buying lenses from EBAY

evoben · 19th February 2008

hi all,

was just wondering if any of you pros have purchased Lenses from Ebay??

is it secure?

thanks

browncow · 19th February 2008

Hi evoben,

My experience is that Ebay nowadays has a lot of internet retailers selling new stuff, often not cheap at all.
Better place to buy 2nd hand photographic stuff, at least in North America, is www.fredmiranda.com.
Very high turnover.
I suspect that in North America, a lot of people buy Canon stuff to take advantage of the triple rebate that often comes up, then they sell it making either a small profit or at worst, minimal loss.
Often sellers will offer free shipping to Continental USA, but when you factor in the shipping to SG, may not be worth it anymore.
PM me if you need any more details.
Hope this helps.

browncow

metalgear · 19th February 2008

i think your question is too general. there are going to be hits and misses, but best way is to understand the risks and the precautions to take.

i've bought from ebay several times without any issues, sometimes even pleasantly surprised, but can't say the same for you.

buyer beware.

mummum · 19th February 2008

it's secure as long as you are buying from a reputable (high positive feedbacks) seller.

just ask if you r in doubts, and, do request for more pics if needed.

lastly don't be tempted by those too good to be true listing.

cheers~

tsjcsl · 19th February 2008

That's right, if it is too good to be true, IT IS too good to be true.

Second the point about getting stuff from reputable sellers. There are many shops operating in ebay which offer some form of guarantee. Personally, I would not bother, but having someone willing to provide guarantee gives comfort.

Do note that some sellers do not ship to Singapore, or they do not accept Singaporean Credit Cards. Find out first before bidding. Can get some good deals if you are careful.

ajneo · 20th February 2008

a few potential scams that I have experienced before:

1) Too good to be true deals. if 50 other posts are at $1000, and this guy sells for $50, dont buy.

2) 2nd chance deals. Somehow, scammers can get your email using your ebay id. They will pretend to be the seller and say that the winner backed out. The email they sent to me actually led me to a boogus website, which duplicates that of ebay. The way to do it is to go to ebay.com, and log on through your account, you will probably not see anything.

3) Payment: Try to insist on paypal or credit cards. Western Union is a big no-no

4) Try pricegrabber.com. There are several reputable online vendors. Always buy from those with solid reviews.

I bought 1 lens, 1 400D, and 1 flash through that website (but from different vendors), no problems at all.

I know Singpost has a US address, and you can use this service to have them send the stuff to you through Singpost.

Hope this helps.

cyclingmoose · 22nd February 2008

with ebay and the numerous online retailers at the current day and age, buyers who are less risk adverse may most of the time be pleasantly surprised by what they can find online.

the biggest plus point imho is that these online sellers do not have overheads and warehousing costs as compared to the regular retail shops. so consumers like us will benefit from lower prices. (not forgetting the weak USD now!)

security wise, there are many tell tale signs that the seller is a fraud so its pretty easy to spot 1. eg. not a registered business blah blah blah.

for me, i buy online almost all the time i've never run into any problems so far. (fingers crossed)

just my 2 cents worth

nightwolf75 · 22nd February 2008

sometimes it is cheaper. but from my experience, it is a big hassle to monitor your bids especially close to the ending time. wat i found out is that some of these sellers will purposely just outbid you (using another account) by a little bit at the very last second, especially when the bid prices have not hit the reserve/buy-now price.

give it a few days and you'll see the same item, by the same person up for sale again.... dats why i gave up. i will just email them and ask directly wats the BNP. if it is ok, i will bid direct so that the auction will be closed. if the seller dun want to tell, i'll walk.

19th February 2008	#1
evoben Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Tampines Posts: 256	buying lenses from EBAY hi all, was just wondering if any of you pros have purchased Lenses from Ebay?? is it secure? thanks __________________ "For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son" He Love all of us...

19th February 2008	#2
browncow Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Siglap Posts: 168	Re: buying lenses from EBAY Hi evoben, My experience is that Ebay nowadays has a lot of internet retailers selling new stuff, often not cheap at all. Better place to buy 2nd hand photographic stuff, at least in North America, is www.fredmiranda.com. Very high turnover. I suspect that in North America, a lot of people buy Canon stuff to take advantage of the triple rebate that often comes up, then they sell it making either a small profit or at worst, minimal loss. Often sellers will offer free shipping to Continental USA, but when you factor in the shipping to SG, may not be worth it anymore. PM me if you need any more details. Hope this helps. browncow

19th February 2008	#3
metalgear Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 590	Re: buying lenses from EBAY i think your question is too general. there are going to be hits and misses, but best way is to understand the risks and the precautions to take. i've bought from ebay several times without any issues, sometimes even pleasantly surprised, but can't say the same for you. buyer beware.

19th February 2008	#4
mummum Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 248	Re: buying lenses from EBAY it's secure as long as you are buying from a reputable (high positive feedbacks) seller. just ask if you r in doubts, and, do request for more pics if needed. lastly don't be tempted by those too good to be true listing. cheers~

19th February 2008	#5
tsjcsl Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Simei Posts: 235	Re: buying lenses from EBAY That's right, if it is too good to be true, IT IS too good to be true. Second the point about getting stuff from reputable sellers. There are many shops operating in ebay which offer some form of guarantee. Personally, I would not bother, but having someone willing to provide guarantee gives comfort. Do note that some sellers do not ship to Singapore, or they do not accept Singaporean Credit Cards. Find out first before bidding. Can get some good deals if you are careful.

20th February 2008	#6
ajneo Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 88	Re: buying lenses from EBAY a few potential scams that I have experienced before: 1) Too good to be true deals. if 50 other posts are at $1000, and this guy sells for $50, dont buy. 2) 2nd chance deals. Somehow, scammers can get your email using your ebay id. They will pretend to be the seller and say that the winner backed out. The email they sent to me actually led me to a boogus website, which duplicates that of ebay. The way to do it is to go to ebay.com, and log on through your account, you will probably not see anything. 3) Payment: Try to insist on paypal or credit cards. Western Union is a big no-no 4) Try pricegrabber.com. There are several reputable online vendors. Always buy from those with solid reviews. I bought 1 lens, 1 400D, and 1 flash through that website (but from different vendors), no problems at all. I know Singpost has a US address, and you can use this service to have them send the stuff to you through Singpost. Hope this helps.

22nd February 2008	#7
cyclingmoose New Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 42	Re: buying lenses from EBAY with ebay and the numerous online retailers at the current day and age, buyers who are less risk adverse may most of the time be pleasantly surprised by what they can find online. the biggest plus point imho is that these online sellers do not have overheads and warehousing costs as compared to the regular retail shops. so consumers like us will benefit from lower prices. (not forgetting the weak USD now!) security wise, there are many tell tale signs that the seller is a fraud so its pretty easy to spot 1. eg. not a registered business blah blah blah. for me, i buy online almost all the time i've never run into any problems so far. (fingers crossed) just my 2 cents worth

22nd February 2008	#8
nightwolf75 Moderator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: in bet MORE diaper changes... Posts: 14,591	Re: buying lenses from EBAY sometimes it is cheaper. but from my experience, it is a big hassle to monitor your bids especially close to the ending time. wat i found out is that some of these sellers will purposely just outbid you (using another account) by a little bit at the very last second, especially when the bid prices have not hit the reserve/buy-now price. give it a few days and you'll see the same item, by the same person up for sale again.... dats why i gave up. i will just email them and ask directly wats the BNP. if it is ok, i will bid direct so that the auction will be closed. if the seller dun want to tell, i'll walk. __________________ When did ignorance become a point of view? - Dilbert budget AD/ROM shooter, anyone?