11bravo

I've bought from MPB. Good service, honest rating. Only small complaint is only 1 week evaluation period (for return). Time to check basic functions, but, for me anyway, not really sufficient time to check all the intricate functions on a new to me camera. But I would definitely buy from them again.

flathead27ford Loc: Colorado, North of Greeley

I tried to purchase a lens for my mirror-less camera. Was only about a $75.00 purchase. Tried to pay by credit/debt card. They basically asked for all my information and my first born. Wanted me to send them a copy of a bill showing my physical address. I live in a rural town with no home mail delivery. It's all P.O. boxes. I tried to explain this to them. They didn't care. After talking to four different people and wasting hours of my time, I told them to forget it. Bought the lens off of ebay and got it in two days. I won't do business with them.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Wherever you shop, make sure you can return the item, if necessary.

Charles 46277 Loc: Fulton County, KY

Charles 46277 Loc: Fulton County, KY

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

If you're talking about MPB.com, did you read these?

https://www.mpb.com/en-us/help/terms-and-conditions/
https://intercom.help/mpbcom-us/en/

They deliver to physical addresses only — no FedEX or UPS locations:

"Unfortunately our courier does not permit us to deliver to PO boxes or freight forwarding companies. All deliveries must go to a residential or business address within the same country that you have placed the order."

This is a common business policy. The usual remedy is to state your physical address and P.O. Box and a delivery phone number on the order. If it is really hard to find your address, geographical coordinates from a GPS might help...

MPB has had a few growing pains. They just moved their US warehouse location to a new address in Brooklyn, NY. They also maintain distribution locations in Brighton, UK, and Berlin, Germany. That said, they don't do over-the-counter retail sales, and have no public access to their warehouses. The business is strictly e-commerce.

This is a business model that works well for those of us acclimated to the Internet. However, it may still seem a little over the top for some folks. When you do business with MPB, you're basically entering into a contract (if I read their terms and conditions correctly).

My one purchase from MPB was successful in all respects. I had no complaints, delays, annoyances, or other nitpicks.

I will say that KEH is my favorite used dealer. You know, it is not how badly a company screws up that counts... It is how quickly they correct their error.

KEH shipped me a lens adapter that was advertised as "Nikon F mount lens to Micro 4/3 body." The item they shipped was "Nikon F mount lens to *Four Thirds* body." Micro 4/3 and Four Thirds are completely different formats, with incompatible mounts. Someone had labeled the adapter incorrectly in their system. It came in its original, correctly labeled box, but INSIDE a barcoded bag that had incorrect labeling on it — a simple mistake. Once I called them and explained what I thought had happened, they immediately apologized, offered to refund my money, and told me to keep or discard the adapter... They didn't want it back because they realized the shipping and administrative costs of a return were more than their profit on the item. (They didn't have the item I wanted.) They credited my card account the next business day.

Most reputable Internet dealers have all their terms and conditions somewhere on their sites. It is ALWAYS worth the time to read them in advance of placing an order, or even shopping. It might avoid a show-stopper.

Charles 46277 Loc: Fulton County, KY

I have not used MPB either. Virtually all my second hand buys (and most new buys) have been over eBay since the Internet appeared. One major factor was that I was in the past mostly interested in medium and large format equipment, which was not available in local stores (and super-expensive direct online new), but readily available on eBay. B&H, Calumet, and Adorama were (and are) my most common go-to stops for new equipment.

The sources mentioned here, such as Roberts, Adorama, and KEH are all on eBay, and often the prices posted there are lower than the prices at their own sites. They don't use the auction option (fixed prices), which was the whole idea of eBay in the beginning (and great fun). Often individuals will offer "best-offer" options, and I have often found reliable professionals selling good used equipment there when they have replaced items or no longer use them.

My first large format stuff was from a retired professional in my neighborhood--I could never have afforded new, and he explained how to use things. My current Hasselblad digital was bought on eBay from a pro who had newer equipment and no longer needed it for backup. At first he listed it as "no returns" but after a couple of messages he saw I was a serious buyer, he felt confident in assuring me I could return it if I found problems. As it turned out, the normal lens had a serious shutter problem and he compensated me for the value of it.

I don't think I have ever used a warranty on any camera equipment--they all lasted much longer than warranties. Often, repairs cost more than new (used) equipment. Old large format lenses/shutters needed routine professional service now and then, but my Canon 650D and my Hasselblad H3 are both around 13 years old and have never needed any service. They don't get the wear and tear of professional use.

The main thing I look at is the return policies. eBay enforces return policies and once in a blue moon I have returned items. At first I was suspicious of being cheated on eBay, but never was. If I ask the seller appropriate questions, they always told me the truth. If I didn't ask, some of them volunteer all the bad news; other might not; some just don't know. If they say, "My uncle died and left all this--I don't know anything about it," and they do not accept returns, I look elsewhere.

Charles 46277 Loc: Fulton County, KY

Amen, Jerry.
Recently I bought an item using American Express card and it was not right. I went to the AMEX site and opened recent purchases, clicked "Refund" and reason, and soon they gave me return instructions. I did not even have to contact the seller. I think other cards may do this too.

Charles 46277 Loc: Fulton County, KY

Burkphoto, if that is their purchase agreement, I would hate to see their pre-nuptial contract!
If somebody is visibly paranoid about doing business, I go elsewhere. Purchases should be fun for both parties, and without a certain amount of trust, it is not fun. (Also, no document can really save us from crooked dealers.)

One of my favorite features of eBay is the number of happy campers they have bought and sold from. Only actual customers can post, and if they are 98% positive out of hundreds of sales, that is great. (Mine is 100% out of 800+.) I once had a foaming-at-the-mouth disgruntled buyer who wanted to keep the lens and get a refund too. I went ahead and refunded on the hope he would return it, and he did.

Charles 46277 Loc: Fulton County, KY

1bravo, another factor is whether the seller does repairs--and says that the item has been tested and approved for all functions. People can lie, but most people actually want their customers to be happy and like them. If the sellers have not tested it, they will probably say so if asked.

Charles 46277 Loc: Fulton County, KY

Burkephoto, your comment about people with hard to find addresses, such as some rural places, reminded me of a story my father told. A man who lived in a tenant-farmer shack on a former plantation in the South (no street address) called the fire department and told them to come quick--his house at Davies Plantation was on fire. "How do we get there?" they asked, and he replied, "Don't you still have that big red truck?"

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

MPB is an international company. I'm sure they've been screwed by buyers from all corners, and their legal team is just protecting their tails from unscrupulous buyers. It is important to remember that if it is stated in a contract, BOTH parties must abide by the terms. BOTH parties are held to account.

eBay can be great, or mediocre, or disastrous. It depends on what you buy there. I once bought a used MacBook Pro from an individual seller on eBay who misrepresented it. It had a dented case, missing screws, and a failing hard drive in it. I had to have my credit card company refund my purchase. The seller refused to deal with me directly.

Other times, I've been happy with eBay. Computer parts have all worked as advertised, and an antique transistor radio identical to one I had when I was six years old worked fine (had been restored with new capacitors).

I actually prefer dealing over the Internet. Phone call orders are subject to bait-and-switch schemes, as some folks dealing with Abe's of Maine or 42nd Street Photo might tell you.

Soul Dr. Loc: Beautiful Shenandoah Valley

Anything I buy from ebay gets paid with paypal. They had my back several times when purchases were not as they were described and the seller was not being co-operative.

will

11bravo

Understand, I meant that a function worked to my satisfaction and served my purpose.

marquina Loc: Richmond, Virginia

Excellent experience with MPB! As others have expressed, better than expected products.