400mm f/4 DO IS II from ebay seller

One of the "reputed" ebay seller has 400mm DO IS II new for a considerable lower price.
This of course is a grey model. Seller provides the warranty for 1 year.
The cost of it is even lower than a good used lens. It's really tempting (and also risky).
What are the odds of things going south?

Remember- "Buyer Beware" I know many people have bought via eBay, some have been happy, but many have been disappointed! (Who knows the history of said Lens)
Keep saving & buy from reputable store/compamy.. L

F5.6Guy wrote in post #18990714
Remember- "Buyer Beware" I know many people have bought via eBay, some have been happy, but many have been disappointed! (Who knows the history of said Lens)
Keep saving & buy from reputable store/compamy.. L

I know, this is/was my thought too.
But it becomes interesting as the seller accepts free returns within 30 days.

If you feel the Return Policy is Ok, go for it.. You will probably have to pay for Return Shipping & Insurance.. (take lots of images of the Lens as you unpack etc..) One Nikon zoom I purchased used, had an electric short and killed a battery within a day.. L

F5.6Guy wrote in post #18990740
If you feel the Return Policy is Ok, go for it.. You will probably have to pay for Return Shipping & Insurance.. (take lots of images of the Lens as you unpack etc..) One Nikon zoom I purchased used, had an electric short and killed a battery within a day.. L

Thanks for that advice.
I am still pondering. BTW seller is paying the return shipping (and am sure it will handle the insurance too). So yeah, temptation continues.

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Just make sure you pay with PayPal.

If anything goes wrong, and you are dissatisfied in any way whatsoever, you can file a dispute with PayPal and they will give you 100% of your money back in 10 days. . Even the shipping is refunded to you. . There is literally no risk of losing any of your money.

PayPal is notorious for siding with the buyer in all disputes ... why not use that to your advantage?


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Tom Reichner wrote in post #18990767
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Just make sure you pay with PayPal.

If anything goes wrong, and you are dissatisfied in any way whatsoever, you can file a dispute with PayPal and they will give you 100% of your money back in 10 days. . Even the shipping is refunded to you. . There is literally no risk of losing any of your money.

PayPal is notorious for siding with the buyer in all disputes ... why not use that to your advantage?


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Thanks Tom for the advice.

Spend 10 minutes on Google looking at: 6th Avenue Express. If you're still interested in this purchase, check yourself into an institution. I would not touch that EBay offering. First RED FLAG: no photos of the actual item. Those look like shots pulled from a review site, to me. IF it is brand new, it should still be sealed in a box. If it isn't sealed in a box, you have no idea how 'new' it is. Second RED FLAG: not one word in the ad about THE SPECIFIC lens you are buying. Not one. Anywhere. Lots of generic marketing boilerplate. NOTHING about the lens you are purchasing. Third RED FLAG: Reading the fine print at the bottom of the page finds a lot of blather about 'imports' and 'grey market' items. The last sentence states that items (everything they sell?) MAY not be eligible for manufacturer warranty in the US. Read that as "ARE not eligible..." Fourth RED FLAG: no links to anything like a written warranty. The above mentioned Google search will find comments about FREE RETURNS, the difficulty of getting RMA, and the 25% restocking fee that WILL be deducted from your refund, should you get one.

rndman wrote in post #18990769
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Thanks Tom for the advice.
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No problem.

My advice is based on personal experience.

A few years ago I saw a lens I wanted for a very good price. . It is usually $8,000 and I saw it for $5,000 ..... but the listing and the seller looked very sketchy. . However, I have always heard that PayPal sides with the buyer, so I decided to put that to the test.

I called PayPal Support at 800-221-1161. . I explained that I was interested in a lens for $5,000, but that the seller may be untrustworthy. . I asked, "if I order and pay for this lens, and it never arrives, or what arrives is not as described, then will you give me all of my money back?"

The support person said, "Yes, absolutely." . And then she explained the dispute process and how it takes 10 days.

So I went for it! . I clicked "BUY IT NOW", paid the $5,000 plus shipping, and waited. . I never received any further communication from the seller. . No "thank you" email, no tracking number ..... just nothing. . I sent a message or two and got no response.

So a week later I called PayPal Support back and they said they would file a dispute, that the dispute would be open for 10 days to allow the seller time to respond, and that if there is no response from the seller in that time they would put all of the money back in my account.

I asked the Support person about what they'd do to get the money back from the seller. . She laughed and said, "Do? Nothing. It's only $5,000. It's not worth going after that. He'll just have a hold put on his PayPal account and will have to use another name if he wants to open another account."

Things went just as PayPal said they would go, and 10 days later I got an email saying that a $5,000 (plus shipping) deposit had been made into my account.

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Tom Reichner wrote in post #18990767
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Just make sure you pay with PayPal.

If anything goes wrong, and you are dissatisfied in any way whatsoever, you can file a dispute with PayPal and they will give you 100% of your money back in 10 days. . Even the shipping is refunded to you. . There is literally no risk of losing any of your money.

PayPal is notorious for siding with the buyer in all disputes ... why not use that to your advantage?


.

rndman wrote in post #18990769
Thanks Tom for the advice.

I agree with Tom, on less expensive merchandise. In this price range, I'd buy from a reputable photographer, B&H, Adorama, or Robert's Camera. Or new/refurbished from the MFR.

PentaxShooter wrote in post #18990785
First RED FLAG: no photos of the actual item. Those look like shots pulled from a review site, to me.

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Many eBay sellers do not actually have the items that they sell. . They are retail brokers. . They take orders, receive payments, and then order the product from their wholesaler or manufacturer and have it shipped directly from there to the customer.

In fact, it's not just ebay that works that way. . Many large and reputable retailers work that way, too. . Many times I've ordered things from B&H or Adorama that they never actually had physical possession of. . They just have the manufacturer or importer ship it directly to me.

That's how a lot of internet and mail-order business is done these days. . There just isn't a need for the retail seller to actually have the items they sell.


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Tom Reichner wrote in post #18990791
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Many eBay sellers do not actually have the items that they sell. . They are retail brokers. . They take orders, receive payments, and then order the product from their wholesaler or manufacturer and have it shipped directly from there to the customer.

In fact, it's not just ebay that works that way. . Many large and reputable retailers work that way, too. . Many times I've ordered things from B&H or Adorama that they never actually had physical possession of. . They just have the manufacturer or importer ship it directly to me.

That's how a lot of internet and mail-order business is done these days. . There just isn't a need for the retail seller to actually have the items they sell.

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Thank you. I was not aware of that. I generally buy used photographic equipment, and it is generally priced well below the 4-digit range. My guess is that most resellers of used gear are in possession of the item they are selling. Since I don't shop in this price range, ever, I will leave this conversation to those of you who do. I am out of my league at these prices.

PentaxShooter wrote in post #18990794
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I generally buy used photographic equipment ..... my guess is that most resellers of used gear are in possession of the item they are selling.
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You are absolutely correct to think that.

If it is a used item and the seller does not have a photo, then that would indeed be suspicious.


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buy the seller. if there is a return policy and you use paypal there is no risk. if the price is right and I did my due diligence i'd buy it without hesitation. and that's from past experience

Tom Reichner wrote in post #18990787
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No problem.

My advice is based on personal experience.

A few years ago I saw a lens I wanted for a very good price. . It is usually $8,000 and I saw it for $5,000 ..... but the listing and the seller looked very sketchy. . However, I have always heard that PayPal sides with the buyer, so I decided to put that to the test.

I called PayPal Support at 800-221-1161. . I explained that I was interested in a lens for $5,000, but that the seller may be untrustworthy. . I asked, "if I order and pay for this lens, and it never arrives, or what arrives is not as described, then will you give me all of my money back?"

The support person said, "Yes, absolutely." . And then she explained the dispute process and how it takes 10 days.

So I went for it! . I clicked "BUY IT NOW", paid the $5,000 plus shipping, and waited. . I never received any further communication from the seller. . No "thank you" email, no tracking number ..... just nothing. . I sent a message or two and got no response.

So a week later I called PayPal Support back and they said they would file a dispute, that the dispute would be open for 10 days to allow the seller time to respond, and that if there is no response from the seller in that time they would put all of the money back in my account.

I asked the Support person about what they'd do to get the money back from the seller. . She laughed and said, "Do? Nothing. It's only $5,000. It's not worth going after that. He'll just have a hold put on his PayPal account and will have to use another name if he wants to open another account."

Things went just as PayPal said they would go, and 10 days later I got an email saying that a $5,000 (plus shipping) deposit had been made into my account.

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Interesting story. And to some extent encouraging. Thanks for sharing.