the police to go after and shut down. It's hard to believe that they would just ignore it.

[QUOTE=YashicaFX2;1639​2053]Is there a hot-camera web-site I can go to live, while I am checking this thing out? QUOTE]

www.stolencamerafinder​.com

http://www.zdnet.com …th-free-online-tools/5538


You know it is either stolen or a scam. Why are you wasting your time or risking getting robbed?

There used to be a site where you can list the serial numbers of gear that has been stolen. It is probably still active but I would imagine that its value is limited since probably only a minority of victims know of its existence. But I would ask for the s.n. and check there and with the local cops.

I e-mailed asking whether or not he has any of the cables, manuals, CDs and other usual in-the-box stuff. I also asked for shots of the serial numbers of the camera and lens. No response, yet. Even if a really generous person bought him a used 5D2 AND a 35L for his birthday, it seems that some of the accessories would have been included. This one smells funny.

Luckily, because of crossing the Canada/US border so often, I have my bodies and lenses all registered with Canada Customs - that includes serial numbers and receipts.

Initially it was so they didn't charge me duty on them when coming back into Canada but in the long run its a great way to get your equipment registered into a system.