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Used cameras


BratNikotin

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Where do people usually buy the used FX cameras? and lenses? I am in search of a D610 or D750.

How to evaluate what I am buying ?

Is Ebay a good source ?

Is keh a good source ?

 

Ebay is iffy... if you get a bad camera on ebay, ebay's return policy says you will get your money back once the defective camera is returned. That takes about a week or so.

 

With KEH, you can easily return defective equipment, AND you get a 6 month warranty. Of course, you pay more for the peace of mind.

 

I've bought over 2 dozen Nikon film cameras over the past couple of years, most on ebay. I've only had to return 2 or 3 that turned out to be defective. The sellers gave me no trouble, and I got my money refunded as soon as the cameras were returned.

 

I've also bought a few lenses from KEH. They were all as advertised and gave no problems.

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eBay is, of course, the largest market for used cameras and lenses. Trust is the problem there.

 

The majority of photographic gear sellers on eBay are merchants, who try to make a profit by buying used gear cheap and selling it dear. They do generally inspect the gear, but they may miss problems by performing sloppy inspections, and they may deliberately leave problems undisclosed in order to fetch a higher price. Generally, any seller with more than a few hundred feedback ratings (stars) falls into this camp. Those with a higher percentage of positive ratings are more trustworthy. Try to buy only from those with 100% positive ratings; I have read somewhere that anybody with lower than 99.5% positive is to be avoided. One good thing about buying from merchants is that almost all of them allow returns for any reason. (eBay itself forces all sellers to accept a return when the item significantly differs from its description, but these sellers also allow returns for change of heart or whatever reason.)

 

There are also plenty of sellers who are actual camera users on eBay, looking to offload gear they no longer want. I fall into this camp myself. For the most part, these people know their equipment (and its issues) better than the merchants, and most of them are not looking to rip people off. The problem with this group is that they tend to write inadequate descriptions that don't give you enough information to make a purchase decision. These people also tend to upload really bad pictures of the gear—ironically, since they are photographers. When considering whether to buy an item from one of these sellers, if the description is light, ask plenty of questions. If the seller answers only some of your questions selectively, or takes umbrage at the questions, avoid that seller like the plague. Most of these sellers do not (necessarily) accept returns except those that they must due to eBay policy. To minimize risk, establish a friendly dialogue with the seller before buying.

 

Another kind of eBay photographic seller are those who mainly sell items of a different category, such as clothes, but will occasionally sell other things, including camera gear. These sellers write the worst descriptions and generally do not know anything about camera gear. Avoid.

 

KEH is generally trustworthy, and returns are unconditional. But their prices are high.

 

There's also Craigslist. You will sometimes see people rave about the bargains that can be had on Craigslist. The few times I've browsed it for my city of Los Angeles, I've never seen anything that was both valuable to me and attractively priced. But I'm sure if I browsed it daily or weekly, something nice would turn up.

 

A hidden gem is the Buy/Sell forum at fredmiranda.com. The FM community is not very different from the one here are Photo.net: both are composed of real photographers and camera lovers. (PN also has a buy/sell forum, but it seems untrafficked to me.) There are very few merchants on the FM buy/sell forum; almost everything listed there was used by the seller. The gear listed there tends to be in better condition than that on eBay. Most of the gear is high-dollar stuff like 70-200/2.8 zooms, Sigma Art primes, and the like, but the prices for equivalent gear tend to be lower than on eBay because FM does not charge a fee. As on eBay, sellers receive feedback from buyers that can positive, negative, or neutral; but unlike on eBay, sellers can also leave negative or neutral feedback for buyers. This keeps everyone honest, more or less. Also, feedback is not limited to 100 characters or whatever it is on eBay—you can write as much as you want about a transaction or a seller, and sometimes you will see heated arguments on the feedback pages. Note: you must join FM with a free membership in order to filter or search the buy/sell listings (otherwise you will see every listing) and to send PMs, which is how you initiate a purchase with a seller.

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BratNikotin, I have used KEH, Adorama and B&H for used purchases and consider them to be very honest. They have all been around for many years and have good reputations. They may but not always cost a little more than at auction but are definitely less of a headache. All three of these companies have good staff and I mention them because I have and would recommend them to my family. I have returned new and used items to all of them over the years. Adorama has taken back a used pro level camera with no questions asked. As well you might look into Lensrentals used sales branch called LensAuthority. I have never purchased from them but their involvement and leadership in the photographic community is very well regarded. I saw a D610 on the LensAuthorityy site. Good hunting.
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Just one idea. The best purchase I ever made was a Nikor 500mm f4 AFS many years ago in the classified section here on Photo.net. I loved that lens. Both the seller and I were naïve enough to believe that each other was honest, and we were. I sold my manual focus Nikor 500 f4 P on this site as well. Now days after many years and a few mixed experiences I would recommend using a mediator such Paypal or something like it to assist in the transaction. Just a thought if you buying or selling through classifieds or at auction. Also be cautious of the fake Paypal sites. Edited by 2Oceans
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Both of my FX DSLRs came from local shops-I have two great shops that deal in used gear(one entirely in used gear, the other both new and used). The D800 came from the "used" shop and the D600 came from the "new" shop.

 

I've bought film cameras and lenses from both shops. A lot of my better lenses have come from either these local shops or KEH. I've bought a LOT of film cameras and some older DSLRs from Ebay.

 

Of course, I've also bought from the classifieds here.

 

I've actually bought exactly one new Nikon item in my life-the DX 35mm f/1.8. I bought it from the local "new" shop.

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I buy mine from a local shop, KEH and here. I've had to return 2 items to KEH, one was replaced without question and the other quickly repaired. My local store has sold me more than a few items, been shopping there since high school. I've bought several used items from two of the posters on this thread and that has been excellent. My one ebay purchase was quite disappointing and cost more to get into working condition than I paid for it.

 

Rick H.

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My Canon gear came from KEH - very conservative rating system. The camera was rated good and the lens (all L series) as bargains. They really looked almost new.

My Nikon D700 came from Ebay RobertsCamera - I have also purchase Canon flashes from them. I think they are really good.

My Nikon F and F2 came from Ebay Japan - The Japanese really give more detail about an item and tons of photos. I once received the wrong F2 and the seller was very apologetic and offered a very generous partial refund.

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EBAY: if seller 'offers returns' - it is safe and smooth, more time consuming and several careful steps to follow to return something not as advertised...I bought from a scammer but eventually got refunded, including shipping charges.

I've taken a beating on selling some things on ebay auctions when I was impatient to sell something.

Some of the current sophisticated scams on ebay now limit my purchases there to items less than $200. I have a low risk tolerance.

 

Fredmiranda: I've bought several excellent items, but paid KEH prices. Some well off folks on there who buy everything new, play with them for a while and then sell them on.

 

KEH and Adorama: I've had good luck with both, but no bargains

 

Craigslist and OfferUP: Too much work any more for me to sift through the crazy high prices on most photographic things, a good bargain will pop up every month or two. The owners clearly do not check the going prices on ebay before advertising their items.

 

The pawn shops are clogging up the listings with some real junk and I've had a couple of sellers not show for the sale and then go silent. I did buy a D100 / Tamron 90mm macro combo along with a big box of other Nikon goodies for $30 on there last year. I've averaged two purchases per year for the last 8 years on the CL/OU sites.

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My Nikon D700 came from Ebay RobertsCamera

 

Roberts camera also has a webpage, usedphotopro.com They have a lot more stuff on the website, and it's often cheaper than their ebay prices.

 

My Nikon F and F2 came from Ebay Japan - The Japanese really give more detail about an item and tons of photos. I once received the wrong F2 and the seller was very apologetic and offered a very generous partial refund.

 

I'm leery about buying camera bodies from Japan. Often you'll see "Excellent +++++" describing the condition of the camera, but when you read the description carefully, you'll see "has bit of fungus in viewfinder." Kills the deal right there.

 

I have bought several lenses from japan, and they were excellent, though.

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I can recommend KEH based on personal experience. They have been in the used camera gear business longer than the internet has been around, and have built and maintained a reputation for their rather conservative classifications of each item's condition. While their prices are almost always higher than individual sellers, the device will come with the 6 month warranty, a solid return policy, and the confidence that if it is classified as in excellent condition, it is in excellent condition.

 

Website selling has its risks. If a price seems too good to be true (a recent Craigslist ad here had a D800, Nikon 24-70, and 70-200 2.8, all for $800 - I suspect its stolen and the thief doesn't know what price to ask), it probably is too good to be true.

 

Safety can also be an issue, especially when a sales price in the $1000+ range is involved. A seller with something worth that much can be a target of someone intending to steal the item. A buyer planning to purchase the item will need to bring that much money to the meeting with the seller - both parties have reason to be wary. The solution is to choose a very public place with witnesses as the meeting location. Places like Starbucks are commonly used for this (because there's a Starbucks everywhere), and for higher priced items, a local police station is a good meeting place. If a seller refuses to meet at such a place, don't go.

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Thank you.

I am 1 block away from B&H store in NYC, and .. 20 minutes walk away from Adorama ... so .. these are tempting.

Though prices of the used gear there are biting...

Then you need to walk over and talk to them. I cannot speak about Adorama, but the guy at the Nikon kiosk at B&H, Jerry, is a very helpful person and I believe would spend some time with you just talking about your situation. I think you'd get good advice. You may pay more than Ebay or classified, but you are paying for (potential) service after the sale, if you need it.

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I've bought almost all my used gear from eBay, KEH or Roberts. Over the years I've only had two issues, both quickly resolved. So many people churn digital gear nowadays that it's easy to buy almost unused gear for much less than new prices.
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I bought a D200, and later D700 from a local (Seattle) dealer with a good selection of used (and new) equipment, and also darkroom supplies.

 

I probably do a little over 1000 shots a year, so it isn't that they will wear out under my use.

 

The warranty on new equipment isn't all that long, and at the prices for used DSLRs, even if they don't last, I will likely have gotten my money's worth from them.

 

I have bought older film cameras and lenses from a local Goodwill's auctions, with local pick-up to avoid shipping costs.

I have an FT3 and EL2 from them, less than $50 each, that seem to be working fine.

Also, some low priced Nikon lenses.

 

If you are close to (or in) New York, then the dealers there are probably a good choice. Other large cities might also have dealers with a good selection.

-- glen

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If you watch what the vendor's ratings and length of time on eBay are, then it's reasonably safe to buy there. I've (for better or for worse) bought over a hundred film cameras and more lenses there with only minimal problems.

However, I have also bought used from B&H and Adorama in NY, and they are reliable, and usually priced as low as any legitimate offer on eBay.

 

KEH is often lower than eBay prices for many kinds of items like attachments and even cameras, and they are superb in customer support. I've even bought new from them on occasion.

 

As for prices, my measure of cost is how many pizzas you could get for the amount spent on the camera.

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