If you buy a used lens, can you trace the history via the SN?

[dan_k6]

I just bought a 105mm Micro 2.8D

 

How can I trace the history of this lens via the SN? The seller says it is "New"

They have 100% feedback and they've sold some other expensive Nikon equipment

and the feedback has been good.

 

If I call Nikon, will this information be in their system.

 

Also the lens comes with a 7 day warranty. Is there anywhere I can take the

lens to have it inspected to make sure it is at 100% and that there is nothing

wrong with it.

 

Thanks

[shambrick007]

What would you expect Nikon to tell you?

[bob_sunley]

Nikon might tell you if it is a gray market or Nikon USA import, or stolen maybe, but that's about it.

[bruce_stenman1]

You can call Nikon and ask the tech support people as to when this lens was first registered with Nikon by the first buyer. If it is truly NEW it will not be registered and the seller should be able to provide the Nikon warranty card that has yet to be filled out.

 

And eeBay does provides only $200 protection for buyers UNLESS:

 

.....items are only eligible for PayPal Buyer Protection up to $2,000.00 USD (Top Tier Coverage Amount) and should be identified as eligible items in the eBay listing if:

 

1. sellers eBay feedback rating is at least 50;

2. At least 98% of the sellers eBay feedback is positive;

3. The seller has a Verified Premier or Verified Business Account in good standing;

4. The listing was on an eligible eBay site (eBay and certain other eBay sites self identified as such)

5. PayPal is listed as an acceptable payment method;

 

 

So unless you buy from an eBay merchant, your coverage is at best $200. With disputes the buyer has to initiate a claim on PayPal. There is no way to file a grievance with eBay so the seller is able to continue to sell defective merchandise. Even the $2000 coverage from an eBay Merchant is valid ONLY if the merchant has a 98% positive feedback rating, which means very few merchant transactions are really covered.

 

With PayPal a buyer with a dispute must use one of the online forms on the PayPal website, and then wait for 30 days to hear back from PayPal. If they refuse to get involved then you are back to dealing with your credit card company's dispute process. If you linked your PayPal account to your checking account then you are really out of luck and have to take the loss.

 

Item 5 from the eBay website is rather humorous in that eBay forces sellers to allow buyers to accept PayPal payments, with PayPal of course wholly owned by eBay. It may be legal but it certainly is not ethical conduct, but then monopolies don't really need to worry about legality or ethical conduct.

 

There is no mechanism to publicly air grievances with a seller on eBay so in the future any photo gear I buy will not be from eBay sellers but from people on Fred Miranda or Craig's List or from merchants with a long track record such as Berger Brothers or B&H.

 

In addition eBay sellers may have a excellent track record for transactions where they bought items as it is all mixed in with transactions where items were sold. 18 good transactions where the individual was the buyer get mixed together with 2 bad transactions where the person sold items and it shows as a 90% good rating when actually they have a 100% bad rating as a seller.

[wei_who]

In simple English, the only protection on eBay is to use credit card for purchase. eBay and Paypal will at the seller's side. I (buyer) was lost both money and goods due to Paypal's judgment.

[kelly_flanigan1]

The lens can also be just new old stock too. Here I had a 50mm F1.4 AI that was new in the box; with late 1970's cards, caps, bag that was bought as a backup lens for cine work in the late 1970's.

[fraczekp]

>>eBay and Paypal will at the seller's side

 

emm.. correction. Their side (whatever benefit e-bay/paypal).

 

I lost money as seller when a dishonest buyer decided to scam $$ from my e-bay listing stating that he never received the product.

[walterh]

Daniel in most countries Nikon will reveal no information about serial numbers. To give out information about a previous owner would be very problematic for Nikon at least in several countries. How would you like someone call you up saying I got your lens and I got your name and address from Nikon?

[joe_a2]

Piotr....That's why you should ship every package with some sort of online tracking and signature-required delivery. And to Verified AND Confirmed Buyers only, unless you want to gamble. You had a bad experience (a bad gamble), but it sounds like you didn't read the fine print first, so don't blame eBay/PayPal.

 

If a Buyer doesn't want to pay the small additional cost for "real" shipping, they are not a serious high-dollar-item buyer. I disagree with Bruce about eBay. Like anything else in life, you need to use your head. You can research a Seller before you bid, and you'd easily see his "90% Seller example" history and see that 18 Feedbacks came from buying and 2 came from selling. You can buy and sell safely, but that doesn't mean every Seller and every Buyer. Use your head.

[dan_k6]

Thanks for the responses but all I was asking for was if Nikon could look at the SN and just tell me that it was registered or never registered. A simple yes or no from them is all I want...that's all.

[frank uhlig]

Daniel, if you are this worried/concerned about your purchase, why did you do it, do you

plan to do it? Just for the thrill?

 

I would suggest you buy the lens new from a legit dealer such as B+H or Adorama

instead. Then YOU can register that lens with Nikon and you will be all set.

 

Why would anyone give up his sleep for saving a few bucks, especially YOU who are

obviuosly disappointed that there is no global lens police/registry etc?

 

I do not understand ... All you do is take a little gamble ... if you have the guts to gamble.

You may be lucky and you may lose; that are the simple rules of gambling. Good luck

then and good sleep, too.

[fraczekp]

>Joe A.

 

I find your faith in E-Bay/Paypal somewhat amusing...

Using your head is one thing, banking on honesty of buyers and ebay/paypal's fairness and help is another story...

 

http://www.fraczek.net/pages/enterpaypal.htm

 

then google more...

 

Have fun reading!

[dan_k6]

Frank, this is a discontinued lens. You can't buy it new from B&H or anybody. It's hard enough on eBay to find this lens with the box and papers. This has the box, papers, and warranty card. When someone is advertising it as NEW, I just wanted to know if there was a way to verify that. It's not gambling. It's not like I'm debating if I'm buying a working lens or a dud.

 

Just like we have Carfax, we should have something like that with lenses. I mean some of these lenses are as expensive as some used cars.

[kelly_flanigan1]

Interesting; Here I bought a new old stock 105mm F1.8; and a 180mm F2.8 ED after katrina via EBAY because B+H or Adorama didnt have them anymore. I am not sure why folks want to blame Ebay or paypal for stupid purchases. All this lack of doing homework just drives up Ebay fees. Instead of worrying about a lens is new; one should worry about if the grease is stiff; a PRACTICAL thing if one shoots images. The box and cards might be nice for a collector.

[photo5]

Well for what it's worth, I'm surprised nobody mentioned Roland's excellent site:

 

http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html

[kelly_flanigan1]

There is going to a point in time that a maker is not going to warranty a NEW OLD STOCK item. Thus one might wnat to contact Nikon to see if the warranty still will be upheld.

[joe_a2]

Piotr...I stand by my opinion that if YOU are Verified and Confirmed, and the OTHER PARTY is Verified and Confirmed, the rate of problems is very very low. You posted that fraczek link, but that is ONE guy. Ebay closed MILLIONS and MILLIONS of auctions yesterday alone. Multiple millions, Piotr. In one day. The problem is not the forum; eBay is as big as it is BECAUSE IT WORKS.

 

A person can do research before buying, and can buy smart. When emotion or stupidity plays into the bidding process, a person can't blame someone else. Nearly every photography thing I own - except my D300, 70-300VR, 60mm 2.8D, and my previous D200 - have come from eBay. I had to return three items over the years, and they were all painless because I do a little homework first on the people I buy from.