Used Nikkor lenses, Sydney

[peterb666]

I always check them out however the prices are a little outrageous... they currently have a second hand D90 for $925....

ECS prices seem to be very inconsistent. They have an idea of the 'value' and stick with it. Some stuff is super cheap and some stuff is stupid - like that D90 pricing when the they were selling the D90 body new for just $100 more after rebate.

They are also very reluctant to haggle - seeming to ignore that the markup on second-hand goods is quite high. I always come away from there with the feeling that they don't care if they make a sale or not.

[I @ M]

ECS prices seem to be very inconsistent. They have an idea of the 'value' and stick with it. Some stuff is super cheap and some stuff is stupid - like that D90 pricing when the they were selling the D90 body new for just $100 more after rebate.

They are also very reluctant to haggle - seeming to ignore that the markup on second-hand goods is quite high. I always come away from there with the feeling that they don't care if they make a sale or not.

Not having had any experience with ECS personally but knowing a couple of people that have bought gear through them I view your post with an element of amusement Peter.

Their doors are still open.
They offer service (quality apparently variable).
They have a large stock of expensive items on hand for you as a customer to view first hand.
They apparently operate in a business like manner that many people on this forum suggest that photographers adopt --- don't drop your prices to match cheap newcomers, maintain your quality and give good service.

[peterb666]

Not having had any experience with ECS personally but knowing a couple of people that have bought gear through them I view your post with an element of amusement Peter.

Their doors are still open.
They offer service (quality apparently variable).
They have a large stock of expensive items on hand for you as a customer to view first hand.
They apparently operate in a business like manner that many people on this forum suggest that photographers adopt --- don't drop your prices to match cheap newcomers, maintain your quality and give good service.

Don't get me wrong, they probably have the best range of second-hand Nikon gear in Sydney. Unlike most second-hand dealers, they are not overly keen on negotiating.

In one purchase, I bought 3 lenses off them. Two were well priced and one was overpriced so I was looking at the total for the 3 lenses. Unfortunately, I had to negotiate lens by lens rather than a single price for the 3.

As for their professionalism, I think they are very keen about their gear, but they are a little eccentric. For example, the 3 lenses I bought were all of the same make but located in 3 differnent display cases. Furthermore one came with a case. The case was stored separetely in the old bank valut (I guess the place was formerly a bank) while there were multi-thousand dollar Leica lenses lying around on counter tops.

I wouldn't say the service was anything other than very good - just a little unusual. They certainly like to chat about old lenses and gear. I have no idea what the business is like overall, they have a good reputation for mail order. On that occassion, in the 30 minutes or so I was in the shop, they had no other customers or phone calls. I would say the overheads where they are low and they certainly enjoy what they do.

The thing out ECS is that you can score some real bargains there, but other stuff like the second-hand D90 are silly. Stuff that is well priced moves very quickly while other stuff is on hand for many, many months. You need to know the correct values of stuff (as you should anyway). Do your research first before going there.

BTW, Photo Riesel in the city have a good range of second-hand gear but their prices seemed quite high. I have never sought to by any second-hand stuff from them.

Paxtons also have second-hand stuff but prices are also high.