Shutterblade Store recommended or not

[simonpg]

Has any one dealt with an online retailer "Shutterblade.com"

and "Shutterblade Store". I just wondered if the dealings were

satisfactory and items were accurately described?

 

Thanks.

[thomas5]

Yup.

They're actually just up I 95 from me and I've gotten a few things from them. The stuff I've

gotten has been of good quality.

[joseph_linzner]

I have purchased 3 items from them on *bay and have found the rating on the cameras to be a bit on the optomistic side vs. KEH which is very conservative in their ratings. one 180 mm mamiya lens was in good condition, a mamiya 645 body was quite rough on the door and hinge, and lastly one mamiya rb67 had a jammed mirror. In all cases shipping was prompt (3day UPS) to Canada! and at a fair charge. When I called about the jammed Mamiya RB body they asked me to return same and immediately refunded my money via Paypal.

All things considered I would buy from them again, however, in all cases read the descriptions carefully and expect only that which is expressly stated.

[harold_fisher]

I have also made several purchases from them via e-Bay and have been very satisfied and would have no problem buying from them again.

 

I would backup Joseph's comment on their ratings. Ratings were a little on the generous side on 1 or 2 things I've gotten. But not to the point of being out of line or enough to prevent me from buying there again.

[btmuir]

I've bought aond 5 iktems from temI'll agree codition is noatt as we've learned to

EXPECK from KEH. The stervice right after a few reminders tht I had woand already taken

care of thr tranaction via M.O. Be paction and you can do OK. There ser ice,shipping has

not been what I learned to exoect from KEH, Spent t tiny biy mor andx go eith KEH. their

didcriptions are nodest abd phone service and shipping weas superb. Avoid

them(shuttterblade) unless idt's a REAL good deal with extensive dikscribtion.

[paulh]

Bruce,

 

I think you need a new keyboard :-)

[hasselblad technician]

I have purchased 4 Hasselblad lenses from them through auctions on the big auction site, and have been very pleased with this company in every way. The condition of the items were exactly as described in the auction and shipping was very prompt. My only minor complaint is that they are very slow to leave a feedback for the buyer. But after I sent them an e-mail, asking them to leave me a feedback, they did so right away.

 

Dave Odess

 

Factory trained Hasselblad technician

 

www.david-odess.com

[ping_pong]

As others have noted, they are optimistic in their ratings. What they rate as Mint Minus, KEH would have rated Bargain or Excellent Minus. I bought a Canon EOS1nRS from them rated Mint Minus and it was brassed along the edge in the top cover, paint was flaking off the side door on the right, the rubber covering of the camera showed some wear, and someone had clearly attempted to buff scratches out and applied what looked like ArmourAll over the plastic parts. Also, one protective terminal cap was missing and was not described in the auction listing. It was also cleverly hidden in the photographs.

 

And in going over the history of negative feedback given to Shutterblade, I found exactly the same complaint. I was hesitant about bidding initially but thought that I would give them the benefit of the doubt as they have lots of positive feedback. And it happened to me! What is the chance of that happening?

 

Shutterblade also hold back feedback until they receive a positive one from the buyer. Otherwise, they retaliate with negative feedback if they receive the same from the buyer. This leaves some buyers hesitant to tell it like it is.

 

To be fair, they do allow ten days' inspection and have been known to issue refunds.

 

However, if you reside outside of the USA, returns could be expensive due to their flat shipping rate, the import duty you pay, and your return postage. To return the Canon would have cost me $100.00 in all.

 

It is better to buy from KEH. With KEH, surprises tend to be on the pleasant side as usually items are better than expected. Due to their inflated ratings, Shutterblade attracts higher bids than they would have otherwise. With Shutterblade, it really depends on how tolerant you are with optimistic ratings.

 

I would not bid on another item from Shutterblade again. YMMV.

[ping_pong]

Sean Tang

[jim_mcbride]

Simon: I have purchased a few medium format items from Shutterblade via eBay and have

found the transactions to be satisfactory. The ratings may be a bit optimistic but that

doesn't mean the items were unusable. We're all probably a little bit spoilt by KEH's quite

conservative ratings. I am satisfied with Shutterblade and likely will continue purchasing

from them.

[ed_nazarko]

Have bought several times. Yes, their ratings are on the high side, but a lot more accurate than the general rule on ebay. By mentally building that into my max bid, I've gotten a couple really great deals.

 

KEH is my benchmark, though. Unless I can get it for significantly less than I'd pay at KEH (and it's not at all unusual for people to bid things up a lot higher than KEH would charge - that's why discipline in bidding is really important) I don't win the auction. Given that, I rate my experiences as good.

[larry_menzin]

I bought a Pentax 90mm LS lens from them that had internal fungus. They accepted an immediate return and also refunded shipping one way. As long as they honor their return policy, you can always return an item that has been over-rated.

[J.W. Wall]

I contacted Shutterblade about an eBay listing of a Bronica lens that said it had a little dust, but was rated on their own scale at a level that said it had no dust. They replied that the rating was a little optimistic and the person said he personally would rate it at a lower rating. Not too cool.

[chrisaitken]

I have just received delivery date notification from UPS from 2 items I ordered on Friday. I do hope the items are as spec'd - especially as I live in the UK. Even so, import duty & VAT still make this a good purchase.

I'll post the actual conditions as and when received (hopefully this Friday). I ordered an 80mm S lens, and a split focus screen, both for an SQ-A.

 

Chris

[stephen_kruft]

I have had no problems with small items bought from them on eBay - all as advertised.

[simonpg]

Many thanks everyone. The consensus seems from your comments that Shutterblad is a good org to buy through but sometimes may be a little over-optimistic with condition descriptions. KEH, on the otherhand (and as has been my experience everytime) is a little pessimistic.

 

I loath vague descriptions and sweeping statements about condition, so interrogate these vendors selling via auctions. In this case my requests for more details were ignored. So I decided to ignore the auction!

[chrisaitken]

Well shutterbug claimed "There is some dust on the inner lens element yet the outer glass looks great." Exc+ apparently

 

There is a fair amount of dust within the lens, and they shipped the lens without a lens cap. It was wrapped in bubblewrap, but only had a piece taped over the end - so the outer lens element could have been damaged during delivery - especially if the box was punctured. I would say Exc-.

 

I'll put some film through it, and see how bad the dust is.

 

The screen I ordered was good - in a beattie box, claimed to be an intenscreen, although I wouldnt know the difference. Its much brighter though. They say Exc+ - I'd agree.

 

First foray into MF - here we come!

[ron_washburn1]

I have just received a Tamrac 610 shoulder bag from Shutterblade. Here is my letter to them and their response. I am very disappointed in my purchase of the tarmac 610 bag. You failed to mention in your ad that it was missing at least four dividers, three of the dividers are important ones. I am not sure if this years version had the plastic cases to hold filters etc. But when I go to tamrac http://www.tamrac.com/welcome.htm it shows the bag with the holders in the two front pockets. And this bag is missing them also if they were originally included.

 

their response: We sell used equipment. This bag is not new. We rated it as to its condition the way we received it ( EXC (excellent): 85-89% of original condition. Shows signs of moderate use ). We do offer a 10 day inspection and since this bag does live up to your expectations, you should return it, no problem.

If you wish to return it for a refund, please send it back to us with a short note enclosed with a brief description of the problem, auction number, your full name and your original method of payment.

My Reply:Dear Ann Argenzio;

 

Condition is one thing. I accept that it is not new. Missing pieces is another issue. Please don?t confuse condition with missing pieces as they are different issues. Are you going to pay for shipping since you misrepresented your item? I wasted my time and money bidding on your item. If you would have said in your ad that it was missing inserts I would have NEVER bid on it.

 

To be continued......

[robert_troia]

I have not completed the transaction with shutterblade because I am returning the item, however, of the 500+ items if have purchased on Ebay, these people rate at 2nd from the bottom. I ordered a Hasselblad 500CM body, which upon examining the 5 beautiful photographs showing a pristine 1986 body, looked to be legitimately priced. I FAILED TO SEE THE BLURB AT THE END OF THE LONG DESCRIPTION "STOCK PHOTO" (All 5 of them). They then sent the camera to my other address (not the one given on checkout)and they sent it to me. I open the box and have in my hands a somewhat damaged (viewfinder screen scratched from inside and inside lens baffle dented) but good looking 1968 500C camera that has had the rear shutter baffle replaced.(Of course I bid and won a 500CM ) To say the least these people are not careful and their return policy is very sticky. I would advise, if your are to deal with them, exercise utmost caution and know what you are buying exactly- READ READ READ and understand. I know what I am buying having owned close to $330K of the finest new lenses and cameras. Good Luck and be careful!!!!!

Robert Troia

[vic_.]

I have bought a few items from Shutterblade. Their customer service is excellent.

 

Two years ago I bought a Leica M4. When I received it the speeds were off. I emailed them about this, and they immediately sent me $250 via PayPal to cover a CLA. How many eBay stores would do such a thing? (They were also willing to take the camera back for a full refund.)

 

As far as the ratings issue. I would recommend that you examine their pictures closely and look for any flaws. Of all the items I've bought from them, in only one case I thought their rating was a bit generous. That's not bad for eBay. They are a good bunch of people. I would recommend them. They have a full money back guarantee. How could you go wrong with that?

 

I also buy gear from mr*scheimpflug on eBay. He has a lot of top quality gear. I am very satisfied with him too.

[robert_troia]

WOW!! VIC they really got hold of you fast to respond to my experience !!!!!!! You see shutterblade gets an immediate E-mail notifying them of a dissatisfied customer, then someone like you shows up 24 hrs. later to rebute it. Just to keep you all up to date I E-mailed them few days ago about returning the camera and it is now store closing time and they did not even acknowledge the problem. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE !!!!!!You did get your Email to this site very fast VIC. I contend they are not very good at what they do and they rely heavily on their return policy to gain "QUOTE" business character. By the way Vic if you did respond of your own accord I apologize in advance and watch out for "Stock Photos" that you examine. Thanks Robert Troia

[robert_troia]

I wanted to give you the final outcome... Looks like they, shutterblade, was shaken some and has cleaned up their act for the moment( No more stock photos only those of actual item you are buying). They refunded PayPal but never did offer to refund the other 2 shipping costs of $20.00. The 500c Hassey body they tried to sell me ( instead of 500cm I purchased) for 269.00....

well, shutterblade sold one recently for approx. $150.00 in about the same shape (maybe better). Camera prices used vary month to month and combined with judgement call on condition it becomes difficult to discern what is fair. I caution the public to research what they are buying in this market. Just because shutterblade may seem to have a good rating does not mean they are quality cameras at good prices nor that all their customers are happy. Believe me I would not go through this trouble of writing these notes if I felt the misfortunes I experienced from them were simply ignorance. Read their return policy. Good Luck and take beautiful photographs everybody.

[yuri_huta]

I have purchased a few items from Shutterblade with the expectation that their ratings are

generous in comparison to KEH ratings. This held true as the items were not up to KEH

ratings and were generous, even given shutterblade's own ratings, but I had factored that

into my bids.

 

Just this week I bid on and won a Pentax 645 body. It arrived in good condition, however,

it was missing the focusing screen! There was nothing in the description that would lead

me to believe anything would be missing. I emailed them within a hour of unpacking and

their reply was "It was not included in the auction." I emailed them back with a second

request to send me the focusing screen and that the description did not disclose

everything.

 

A warning to those that have become accustomed to KEH descriptions and equipment

ratings - shutterblade pales in comparison. I guess you have to go above and beyond

normal investigation and questioning when dealing with this outfit.

[yuri_huta]

I would like to add an update. Shutterblade contacted me to rectify the situation and are

sending out a focusing screen. My initial negativity was due to the first response I got. I

am happy to report that the situation has been resolved to my complete satisfaction.

 

While their ratings are liberal, I have found that the ratings for used equipment from

Adorama and other vendors on auction sites to be liberal as well. Perhaps we have been

spoiled by the rating system at KEH? KEH was the first place I had ever purchased used

equipment from (mail order/phone order and not in person) and so in the transactions

with them, I grew to expect that level of equipment quality.

 

Anyhow, ask many questions, even seemingly obvious ones in order to prevent surprises.

[raymond_tai]

Very optimistic descriptions. KEH's bargain condition is Shutterblade's EX+. I returned a

poor condition 500CM rated at EX with no problems. A lot of these ebay sellers are willing

to wager you won't return items due to the hassle so they give you glowing descriptions.