dar_clicks Loc: Utah

I've not bought a camera on eBay, but a lot of other things. It's okay if you really check out a dealer and keep as close as you can to "like new" or "mint condition." If you have the slightest doubt about a product don't buy. With care you can find very good sellers and get some good deals. Sometimes bidders get too carried away and the price goes higher than it should and more than can be found at KEH, Adorama, etc. I trust KEH a lot for cameras but look to higher quality for used items there whenever possible as well.

Rich Maher Loc: Sonoma County, CA

I can't knock it, it helps put groceries on my table.

ioptfm Loc: Isle of Palms, SC

I have purchase many items and cameras and accessories on EBAY and never had a problem. Always look at the Seller's feedback and see what previous buyer's have said. Also don't get carried away with you bidding and by all means check the shipping cost before you bid on any item.

murphy Loc: Georgia

Yes, ebay has been good to me too. My son plays with selling a few things once in a while too.

JBTaylor Loc: In hiding again

I have had good luck on Ebay so far with just a couple exceptions. One item I bought new from China had insufficient postage for airmail but showed up eventually.

I bought two lenses and a camera from different sellers. All were used but like new and came in original packaging. It seriously had me wondering if I would ever buy new again.

The main thing is to only buy when the listing has the actual item pictured and either from sellers with 100% feedback or very close to it. I have done okay with a newbie seller before too.

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

Some sellers will use a "stock" photo. I found a seller one time using a photo of a camera I was selling and he had the same model and he was using my photo. I called him on it and he admitted he used my photo because it looked so much better. My camera had sold and I sent him a message that it was no big deal. Anytime I put an item (mainly camera equipment) on ebay I use an actual photo of my item and if possible include a photo of the serial number. :thumbup:

Ambrose Loc: North America

EBay has been the source of 3 great cameras I've owned and several cheap film cameras I collect as a hobby. In short, it's safe if you're careful.
1. Only buy from dealers with a long history and very high feedback (95% at the least)
2. Ask all questions about anything they don't tell you: Fungus, scratches, functionality, etc.
3. Make sure shipping is reasonable. This is where a lot of the "bargains" make up their profit.
Good luck!

JBTaylor Loc: In hiding again

Yes the stock photo. Source of my biggest Ebay disappointment. I bought a pair of MIDI keyboards from a listing with stock photos. Fortunately my winning bid reflected the wisdom of others. The keyboards were functional and I put them to good use but I must have spent 3 hours with Goo Gone and other cleaning supplies getting them cleaned up to take in public.

Speaking of the quality of photos, a friend of mine at work was selling watches on Ebay but couldn't get close sharp photos to use in his listing. He was using a P&S that he paid nearly $300 for.

As we often say around here, it wasn't the camera.

Prior to that, I bought the same camera at a yard sale for $10 (the seller lost the charger, I got one on Ebay for $10, camera worked perfectly, what a deal!!). After he told me about his problem, I took a closeup of a woman's watch and made a crop of it as the background on my computer. He was impressed with the clear sharp detail as the face of the watch filled the entire monitor. I told him that it was taken with the same camera he had. Then I explained how I did it with a lamp, sheet of typing paper, $15 table top tripod, and the self timer. He took my advice and got significantly higher bids on his listings.