Used Equipment (Page 6): My point exactly Andy. I had a friend, a top longtime pro who tried to sell some excellent condition Nikon gear on Ebay. The gear was properly packed ,insured...

gwilliams6

AndyH wrote:

If you don't know what you're doing on eBay, stay away. There are a lot of wolves actively looking for sheep. If you learn how to buy using proper safety measures, it's often the cheapest source of real bargains, and you're well protected from the cutthroats and pirates.

They lean so far over in protection of the buyer that I'm not sure I'd want to sell stuff there. I know that will eventually catch up to them, but for right now it's a buyer's paradise.

Andy

My point exactly Andy. I had a friend, a top longtime pro who tried to sell some excellent condition Nikon gear on Ebay. The gear was properly packed ,insured and shipped to buyer. The buyer trashed the camera and lenses then claimed to Ebay that the gear came that way. It was obvious the camera and lens had been out of the packing and dropped from a height onto rocks or concrete. Ebay sided with the buyer so my friend was out the money and received back the thrashed camera and lens, totally broken which he no longer could sell. A total disaster if you are a seller.

topcat Loc: Alameda, CA

Used photo pro is a great place, with reasonable prices and fast delivery.
The usual, KEH, Adorama and of course B&H are great.
B&H has a credit card where they will reimburse you for your tax. That helps a lot.

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

Got burned buying a computer on Ebay. That was it for me! No more Ebay.

Don

gwilliams6

PAR4DCR wrote:

Got burned buying a computer on Ebay. That was it for me! No more Ebay.

Don

Don, I would not trust them at all.

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

gwilliams6 wrote:

Don, I would not trust them at all.

I am with you gwilliams6!

Don

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

gwilliams6 wrote:

Don, I would not trust them at all.

I understand, and fewer buyers mean more bargains for me. I have been buying on eBay for nearly twenty years now, and I have been taken only one time, out of dozens of transactions. Needless to say, that transaction was before I learned how to protect myself and avoid scammers. I lost fifty bucks, which sum has been repaid, literally, a hundred times over in the many bargains I've found since then.

I have only a few tips:

1) Read the actual reviews. You can generally suss out which reviewers are, in fact, the bad actors. Yet many, many eBay buyers refuse to buy with a seller that has less than a 100% rating. If Jesus were selling miracles for free on eBay, there would be a few who downrated Him for poor packaging and overcharging for shipping. The devil is in the details when it comes to reviews.

2) Ask questions of the seller. If you get disingenuous or evasive responses stay away. Some of the greatest bargains I've ever found have been from sellers who could not answer questions about functionality, but who seemed to answer honestly. You can tell an awful lot, if you're a decent judge of people in real life, by the kinds of answers you get when you ask honest questions. Maybe I've just been lucky, but my instincts on the positive side have almost always been correct.

3) Be patient. If you don't like the price, don't get tempted to overbid on an auction item with a reserve price set too high. And if this one is too dear, there will probably be another one if you're patient enough. One of the best bargains I've ever gotten in my life, on or off line, came when I waited for a seller to relist an item for the THIRD time, this time with no reserve. Others had apparently been scared off by the relisting and by the less than 100% seller rating. I purchased a rare item that I wanted badly for about 1/10 of its true value because the seller had gotten discouraged by the lack of response to his first two auctions and buyers were wary of his less than perfect rating. This one transaction saved me more than $1,000 over what I would have paid at KEH or B&H.

4) Snipe. If you don't know what it is, Google it. On true auctions, it's a good source of bargains. There are several free or low-cost software programs that can help you do it.

5) When all else fails, buy the Square Trade Warranty. I've only had to make one single warranty claim over the years, and it was paid promptly and without argument. Just be sure that the condition and description are accurate.

eBay sellers are just like the rest of humanity. There are a few bad apples but most are honest people trying to get rid of surplus kit for the best price or to make an honest living. Golden rule applies here, as in most everything in life.

Andy

gwilliams6

AndyH wrote:

I understand, and fewer buyers mean more bargains for me. I have been buying on eBay for nearly twenty years now, and I have been taken only one time, out of dozens of transactions. Needless to say, that transaction was before I learned how to protect myself and avoid scammers. I lost fifty bucks, which sum has been repaid, literally, a hundred times over in the many bargains I've found since then.

I have only a few tips:

1) Read the actual reviews. You can generally suss out which reviewers are, in fact, the bad actors. Yet many, many eBay buyers refuse to buy with a seller that has less than a 100% rating. If Jesus were selling miracles for free on eBay, there would be a few who downrated Him for poor packaging and overcharging for shipping. The devil is in the details when it comes to reviews.

2) Ask questions of the seller. If you get disingenuous or evasive responses stay away. Some of the greatest bargains I've ever found have been from sellers who could not answer questions about functionality, but who seemed to answer honestly. You can tell an awful lot, if you're a decent judge of people in real life, by the kinds of answers you get when you ask honest questions. Maybe I've just been lucky, but my instincts on the positive side have almost always been correct.

3) Be patient. If you don't like the price, don't get tempted to overbid on an auction item with a reserve price set too high. And if this one is too dear, there will probably be another one if you're patient enough. One of the best bargains I've ever gotten in my life, on or off line, came when I waited for a seller to relist an item for the THIRD time, this time with no reserve. Others had apparently been scared off by the relisting and by the less than 100% seller rating. I purchased a rare item that I wanted badly for about 1/10 of its true value because the seller had gotten discouraged by the lack of response to his first two auctions and buyers were wary of his less than perfect rating. This one transaction saved me more than $1,000 over what I would have paid at KEH or B&H.

4) Snipe. If you don't know what it is, Google it. On true auctions, it's a good source of bargains. There are several free or low-cost software programs that can help you do it.

5) When all else fails, buy the Square Trade Warranty. I've only had to make one single warranty claim over the years, and it was paid promptly and without argument. Just be sure that the condition and description are accurate.

eBay sellers are just like the rest of humanity. There are a few bad apples but most are honest people trying to get rid of surplus kit for the best price or to make an honest living. Golden rule applies here, as in most everything in life.

Andy

I understand, and fewer buyers mean more bargains ... (show quote)

When I can sell , trade and buy used gear from trusted local mom and pop camera dealers like Allen's Camera, or huge standouts like B&H, Adorama or KEH I don't need the hassle and risks of dealing with Ebay. Not for me and lots of others who sadly have horror stories to tell. Glad it only happened to you once and for $50 USD. I know folks that lost a whole lot more than that. Cheers

Beachhawk

Adorama, B&H, KEH, UsedPhotoPro, and MPB. I have purchased used equipment from all of them and I have never been burned. I usually try to buy factory refurbished equipment, but if I cannot find what I'm looking for, I will buy used equipment. All of those dealers having systems for rating the condition of each item and they are very reliable. If you have a problem with a piece of used equipment, contact the customer service rep at the company from whom you purchased it. Those companies are very good about standing behind their products.

gwilliams6

Beachhawk wrote:

Adorama, B&H, KEH, UsedPhotoPro, and MPB. I h... (show quote)