Gammy Sandy Loc: Hernando Beach, FL

I am just about ready to purchase a Canon 24-105mm lens. I wasn't looking for a used lens but found a few for sale at great prices at Amazon, I am just a little afraid to do this. Has anyone bought used from Amazon and have you been happy with your purchase? How can you tell if a used product is from the gray market? Will Amazon tell you if they are if I ask? Thank you in advance for your response.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Amazon rarely handles any photographic merchandise. They sell you a stock number and then find a seller to provide the item, could be any one of ALL sellers. Save yourself all kinds of potential troubles and go directly to KEH, Adorama, B&H, or Cameta. Amazon is just a middle-man in the re-selling industry. They get their cut off the top of the sale. They know very little about photography and the equipment involved.

Gammy Sandy Loc: Hernando Beach, FL

Thank you, davidrb...I have been very apprehensive. I appreciate your response.

Bill_de Loc: US

I agree. Click on the "Available from these sellers" tab. See if you recognize any of the names. I'm not saying they are bad, but it is a crap shoot.

--

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Amazon is like a mall. Amazon may have a store there, but most everything sold there is sold by an independent seller. Unlike ebay, Amazon has a listed price and no bidding. From what I've read, Amazon wants to maintain its reputation and, therefore, monitors the folks selling merchandise somewhat carefully. I've purchased numerous items through Amazon, none photographic that I recall. I've never had a bad experience.
--Bob

Gammy Sandy Loc: Hernando Beach, FL

Thank you....I kind of thought this. Just wanted a good deal. I am going to B & H.

blackest Loc: Ireland

Does it matter? A used lens is a used lens there generally is no real warranty on it other than if it's got undisclosed faults most sellers will take returns.
Amazon pretty much forces sellers to be good with you.

Warranties pretty much only cover new or factory refurb items and are nontransferable , you seem to be interested in buying a used lens it should work fine. If later it breaks if you ask canon to fix it the cost of repair may be as much or higher than you paid for the lens. In which case you may prefer to replace it with another used lens. Chances are you would find a buyer for the broken lens at some price.

Buying used means accepting some risk yourself if you can afford for the lens dying at some point in the future then used is fine if you need reassurance that any defect the lens may develop gets fixed buy new or refurbished. Most lenses seem to break when people drop them somehow or other operator abuse. Warranty isn't going to help, insurance might but bare in mind the cost of the insurance reflects the risk the insurance feels its taking on and usually your premiums increase if you claim.

If it isn't new then the price should reflect that and the increased risk but usually thats minimal. If it's working well when you get it then it should keep doing so for years.

Gammy Sandy Loc: Hernando Beach, FL

Oh will check out your suggestion as well, Bill De..

Bob, I have purchased from Amazon also, but like you never photography equiptment either.

wrangler5 Loc: Missouri

I buy all kinds of stuff from Amazon all the time. My experience with their return policy has been fabulous. In any event they provide a shipping label for the return - if something doesn't work they pay the fee, if it's just something you decide you don't want then they deduct the shipping from your refund. I've experienced both of these in the past 30 days - a Yongnuo flash that didn't function reliably with a Yongnuo wireless trigger I already had, and a flash softbox that I mistakenly ordered with the wrong connector. No questions asked in either case, and refund posted to my credit card promptly. (In the case of the softbox the refund was posted the day after I dropped the box off at the UPS counter in my neighborhood hardware store - the backage got to the return center in KY and through their computers in less than 48 hours.)

So if Amazon has the best price on a product you want, I can't imagine you'll be any worse off than buying the same product used from one of the perfectly reliable vendors already mentioned. (I've used all of them, too, some for decades, and still check them out when I'm looking for something. I've bought used from B&H and KEH in the last year, and haven't used Adorama in that time period only because they haven't had what I wanted when I was looking for it.)

woodfrog Loc: Tennessee

I have purchased 2 lenses from resellers through Amazon. One qualified for Prime and the other had a $6.00 shipping fee. I will probably purchase more in the future.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

I think you are being somewhat harsh about Amazon, and possibly inaccurate. Amazon is very careful about protecting its reputation as a safe place to conduct business. Buying a new item from Amazon is generally very safe. They manage returns very efficiently, I have bought quite a bit of photographic equipment through Amazon with no issues. I would not go to them for advice, except for reading reviews.

That said, Amazon does operate as a marketplace for other vendors, especially for used equipment. In that case it may be important to contact the supplying vendor directly, whose details are normally provided.

For example, a used item from a pawnbroker or a goodwill store may not be backed by in-depth knowledge of photography or the specific item. If you buy used, you are always taking a risk. Buying from ebay is also quite safe if done with caution.

If buying used, then using Adorama, B&H, Cameta, KEH, and so on could be a good idea if risk mitigation is your goal.

I've had very few problems with Amazon, and when I had problems the returns were easy and fast. The most recent was a box of glass 'canning jars'. When it arrived, the box rattled which wasn't good. Three of the jars were broken, but none of the packaging (double boxed) showed any damage. I reported it to Amazon, received a shipping label very quickly, gave the repackaged box to a UPS driver, and received an e-mail that my refund was activated just a few hours later. Reordered and got the replacements two days later. Not too shabby in my personal opinion.

woodfrog Loc: Tennessee

Cameta Camera gives a 6 month warranty on all camera equipment. A great company to deal with.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

[quote=Gammy Sandy]I am just about ready to purchase a Canon 24-105mm lens. I wasn't looking for a used lens but found a few for sale at great prices at Amazon, I am just a little afraid to do this. Has anyone bought used from Amazon and have you been happy with your purchase? How can you tell if a used product is from the gray market? Will Amazon tell you if they are if I ask? Thank you in advance for your responses.

It would be good to purchase a warranty for this particular lens unless the seller is providing one. The Mk1 version of this lens has a known ribbon cable failure issue which is not inexpensive to repair, although I have used one for four to five years with no issues.

Gammy Sandy Loc: Hernando Beach, FL

I appreciate all of your responses. This is a wonderful and informative venue.

gwong1 Loc: Tampa, FL

Gammy Sandy, Consider buying one from a fellow Hog. I bought the same lens a few months ago and it performs as if new. I would not hesitate to purchase another in the future. Gary Here is my listing. http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-499102-1.html