Purchased 17-55, Am I being too critical on it's condition?

From the item's description, "like new condition Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM with Canon EW-83J Hood. Includes front and back lens caps, original box and all accessories. Works and looks as new. Fantastic lens."

However, when I received it, there was a decent amount of dust, two to three very tiny/faint scratches and it has some zoom creep from 28-45mm.

I know that this lens gets dusty and can have some zoom creep. But, I hooked on the seller calling it "like new" condition.

It came with all the packaging and a hood (think those are separate) and I got it for $608 shipped. I paid a little more than I was looking to because he described it as new.

What should I do? Does this price reflect a lens in good shape or like new? Am I being too critical of a used lens?

Heya,

In a hobby where we're talking about thousands of dollars in general for taking a photo, is there such a thing as "too critical?" Sounds like a first world problem.

I would be more concerned with the zoom creep, than a few scratches. Scratches are nothing. If a lens has no scratches, it wasn't used, which is sad, because it's purpose is to capture light, not be a paper weight. Dust is a fact of life. Just because it's not your dust, well, I would just say, if it doesn't affect the image, then who cares? Dust is normal. Again, the zoom creep is what I would be annoyed with. It's only a 17-55, it's not big and heavy enough to have significant zoom creep really. At least, not in a like new condition. Some big lenses have zoom creep no matter what due to weight and have locks for that purpose because it's a mechanical truth. But they're usually big telephotos, not a little mid-zoom.

For $608? Well, you can get a new one for $830; or $630 used on Amazon.

So the price is fair for used condition probably.
But was the zoom creep disclosed?
I'd lose my mind with the lens creep.
If it doesn't bother you, then just enjoy the extra $250 you didn't spend.

Very best,

Are the scratches on the glass? If so I wouldn't be happy.

Some dust specs is of little concern (will happen regardless), zoom creep too but I'm not sure how much use it takes for it to develop on that lens.

Overall 'like new' sounds like a complete lie, worth arguing about IMO. I sell lenses with all marks listed and probably get less $ as a result (and rightly so) so that annoys me.

hang your cross wrote in post #16639110
From the item's description, "like new condition Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM with Canon EW-83J Hood. Includes front and back lens caps, original box and all accessories. Works and looks as new. Fantastic lens."

However, when I received it, there was a decent amount of dust, two to three very tiny/faint scratches and it has some zoom creep from 28-45mm.

I know that this lens gets dusty and can have some zoom creep. But, I hooked on the seller calling it "like new" condition.

It came with all the packaging and a hood (think those are separate) and I got it for $608 shipped. I paid a little more than I was looking to because he described it as new.

What should I do? Does this price reflect a lens in good shape or like new? Am I being too critical of a used lens?

Are the scratches on the glass or the body? I would reach out to the seller and explain your concerns about the creep and the scratches if they are on the glass.

hang your cross wrote in post #16639110
From the item's description, "like new condition Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM with Canon EW-83J Hood. Includes front and back lens caps, original box and all accessories. Works and looks as new. Fantastic lens."

However, when I received it, there was a decent amount of dust, two to three very tiny/faint scratches and it has some zoom creep from 28-45mm.

I know that this lens gets dusty and can have some zoom creep. But, I hooked on the seller calling it "like new" condition.

It came with all the packaging and a hood (think those are separate) and I got it for $608 shipped. I paid a little more than I was looking to because he described it as new.

What should I do? Does this price reflect a lens in good shape or like new? Am I being too critical of a used lens?

"You pays your money and you takes your chance." unattrib.

What you experienced is the reason that many people prefer to purchase used equipment from a reputable dealer.

There is one nationwide U.S. used equipment dealer, KEH, that has a good reputation and would be a good place to start. Other local old-fashioned brick-and-mortar stores are known for checking and cleaning used equipment for sale.

Here's a real-world example of the benefit of buying used from a known retailer, Roberts of Indianapolis.

A couple of years ago I purchased a used Canon 18-200mm IS lens from Roberts. At first, the lens seems to work perfectly. Then, after checking the EXIF from the first weekend's images, I noticed something unusual about the lens. No matter how the lens was used, the EXIF showed the aperture was f/5.6. That canon lens has a variable aperture that's supposed to open to f/3.5 at the wide end, but that never was shown in the EXIF.

Roberts has a 14-day return policy for used equipment. I returned the lens and told the staff of the anomaly. They checked the lens and agreed there was something odd, something they typically would not have noticed. So, they let me return the lens and I applied the price for credit for the purchase of a new Canon 18-200mm IS lens.

Since I was dealing with a real store and working with people who knew me as a customer for several years, there was no problem in handling the problem, and everyone was pleased with the outcome. When you purchase from a reputable dealer, these situations can be handled far easier than with someone sight unseen. These situation help prove the truth of the old adage of "penny wise and pound foolish."

Where did you buy it? Looking through ebay, POTN classifieds, and FM classifieds, I don't see any in the past couple of weeks that sold for that amount with that description. Was it Amazon?

Before I comment, I'd like to see the listing, and any photos that were provided by the seller, if you wouldn't mind.

http://www.ebay.com …_trksid=p3984.m​1423.l2649

There were others a bit cheaper. But, my main reason for purchasing it was him stating "like new" condition. To me that means no dust, scratches or zoom creep.

You can get a refurb from Canon now for $704 with a 1 year warranty.

http://shop.usa.canon.​com …5-f-28-is-usm-refurbished

That is less than $100 more.

The seller was at least misleading. At worst he completely misrepresented his item. The ad states "looks and works as new". Neither of those claims is true. Contact the seller. Tell him you want a $150 (or whatever seem fair to you) refund, or you will initiate a "not as described" claim on E-Bay and Pay-Pal. He has 440 feedbacks with 100% satisfaction. He has an interest in keeping a good rating. A reputable seller will make a counter-offer. If he believes you are wrong, he may decline to dicker.

In that case, begin the "not as described" dispute. I have been dealing with E-Bay and Pay-Pal (funny, they are one and the same) long enough to know you are on solid ground. Disputes are almost always resolved to satisfy the purchaser. It may help to take photos and get a professional evaluation of the lens. Take it to a camera shop and get a written estimate of value, with details. Good luck.

I looked at your item, its sale page, and the sellers info. Personally, I would not have made that purchase from that seller. I couldn't find any other DSLR gear in his listings or in his feedback. That is part of my criteria for buying on E-Bay. But that is me.

EDIT:
Did you buy this outside of E-Bay's regular auction site? I looked at the item and it appears to have been pulled early (before sale) by the seller. Your sale also does not appear in the 'sold items' list for the 17-55. If that is the case, you may have no recourse. It is also possible that I just missed something.

How many specks of dust were in the lens? Depending on the amount of dust, I would say that is a fair price. I just sold my 17-55 a few weeks ago on here. Included the hood, but no box (original box does add value), and it has a couple specks of dust, which I disclosed, as well as the normal scuffs on the hood. I advertised it for 600 obo, just as a reference.

Bought it off of ebay. Still can use paypal for recourse.

ej - What did you sell it for?

Is all that behind the element? If so, that's quite a bit. I ended up selling mine for 550. Search my threads started through my profile to see the for sale thread with all the pictures if you are interested.

EOS5DC wrote in post #16639633
The seller was at least misleading. At worst he completely misrepresented his item. The ad states "looks and works as new". Neither of those claims is true. Contact the seller. Tell him you want a $150 (or whatever seem fair to you) refund, or you will initiate a "not as described" claim on E-Bay and Pay-Pal. He has 440 feedbacks with 100% satisfaction. He has an interest in keeping a good rating. A reputable seller will make a counter-offer. If he believes you are wrong, he may decline to dicker.

In that case, begin the "not as described" dispute. I have been dealing with E-Bay and Pay-Pal (funny, they are one and the same) long enough to know you are on solid ground. Disputes are almost always resolved to satisfy the purchaser. It may help to take photos and get a professional evaluation of the lens. Take it to a camera shop and get a written estimate of value, with details. Good luck.

I looked at your item, its sale page, and the sellers info. Personally, I would not have made that purchase from that seller. I couldn't find any other DSLR gear in his listings or in his feedback. That is part of my criteria for buying on E-Bay. But that is me.

EDIT:
Did you buy this outside of E-Bay's regular auction site? I looked at the item and it appears to have been pulled early (before sale) by the seller. Your sale also does not appear in the 'sold items' list for the 17-55. If that is the case, you may have no recourse. It is also possible that I just missed something.

I agree with this 100%.

If you did buy it outside of ebay though, you may run into some problems. What method of payment did you use? - Paypal Merchandise, Paypal Gift, Paypal with a credit card, or??? That will make a big difference on how this turns out. Paypal gift = your're screwed. The other's, you should fair well.

I'd be more concerned about the scratches then the dust or creep, but that's what makes us all different in this world! All three are concerning to some point.

Keep up informed as to what happens.

If you did buy it outside of the ebay system, who initiated that? If the seller did, and you have emails reflecting it, ebay will work with you, and probably ban the seller.