Anything better than or equal to KEH and ebay?

<p>Hello! I'm planning to buy the following items from KEH or ebay and am curious if anyone has any suggestions for a better place to buy. By "better" I mean of an equivalent or lower price than KEH. If the price is equivalent, then the shop would be better if it had a better return/warranty policy.<br>

At KEH:<br />D5100 cost = $350<br />40mm f/2.8G AF-S DX Micro cost = $225<br />Total = about $588, including shipping, from KEH.<br>

Thanks very much for your time and help!</p>

<p>I've bought and sold equipment to KEH. Excellent experience. I have bought equipment on eBay. Be very careful and know exactly what your are buying before you make a purchase. There are major camera retailers also selling equipment on eBay. I would think that they would be OK if their retail store has a positive rating. </p>

<p>I wouldn't presume to rate how "good" a particular price for this item is, since that is so dependent on variable such as the the time and tides, and other imponderables. If you search for "Sold" items on eBay you will get the <em>recent</em> prices actually paid for items for comparison.</p>

<p>Sometimes some person is extraordinarily lucky and gets an item for a fantastic price. Sometimes that very lucky person never actually receives their bargain camera, having paid with a money order to Transylvania.</p>

<p>I have bought both new and used equipment from KEH. Typically, their prices are equal to the normal prices paid on auction sites, sometimes even lower.<br>

Their quality ratings on used equipment are very conservative, and when something does go wrong, they respond immediately and make it right.</p>

<p>On the other hand, out of over 500 purchases on eBay, I have only got stung 2 or 3 times, mostly eBay and PayPal have come through for me. To get good prices for items on eBay you have to be very patient and wait for your day to come. Always check KEH and other used dealers before you bid up an item, by the way.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>IMHO, KEH is much more predictable and reliable that ebay. You may pay a bit more, but I think it's worth it. KEH will stand behind everything they sell.</p>

<p>Are there any used dealers equal to or better than KEH?</p>

<p>JDM: I'm currently following your last suggestion. Waiting patiently with eBay and only bidding lower than the prices on KEH and only on sellers with very good ratings.</p>

<p>When you take into account the cost of selling through ebay no wonder there are so very few deals. Scammers paradise if you try and sell through it, never again.</p>

<p>Simon: We weren't discussing selling anything. I'm trying to <em>buy</em> equipment.</p>

<p>Yes I know Michael, but if you take into account that you need to add at least 15% to the cost of anything you need to sell on Ebay to achieve your price then there might be cheaper options for you as a buyer?</p>

<p>Simon: You didn't say anything about 15%. What do mean? What cheaper options are you suggesting?</p>

<p>KEH includes a 6 month warranty on the items they sell. Don't know if anyone else can match their prices and provide a warranty as well.</p>

<p>Elliot: Yeah, I've been thinking I should probably only buy cheaper if I'm buying noticeably cheaper, due to the warranty KEH offers.</p>

<p>I've had comparable results with KEH and B&H Used Dept.</p>

<p>I've had luck with both KEH and Ebay. Sometimes you find an item costing less on ebay. But you also have more risk. I generally prefer to go to KEH first for the following reasons:<br>

1. There prices for used equipment have always been very fair. So you somehow find your kit for 20 bucks less, but without a warranty, or return policy and unknown track record of matching product description with the actual wear and tare on a product. (see 2 below)<br>

2. Their rating system is the most trustworthy I"ve come across. An E+ at KEH, will be like some sellers Mint or Like new, this, to me is really an important factor, you have no way of knowing what a sellers representation is on ebay, whereas you have a long established history to KEH.<br>

3. They stand behind their product, if there's is a problem they sort it out. For example, one time a camera came without the advertised lens cap. I called and was told the one I bought didn't come with one. I ask them to check the website and indeed I was told I was right and the cap came 2 days later. Point is, any vendor can make a mistake, but I like the way KEH takes responsibilities for theirs.<br>

4. They have a good return policy and warranty.<br>

They might not be the only place that operates this way, and their price may not always be the very very lowest you can find if you are patient or lucky on ebay, but they are usually pretty close, and you will get the product you paid for with a warranty and a stand-up operation behind it.<br>

No I don't work there or know anyone who does.</p>

<p>My experience is identical to Barry's. If your time is at all valuable, go KEH.</p>

<p>I've had many dozens of good experiences buying used Nikon photo gear from KEH, B&H and Adorama. My auction site purchases of Nikon gear from sellers with positive approval ratings of 99.6 % or better have been quite satisfactory.<br>

Beware of auction site sellers with lower than 99% positive feedback or sellers that do not allow unconditional returns for at least a few days after the merchandise is delivered. <br>

Condition ratings on the auction site can be inflated compared to those from KEH, B&H and Adorama -- "minty" condition, for example, can be worse than KEH "bargain" condition.<br>

Some honest sellers on the auction site inadvertently misrepresent photo gear because they do not know very much about photography. <br>

Much of the photo gear I've seen listed on the auction is overpriced compared to KEH, B&H and Adorama.</p>

<p>Conrad: You're right, it's clear quite a few of them don't know much about camera equipment, and most items are weirdly overpriced.</p>

<p>You can look at Henry's </p>

<p>I've had excellent luck with KEH, but generally buy from eBay on this kind of stuff. Downside is I am rolling the dice with ebay, where KEH is maybe slightly more but gives a no-questions asked guarantee. THIS is the time of year to get best prices on used camera gear though. Buy/Sell boards on the larger Nikon forums can also be good places to look.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

<p>Dave: I know. They're pretty overpriced though, so that's not relevant.</p>

<p>Kent: Which forums would you recommend?</p>

<p>The forum here can be pretty good, and also fredMiranda has buy/sell. I'm sure there are others. </p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

<p>KEH has its own store on EBay, I have had a positive experience with them.</p>

<p>Kent: I posted in photo.net's forum now. Thanks!<br /><br />Jim: Thanks, I took a look at them, and they didn't have what I'm looking for at the moment, but I'll keep them in mind.</p>

<p>1. How do I know if someone in photo.net forums is scamming me? I don't see a rating system and someone just emailed me rather than keeping the conversation in a public forum. That seems pointlessly lacking in security, so maybe I'm missing something?</p>

<p>2. Is Cameta Camera okay?</p>

<p>I bought both of my items on KEH. (I've been looking elsewhere for a few days and looked at eBay's sold items as well. Didn't seem worth the wait and risk.) Thanks for the help!</p>