Adorama used gear grading?

[kobbi]

Hi there<br>

I am considering buying a expensive used lens from Adorama.<br>

the grade of the item is marked E-. Does anyone here know what <br>

to expect from them. Are the optimistic regarding grading the gear?

<br>

I have never ordered used from them and do not know what to

expect.<br>

What does brassing mean in this context?<br>

Any info from you appreciated.<br>

<br>

regards,<br>

Jakob S.<br>

<br>

The Adorama grading system is according to their we page:<br>

 

N = New Comes complete as packed by manufacturer with warranty except

where noted. <br>

D = Demo Demonstration condition almost like new, might show very

light use. <br>

E+=Excellent + Very clean <br>

E = Excellent Shows normal wear, might have minor scratches, glass

clean. <br>

E - = Excellent - Average wear, may have small marks but no

brassing<br>

V = Very Good Shows heavier wear, works mechanically fine <br>

G = Good Shows extra heavy use wear, glass might have scratches,

usable <br>

F = Fair Beaten up, sold as is<br>

[andrea_lee1]

Well, I ordered a Leica IIIF RD ST from them and received a prewar piece of crap that looked like it was held together only by the bubble wrapping. It wasn't even modified to try and look like the correct model, and it certainly wasn't the E+ (or even E) that it was advertised to be. They refused to null the credit card charge, and asked me to Fedex it back to them.

 

Never again.

[._._z]

I visit Adorama several times a year. I regularly buy film and supplies from then, and I

sometimes use their film processing.

 

But I would NEVER buy any used camera gear from them. Why? Because their used

gear is rated haphazardly, the quality of gear I've handled was not as good as

Adorama's rating, and because I've read complaints on photo.net -- some minor,

some major -- related to a purchase from Adorama's used department. The only used

items I've bought from them were lens hoods and caps.

 

There are mcuh better places to buy used equipment, like keh.com -- I can

unreservedly recommend anything they sell with a grading of "bargain" or better, and

if you do a photo.net search on their name you'll see many similar recommendations.

[douglas_green1]

I bought a used RZ body from Adorama that they sold me via ebay. It cost me just over $200. When they shipped it to me, they failed to pack it properly, and it was busted (jammed mirror, one focus knob snapped clean off) It was also in pretty beat up shape prior to the shipping. They took it back without any question and offerred me a refund or an exchange. I took my chances with an exchange, because the price I had gotten was great (used RZ bodies usually sell for ~$300 on ebay). The camera they sent me the second time was in legitimately Excellent condition, so I couldn't be happier. But it seems like their used gear MO is to try to sell you junk, and if you complain, then they will sell you something decent for the money.

[mskovacs]

I bought my Nikkor AI 105/2.5 and AI 200/4 from Adorama in E condition. Both were fine but I was actually in the store so I could pick the best of several specimens. When trying them out on an F3HP body, it took no less than three tries to find an F3HP that actually worked! They had a bit of NYC attitude but I even negotiated a discount to offset the NY sales tax.

 

Caveat emptor unless you are in the store.

[klix]

When I order NEW, I usually go to Adorama or B&H.

 

When I order USED, I go to KEH and look for one in BGN condition -- prices for BGN condition items at KEH are reasonable, and condition is typically excellent (from my experience). However, if you see something in EX (or higher) condition at KEH, more often than not, you're better off buying an equivalent gray market item NEW from Adorama or B&H (obviously if it's a current model).

[david_bedell]

I went to the Adorama store to look at an Ex- Contax IIIa w/ f/2 50mm Sonnar. It had three Zeiss bumps, a somewhat dirty viewfinder, and dust on the lens (perhaps some in it; I don't remember). Mechanically it operated smoothly, and what I tested worked. Cosmetically, other than the Zeiss bumps, it was obviously well-used, but not beat up.

 

I ended up not buying it because I decided I wanted a camera with a parallax-correcting viewing system.

 

I just received my first KEH "bargain" lens (a Minolta MC 35mm f/2.8 for $31) yesterday. The glass is perfect, the focus VERY (e.g. TOO) tight. Cosmetically used but not abused. Because I rather enjoy smooth-focusing lenses, I'll probably stick with "Excellent" and above from now on, even if they cost more. I've had great experience buying "Excellent" and "Excellent Plus" from them. Basically "like new".

[hayward]

I found a Grade "G (Good)" lens on their site and went in to their shop to look at it. It looked like someone had dragged it along the sidewalk when he wasn't hammering nails with it. To call it "Good" was way off.

[steve g]

I bought a Nikon FM2n in what i recall as V condition, possibly E-.

 

It failed after 1 month. I returned it to them and they wanted to fix it, not exchange it. This didn't work for me as it failed about 7 days before I was to take a weekend trip. I ended up getting screwwed into having to 'pay for an upgrade' to E or E+ or some junk like that cuz they were out of the one at the grade I had, plus pay the difference between the standard shipping they were going to pay for, and the 2 or 3 day shipping I needed.

 

Next time I need a used camera gear, its probably ebay for me. For the price I paid for my fm2n, I could have gotten one on ebay, for a price cheap enough that the lack of warrantee would not matter.

[kobbi]

Thanks all for your response, I live in Iceland and DO NOT want<br>

to get into a circumstance that I will have to return a lens at<br>

my expense. I am starting to doubt that Adorama gets any second<br>

time buyers of used equipment.<br>

<br>

regards,<br>

&nbsp&nbspJakob S.

[larry_menzin]

I've bought 4 Nikon lenses from Adorama, 1 in the store and 3 by mail order. These lenses where either E or E+. The E+ was close to mint, while the E lenses were totally clean on both glass and barrel. My experience with them has been very recent--April 2003 to date. Your mileage may vary.

[rick_gerbehy1]

Purchased both new and used from Adorama (and also B&H)....only purchase used if you can see the item and handle it in the store.....both have grading systems that are extremely subjective. I have found some great buys.....but some things were totally off with condition and pricing.

[richj]

Hi Jakob,

 

I never ordered anything used from Adorama, but I think you can learn a lot about the credibility of a company by their customer service. I had the misfortune of dealing with Adorama's customer service recently.

 

I used to be a long time B&H customer who switched to Adorama (briefly) because it seemed like they had a quick turn-around time for Internet orders.

 

I ordered a 17-35 Nikon lens in late Sept. When I got the shipment, Adorama neglected to put the rebate coupon in the box. By this time it's very early October and their "downloadable" rebate is not the correct one I need.

 

To make a long story short, I contacted their customer service and 2 weeks later they send me the wrong rebate for the lens. I never got the rebate ($100), and they never replied to my last email informing them that they sent the wrong rebate.

 

Really, if they're trying to save a nickel per order by not putting a printed rebate in the box, they should tell you that during the ordering process. I'm going back to B&H when I finally get around to ordering a D2H.

[matthew_thompson2]

My experience is that their grading was extremely optimistic, if you see Excellent, read it that it was given to a gorilla for a play toy and he had Excellent fun throwing it around.

 

Ordered a tripod head rated as excellent from Adorama, Head had large gouges and dents. Its a grip lock head and the grip lock was completely stuffed, so the ball wouldn't lock and it wouldn't support any weight without floppping over.

 

Their response to being notified of this was completely inadequate.