The madness of Ebay

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Lyonspride

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So, following another thread on here and with much consideration, I decided to get myself a cheap and fast 50mm prime.
The Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8 seemed to fit the bill, so I went searching for a good price. (luckily my D90 doesn't need AF-S lenses).

Amazon = £92
DigitalRev = £85
Jessops = £119.99
Ebay buy it now = £90 - £140

I found a few auctrioning on Ebay, 2nd hand or refurbs, I followed these for a while and once the bidding hit 75% of the new price (my general rule), I decided to buy new.

I checked back on Ebay at my ended items and the bidding has lead to 2nd hand lenses selling for as much (or more) as the new price. Some of them were clearly years old...... I checked the completed listings and found a high average of £80 for this lens, it's complete madness!!

I think people must get caught up in the bidding wars and/or just assume that Ebay is cheapest, perhaps they're slightly technophobic, wouldn't normally buy online and see Ebay/Paypal as a safe way to buy?

On one hand it makes getting a bargain on Ebay MUCH harder, but it also means you can sell old kit (except bodies) for nearly as much as you bought it for :lol:

Anyway, on a positive note, my brand new lens is winging it's way to me as I type :D
 
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mpe said:
I would not pay £140 for a 50/1.8D.

However, if it is a 50/1.8G the price is good. The 50/1.8G is much better than the 50/1.8D.
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The difference is basically AF-S and I don't need AF-S, certainly not at twice the price.

If you don't need AF-S (for the cheaper Nikon DSLRs) then it seems to be widely praised.
 
Lyonspride said:
The difference is basically AF-S and I don't need AF-S, certainly not at twice the price.

If you don't need AF-S (for the cheaper Nikon DSLRs) then it seems to be widely praised.
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Hi,

The AF-S version is a totally different optical design. Much improved over the older D version, the built in motor is not the only difference.

The 1.8D to be fair is still a very good lens and I have had a few of them. I think the cheapest I paid was £40 of a guy advertising on gumtree locally. They usually go on here from anywere from £50-£70.

You should be able to pick up a used 1.8G for around the £110 mark possibly even cheaper although they are not much more expensive new.

Ebay prices can be on the high side due to the fees incurred by the sellers.
 
you have to remember ebay and paypal fee's, that reduce the sellers total ammount they end up with... imo ebay is not for me any more, when ebay first come out you use to get some AMAZING deals with in the first few years, now the whole world and their dog knows about it, you dont get deals no more like you use to, and even if its low you just get the sellers bumping them up them self or get friends to bump the auction up
 
TBH, I did my research on this one. With the 2nd hand prices, it would have been crazy to not buy new.

I've read some claims that the AF 50mm f/1.8D is better than the AF-S 50mm f/1.8G, but i've also read viceversa. I get the impression that the difference in IQ is probably so small that nobody can really say for sure.

Ebay has gone downhill, I find that Ebay is pretty useless for "popular" items, years ago it was laptops (back around 1998-2003) satnavs, smartphones, all selling at nearly the new price (sometimes more).
Seller fee's have nothing to do with what people are willing to pay, so clearly something drives them to bid over the odds.
 
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I noticed the same when I was buying a canon 50 1.8 they were all going for for about what you could get a new one from the UK for. And much more than you could get a grey import from HK from a high rated seller just makes no sense at all.
 
There is a huge IQ difference between those 2. But you won't notice much on d90 thought. 12mp just doesn't tax lens that much.
 
Lyonspride said:
TBH, I did my research on this one. With the 2nd hand prices, it would have been crazy to not buy new.

I've read some claims that the AF 50mm f/1.8D is better than the AF-S 50mm f/1.8G, but i've also read viceversa. I get the impression that the difference in IQ is probably so small that nobody can really say for sure.

Ebay has gone downhill, I find that Ebay is pretty useless for "popular" items, years ago it was laptops (back around 1998-2003) satnavs, smartphones, all selling at nearly the new price (sometimes more).
Seller fee's have nothing to do with what people are willing to pay, so clearly something drives them to bid over the odds.
Click to expand...

Really do you have a link to those, I have never seen any review report that. I was under the impression that the only thing better that the 1.8d offers is the ability to use it on a film body and a bit less distortion (not really a concern, as is easy corrected in lightroom)

Personally I have owned 4 x 1.8d's 3 x 1.4g's and 1 x 1.8g

The 1.8g was slightly sharper edge to edge than the 1.4g and noticeably sharper than the 1.8d. I only went back to the 1.4g because of the ability to shoot at 1.4 and I preferred the build, the other 2 feel a bit toy like.

Being a d lens the 1.8d is obviously very noisy when you focus as well which while not a big concern is not always ideal although at the price they can be bought for there is no better lens I know of for the money.
 
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Soda Farl said:
Really do you have a link to those, I have never seen any review report that. I was under the impression that the only thing better that the 1.8d offers is the ability to use it on a film body.
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50 1.8D is slightly better in vignetting and geometric distortion (however, the difference is minor).

50 1.8G is better in everything else (including sharpness and contrast).

http://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-50mm-f1-8g
 
The fact that some things sell well on eBay is just something to use to your advantage.

That's what I have been doing for 10 years...
 
AF 50mm f/1.8 is a broad description - there are several versions of it. I have the old AF (pre D) version and have been advised (by a sales assistant) not to upgrade even if it's to the f/1.4 AF-S. IIRC, I paid £40 or so for it but that was way back, before I bought a DSLR oh and that was a dealer price with a 6 month warranty!

On the few occasions I've looked at prices on e-Bay, they've been higher than new UK (web) dealer prices on the items I've been after - as pointed out above, e-Bay fever is just a mutation from auction fever (it's an auction, it MUST be a bargain!)
 
The 1.8G is the best 50mm Nikon do at the moment. Better flare resistance, sharpness and contrast compared to the 1.4G. However the 1.4G is built better and has a magical look to it at 1.4.

I'm going with the 1.8G again this time around.
 
tingting44 said:
lol EBAY FEVER!!! people are just mad
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Rather the psychology behind it all. Most (myself included) go to eBay for a bargain.

I decide what I am prepared to pay and stick to it. What so often happens is a bidding war erupts between 2 or 3 bidders who must have the item. reason and logic are forgotten and emotion takes over. Great for the seller..

Just because its on eBay, its not necessarily a bargain. I've been after a Fuji S5pro for a while, and seen such cameras on eBay for around £350 - 400. Well, one turned up at my local branch of LCE for £339, with extra battery and LCE offer 6 months warranty on all second hand goods.they sell
 
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Guys, could you please post a link to the listing you consider as mad?

Looking at recent completed auctions I don't find anything that is really off.

50 1.8D sells for £45-£80 (non-D versions or AI-S E series even lower), wex sells them for £109
50 1.8G normally goes for £130-£140, wex sells them for £155

These are two different lenses and 50 1.8G really deserves its higher price.

I wouldn't personally get a second hand item for the same price as new in shop, but I don't see any obvious madness there...
 
mpe said:
Guys, could you please post a link to the listing you consider as mad?

Looking at recent completed auctions I don't find anything that is really off.

50 1.8D sells for £45-£80 (non-D versions or AI-S E series even lower), wex sells them for £109
50 1.8G normally goes for £130-£140, wex sells them for £155

These are two different lenses and 50 1.8G really deserves its higher price.

I wouldn't personally get a second hand item for the same price as new in shop, but I don't see any obvious madness there...
Click to expand...

There have been several used 50mm AF f1.8D, which sold (when you include the postage costs), for more than DigitalRev price and only slightly less than Amazon. There will always be the odd listing that doesn't get a lot of attention (for whatever reason), but on the whole, who buys a used item that could be over 5 years old and on it's last legs, for virtually the price of a new one?
 
Lyonspride said:
So, following another thread on here and with much consideration, I decided to get myself a cheap and fast 50mm prime.
The Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8 seemed to fit the bill, so I went searching for a good price. (luckily my D90 doesn't need AF-S lenses).

Amazon = £92
DigitalRev = £85
Jessops = £119.99
Ebay buy it now = £90 - £140

I found a few auctrioning on Ebay, 2nd hand or refurbs, I followed these for a while and once the bidding hit 75% of the new price (my general rule), I decided to buy new.

I checked back on Ebay at my ended items and the bidding has lead to 2nd hand lenses selling for as much (or more) as the new price. Some of them were clearly years old...... I checked the completed listings and found a high average of £80 for this lens, it's complete madness!!

I think people must get caught up in the bidding wars and/or just assume that Ebay is cheapest, perhaps they're slightly technophobic, wouldn't normally buy online and see Ebay/Paypal as a safe way to buy?

On one hand it makes getting a bargain on Ebay MUCH harder, but it also means you can sell old kit (except bodies) for nearly as much as you bought it for :lol:

Anyway, on a positive note, my brand new lens is winging it's way to me as I type :D
Click to expand...

I thought Jessops went bust???
 
I don't think the new Jessops will honour the old vouchers but check with them before binning the things!
 
Lyonspride said:
There have been several used 50mm AF f1.8D, which sold (when you include the postage costs), for more than DigitalRev price
Click to expand...

That would be because people don't know about DigitalRev or don't trust buying from overseas. If buying from an Ebayer with very good feedback you can get a sense of the service far greater than a shop you have never heard of.

I am also guessing these people that pay high prices have never heard of Google!

I have sold a number of items over the years at a price higher than they cost me new from the UK and as I say stop being surprised/moaning about it and use it to sell your stuff.
 
About this time last year I sold a camera on eBay for £185 more than I had paid for it only a few months previously. At the time the sale concluded you could have nought a brand new one from Argos of all places for £35 less so no doubt EBay does have it's quirks.
 
ernesto said:
That would be because people don't know about DigitalRev or don't trust buying from overseas. If buying from an Ebayer with very good feedback you can get a sense of the service far greater than a shop you have never heard of.

I am also guessing these people that pay high prices have never heard of Google!

I have sold a number of items over the years at a price higher than they cost me new from the UK and as I say stop being surprised/moaning about it and use it to sell your stuff.
Click to expand...

Twas just an observation, I think it's easy to forget that not all photographers frequent forums such as this.

Besides, it doesn't seem to work for the sale price of bodies, only the lenses and certain accessories.... Which in itself gives you an interesting insight into what the nations photographers (Amatuer or Pro) are getting up to.

My suspicion is that many are purchasing from catalogues (like Argos), Currys/etc, supermarkets and other places that sell cameras with kit lenses, places that don't sell accessories much beyond massively overpriced memory cards. These are people who probably mistrust online retailers, don't like putting their card details into online payment systems, listen to the media and fear "hackers", but who have heard about Ebay.
 
Yep. How much someone will pay used differs from person to person. I have quite a low limit and don't go over about 70% from new price even if it is mint. Don't know why I do that, I just do. Others may be fine with paying 90% of the new price?
 
Ebay is dead to me for selling, exorbitant fees and ripoff artists abound. With camera kit I'd rather sell on here, and with gadgetry I'd rather go via the much-maligned CEX, who I've actually had good experience with for the past few years.

Buying I still do occasionally as there are bargains to be had on bizarre things (excellent cheap cat trees for example lol) but mostly it's Amazon for me. Agree with everyone who says eBay went downhill a few years back, it's a shame.
 
i agree to that ebay has gone down hill, as some have already said it can be brilliant for finding hard to find stuff etc, bargains, but for selling i find it very disheartening to sell something for a good price only to realise after all fees have been deducted etc etc you come away with not alot.

Would love to have a session where i listed aload of stuff and make some decent dosh, but for the amount of work in wrapping up parcels, printing off addresses, going down the post office etc, only to then have fees taken aswell, its just not worth it.

Ideally they need to drop the amount of fees they are taking.
 
Philx1979 said:
i agree to that ebay has gone down hill.
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It's the secrecy that gets my back up.....

I buy an item from a UK seller, it's delivered as 2nd class parcel. I bought the item for £1.80 with free delivery, the 2nd class postage should be £2.60.....
How does that work then????
The only explanation is they paid less postage, but the Royal Mail insist this is not possible, I want to return said item and I cannot do so for less than £2.60!!!

Seller has 1000 items listed (basically spamming the search listings with the same item 1000 times) and 999 of those items don't sell.
How can the profit from one low cost item possibly offset the cost of the unsold listings????

There are secret tricks and "hacks" to do with Ebay selling which make selling items as a business virtually impossible for anyone who doesn't know them. They're extremely well hidden/kept too, hours and hours of scouring the internet bring me no closer to answering the above.
 
Lyonspride said:
The only explanation is they paid less postage, but the Royal Mail insist this is not possible, I want to return said item and I cannot do so for less than £2.60!!!
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My guess is they just print a label and don't actually pay any postage. Have a look next time is the label a business printed label or actual stamps....
 
The fact they are getting cheap postage somehow has absolutely nothing to do with eBay.

Maybe the seller is not making a profit from the 1000 listed items, not all sales make profits.
 
arad85 said:
My guess is they just print a label and don't actually pay any postage. Have a look next time is the label a business printed label or actual stamps....
Click to expand...

They would still pay postage, franking and bulk mail is just cheaper than normal postage.
 
Dave1 said:
They would still pay postage, franking and bulk mail is just cheaper than normal postage.
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Not if you just printed the label without informing RM...
 
arad85 said:
Not if you just printed the label without informing RM...
Click to expand...

If it's anything like the franking machines that is impossible, the barcode is read into the system and they know who to bill.

You have to have an account to print your own postage labels, otherwise it falls into the same category as printing your own money. You might get away a little while, but you will get caught.

Some more info for you

http://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/Guide_to_OnlinePostage.pdf

.
 
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Hadn't realised they were barcoded :thumbs:
 
I stopped using eBay for selling about 2 or 3 years ago when their fees and PayPal started to absorb too much of the selling price.

But before that I sold most of my very heavily used and distressed film camera bodies, and lenses (some lenses with mould!) on eBay.

I stated that these were cr@p, descibed all the imperfections
and included informative high res images.

Everything I auctioned started at £0.99 and had no reserve
(even my immaculate Fuji GX680 stuff) and everything sold
for very high prices (some lenses for more than I had paid for them
when new many years previously!!!).

My very first sale was a Nikon FM2 that needed a new shutter;
I advertised it as an FM2 box, its packing and manual,
and included would be a totally useless camera for spares or repair
of negative value by the time you had bought and fitted a new
shutter box ....... it sold for a stupidly high sum.
 
Ebay selling on paper seems to get you a higher price but by the time you factor in selling fees, PayPal fees etc the picture is not as rosy

I recently sold a 55-200 on there that I had earlier advertised on here for £100 but the most I'd been offered was a insulting £65!

It sold on Ebay for £87 which will be more like £80 when the fees are taken into account so better but not that great.

During the time I've been on TP I reckon you're far better waiting a while and monitoring the for sale sections on here as a prospective buyer
 
I recently bought a Nikon D3100-Body only- from Ffordes for £189 with a six months guarantee. It was in mint condition. Looking at today's E Bay, some people are asking up to £240 for the same camera. It pays to shop around.
 
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