Ebay Sellers

Has anyone here had any dealings with Columbus Camera Group on Ebay?

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They had a "Bogen Salon 6" Studio Camera Stand" on "that auction site" and, when

queried about it, they then stated that it wasn't a Bogen and that it might have been

cut down to size. Upon further enquiry... they said it would support a 4x5 but would

not go into any further details. Perhaps, it's just that they don't realize that there is a

weight difference between a Wisner 4x5 field camera versus a Sinar P2.

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I'd have hated to have won the bid, received the stand, found that it wouldn't support

my 4x5, and had to fight with them to get my money back. In spite of them saying

that they would refund the purchase price (sans shipping charges) who needs the

hassle? ... especially since it wouldn't have taken them but another minute to answer

a pefectly valid question!

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In any event, I was prepared to bid but decided at the very last moment not to

support them and their method of doing business. They sold it at their initial bid

price!

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I never had any problems with CCG. Over the past year, I've bought several of their house branded lens boards to fit Toyo/Omega monorail cameras for a heck of a LOT less money (about $15.00 or $16.00 each) than the "real" Toyo models.

They are rated very high but people like myself find it very difficult/intimidating to leave negative feedback for anyone. With my recent encounter with them I decided to leave positive feedback in which I made very negative comments!

 

They are obviously a big business that uses ebay as just another sales tool and do not treat their customers as individuals. I won an auction for some film over Chritmas and repeated emails went unanswered so I finally assumed they were closed for the Holidays although nothing was mentioned in the ad. They finally responded in the first week of January, with a one word email answer! I mailed them a USD cash payment from Canada at the end of that week (they say they do international business) and notified them of doing so and I received no response. A couple of days later I see the same rare film come up for auction and I wondered what was going on. I waited patiently for my film to arrive and in the first week of February I receive a check from them stating my payment was not received within 2 weeks of the close of auction and that they had already auctioned it off again!

 

They have no communication skills and the person they have running their auction site obviously could care less about customer service!

 

If anyone chooses to buy from them they better know exactly what it is that they are getting, and if you are out of the country you should think twice about dealing with them. They have cost me the service charge for the exchange rate twice plus my time and the cost of an envelope and a stamp. A little communication could have saved me a lot of trouble! I have 57 transactions on eBay and I have never been treated so poorly!

If B&H (a store I think highly of) had an auction on Ebay and I sent them a question which they didn't respond to, I wouldn't bid on the item.

 

I've had several experiences where I was the winning bidder on an auction where the seller was very slow to respond to emails after I won the auction. After three emails I'll send them the fourth, and last, stating if they do not respond immediately I'll contact Ebay and/or PayPal and notify them of the incident (hopefully Ebay and/or PayPal and I can work something out to my satisfaction). I've only had to do that once and I got the items (two boxes 4x5 film).

 

In short, I would've done what you did...ignore the auction.

Before using E-bay was the way to buy, I bought a 5x7 camera from CCG that was listed in Shutterbug. The camera was listed as Excellent+. That sounds near mint to me. When the camera arrived, it was a wreck. All the brass was badly tarnished. The back was loose. The gearing was so bad, it would run off the track at the least movement. Nothing was tight on the camera. When I called them and questioned the Excellent+ rating, I was told it was "excellent for it's age". Which, besides being not true, the rating was outrageously inaccurate. I would never buy from Columbus Camera Group.

Hi Victor,

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I'm sorry to hear about your challenges with Columbus Camera Group... it just goes

to show that it's vitally important to question, question, and question some more. I,

for one, am really glad I posed the questions to Columbus Cameras. I would have

been royally "peeved" had I of proceeded and received a stand that would only hold

the lightest of 4x5 cameras...instead of the one I had asked them about (Sinar X).

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I take it you didn't get satisfaction from them... I've now mentioned to a few fellow

large format photography friends the story about what had transpired on the Bogen 6'

Stand auction. Suffice to say... they were impressed! NOT!

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People have a penchant to say good things about good people and circumstances. On

the other hand, people will also say negative things about "less than positive"

situations. In the end, the better you treat people (in general) the better they'll turn

around and reciprocate.

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Winners win and Losers lose!

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Cheers

I think you did the smart thing. CCG had something up for sale a while back, and I wrote and asked questions, and got a reply that was less than helpful. (my email had had multiple, open-ended questions, and the entire content of their response was,"yes.")

So, I didn't bid. If I get a bad "vibe" from a question response, I don't bid. I'm not looking for a new best friend, but I'm also not looking for a hassle either.

 

Ben

Bought a lens from them which did not sell on auction. Emailed them and spoke to them on the phone after the auction (never had heard of them) and was very delighted with them, the service and their description of the lens. Highly reccommend them on or off ebay.

I live about 90 miles from CCG. They are located about 1 mile drive from Midwest Photo Supply in Columbus, Ohio. I make the pilgrimage to the stores about every 6 weeks. <p>

CCG is not a big business. They are located in an old and crowded residential neighborhood, in a little white church (Shades of Arlo Guthrie???). That is where they got the stained glass windows they now have for sale on ebay. <p>

The church is crammed full of photo equipment... stuff stacked everywhere. Things are "kind-of" organized with the darkroom stuff in one corner, the lighting stuff in another corner, and the cameras in old showcases along the side wall. <p>

Most of the help seems to be college students, and the turnover is frequent. So when you talk to someone they may not know much about photography, or what you are asking. <p>

I don't think CCG is purposely a dishonest company, I think they are just understaffed and disorganized... A great store well worth a visit. They don't always have a lot of cameras, but they are usually well stocked with a lot of darkroom, lighting, and studio supplies...

I have had some difficulty with various sellers, Especially when negative feedback is required. I had an independent get my 300USD and not ship then he refunded and kept 50USd and I left negative feedback and went throught all the hassel og the arbitration on square deal and it was not resolved until I gat the police involved on the basis of international mail fraud, then I got the 50USD back and then I was FLOORED when ebay REMOVED my negative feedback, and I was not vitrolic in the feedback just that he get my money and did not ship or communicate adn I had difficulty obtaining a return.

SOOOO.... I take the feedback with a grain of salt. Ebay will not let the truth of the rip offs the use of the auction system to fence stolen goods or the constant litany of misdescriptions. I write and then demand a phone call and most importantly I will only deal with big time camera shops on the web. I just cannot get over people buying stuf sight unseen or even held and tested for basic functions and paying top dollar. You have to realise that the price limit you bid at should allow for alot of repairs or refurbishment. There was one guy in Northern Ontario selling the same Nikon F4 over and over again and he was just shipping ROCKS, literally ROCKS, well he got a jail term and the people who sent him money lost it. SO it is like a gamble unless you really get a rappor going with the seller.

I've dealt with Columbus Camera Group only twice; both times, I was buying lots of expired film on eBay. The first time, they shipped the wrong film; when I e-mailed them, they told me to keep the incorrect film, reshipped the correct item at no charge (though I'd offered to pay additional shipping, or just keep the incorrect film) and shipped an extra couple rolls as well. Second time, they got everything right. Both times, e-mail and shipping was prompt and I was very pleased with the entire transaction.

 

However, I spent less than $40 the second time, and about half that the first time; in addition, there's only so much that can be "other than as described" with 120 roll film, known to be expired, still in the pro-packs.

 

The film, BTW, has been as perfect as fresh film from the local camera store, except that it cost less than half as much.

I've used them for both eBay and straight purchases and have been pretty happy. They have resolved any problems to my satisfaction.

 

I bought a used Balcar light system from them about 3 years ago and it arrived DOA. They were very good about replacing it.

 

I also won an eBay auction for a case of expired 8x10 polaroid at a very good price. I asked if they could double it to two cases, and they agreed.

 

But consistent with with what Dave said, they are a little disorganized and, unless you get the right person, not particularly knowledgeable.

 

That being said, they are pretty cool and have some great deals. I would purchase from them again.<div></div>