Horrible experience buying a Canon 5d mkii from ebay, pelase read

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capnbooboo

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I came across other posts on this subject linked to this site but gladly found a home here by accident, glad too.

Here is what happened, i ordered a Canon 5D mkiii of Ebay after saving up money for months, i thought i found a great price, did not read small print about VAT, the camera arrived and i had to pay 90€ here in France where i am., Bullocks i thought.

I read the info on ebay and you can all read it too, i accepted the conditions now that its too late, since it also adds that i am responsible for the shipping if i am not happy with the deal., as long as i return everything i can have the money back, so i thought whatever ill open it, but when i did this i discovered that it was not a sealed new item as described, that the battery was missing, i later found it dead in the camera.

I wrote to the seller demanding answers, i am about to also go ahead with paypal and open a incident, this was not a brand new camera as described, the warranty and vat already was a compromise but it been opened clearly shows dishonesty here, what else can i do, i heard nothing from the seller for over 4 hours and before he wrote back within 30 mins when i wrote.

Here is where i got it:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/110845014774?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

3647.62 US dollars = 2265.1793 British pounds sterling
3647.62 US dollars = 2791.6877 euros

on top of that 90€ vat DHL

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open claim with ebay. once i got faulty lens, so ebay sorted sorted everything for me.
 
On the VAT side - although it's not clearly shown - it is there... So a hard one to swallow..

On the side of a not-new camera - that's certainly something you can open a dispute over.. Are you saying the battery is dead - or the camera is dead?
 
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Could be that the camera had been checked over to make sure it was saleable, hence the battery in the camera? Or it could be that it was a demo model maybe....Do a shutter actuation check to see.... is it warrantied?

Unfortunately, the small print look pretty easy to find about additional costs. It does says that the item may be subject to customs charges (etc).... €90 seems pretty cheap.... you're in France? Maybe that's the reason, although I'm pretty sure in the UK cameras are free from import duty but lenses aren't - could be wrong.

£2265 plus the €90 is still way under average selling prices in the UK....
 
cymruchris said:
On the VAT side - although it's not clearly shown - it is there... So a hard one to swallow..

On the side of a not-new camera - that's certainly something you can open a dispute over.. Are you saying the battery is dead - or the camera is dead?
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battery is bad, i put it in the charger several hours ago and its simply blinking red
 
open an ebay dispute. The item is faulty and they have to take it back and pay for the postage too - it is in ebay TCs

I have also read somewhere that Serials do not match up on the sticker and on the software, and labels are non-genuine. This is all very concerning
 
It does blink red until fully charged though.. That's normal (at least for my 5d2 it is).. It should blink slowly at the start, then more rapidly as it gains in charge.. Until it gets to full charge where the LED light stays on all the time..
 
yup the battery turned green, sorry about that, i will test on, please advise on testing, thanks for all the help so far, i raised a case with paypal as well as ebay
 
It looks to me like you've freaked out and over reacted.

Firstly it is your fault that you didn't read the small print about the tax charges so you can't blame the seller for that.
Secondly you said the battery was missing yet it was there in the camera.
You then said the battery was dead but actually all it needed was charging.
You've also suggested that it was unreasonable of the seller to take 4 hours to reply to your message. If I got a reply from anyone on eBay in 4 hours then I'd think that was a pretty quick turn around.

Basically what you are left with is a working camera, working battery and presumably a good lens but it all came in a box that had been opened. As has been said above it could just have been opened for inspection so check the shutter count and if it is less than 100 (allowing for some test shots having been taken) then you don't have a problem.
 
Have to agree with Rob on this, check shutter count, apart from that dont see much of an issue. See this so often, people trying to buy from the cheapest import companys and when things turn bad or they receive tax and handling charges because they never checked properly they cant understand why.

Its simple, the internet is full of bad traders, use a recommended company, read their T&Cs very carefully, they often have a shipping or FAQ page, use a protected form of payment.
 
Probably been opened at Customs
 
If opened by customs they put a sticker on saying "opened by customs"

Realspeed
 
Why Ebay??? You paid about £390 more than direct from digitalrev and a hundred more than Amazon.
 
Relax and don't worry about it. If you wanted peace of mind you should have bought from a bricks & mortar retailer near to where you live. You took a risk with eBay to get a cheaper deal.

You've got the camera - go and take pictures.
 
honestly, it's not worth the hassle of claiming etc and getting all stressed out about. You've got the camera, it presumably works properly and i bet it's brand new as well. Go out and enjoy it - it's a fantastic camera, and i'm sure you'll love it. Good luck :)
 
Simplythebeast said:
Why Ebay??? You paid about £390 more than direct from digitalrev and a hundred more than Amazon.
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I think you're comparing body only prices there. The OP had a 24-105L lens included in his purchase.

DigitalRev price of 5DIII with 24-105L is £2,499.
 
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Do you think the seller has opened a thread on another forum titled "horrible experience selling a Canon 5d"

As someone who sells a lot on eBay (and takes it seriously/does a very good job) it is not always the sellers that are bad....
 
-Rob- said:
I think you're comparing body only prices there. The OP had a 24-105L lens included in his purchase.

DigitalRev price of 5DIII with 24-105L is £2,499.
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ah....now I see! However, it seems like its sorted now just enjoy.
 
Check the shutter count at http://eoscount.com/ just to be on the safe side but if the count is less than 100 I wouldn't worry too much about it. Mine came with a 0 shutter count and the battery in a sealed bag but maybe the ebay seller decided to make sure everything worked ok.
 
ok so it must be me,

The item is brand new. We put the battery inside the item is because of the HK Post regulations. Please refer to the following website for details.
http://www.hongkongpost.hk/eng/publications/notices/2012/20120723a/index.htm

Thank you.

Regards
Dzone2
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Would be nice if anyone can confirm this but If this is true i put my foot in my mouth but i have to say that while i love the camera i do still feel paranoid, something not worth the money.

I have been shooting with it using a 64GB SD card, it takes stunning pictures and videos, its by far a upgrade from a mkii because of the focus improvement, its shocking that Canon even released the mkii with such poor focus abilities but manual focus for depth of field does help, after all its a professional camera not a point and shoot.

I have friend who wants to buy the same camera, matte box shoulder tripod rig as well, any suggestions to where to buy in the EU do share,

Cheers
 
capnbooboo said:
ok so it must be me,

...but If this is true i put my foot in my mouth but i have to say that while i love the camera i do still feel paranoid, something not worth the money.
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That's all very understandable and I couldn't critisise you for having some doubts.

I do hope that everything is ok and that you end up feeling better and more at ease with your purchase despite the shipping charge.
 
So it turns out there was nothing wrong whatsoever - the additional costs were there to see, the seller has responded in very good time yet you have already raised a case with eBay and Paypal?
 
So apart from the extra charges hidden in the small print - everything is otherwise ok..

In future - it will be good to join a photography forum (like this one) and research a little before committing to buying something.. You might save yourself a few pounds next time!!
 
cymruchris said:
So apart from the extra charges hidden in the small print - everything is otherwise ok..
Click to expand...

I think it a little unfair to blame the seller in regards to customs and duties charges, whether or not they were mentioned at all.

Surely anybody buying from outside the EU has to expect the possibility of paying VAT and duty?

This generally applies throughout the world and is out of the hands of the seller....
 
in the end i am loving this camera, i am sure that anyone here who has one knows why, also loving this site and i am happier today after shooting with it.

i will put it this way, a few days ago i was looking and going over Nikon Full frame options and trying to decide between a 5D mkii or mkiii or wait till the 6D comes out, not to forget also how fast it might depreciate with 4:4:4 and other full frames around the corner, but i MUST say this, CANONS have the unique depth of field look i need for a cinematic effect and this baby rules in that area, i used the mkii allot and there is much more to be said under the covers with the mkiii if your familiar with the mkii, i had it next to my bed this morning shooting everything and i aint going back to a mkii ever, maybe a 6D

and thanks for all the help
 
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