6D - Much cheaper on ebay?

[paul_richardson9]

<p>Hey,</p>

<p>The time has finally come to upgrade to a 6d, and I've been looking around for the best prices.<br>

<br />I've noticed on ebay (UK) that you can pick them up for just under £1200. Warehouse express by comparison is £1479.</p>

<p>The ebay listings state they are in UK, and are split kits (it was a body+lens, and the lens has been removed). Would this explain the difference in price, or are they grey market items?</p>

<p>The price saving is tempting, but I don't want to get stung if it breaks and it doesn't have a UK warrenty.</p>

<p>Paul</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Your questions are excellent, but can only be addressed in relation to specific offers and specific vendors.<br>

Be sure you use PayPal and, if possible, a credit card with guarantee features also. eBay is a vast yard sale, with all the problems attendant on such a concept.</p>

<p>Look at the record of sales of the vendor. Never buy anything this expensive from someone who has only a small record of sales unless you can verify them some other way. You can get good prices on eBay, but you do assume some risk to do so. Are you feeling lucky?</p>

<p>And, if it's too good to be true, it probably isn't. The hard part is finding the shading line between too good and good.</p>

[fmueller]

<p>Rather than a yard sale, eBay is more like the old classified ads in your newspaper. It helps you to find sellers for all kinds of stuff. Some of those sellers are reputable, others are simply crooks. If you buy anything, you will be dealing with the individual seller. Like the good old newspaper, eBay has virtually nothing to do with the actual sale.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Perhaps I should have said "flea market" because, unlike either a yard sale (I was thinking on the community scale) or a classified ad, you often have no idea where to get hold of the person if the thing goes sour. Your main protection is eBay and the PayPal apparatus. That's not the least of the reasons you don't send an international money order to Transylvania. ;)</p>

[fmueller]

<p>Perhaps I should have clarified that I was thinking of buying via classified ads from a seller you meet up with in a parking lot of some Walmart, but I think if JDM or I further stressed our point, we would only be taking this thread further off topic. ;-)</p>

<p>By the way, I would not risk a lot of money relying on eBay or PayPal, but I guess occasionally they do come through. By and large, I either thoroughly check out the seller, or I decide to take a gamble. Bidding on eBay still has better odds than any casino in Vegas!</p>

<p>Regarding the warranty, unless the auction description explicitly states that the camera comes with a UK warranty, I would assume it's a grey market item.</p>

[dogbert]

<p>I purchase plenty of things on ebay but always do my research first on the seller. You can always ask them questions. For expensive items I always assume that there will be no warranty and ask myself whether I want to take that risk. Often I do. At the end of the day Canon's 6D warrantly will cover you only for a year and after that you are own your own anyway.</p>

[User_6667263]

<p>Be aware that there is a version of the 6D that does not have the WiFi or GPS features. When I was shopping for my 6D I encountered a vendor selling this version without mentioning the missing features on their Web site. This can save you some money if you do not want the WiFi or GPS but make sure you know what you are getting before you buy.</p>

[paul_richardson9]

<p>some of the venders confirmed it is a grey market import. They said that they would honor the warrenty for 3 years, and if I have a problem I send it back to them. Then, they would send it on to canon themselves.</p>

<p>No thanks. They would need to send it back to japan or wherever, so I could end up waiting months to have it fixed.<br /><br />With the cashback offer canon is currently doing, I can get it for £1330, from reputable online dealers.</p>