coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

I get emails from Nikon every week I think about their refurbished sales.
Get on their mailing list.

coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

Amazon has a great return policy. Or is it too late?

niteman3d Loc: South Central Pennsylvania, USA

I hadn't spent much time looking at prices since I just bought what I wanted, but you are correct... that's a heck of a deal. Had I seen that first I'll bet it would have been my final choice.

niteman3d Loc: South Central Pennsylvania, USA

No, I could do just that, but as cheap as I am, I hate that process. If it had been over a hundred dollars, that's what I would have done. I'll count it as tuition for the school of hard knocks. 😉

Hal Masover Loc: Iowa and Florida

whatdat Loc: Del Valle, Tx.

👍👍

Hal Masover Loc: Iowa and Florida

This is the thing almost everyone who buys this way misses. Saving $85 on a $720 lens works out to almost 12% savings. So for a 12% discount you are buying a piece of equipment that someone returned because of a manufacturer's defect. Now, I get that it's Nikon refurbishing it but that doesn't mean they can correct the problem. Remember, the manufactured the problem in the first place. So in my mind, the odds are greater that this particular piece of equipment will end up going back to Nikon at some point. So basically I'm getting paid $85 to take that increased chance. If it has to go back to Nikon one time then at that point I'm about even. Two times and it's more trouble than it's worth.

If you're a hobbiest maybe that's OK, but not for a working photographer this is a bad deal. I'd much rather buy someone's like new used gear from a reputable dealer. My assumption, or guess if you will, is that if it was defective it already would have been returned.

Let me give you an example. I once bought a Nikon DSLR from a former dealer. He had closed his store, as happened with the vast majority of stores. This body was one he kept for himself but he didn't like it. So it sat on his shelf for probably 5 or 6 years. Probably didn't have 1,000 activations. Pristine. $700. I haven't bought a new body or lens in a decade and everything works and everything has backup. And I've never bought refurbished.

Although, full disclosure, my opinion is somewhat clouded by a Samsung phone I had that was under warrantee. They replaced it with a refurbished phone that didn't work, so they replaced that with a refurbished phone that didn't work. Third time was the charm but also the last time I've ever touched refurbished equipment.

And recently a friend bought a refurbished D5200 with a refurbished Nikon lens. So you'd think, OK, came from Nikon's shop, should be all good, right? Wrong. The lens wouldn't mount on the body! Whole kit had to go back. So no thanks, no refurbs for me.

niteman3d Loc: South Central Pennsylvania, USA

... and that is why if you buy used or refurb, you need to use the heck out of it during the return/warranty period and not set it aside for later. Over a long period of time I've purchased many thousands of dollars worth of electronics either used or refurb with one failure... a Nikon D80 that was about to be replaced anyway. (Oh, and I had to replace a power supply in a Dell desktop.) Different strokes for different folks. As highlighted by a previous poster, my intent was to lend a little humor to a rather dry post pointing out for those who might want to avail themselves of the opportunity, Nikon is having a refurb sale and it ends Monday. If you don't do Nikon or refurb, this is probably not the topic for you, unless of course, you enjoy the humor. As Paul says, a photographer and their money are soon parted.

Hal Masover Loc: Iowa and Florida

Truth

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

The Nikkor Z 24-200mm lens regularly sells for $796 new from authorized USA dealers.

Was the lens you purchased from Amazon from an authorized USA Nikon dealer? If not, and you require service for it, the cost to you may be much higher then just the difference in the cost you mentioned. First, if the lens you purchased was not from an authorized Nikon dealer the Nikon USA warranty is void. Second, if you require any service for that lens, under warranty or not, Nikon USA will not service it even if you are wiling to pay for that service. Buying Nikon gear in the USA from non-authorized sellers can be a very problematic choice

whatdat Loc: Del Valle, Tx.

There was a time when a refurbished electronic item was totally inspected by the manufacturer’s repair facility if returned, whether defective or not. I don’t know for sure if that is still true, but is why I bought refurb from a reputable dealer if the price was right. Every computer I bought in the last 40 years has been refurb with never a failure, as well as any camera I have bought as a refurb. In each case the item was replaced only because I wanted or needed something more advanced or attuned to my wants or needs. If the price is close I may buy new, but not that often. Remember; new items generally come down an assembly line with maybe one in however many getting inspected for any flaws (think possible recalls in the future?). A refurb has been inspected by a reputable dealer when returned.

Just my thoughts. Different people have different criteria for their purchases or their ability to afford their choice.

mikey12654 Loc: Vancouver, WA

I didn't know Nikon only gives a 90 day warranty on it's refurbished gear, I wonder why? I'm a Canon shooter and have bought several refurbished lenses and a camera from Canon, their refurbished gear looks brand new and has the same 1 year warranty as brand new.

niteman3d Loc: South Central Pennsylvania, USA

You would have to contact Nikon to find out the why of it. I just play the numbers and win almost all the time. I dropped a refurbished A900 which I got repaired under an extended warranty and am still using it. (I guess you could say it was refurbished twice?) I had a D80 actually fail (it had provided good service for several years). The failure rate for cameras over $500 (new) is about 4%, so I figure I've got over a 96% chance of having no problems until after a warranty would have expired anyway. I still try to get as much warranty as I can for cheap or free, but warranty is only a small part of my buying decisions. I've had several Canons, Minoltas, and Fujis over the years, but Nikon just works best for me for many reasons and warranty is way down the list, new, used, or refurb. Different strokes.

mikey12654 Loc: Vancouver, WA

👍 👍 👍

Bultaco Loc: Aiken, SC

And sometimes not.