Buy on e-bay?

[oceanrhythms]

I am considering buying a super telephoto lens on e-bay.  I have no experience with e-bay.  Would you spend thousands of dollars on a 400mm or 500mm fast Canon lens site unseen even though I guess you can still return the lens?  Has anybody had any bad experiences with e-bay?

Thank you!

John

[daws]

Would you spend thousands of dollars on a 400mm or 500mm fast Canon lens site unseen even though I guess you can still return the lens?

I wouldn't, not under any circumstances. Using ebay to purchase high-priced items is playing Russian roulette with your money.

[David Watson]

I am considering buying a super telephoto lens on e-bay.  I have no experience with e-bay.  Would you spend thousands of dollars on a 400mm or 500mm fast Canon lens site unseen even though I guess you can still return the lens?  Has anybody had any bad experiences with e-bay?

Thank you!

John

I have bought and sold many high value photographic items on Ebay generally without any problems.  The reputation of the seller (feedback rating) is easily checked and you should also check that they have this reputation for selling similar items. 

[amsp]

I've bought $10000+ items on eBay no problem. Just make sure you buy from a trustworthy seller like others have already pointed out.

[Kerry L]

I am considering buying a super telephoto lens on e-bay.  I have no experience with e-bay.  Would you spend thousands of dollars on a 400mm or 500mm fast Canon lens site unseen even though I guess you can still return the lens?  Has anybody had any bad experiences with e-bay?

Thank you!

John

You would certainly want to confirm that you could return the item and for what reasons. Generally items can only be returned if defective, not for cosmetic reasons. Feedback rating is very important. I also read the feedback given by other buyers to get a better sense of who I am dealing with.
E-bay can be a good market...... but there are no "for sures". Don't forget shipping costs, insurance and local duties and taxes, it may not be such a good deal after these are added in.

[petermarrek]

Have had lots of good experiences on ebay, a few not so good. Bought a 400mm 2.8 Nikon from a guy in Minneapolis a few years ago, sent $3000 bucks, never got the lens. Called local police and DA, they said they knew the guy and would look into it. Nada. Finally got my money back from my credit card issuer. Ebay offered $200. I am still an ebay cutomer but a bit more cautious. Peter

[sbay]

I've sold many lenses on e-bay and I think it is a fantastic resource for doing so. However, I've found that the discount for buying used can often be minimal compared to buying new from some place like b&h (I sold my 70-200 f/2.8 for more than I paid for it new  .  So for only a small discount I wouldn't consider it worth the risk or hassle.

[AndreG]

Hi,

I have a 400m for sale and it's not on eBay...

[LesPalenik]

eBay is only a selling platform, not much different from Classified Ads in any newspaper.
You are not buying from eBay company, but from an individual seller among millions of other sellers. Check his reputation and feedback.

Having said that, I bought and sold items on eBay, and my experience has been mainly favourable.

[PeterAit]

I wouldn't, not under any circumstances. Using ebay to purchase high-priced items is playing Russian roulette with your money.

This is really not true. ebay represents thousands of sellers, many of whom are established businesses (not individuals) with long established track records. Plus, they have an escrow service so you deposit payment but it is not released to the seller until you indicate you are satisfied. For such a purchase you would want to do your homework, but there's the potential to save a lot of money.

[K.C.]

I've bought tens thousands of dollars worth of gear on ebay and never had a problem.

Does anyone walk into a camera store anymore ? I hear they still exist, though that could be just a rumor.

Use you CC and you're covered for just about anything, in my experience.

[Martin Ranger]

I have bought and sold a lot on ebay over the years. The one thing I noticed is that the prices for used gear are often on the high side, and that buying it from a dealer is cheaper.

[dmto]

Have bought and sold thousands of items on ebay since it's inception.  Most deals have been good.  I wouldn't hesitate to buy anything as long as you go through paypal and use a credit card.   I once purchased a betterlight back for $6,000+ to used for art reproduction and never received the back.  Ebay got involved and broke up a sophisticated fraud ring that were selling high dollar items through hacked ebay accounts.  My money was returned no questions asked including shipping charges.  I've also recently received items that were defective and a call to my credit card company made things right after the seller would do nothing concerning replacement or  reimbursement.   The buyer actually holds all the cards on ebay.  I've actually stopped selling on ebay as many of my purchasers just would reverse charges on their credit cards even though the items were brand new and by their nature could not have been defective.  Many people are  just not going to pay for anything as long as the  credit card companies will reverse charges with no questions asked.   As a seller you cannot leave negative feedback on ebay purchasers anymore even if they stiff you. I forgot to mention that once you reverse charges through your credit card company you don't have to return the item or do anything.  If the seller wants the item back, the seller has to incur all charges such as driving to pick up item or hiring a company to do that for them.  Generally I've found that most purchasers on ebay are too far away to justify picking the item up so the purchasers retains the "defective item" as well as getting their money back on top of it.   It stands to reason that there are some legit claims, but it has become so corrupt that a few friends of mine that are antique dealers have stopping accepting credit cards altogether from bidders at their auctions.     

[gubaguba]

I have purchased and sold lots of things on ebay.  I have had some incidences.  One non delivery of item, got my money back.  Was before Paypal sent a money order the police ceased it as part of an investigation.  Had someone claim to fix broken color meter I sold them and wanted me to pay for the repair.  I refused, they got mad.  When I sell I have a whole boiler plate that is part of my auction.  Its my contract with a buyer.  When I buy it from people with good reviews.  High ticket photo items I like to buy locally for a couple reasons.  One I like to give them my business.  Two if there is an issue I can go back to them.  Unless something is completely rare then there is little reason to buy a high ticket item on Ebay if you feel uncomfortable doing so.  I would rather pay a bit more and sleep comfortably then risk it. 

[schrodingerscat]

eBay sellers decide their own returns policy.

For example, my own returns policy states that I will refund in full if the item is not as described.

Not so. All sellers are required to accept a return for "Seriously Not as Described" complaints(a very loose term, and subject to the whims of ebay) for up to 45 days. If the seller wants to accept returns for any other reason at all, then they can do so. If purchasing through paypal, there's even more buyer protections. Unfortunately this has attracted the attention of the wallmartian/costco types who view a purchase as a free rental.

I've been buying and selling for ten years, from cheap to expensive tech items, and have had relatively few bad experiences. Like anything else, it pays to educate yourself before making a major investment. And unlike craigslist, there no chance of ending up in the trunk of your own car...

[hasselbladfan]

Had some good and some less good experiences. Make sure you try to know the seller (mail / phone) before you send the money. The few times I had bad experiences I didn't do y homework enough.

[JohnBrew]

dmto has had experiences indentical to mine. I might, reiterate might, shop on ebay again, but probably not. I've had my account stolen and hacked and my PayPal account hacked. I don't think a whole lot of their security and many buyers now are taking advantage of the situation. I will admit that for years everything on ebay was upfront and safe but it's the 21st century now and cyberspace is different.

[nhvma]

I am living in Vietnam and most of my equipment are bought through ebay (over 40,000) without any problem. The reason is because I can not buy most of my high-end photography equipment in Vietnam. At first I am so scare of spending money on ebay but after few good experience I am now a very happy ebayer. The most important thing is check the seller feedback and buy with insure options and pay via paypal.
Some of my thought.
Regards,
Anh

[vduault]

If you are cautious there are no problem, before buying always try to join the seller by phone/mail if the equipment is pricey just for enquire and check that there are no sting in the air...

Last week I just bought 2 Broncolor Verso power packs and 3 pulso heads for overall the 3rd of the brand new price, the seller was the owner of the equipment (very nice at phone
So if you do the things properly eBay can be a big deal