OEM battery price: I want to purchase some Nikon EN-EL15a batteries so I started my search by going on line to my favorites - B&H and Adorama. I then checked on eBay

Npt Bob Loc: Newport, RI

I want to purchase some Nikon EN-EL15a batteries so I started my search by going on line to my favorites - B&H and Adorama. I then checked on eBay - original only no other brands.
Huge price difference - approximately $60 vs $20 on eBay (shipping from Calif - did not include any shipping from China)
Anyone have experience with eBay sellers for batteries?
Thanks

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Npt Bob wrote:

I want to purchase some Nikon EN-EL15a batteries so I started my search by going on line to my favorites - B&H and Adorama. I then checked on eBay - original only no other brands.
Huge price difference - approximately $60 vs $20 on eBay (shipping from Calif - did not include any shipping from China)
Anyone have experience with eBay sellers for batteries?
Thanks

No issues on my D800 and other Leica Cameras with Ebay Batteries from China.The key is to rotate your battery usage with charging.Wasabi is a good brand.

Quixdraw Loc: x

Have one OEM for each camera and several Wasabi. Been using them for years - no apparent performance difference. Since I have 3 cameras that use the EN EL 15, I have 5 backups at the price of one Nikon. This is one of these situations where there is a harsh difference of opinion. You just have to decide which side of the argument meets your needs. Best of luck!

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Bob, here's my thoughts on using batteries from untrusted sources and non-OEM batteries. If by some chance, something were to happen to the camera due to a battery leaking, etc., if it is not an OEM battery, Nikon may not wish to honor any warranty or repair the camera at no charge due to one of Nikon's batteries creating the problem.

If it were to be a counterfeit or non-OEM battery, the results could be a flat out denial of repair or a very expensive one if they do repair it. Yes, it may seem far fetched, but I'm not one to test the battery gods at the moment.
--Bob

Npt Bob wrote:

I want to purchase some Nikon EN-EL15a batteries so I started my search by going on line to my favorites - B&H and Adorama. I then checked on eBay - original only no other brands.
Huge price difference - approximately $60 vs $20 on eBay (shipping from Calif - did not include any shipping from China)
Anyone have experience with eBay sellers for batteries?
Thanks

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

I've used non OEM brands for a long time. Wasabi and Promaster (which I think is an unbranded Wasabi) are reputable. I cycle through a set of three batteries for each of two cameras and haven't noted a decrease in the number of shots from the OEMs. They may not last as long, but at one third of the cost, if they last half as long, I'm still ahead.

Andy

rcarol

Npt Bob wrote:

I want to purchase some Nikon EN-EL15a batteries so I started my search by going on line to my favorites - B&H and Adorama. I then checked on eBay - original only no other brands.
Huge price difference - approximately $60 vs $20 on eBay (shipping from Calif - did not include any shipping from China)
Anyone have experience with eBay sellers for batteries?
Thanks

I will guarantee you that the battery for $20 on eBay is not a genuine Nikon battery. I purchased an "original Canon" battery from eBay for far less than the prices asked by Adorama or B&H. The battery that I got would not hold a charge for any length of time. I took the battery along with the packaging to Canon which is near me. Their conclusion was that the battery was a very good counterfeit in all aspects except in performance. Beware!

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

Npt Bob wrote:

I want to purchase some Nikon EN-EL15a batteries so I started my search by going on line to my favorites - B&H and Adorama. I then checked on eBay - original only no other brands.
Huge price difference - approximately $60 vs $20 on eBay (shipping from Calif - did not include any shipping from China)
Anyone have experience with eBay sellers for batteries?
Thanks

Lots of counterfeit stuff for sale everywhere, if you want OEM, know what to look for.

https://www.nikonimgsupport.com/na/NSG_article?articleNo=000025797&configured=1&lang=en_SG#enel15b

https://bonell.wordpress.com/2014/03/23/identifying-a-fake-en-el15-battery/

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

rcarol wrote:

I will guarantee you that the battery for $20 on eBay is not a genuine Nikon battery. I purchased an "original Canon" battery from eBay for far less than the prices asked by Adorama or B&H. The battery that I got would not hold a charge for any length of time. I took the battery along with the packaging to Canon which is near me. Their conclusion was that the battery was a very good counterfeit in all aspects except in performance. Beware!

Do you believe Canon, Nikon makes their own batteries? My guess is they have a Chinese vendor.

BebuLamar

If I have a current camera and need battery I have no problem whatsoever to shell out $60 for the battery. The problem is that I have a Nikon D1x which is free to me but if I buy it from ebay perhaps it's $100 or so. Well I need a battery for it and the battery OEM or third party would cost me a lot compared to the value of the camera.

rcarol

That may be true but in the end it’s Canon and Nikon that sprinkles holy water on them before they are shipped.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Npt Bob wrote:

I want to purchase some Nikon EN-EL15a batteries so I started my search by going on line to my favorites - B&H and Adorama. I then checked on eBay - original only no other brands.
Huge price difference - approximately $60 vs $20 on eBay (shipping from Calif - did not include any shipping from China)
Anyone have experience with eBay sellers for batteries?
Thanks

Be aware that Nikon discontinued En-EL15a batteries and replaced them with the EN-El-15b type just after the Z cameras were introduced. That means that if these are truly Nikon batteries, they are approaching having been on someone's shelf for at least a year and a half.

In addition, Nikon batteries are known to have been counterfeited, although not the En-EL-15 series (that I am aware of). There is a page on NikonUSA's website with details and information around how to identify the subtle packaging differences with the counterfeit batteries. Here is a link to the page.

https://www.nikonimgsupport.com/ni/NI_article?articleNo=000004702&configured=1&lang=en_US

By the way...some fraudulent batteries ended up in the inventories of reputable dealers last year, but that was all recognized and resolved.

Bob Locher Loc: Southwest Oregon

If the camera is out of warranty, I doubt Nikon - or any other camera manufacturer - would repair the camera free whether the battery that caused the damage was OEM or aftermarket.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Npt Bob wrote:

I want to purchase some Nikon EN-EL15a batteries so I started my search by going on line to my favorites - B&H and Adorama. I then checked on eBay - original only no other brands.
Huge price difference - approximately $60 vs $20 on eBay (shipping from Calif - did not include any shipping from China)
Anyone have experience with eBay sellers for batteries?
Thanks

When I buy batteries, I buy OEM from authorized sellers.
I agree with Stan about rotating batteries.

cochese

I used wasabi batteries in my 60d the entire time I owned it. I never experienced any issues. I purchased 3 batteries and a dual charger when I bought the caamera new. The one oem battery that came with the camera died and would no longer charge about a year and a half before I sold it. All 3 wasabi batteries were still worki g fine.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Npt Bob wrote:

I want to purchase some Nikon EN-EL15a batteries so I started my search by going on line to my favorites - B&H and Adorama. I then checked on eBay - original only no other brands.
Huge price difference - approximately $60 vs $20 on eBay (shipping from Calif - did not include any shipping from China)
Anyone have experience with eBay sellers for batteries?
Thanks

I buy my Wasabi batteries on Amazon and only from those sellers Amazon gives the stamp of approval to. And I pay through PayPal connected to a major bank card. All three give guarantees and consumer protection. I never got a phoney battery. Yes some were doing phonies of the major third party batteries and of course OEM batteries and the article I read on those was that the "direct from China" etc were the ones most likely to be phony. Wasabi and the other good brands make a point of telling you they use Japanese made cells to build their batteries.