Buying via Ebay

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maxward

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I am a complete newbie and am intrigued by the value in second hand models.

I suspect reputable forums and friends are more secure but at what point do Ebay prices become attractive? Is there a real risk of grey market and or decoys or damaged goods?

Thanks
 
I bought a used 85mm f/1.8 USM Tuesday night and it arrived this morning in perfect condition. Over the moon with it, just check their selling history and how well the advert has been put together.
 
I bought my first DSLR from ebay, just the same with any puchase whether online or forum or whatever, use your common sense.
 
I bought a Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII from cheethaexpress it was new but £150 cheaper than anyone else £1375.When I got it ,it was as new but completely faulty the lens had been assembled wrongly.When the zoom ring was turned it was as though the focus ring was being turned at the same time the lens would go completely out of focus.When I contacted the seller.They said it had a Gtee send it back to Nikon.BEWARE!:eek:
 
There's always a risk - but so long as you do your homework
on the person selling then the risk can be lessened.

Ive bought all my lenses and not long ago a 7d from ebay,
the 7d i bought only from someone who i could pick up from,
so far never had a problem.

One tip though pay via paypal always! that way your covered if something go's wrong.
 
I would be carful if you buy from overseas as you might get a customs charge when it comes through to the UK, when i look for stuff on eBay these days the first thing i click is UK only, not worth saving 10-15...etc quid on something expensive when it might turn out to be more trouble than its worth, plus if you got the wrong goods or faulty its a nightmare sending stuff back
 
Bought all bar one of my dslrs and cameras from ebay, so thats about 12 in all. Plus almost all my lenses, so probably 30+ over the years.

Never really had a problem, just use sense, check the feedback and terms of returns etc, and use paypal.
 
Just bought a 550d, 15-85, flash gun and other bits from Ebay. Much cheaper than elsewhere usually.
 
As the others have said, check their selling history. Once you know what you are after, watch them to see what they are making, to give you an idea of the price.

Then go for it.
 
I just sold some gear between TP and eBay, (sold all my m4/3rds gear), some stuff did sell here but some didn't. The camera and lenses were also up for sale here as well as eBay, and so whoever bought them on eBay would have got the same gear someone here could have bought (for a cheaper price on TP too).

Like it or not, there is a bigger customer base on eBay so some sellers will always be attracted to it, it doesn't necessarily mean the items are any worse in quality than on forums, but as has been said, just be careful who you buy from.
 
As others have said, check the feedback & see what they've been selling (rather than just looking at a number built from selling eBooks, unlock codes, etc).
See if you can find someone closer to you that you can collect from.
Use common sense. :) Not everyone on eBay is out to con people but you need to be careful - if it sounds too good to be true...
 
iv been buying of ebay for years..and not just camera stuff..never had a prob untill 2 weeks ago i ordered a new tripod..it still hasnt come..however i did contact the seller and they will repost another after 15 days of purchase ..so we will see..
 
I agree with 4737Carlin, Uk only is the safe option, but there are some real pirates out there in the 'bay'.
Forums are not safe either, but i would tend to buy from forum's rather than E-Bay.
Caveat emptor, let the buyer be aware. :)
 
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I've bought a 550D and a 7D, about 5 lenses and 3 or 4 flashguns off ebay and never had a problem. Most of the time I use Digigood and have found them to be super reliable and fast delivery for a very reasonable price. I saved £175 on my 7D against the cheapest UK seller I could find at the time. I got a Canon 50 1.4 this week, delivered in 2 days and it's excellent, very sharp lens and it's only 4 months old and cost £230. Wish I'd got their 35 f2 as well but someone just beat me too it, that was £170, so someone got a bargain.
 
I've bought and sold loads of stuff on eBay. Not really had any issues until last week when I accidentally bought a Lens that is canon fit instead of Nikon. Oops, what a plank.
 
I have sometimes found that descriptions on eBay are better than those given by some on-line secondhand stores. I recently bought an "Excellent" Nikon F601 from an on-line store and the battery compartment door wouldn't shut, so it went back. I then replaced it with a similar camera from eBay, which was not only cheaper, but in almost new condition.

On the other hand I recently bid for a Nikon FE on eBay, and despite the "excellent" description again, the focus and meter didn't work properly. Luckily I had chosen a dealer who accepted returns. (Not all do, it seems).

I then followed up on a Canon AE1. The description was good, but it appeared that the seller had lifted photos of a similar camera from elsewhere on eBay. The photos were of an AE1 but the seller was selling an AE1 program. Duh!

Eventually I bought one from another eBay seller for a good price. The camera was just as described and in almost mint condition.

As has been said already, you just need to check how well the ad has been put together, the selling history, and whether returns are accepted. Hopefully you'll then have a good experience.
 
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We buy a fair bit off there I tend to what for local stuff if its a large purchase. Always bothers me when people say no to collection. I once had someone offer to pay me more when the collected it as they said I was losing out on p and p bless them I declined
 
Ah, the joys of living in the South East of England. You can afford to wait for items to come up locally. Here in Scotland where the population is thinner I could wait for a very long time indeed to find what I want on eBay locally!
 
gad-westy said:
I've bought and sold loads of stuff on eBay. Not really had any issues until last week when I accidentally bought a Lens that is canon fit instead of Nikon. Oops, what a plank.
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Lol, I know it's not really funny for you, what lens did you buy for your non existant Canon. I hope you'll be able to move it on again and you wont be left with a paperweight. I bought a Nissin flash gun off ebay without realizing they did different fittings and I was lucky enough to get the right one. Phew!
 
modchild said:
Lol, I know it's not really funny for you, what lens did you buy for your non existant Canon. I hope you'll be able to move it on again and you wont be left with a paperweight. I bought a Nissin flash gun off ebay without realizing they did different fittings and I was lucky enough to get the right one. Phew!
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It's a sigma 70mm macro lens. Sat on my desk at work looking pristine waiting for my colleague to bring his canon in so I can check it works. I got it for a good price so I'll sell it on for the same price so hopefully someone will get a bargain and the little saga will have a happy ending.
 
Is there not a wider issue here that we should be supporting our local camera shops?

I will try and support my local camera shop because it's a good facility to have for advice and a friendly chat, even if you do shell out a few quid more.
 
modchild said:
I've bought a 550D and a 7D, about 5 lenses and 3 or 4 flashguns off ebay and never had a problem. Most of the time I use Digigood and have found them to be super reliable and fast delivery for a very reasonable price. I saved £175 on my 7D against the cheapest UK seller I could find at the time. I got a Canon 50 1.4 this week, delivered in 2 days and it's excellent, very sharp lens and it's only 4 months old and cost £230. Wish I'd got their 35 f2 as well but someone just beat me too it, that was £170, so someone got a bargain.
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I note a lot of digigood "new" goods are in fact refurbishments on shallow warranties. That doesn't sound too appealing to me...
 
Jonny_C said:
Is there not a wider issue here that we should be supporting our local camera shops?

I will try and support my local camera shop because it's a good facility to have for advice and a friendly chat, even if you do shell out a few quid more.
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I always try in the first instance, but the poor service (in some), limited stock and a price far in excess of online can make it difficult. The argument of bricks and mortar costs don't work for me when they charge double or triple the online prices for small accessories (as an example).
 
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