# Used Gear stories....



## Jemlnlx (Jan 23, 2015)

Hi everyone...

I know there are tons of places for used gear. I have had experience with Ebay, Fred Miranda, Craigslist, Canon Direct, Lens Authority, KEH, B&H and Adorama...Where do you get from?

I have had all good to great experiences with all. Paypal offers some security (except if you want use the gift option to save that 3%) for FM, and POTN transactions. When buying on ebay, you have protection from both Ebay and then Paypal, if you pay using them. Ebay's "item not as described" in my opinion can be very biased against the seller, if ebay doesn't bite, then paypal will most likely side side the buyer. The actual stores such as B&H, Adorama, KEH and Lens Authority all have pretty decent return policies. 

As everyone knows, use common sense when dealing with less secure transactions such as craigslist (meeting up someone with $1000 cash for a lens that you've never met can be a bit scary). I have gotten good results on CL. Living in NYC, there are lots of buyers and I can save the fees and shipping troubles. Downside is not much protection. I used normal caution such as asking for Ebay/Facebook/Flickr references just to make sure the person actually exists. I also figure for higher end lenses, it is very unlikely the person will not have a website or flickr site. I also try to gather personal email address or phone number and whatever I can get in the event that things turn south.

Please share your used equipment experiences...Good or bad.


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## bereninga (Jan 23, 2015)

I've sold and bought stuff for $400 or less on CL. I wouldn't mind purchasing on CL for things that are $500 or less. But when prices are north of there, I'd rather go to the Canon Refurb store or a more reputable place like BH or Adorama. Those places at least test and inspect their used equipment. Plus, there's the option of returning an item if it doesn't fit the description.


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## Ryan708 (Jan 23, 2015)

I have sold a few used lenses on E-bay and never had a problem. I bought a used 70-200 f/4L USM (non-IS) from Hunt's photo nearby where I live, and the next day realized about 5% of the time the aperature wouldnt close down (when shot above f/4 obviously), so I had to return the lens, and they had no problems at all with taking it back for a 100% refund. If it had been a craigslist deal I might have had a bigger problem. I did fall in love with the optics, and ended up buying a canon-refurbished 70-200 f/4L IS because of it. Im a big proponent of canon refurbs, my 60D and my 70-200 both seemed brand-new, and I would assume they test the refurbs quite thoroughly.


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## rfdesigner (Jan 23, 2015)

I bought a 30D and a kit lens a few years ago second hand from London Camera Exchange in the UK.. no problems, all worked fine. Reading round the forums I've appreciated that buying lenses new is a good move (they can have subtle problems and the cost difference between new and second hand is small). So I've bought lenses new since, but I'm happy to buy an upgrade body second hand due to their substantial depreciation.


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## icassell (Jan 23, 2015)

I've bought several used lenses from KEH. They have all been far superior to the rating that KEH gave them.


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## wsmith96 (Jan 23, 2015)

I wanted to check out FF photography on the cheap so I purchased a used 5D off of ebay. So far, the only issue I had with the camera was aging batteries, but the seller disclosed that up front. I was able to pick up a 5D with 3 batteries, battery grip, 8G flash card, external A/C power brick, and two battery chargers for ~$450 USD. No issues with it that I can tell other than me learning the equipment. I bought two new batteries and I'm good to go.

I've purchased refurb equipment from Canon as well - all have been in excellent condition with great packaging. To me, I do feel more comfortable purchasing refurb from Canon than used from a person. I'm always afraid of picking up someone else's problem that I won't catch until it's too late. I took a chance with the 5D and so far I'm pleased with the purchase.


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## Tinky (Jan 23, 2015)

In the UK I use Calumet, LCEgroup, MPBPhotographic, Wex, have bought from Park, Ffordes, SRS also.

No longer keen on using a cErTaiN auction site. Just seems every second transaction goes wrong, buying or selling. 

No I will not send it to Lithuania even though you have 2 feedbacks from last month.

No offence to honest and decent Lithianians intented.


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## LarryC (Jan 23, 2015)

I buy most of my gear used through eBay. In over 200 ebay transactions as a buyer, not all camera gear, I've had only 1 case where the item, a lens, was defective but the buyer took it back with no problem. I did also buy a softbox grid from China that was about 2" short in every dimension, but it only cost $12 and the seller refunded $4. I've bought around 15 lenses, 4 cameras, 3 flashes, lighting and backdrop equipment, through ebay. I've also turned around and re-sold many of those items for the about the same price I paid for them. I've saved thousands, even made money on some items. If I lost money on a disputed transaction, I would still be very far ahead in the game.


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## tpatana (Jan 24, 2015)

Mostly good experiences. I always google the name, that usually already indicates plenty.

I've traded maybe ~10-15 lenses used, and only one time got bad experience. I bought lens from POTN. The pictures were not perfect, so I asked about the condition. He said nothing on the lenses.

So when the lens arrived, the front element had lot of scratches. I sent him email complaining about that. He was really slow at responding. One time he responded "Sorry for delay, I had to travel to Seattle for XYZ." 

Funny enough, I live in Seattle so I responded "Great, I live in Seattle too so I'll bring you the lens and you give my money back". Surprise surprise, no reply for a while until he "returned" home. He paid my money back, I shipped the lens back. So I took loss for the return shipping. Lesson learned, if photographer takes bad photo of the lens, there's reason for that.

In general, I still favor slightly used quite often.


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## sagittariansrock (Jan 24, 2015)

I hope this doesn't bite me in the butt now that I have an 85/1.8 on the way, but I have purchased many, many lenses used through various outlets, and almost all my experiences have been good. The only two suboptimal experiences were through Canon refurb, but were completely remedied.
I purchased (this is for personal reminiscence only, lol) the 28-105, 28-135, 17-40, 50/1.8, 50/1.4, and the 70-200 II through Craigslist. Only the last one remains, and it was like new for $ 700 off the MSRP. Love that lens.
Purchased the 24 TS-E, 100/2.8 non-L, 5D classic, 5D Mark II, and currently the 85/1.8 through FredMiranda. All of them (dunno about the last one) were perfect.
Only my T3i was DoA and I tested it only after the 90-day warranty that Canon refurb had at the time was over. Nevertheless, the call center lady issued a return label and encouraged me to turn in it, and they replaced it with another one. Also, there were paint chips on my refurb 17 TS-E, but Canon service took it in (free shipping both ways, again) and fixed it like new.


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## jdramirez (Jan 24, 2015)

All of my present lenses were purchased used on Amazon... And my flashes... And I've been more than happy with the items so far.

I sell stuff on Craigslist and Amazon and I try to be as detailed as possible with photos. 

I'm considering a Lens from eBay, but only because I can't find a comparable price elsewhere. 

I've bought lenses from Craigslist, but mostly for resale, But always tested and in good condition.


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## martti (Jan 24, 2015)

You do not actually 'buy from eBay' but rather you buy from a seller who is listed on eBay. Which means that you cannot make relevant generalisations about how it is to buy from eBay. My experience is that the Asian sellers from South Korea, Hong Kong and Continental China are very professional and reliable. I recently got the 85mm L 'refurbished' from Hong Kong. I could not find any signs of use on it no matter how closely I looked. It back focused on my 5DIII which was an easy thing to fix.
I would not buy a used 24-70mm f/2.8 unless it had a recent certificate from a Canon workshop.
The 24mm, 35mm and the 100-400mm L lenses I bought second hand from local people. All in mint condition, no problems.

The episode with a Wacom tablet taught me never to buy anything with 'no returns accepted'. It was a mistake.
B&H delivers here to Réunion and I have found things cheaper there than on the eBay listings. They are very good in what they do. 

No Amazon shop from any country delivers electronics of photographic equipment here, only books, posters and DVDs. 

Do not do business with a French internet seller if you can avoid it. Try to avoid the services of the French Post as well. The French can complicate quite obvious things to issues that you just want to cancel everything and get your money back. This is my personal experience with returns disappearing and items stolen.

My eBay experience is positive. You get a good idea of the seller from his feedback page. The price level correlates well with the amount of customers watching.


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## nc0b (Jan 24, 2015)

In the last few years the only body I purchased new was a 60D. The 6D, 5Dc and 40D were on CL. Lots of Canon gear shows up on CL in Colorado. I bought a Zeiss 18mm and Canon 10X 42L IS binoculars on eBay, and they have been fine. CL lens purchases have been two 24-105mm (one for a friend in AK), 50mm f2.5, 70-200 f/4 IS & 300mm f/4 IS. My 70-200mm f2.8 IS II and 400mm f/5.6 were purchased new. My only Canon refurb was a 1.4C TC III. I sold all my 1970s Nikon gear on eBay a few years ago, and of course all the money went into Canon purchases. I couldn't be happier with my used purchases, eBay or CL. All CL have hands on local where I could check out the item first.


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## Tinky (Jan 24, 2015)

martti said:


> You do not actually 'buy from eBay' but rather you buy from a seller who is listed on eBay. Which means that you cannot make relevant generalisations about how it is to buy from eBay. My experience is that the Asian sellers from South Korea, Hong Kong and Continental China are very professional and reliable. I recently got the 85mm L 'refurbished' from Hong Kong. I could not find any signs of use on it no matter how closely I looked. It back focused on my 5DIII which was an easy thing to fix.
> I would not buy a used 24-70mm f/2.8 unless it had a recent certificate from a Canon workshop.
> The 24mm, 35mm and the 100-400mm L lenses I bought second hand from local people. All in mint condition, no problems.
> 
> ...



I realise you do not buy FROM any particular auction sItE but as a portal, particularly as a seller, it is wide open to abuse, as I have found with increasing frequency. The administrators cannot keep pace with the scammers and the compensation process is convoluted and when I last used it was subject to administration fees.


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## martti (Jan 24, 2015)

Thus far, I have not sold anything over eBay because of the practical limitations I have living here in the middle of nowhere. From what I have heard, an individual seller can lose his money and the sold item very easily when the 'buyer' signals a problem with the delivery or the object itself. If I send something valuable to Waziristan and the person says that the item was not delivered, PayPal will retire the sum from my account until the _affaire_ has been settled. Which can take until the war is over.

I am selling now some lenses on the local net site and the scammers from Cote d'Ivoire are out already, smelling an easy prey. They use the free SMS service 24682 that I know already from their previous attemps. 

There are some geographical areas that are better avoided. From a person's name you can get a hunch, also.
World is racist.


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## privatebydesign (Jan 24, 2015)

martti said:


> Thus far, I have not sold anything over eBay because of the practical limitations I have living here in the middle of nowhere. From what I have heard, an individual seller can lose his money and the sold item very easily when the 'buyer' signals a problem with the delivery or the object itself. If I send something valuable to Waziristan and the person says that the item was not delivered, PayPal will retire the sum from my account until the _affaire_ has been settled. Which can take until the war is over.
> 
> I am selling now some lenses on the local net site and the scammers from Cote d'Ivoire are out already, smelling an easy prey. They use the free SMS service 24682 that I know already from their previous attemps.
> 
> ...



I just limit the listing to USA, ship to confirmed address only and get signature confirmation, that negates all you concerns.


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## Tinky (Jan 24, 2015)

I spell out terms that include having 100% feedback, at least 10 feedbacks gained over at least a year, and uk paypal address only. Doesn't stop the scammers bidding, but the auction site I use has always been ok with me cancelling bids. The trickis not to get excited when you achieve a buy it now. Deep breath. Check feedback. Google the name.

I sold my 600d as a buy it now, turns out the guy had 2 feedbacks, from last month and was Lithuanian. I explained to him that he had not met my terms and cancelled the sale. Had I sent it I fear I would be looking at a PayPal chargeback situation and all the hassle of sorting that out.

I don't like to make assumptions based on nationality etc as there is a not very nice word for that, unfortunately some regions do seem more industrious at the old scamming malarky, and I feel sorry for the honest folk in these regions... but at the end of the day... it's my cash.


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## NancyP (Jan 27, 2015)

I buy used lenses and other gear from the local camera shops, Schiller's and Creve Coeur (St. Louis MO). I have bought three used good lenses and a tripod head. Most of the time, their offerings are "meh", the usual kit lenses, but sometimes I hit the jackpot. The thing is, I can test the lenses on my camera, the shops know me as a reliable person, there is a refund policy that allows me to buy and try for a short period of time - I haven't had problems so I haven't tested the policy. I have also bought large format lenses from forums and eBay. Sellers typically sell and ship to CONUS (continental US). I have considered buying items from Roberts (Indianapolis), KEH (Atlanta), Lens Authority (tested before sale, but these are rental lenses).


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## mrzero (Jan 27, 2015)

I bought my 20mm used via ebay shortly before we embarked on a trip to Madagascar. I tested out the lens quite thoroughly and was very happy with it, everything worked great. I did not try out the hood, although I was glad to have it and packed it because of the 20's reputation for flare. Shortly after we landed, I started fumbling around with it, trying to figure out why it wouldn't latch on, before realizing it was not a bayonet mount, but had to be screwed onto the filter rings. Oops. My bad.

I bought a few other lenses and cameras on ebay. My only suggestions are to research the item you want thoroughly so that you know exactly what you are looking at in the pics and description, then follow sales listings for a while before buying. I would rather spend a little more to get a better quality item. My 28-105 came with the OEM hood (that also fits my 28/1.8 and was not available new at the time). And skip anything with shoddy pics. Either they are hiding flaws, or the photographer is so bad I don't trust their gear.


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## mackguyver (Jan 27, 2015)

privatebydesign said:


> martti said:
> 
> 
> > Thus far, I have not sold anything over eBay because of the practical limitations I have living here in the middle of nowhere. From what I have heard, an individual seller can lose his money and the sold item very easily when the 'buyer' signals a problem with the delivery or the object itself. If I send something valuable to Waziristan and the person says that the item was not delivered, PayPal will retire the sum from my account until the _affaire_ has been settled. Which can take until the war is over.
> ...


+1 same here, and I recently found that you can limit the people who can bid as well based on several criteria. One criteria is that only US bidders can bid. That's helped me quite a bit.

On the other hand, I have had my share of problems before and after setting this stuff up including:
*30+ non-camera gear auctions with no problems
*3 camera gear auctions that had no problems
*6+ auctions where the winner never paid, sometimes it took 2 or 3 auctions for the winner to actually pay
*3 auctions where the winner tried to scam me
*2 U.S. only auctions won by foreigners and the package took over a month to get there and clear customs. eBay held my money 
*3 packages mailed express mail (USPS Priority or USPS/FedEx/UPS overnight) where the tracking never indicated the package was delivered or signed for. Luckily the people were honest and wrote me to say they had received the item

Not such a good track record all things considered


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## mklau (Jan 27, 2015)

martti said:


> You do not actually 'buy from eBay' but rather you buy from a seller who is listed on eBay. Which means that you cannot make relevant generalisations about how it is to buy from eBay. My experience is that the Asian sellers from South Korea, Hong Kong and Continental China are very professional and reliable. I recently got the 85mm L 'refurbished' from Hong Kong. I could not find any signs of use on it no matter how closely I looked. It back focused on my 5DIII which was an easy thing to fix.
> I would not buy a used 24-70mm f/2.8 unless it had a recent certificate from a Canon workshop.
> The 24mm, 35mm and the 100-400mm L lenses I bought second hand from local people. All in mint condition, no problems.
> 
> ...



I second to the comment about dealing with French seller. On ebay I brought a old medium format film camera (waited couple weeks), but the camera was dropped and bottom was demaged. The item was shipped back but the seller said never received. Ebay and Paypal wouldn't step in because the package is not trackable. Lesson learn cost me $250.


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## DRR (Jan 28, 2015)

For lower cost items (<$400, of course this is only "lower cost" relative to other camera gear) I'm fine trying ebay or CL or whatever. 

I've learned that above that, it's best to have some level of guarantee or return policy. It's difficult, sometimes impossible, to _fully_ test a piece of gear when you're taking test shots sitting at Starbucks. Or from ebay, you don't get a chance to test at all! Then what, you're out $250+ to have the item repaired?

Better to pay a small premium for the item refurbished or from a quality used vendor (KEH, BH, Adorama, etc) that has an established return policy and you usually get a warranty on it in addition (30 day, 90 day, 1 year)

When you buy used off forums or ebay or CL, you're depending on the honor of a stranger. Which is not always going to be bad... but an increased risk.


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