Buying From EBAY (Page 3): Thanks again for all the tips. As I've said I bought many things on EBAY, mostly electronic or computer parts for a couple of dollars, never something as...

Mikerfd

Thanks again for all the tips. As I've said I bought many things on EBAY, mostly electronic or computer parts for a couple of dollars, never something as expensive or complex as a modern camera lens. BTW I do use PayPal. With any luck I'll complete a purchase this week.

GKarl Loc: Northern New Hampshire

I always look at the sellers rating. look at the number of sales and anything under 99% makes me apprehensive.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

Mikerfd wrote:

I'm considering buying a Canon 100-400mm f 4.5-5.6... (show quote)

Who is the seller? A private party? What country does item ship from? How long have they been an eBay member? What kind of ratings do they have?

There are well-known reputable dealers selling on eBay. Used Photo Pro (used division of Roberts Photo in Indianapolis) is one that I buy from.
You have to use judgement about who to trust. If the seller makes claims of function and condition and the item does not conform to the posted statements, eBay can/will come to the rescue, regardless of the seller saying "non-returnable". eBay can force the seller to issue a refund, if the seller wants to remain a seller on eBay.

Who knows, they might even give a refund and tell you to keep the lens rather than pay for return shipping. I've been surprised at the things I've gotten to keep for free because the seller doesn't want to pay to get them shipped back.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

Did you contact Paypal? Paypal has always taken my side on five separate occasions. Paypal and ebay might now be the same. On my last issue ebay issued the return label and refund. There was no option to contact the seller, only option was to request an ebay refund. If there is an issue I used to notify the seller but didn't deal with them. Now it may no longer be an option. Had one seller send me a laptop that died in less than a week. Seller wanted to refund my money but not the shipping. Contacted Paypal and they sent me a postage paid return label and refunded price + postage. In your case I'd leave a negative review as they are dishonest thieves. If they give you a negative review back it shouldn't matter unless you are an ebay seller as well.

1963mca wrote:

eBay is not always helpful. I bought a power suppl... (show quote)

WarpedWeaver

I myself was in a recent quandry over an EBay listing. It was the camera I wanted, brand new, open box, private owner. The cost would be 50% less, but...the seller has no ratings, has only been a member 3 months, no returns accepted, and I would not have a warranty. I do believe I would rather pay a couple hundred more for the ability to get an extended warranty and return the product if not what I expected. But it was very tempting...

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

quixdraw wrote:

I always use PayPal - guaranteed. Have bought quite a lot of Nikon gear with never an issue.

Not only use PayPal, but make sure you do not let someone talk you into sending the money as a gift to avoid paying the fees. These transactions are not guaranteed. You must use the transaction PayPal mode and pay the fee (or the seller does -- a point of negotiation). Someone asking you to send money this way should be a red flag right up front -- run away from this!

I was caught in a scam a couple of years ago and PayPal refunded my money but it took a couple of weeks as they tried to contact the phantom seller.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

WarpedWeaver wrote:

I myself was in a recent quandry over an EBay listing. It was the camera I wanted, brand new, open box, private owner. The cost would be 50% less, but...the seller has no ratings, has only been a member 3 months, no returns accepted, and I would not have a warranty. I do believe I would rather pay a couple hundred more for the ability to get an extended warranty and return the product if not what I expected. But it was very tempting...

A listing like that would be chancy. Maybe it's for real, maybe not. Remember, do not EXPECT any more than what the seller states in the listing. They are only obligated to not misrepresent the item.

graybeard

Mikerfd wrote:

I'm considering buying a Canon 100-400mm f 4.5-5.6... (show quote)

I bought a few lenses thru ebay and had no problem. But I did have one bad experience, though it cost me no money. A Tokina macro lens, just what I wanted, was up for auction. It got very few bids, so the price was still low when I jumped on it in the last few seconds, and "won the auction". But after I paid paypal and contacted the seller, he said the item was "no longer available". I got my money refunded, but this jerk obviously didn't get what he hoped for and claimed he no longer had it. Never could get any more information about it from him. Maybe one thing that should have made me wary was the fact that he was new to ebay, so had virtually no rating. Ebay was completely indifferent to the situation.

Jsykes

Haven't bought any camera related equipment but, on other stuff, I check not only the ratings but the supporting data which demonstrates that they have sold similar quality products at similar high pricing (and it shows high buyer satisfaction ratings for these type of high quality/priced products). If you don't check that, you may find that they have sold lots of things of low value and obtained high ratings but never anything of high quality or high value; that would be a red flag for me.

htbrown Loc: San Francisco Bay Area

I once bought an L bracket for my camera off EBay. When my package arrived from China it was a set of eight handles that looked like screwdriver handles. I sent them a photo, and they promptly sent the correct item. I even got to keep the screwdriver handles, for which I have never found a use.

WarpedWeaver

I have bought and sold many things on EBay, this listing just sounded too dodgy to me for the reasons I have listed.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

htbrown wrote:

I once bought an L bracket for my camera off EBay. When my package arrived from China it was a set of eight handles that looked like screwdriver handles. I sent them a photo, and they promptly sent the correct item. I even got to keep the screwdriver handles, for which I have never found a use.

I never buy anything shipping from China, unless it's a small enough amount of money, commonly under $5.00, that doesn't hurt if I lose it....and I don't mind waiting a month or more to get it.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

My best Paypal experience was my wife bought a well known brand of walking shoes costing $130 online (not on ebay, but on the seller's website) and the advertisement stated they were the most comfortable shoes you will ever own. My wife had bought the same brand and size a number of times but these shoes fit terribly and gave my wife blisters the first time she wore them. We contacted the seller who said they had been worn so no refund but they offered $20 off on the next purchase. I contacted Paypal with a copy of the ad claiming how comfortable they were and said they had misrepresented the item because they gave my wife blisters. Paypal sent us a full refund including postage and told us not to bother sending the shoes back. My wife told a friend who asked if she could have them. The friend wore them without a problem. Lots of online websites in addition to ebay now take Paypal and we always use it if it is available.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

Bobspez wrote:

My best Paypal story was my wife bought a well kno... (show quote)

You can't judge shoe fit from an ad, or even claims like you trusted. What you do is buy from a company that guarantees fit. I buy New Balance shoes that come in very wide widths....4E to 6E.....but only trying them ON MY FEET tells if they fit. The company I buy from invites you to send in a tracing of your feet to find the right shoe. Some shoes work in 4E, some need 6E.

Or else, only buy from an actual store where you can try shoes on. Unfortunately, brick & mortar stores do not have much in wide widths.

cochese

Every single piece of photovraphic equipment I have ever bought has been from ebay. First a Canon 60D and a full compliment of Sigma EX lenses and my current rig which is an Olympis OM-D E-M1II and a 7-14 & 12-40 PRO lenses (more to come). Do the research. 100% positive feedback only, only pay with paypal, and if it is offered spend the money on the square deal warranty. Ask questions, the only stupid question is the one unasked. A reputable seller will give you the info. Also in the case of a Canon L lens ask for the build code from the mount. Go to thedigitalpicture dot com and look for the list of how to date the lens. This can tell you the potential usage of the lens based on it's age.