eBay Experience

[joele]

Joele, I hope you have been in touch with the seller before agreeing to get a quote on the lens. They may not have been aware that the wobble was an issue at all... and as you said the lens takes good photos. Most sellers (ebay, online or bricks and mortar) will NOT pay a 3rd party the buyer chooses to repair something they sold, but will expect the buyer to return it for a refund or repair. They want to asses the item first, and will have ways of getting it fixed much more economically than paying retail repair prices.

Yes and No, I told them I had a problem.. They did not reply at all (it was a few days ago)..

I am willing to eat the $49 inspection fee, but it is hard for me to really deal with them and paypal/ebay without an offical report stating there is a problem. Camera Clinic are an authorised Tokina warranty repair center, so I asume their report is worth the paper it is written on. I also want to know if it is a problem that will get worse or is just a little slackness in the build, before I decide how I wish to proceed. If it isn't going to get worse (become a bigger issue) and as I said the IQ seems fine I will just live with it..

It isn't actually a professional seller as in an online store, they are just a local canon user with around a 100 sales all positive who was selling up all their gear (maybe moving brand or something?).

[natogden]

generaly i prefer to buy stuff from a friend or someone with a genuine interst in what im selling. Its far eaiser when you know the person and can contact them eaisly.

and you can never be to sure about ebay i think

[thegumbootman]

As far as photography goes, I've bought the Nikon 50mm 1.8, two Holga cameras, a Holga wide lens and film. No problems. I've bought quite a few guitar pedals which have all been fine.

Only problem I've ever had was when I bought a PS3 controller for $45 (they are $99 to buy in stores) and it turned out to be fake. I was refunded by PayPal, sent the controller back to him but he never accepted the delivery so it was sent back to me, where it still is in it's packet on my floor.

[fabian628]

The majority of my ebay camera gear experience has been positive.
I think there are alot of genuine sellers out there who have truly babied thier gear and most of it is in pretty good condition.
However, I think some people skate over the description pretty lightly and dont mention some things that is important to alot of buyers, the majority being hobbyist who want to have good looking gear, who doesn't.

I try to avoid people with 0 -5 feedback unless they are in the area and I can pick it up. Sending a message to confirm the condition and operation of the lens is a good idea as they may be a bit vague in the listing.
I have found second hand gear to be much cheaper, and in all the items i have bought, working just like new. Some have a few cosmetics marks but nothing that would not be accumulated after 6 months use anyway.
Currently, every piece of gear I have has come second hand from ebay, the gear I bought new, although nice to have a new item, were pretty pricy and the resale was bad for the wallet.
Anyway, i wouldnt discourage using ebay as a source of second hand gear becuase alot of the things I have now i would never be able to afford new.

[smurfinaus]

QUOTE=fabian628;711461]The majority of my ebay camera gear experience has been positive.
I think there are alot of genuine sellers out there who have truly babied thier gear and most of it is in pretty good condition.
However, I think some people skate over the description pretty lightly and dont mention some things that is important to alot of buyers, the majority being hobbyist who want to have good looking gear, who doesn't.

I try to avoid people with 0 -5 feedback unless they are in the area and I can pick it up. Sending a message to confirm the condition and operation of the lens is a good idea as they may be a bit vague in the listing.
I have found second hand gear to be much cheaper, and in all the items i have bought, working just like new. Some have a few cosmetics marks but nothing that would not be accumulated after 6 months use anyway.
Currently, every piece of gear I have has come second hand from ebay, the gear I bought new, although nice to have a new item, were pretty pricy and the resale was bad for the wallet.
Anyway, i wouldnt discourage using ebay as a source of second hand gear becuase alot of the things I have now i would never be able to afford new. [/QUOTE]

Thats the route im going as well. New prices are so expensive. Especially for lenses lol.
I guess the thing with ebay though, is to research what you want to buy I do this a LOT), compare prices with local retail (and also warranty if your worried about it), and weigh up pro and con's of getting gear 2nd hand. I guess also people have to consider whether savings is worth it in the end with price differences between local/overseas+postage (and chance it could get lost!!) and also convenience factor. Just bought another lens and considering another one right now .
Also asking the seller lots of questions is handy - thats why lots ask about shutter count (for bodies) and whether dust or mold for lens sales....ads not always descriptive.
Having said all that i much prefer Buy It Now option as a previous poster seemed to like as well. Hate it when i get sniped in last 5-10seconds LOL.:eek

[Stingray]

Have purchased alot off ebay over the years (and sold a fair bit too)
prob most expensive and nicest purchase was the 300D about 4 years ago
best sale was a printer i picked up at a local auction house for $20 sold for $750 (LOL) ..
havent had the time to do the ausction house/ebay thing for a while..
when buying from ebay I agree with the general theme thats coming from every1 ..
buy from sellers with high positive feedback ..
most of my purchases these days are small cheap items from china with free (or low pastage), like mice, high dB WLAN antennas.. and the sort ... i've found generally as long as you expect it not to be "genuine" then ya fine.. LOL .. as well as any probs these sellers are more often than not willing to either refund or send you a replacement item without hassles.
also its against ebays policy for someone to try to "offer" to buy something you are selling outside ebay..
and I am instantly turned off an item i want to buy if the seller is local yet doesnt offer a "local pickup" option .. (or if the postage is outrageous for something going cheap) ..

[Rod038]

I have made nearly 400 transactions as a buyer and seller and have only had 3 instances as a seller where the bidder did not pay for the item. Fees were refunded and item re-listed.

When buying I look firstly at the sellers feedback (lots of transactions and 98 or 99%), but then at the item description and any photos. If I am unsure about something I contact the seller for clarification.

A great tool to use on Ebay are the guides. These are very help full articles for someone like myself who are new to photography. There are many articles on the pitfalls and what to look out for when looking to purchase. In fact I think allot of these articles are relevant reading even if you are not planning on buying off Ebay.

I have bought 100% of my photographic equipment off Ebay and have not had a problem yet, but I have done the research first.

Allot of the negative remarks about purchasing on Ebay would apply to all purchases made in general, whether online, store or classifieds. Its always a case of buyer beware. There are scammers everywhere.

[bettess]

While Iam talking about this lens I paid $640 for it, is that price ok or not? its suppose to be in very good condition

[ricktas]

While Iam talking about this lens I paid $640 for it, is that price ok or not? its suppose to be in very good condition

We are not in a position to advise on that, we have no idea about this actual lens, and you should have checked out the members feedback, and asked them questions about the lens before you bid on it.

[fabian628]

While Iam talking about this lens I paid $640 for it, is that price ok or not? its suppose to be in very good condition

Thats about what they are going for. Under 600 would be pretty cheap price. They usually go from 600-700. If its perfect condition, its a good price. Beats paying over $1000 from the shop.
Got mine from ebay as well, not 100% pristine but very good, I like it. Solid lens, and weather sealed so it doesnt mind getting roughted up a bit

[bettess]

Thanks very much

[kroppkaka]

I have bought a camera bag and a lens from Ebay. They were all fine.
I also have bought some rechargeable AA batteries which were not even a third of their rated capacities.
They came from Hong Kong and seller had a good rating around 98%.

[peterb666]

I have bought a camera bag and a lens from Ebay. They were all fine.
I also have bought some rechargeable AA batteries which were not even a third of their rated capacities.
They came from Hong Kong and seller had a good rating around 98%.

The current arrangements for eBay ratings are terrible and they discourage true and honest ratings with genuine feedback or even placing Neutral or Negative ratings on sellers and I seem to recall (I is over a year since I sold my last item on eBay) a seller can no longer apply anything other than a Postive rating to a buyer now.

The orinal system where buyers and sellers could apply Negative, Neutral and Positive ratings was much better. I have had buyers with high rating numbers and a 100% rating who have been non-payers under the current system so I rarely sell now (I was doing $3000 to $5000 a year), but I am a regular buyer.

I won't buy from a seller that has a rating under 99% and perfer a little more than that. I also won't buy from a seller with a score of under 25 or so (depending on the value) as there have been cases where a dodgy seller will sign up, build up a small score and 100% rating and then start ripping people off. By the time negative ratings come through, it is all too late.

That said, more than 99.9% of sellers seem genuine enough.

[stoogest]

I just purchased a Nikon remote trigger (ML-L3) from http://shop.ebay.com.au/buyincoins_au/m.html and had no problems whatsoever. It did take almost 30 days, but it only cost me $2.46!!

Andrew.

[surfer]

thankyou everyone for your help , I appreciate it

[darkbhudda]

I've had a couple negative experiences including 1 item that didn't turn up. After a couple weeks I checked ebay to find the seller had been delisted. I raised a paypal dispute and on the last day of the dispute a parcel arrived with 2 of the items instead of 1. Good times.

Most of the ebay experiences I have had have been positive. Personally I love it when a seller takes the time to put detailed and additional information in the listing. Just yesterday I was looking at an item and found out a very useful tip on manual focusing on my camera thanks to a seller selling a manual focus lens.

[vanngirl]

Bought my second-hand Nikon F100 from eBay USA seller, cheaper than getting one here (I needed it for my course, my crappy old Pentax was too crappy/shameful), and it's been wonderful and not a drama. I also bought my 50 prime new off eBay Hong Kong seller, no dramas. Have also bought a few second-hand lenses, old school type things though, nothing modern, with no dramas. I still find the MF 105mm Nikon lens goes well, can't manage to get one for a bargain after a year of looking!
For my other "big" purchases I've used a local business (still cheaper "grey" products). You can find amazing bargains on eBay if you are persistent. All the other advice about checking feedback etc is valid, I guess I feel that most eBay advice is negative and for most the experience is positive.

[fimmwolf]

I've been scammed on eBay once, it was the complete lack of interest in resolving the issue by eBay that made me decide to close my account.
Sadly I didn't pay for the item through Paypal, a hard lesson learned indeed.

[jacksond]

I bought a Nikon F100 and quite a few small items such as lenshoods and caps for flash contacts. I only buy from dealers. I would want to handle an item first if I bought from an individual.

[tarwoona]

I've bought numerous things (110+) through Ebay and never really had a problem. One item was damaged in the post, but cant blame ebay for that and it was insured. I always try to use Paypal.
I also bought car unseen for $20k a few years back. So if you're careful ebay is really no more frought with peril that going to Harvey Norman.