MikeMck Loc: Southern Maryland on the Bay

Just for kicks I was comparing the cost of this Canon lens on Amazon, B&H, and Ebay. Both Amazon and B&H have a price point of $549. Ebay has a price point of around $284. Now I understand these lenses don't have a Canon USA warranty and come in a white box, but the difference in price seems excessive. Does anyone have any idea why Ebay is half of the regular photo stores?

Hoosier in GA Loc: Milledgeville, GA

Used or new on e-bay?

MikeMck Loc: Southern Maryland on the Bay

New.

Basil Loc: New Mexico

The cheaper lens is probably grey market (as you said, it's a white box and no USA warranty). I suspect there are lots of opinions about White box lenses (which, I think are often kit lenses which have been separated from the "kit" to be sold separately). I think when you buy a grey market lens you are taking a bit of a risk and you will have to decide whether it is worth the risk.

That said, I did buy a 24-105 f4 L IS Grey market lens and it turned out to be a perfectly fine lens. However, I have to accept the fact that it is not covered under warranty.

MikeMck Loc: Southern Maryland on the Bay

I also bought a 24-105L lens and it is fine. About half the price of an Amazon purchase.

Elliott Design Loc: West Tennessee

I needed an 18-135 IS STM for an older t3i and bought one a few months back from a camera dealer in Hawaii for $280 (with free shipping), it had been part of a Canon kit that had been broken up and sold piece by piece. He stated that it was a genuine Canon lens and provided me with the original sales receipt where he had purchased it from Canon. Got it in, it was brand new, focus was a bit out of adjustment, sent it to Canon and they adjusted it free of charge, works great now and saved a few $$. I'm a frugal but cautious buyer and read all I can about the eBay dealer first, if they've made several sales and their feedback rating is high and if they offer your money back or replacement then go for it. eBay weeds out the cheats quickly, if the dealer has been doing business on there for a while you can bet they'll stand behind their sales or get booted out. Small stuff from foreign companies has so far been worth the chance, but $25 is my limit, everything else comes from U.S. dealers only.

tinplater Loc: Scottsdale, AZ

The 18-135 is stm is one of my favorite lenses producing images comparable to my much more expensive glass. Completing a list of great value lenses is the 15-85 and my favorite the 55-250. The latter equals my 100-400 II, and was significantly better than the Sony 24-200. For around $250 you cannot beat the overall usefulness (light weight, sharp, compact) of the 55-250

RichardSM Loc: Back in Texas

For that kind of savings who cares about a warranty if fails toss it buy another one but that won't happen because Canon make great products.

flathead27ford Loc: Colorado, North of Greeley

I would not hesitate to buy anything on eBay. As another poster said though, thoroughly check out the buyer and his feedback. Tells a lot. Cheers.

MikeMck Loc: Southern Maryland on the Bay

:thumbup: :thumbup:

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

A lot of times the 18-135mm is sold heavily discounted "in kit" with various cameras.... People buy the kit although they already have a lens they plan to use, then sell off the extra, new lens on eBay or Craigslist to recoup some of their final cost.

Amazon, B&H and other authorized dealers have little choice in what they charge for much of the non-gray market stuff they sell. In many cases there is a manufacturer's minimum price that they agree to charge, as an official dealer of the product.

Someone who goes overseas and buys a large lot at wholesale, then unofficially imports them to sell as gray market, without warranty, might not conform to the pricing requirements that an authorized dealer has to adhere to. They also may be able to leverage currency exchange rates to their advantage.

You can sometimes see the effect of exchange rate changes in both official and unofficial imports. For example, Kenko Macro Extension tube sets sold for close to $200 US a year or two ago. But right now, thanks to a much stronger dollar and comparative weakness of Asian currencies, you can buy the same set for about $130 US.

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

I have bought most of my lenses on ebay, and to date have never had a problem with any of them. I do check out the seller and his return policy and feedback rating. Being retired and on a tight budget I need to shop frugally for all of my camera needs.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

I got a white box Canon 18-135mm IS STM Lens for under $300 from Amazon, absolutely zero problems. Not sure if it had a warranty card or not - I'd need to go check - but I had no problems registering it with Canon. Not sure whether that means it is legitimate US product or not for certain, but it seems OK.

Good luck

MikeMck Loc: Southern Maryland on the Bay

That is my experience. Surprised that Canon accepted the registration.

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

The two lenses that I purchased white box new from kits I purchased on ebay, I registered with Canon with absolutely no problems and both have been working wonderfully for over five years. I don't see a downside in purchasing white box lenses from kits the sellers are offering on ebay, and the price is great!