Boone Loc: Groundhog Town USA

I personaly have never purchased anything on Ebay. A friend ask me if Amazon and Adorama have the same camera at comparable prices, and the same camera (Mfr. numbers match) is offered as "NEW" for $100 less on Ebay, is it safe to order it from ebay? Since I have never delt with ebay, I can't tell him yes or no! Any advice?? Thanks. Boone

Bret Loc: Dayton Ohio

Remember Amazon...EBay are on-line store fronts...anybody...from anywhere...can list almost anything...so use caution when your looking to spend your cash...especially for major kinds of purchases.

JR1 Loc: Tavistock, Devon, UK

I have never NOT bought anything from Ebay, I have had 21 closed cases where things have gone not as well as they might but I have NEVER EVER not had a refund or a case NOT ended to MY satisfaction.

I have had two in five years where the sellers were, well not too friendly, and one I had to report to the police for abuse.

Now I can use a shop and have bad service.

There are just TWO questions you ask AND need a reply to from the seller.

1. Is it in good working order
2. Are there ANY faults.

If they reply yes and no you are covered, if they say there are faults then you know, even if the seller is private and says NO REFUNDS, that is not true, if you have had an assurance the goods are ok then EBAY will still refund.

NEVER buy from anyone with less than a 98% positive feedback, I have 100% over 5 years that is something I am proud of and my customers know that.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

I'd rather buy used from keh.com than new from eBay.

donrent Loc: Punta Gorda , Fl

I have been buying off of ebay since allmost the day they open and NEVER had ANY problems at all... ALL of my cameras and assories (and even a car) I get on ebay...Take a good look at the sellers sales record percentage ratings and that will tell you they are good to deal with...

BlokeOzz Loc: Morphett Vale South Australia

I have had many dealings with Ebay, and never a dud, BUT having said that, no way would I buy a Camera, the odds are they will be what The Camera manufacturers call Grey Imports, and under no circumstances will you get Warranty if it turns out to be a dud, When I went to purchase an Olympus, I checked with Olympus, and they told me in no uncertain Terms, If I Purchased from other than a Registered Olympus Dealer, NO WARRANTY. Even if it were a Genuine Olympus camera, I had no choice, other than to buy from an Australian dealer, and pay more.

murphy Loc: Georgia

If the seller has at least 98% excellent feedback they will go out of their way to keep it that way. I have bought a lot from ebay and never had a problem. But, here's the clincher on camera's. I have talked to Canon and they will not honor a warranty on a camera bought from Ebay. And yes, there are a lot of Grey Market cameras listed.

blacks2 Loc: SF. Bay area

I've been selling photographic equipment since EBay started at that time there were a total of 186 cameras listed. I have about 4,500 transactions with 2,800 positive feedbacks with a 100% rating. When you buy check where the item is located, overseas buys may spell trouble, check the feedback and the ratings. With all the items I bought over the years I never was dissatisfied. Just recently when the Nikon D800's were selling everywhere for $2.999 I found a seller for $300 less I asked if it was a US model his reply was yes, I got it brand new, not refurbished, in the box and saved $300. So good luck, remember communication is the keyword.

flathead27ford Loc: Colorado, North of Greeley

I'll add my 2 cents worth. As with any buying experience, buyer beware. I buy and sell on ebay and would recommend it to anyone. You have to do your homework and READ their description. There is a lot of information on an ebay seller's page. Read it all.

As others have said, don't buy from someone that has lots of negative ratings. I have bought lots of my camera gear on ebay and am considering getting a Canon 7d in the near future from ebay. The buying experience you have will be directly related to the amount of research you do. Don't be afraid to buy on ebay. Cheers. Oh, I have been selling since the 90's and have a 100% positive feedback rating. I strive to keep it there and one other poster hit in on the head, we will go out of our way to keep it 100%.

farmerjim Loc: Rugby, England

Lots of good advice so far. I've bought lots of cameras and equipment on ebay and never had any problems.
Just be aware that much of the new stuff comes from Honk-Kong, China, Singapore etc. and that the final price will not include customs/import duties, so watch out for hidden extras!

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I'm not willing to go through this kind of hassle to save 100.00 on a $2000.00 camera...I'd much rather have peace of mind so I don't buy expensive camera's from Ebay. I DO however buy things directly from Amazon because you can return anything if you don't like it.

wolfman

You should also ask for the original purchase receipt if there is a warranty involved. Without that the manufacturer will not honor the warranty. I just purchased a brand new Nikkor lens well below the going price and did receive the original receipt. Also ,if you don't have one, get a pay-pal account. They will help you out if there are any problems.

Mongoose Loc: Dublin, Ohio

I have made 3 purchases thru Ebay for camera and lens. Each time I was greatly disapointed. Tried to return & or resolve the purchase thru Ebays rules and got nowhere!

Stick with Adorama and B&H I have never had problems with them.

erasmus666 Loc: Nuneaton England

I have bought lenses and my D300 from Ebay and took the following precautions which have put me in good stead so far:

I only ever buy from sellers with a good feedback score.
If I collect in person and don't feel that the item has been fairly described or get the gut-feel that I'm being conned I refuse to pay for it. True, I'll get a snotty feedback response but that's preferable to parting with my hard-earned cash.
I ALWAYS ask the person to take some photos with the camera / lens on offer so that I can see the results BEFORE parting with my cash. Any reluctance to do this and I'm off!
As mentioned I've bought my D300 and an 18-105 VR lenses from E-bay with no regrets, maybe I've been lucky. There ARE a lot of shysters out there but as they say " if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. "

RixPix Loc: Miami, Florida

Although there are companies that list their items on eBay the majority of sellers of used equipment are individuals. I am one such individual selling on eBay for over ten years simultaneously under two different account names for tax purposes. When people ask me about buying on eBay my response is as follows:

eBay can be a great place to find something vintage, used or unique. However, if I am in the market for a new piece of electronics or camera gear I would not consider buying it on eBay. I will buy lens caps and cords, vintage decor items and sometimes model train equipment. I have even purchased some antiques that were undervalued by the seller and turned around and resold the item on eBay at a significant profit.

I personally do not buy used equipment for personal use. I do sell used equipment that after careful testing will operate as well as new. I don't believe the savings are so significant that I could risk getting a troublesome item.

Most recently I have been considering a new lens. I have been looking at the Canon 70-200 f4 L lens. Right now, today, on Amazon this lens new is selling for $559. On eBay used items are selling in the high four-hundred range and new ones are listed at $629. To me saving $50-75 is not as important as having an item that you know is going to be perfectly new.