A CEX-related matter.

[Ian D J]

I have a feeling that the title alone may have already instilled a sense of dread into some of you but thought I'd come up with this thread anyway.

As a first time user, I have sent an item to CEX (apparently it's quite a well known firm) as the buy-up price for that particular item was pretty good considering. I also thought it would work out easier, cheper and quicker than the eBay route, along with sparing me from the dreaded seller comebacks. There is even the option to print off a freepost-type stamp so that has saved me the cost of postage!

That was on the 6th of June and not a lot has happened since then. It says on their web site that it would take 3 to 5 days to carry out the whole process . . . but 9 days on and it still says "Item arrived, due for testing" in the account status.

If I stuck it on eBay, it would have been sold, paid up and arrived at the other end by now so what is the point of CEX anyway? I did do the google thing and the opinions regarding CEX did not sound at all favourable - but then again, the same thing could be said for eBay anyway.

They do have stores all over the UK but the nearest one to me is 11 miles away in Ashford and I don't fancy the bus trip to there (I don't own a car these days).

Has anyone in here dealt with this firm, and if so, what are your experiences?

PS: I've just realised this thread should be in the "website" section so, Mods, feel free to shift it to over there.

 

[Saintsman]

I've used the stores many times and found them to be very good.

I've bought online but never sold to then by post, service has always been fine but sometimes a bit slow.

The prices they quote on camera equipment is pretty expensive but they also offer decent prices for buying equipment. They paid me £50 more for my Nikon V1 than I would have got selling it on the forums. I think I was lucky as they're not really camera specialists and don't seem very up to date on how prices are moving.

I wouldn't worry, they're a reputable company albeit sometimes a bit slow. It's frustrating for you though

 

[Ian D J]

I've used the stores many times and found them to be very good.

I've bought online but never sold to then by post, service has always been fine but sometimes a bit slow.

The prices they quote on camera equipment is pretty expensive but they also offer decent prices for buying equipment. They paid me £50 more for my Nikon V1 than I would have got selling it on the forums. I think I was lucky as they're not really camera specialists and don't seem very up to date on how prices are moving.

I wouldn't worry, they're a reputable company albeit sometimes a bit slow. It's frustrating for you though

Hi Dave! I'll settle for that, then. I just have to be a bit patient and wait a little while longer.
I'm not at all desperate for the cash, it just would be nice to put a closure on this.

 

[whitewash]

cant comment on the online and via post side of the business but i have bought and sold in the stores (only ever sold high value items like phones though, never bought anything expensive) and the turn around in store is very good.

 

[Ian D J]

cant comment on the online and via post side of the business but i have bought and sold in the stores (only ever sold high value items like phones though, never bought anything expensive) and the turn around in store is very good.

I guess I could have carried out that little trip to the nearest store after all. Oh well, it's done now, at least it does seem that the item in question has arrived safely there.

 

[Ian D J]

Got an update. Just this minute had a reply to an email I sent them yesteday. It said that they have confirmed reciept of the parcel but due to increased demand it may take longer than expected to process the request.

 

[Dave *]

They appear to have a reputation for being slow (I've seen quite a few people complaining over on MSE.com).

Most of the advice I've seen is to use their shops and not online, they seem to quite frequently take 10-14 days for "processing" for items sent in by post.

 

[Ian D J]

They appear to have a reputation for being slow (I've seen quite a few people complaining over on MSE.com).

Most of the advice I've seen is to use their shops and not online, they seem to quite frequently take 10-14 days for "processing" for items sent in by post.

I think they way things have been so far, you are quite right.

 

[ronnus]

I've seen endless complaints online about CEX, but I've had good experience in the Edinburgh store, only ever sold phones and a games console/games before though. The turnaround for checking the phone over is usually around an hour, the staff are friendly and polite (considering they have to spend a fair chunk of their days dealing with dodgy characters and ne'er-do-wells, which I've witnessed) and the only time they've not had enough cash in the shop to pay me (apparently a common issue), it was in my bank account by BACS within a few days.

I think one of the biggest sources of displeasure is due to the number of people who don't read up on their condition grading system and assume they're going to be paid the A-grade price for their unboxed, scratched iThing. I've always checked the prices on the website before selling and guestimated correctly when judging the condition of my goods, and always been paid the same price as quoted online. On one occasion I had a C-grade phone (no box or accessories) upgraded to a B-grade because it was in immaculate condition and they recognised me from a previous visit

I can't really add anything to the online side of the business except I've seen a lot of people complain at slow turnaround, but I've never gone down this route as the Edinburgh shop is convenient for me. I've looked into selling camera gear before, but their prices aren't the best, and glass-wise if it's anything more obscure than a kit lens they tend not to have pricing available online.

 

[Ian D J]

I've seen endless complaints online about CEX, but I've had good experience in the Edinburgh store, only ever sold phones and a games console/games before though. The turnaround for checking the phone over is usually around an hour, the staff are friendly and polite (considering they have to spend a fair chunk of their days dealing with dodgy characters and ne'er-do-wells, which I've witnessed) and the only time they've not had enough cash in the shop to pay me (apparently a common issue), it was in my bank account by BACS within a few days.

I think one of the biggest sources of displeasure is due to the number of people who don't read up on their condition grading system and assume they're going to be paid the A-grade price for their unboxed, scratched iThing. I've always checked the prices on the website before selling and guestimated correctly when judging the condition of my goods, and always been paid the same price as quoted online. On one occasion I had a C-grade phone (no box or accessories) upgraded to a B-grade because it was in immaculate condition and they recognised me from a previous visit

I can't really add anything to the online side of the business except I've seen a lot of people complain at slow turnaround, but I've never gone down this route as the Edinburgh shop is convenient for me. I've looked into selling camera gear before, but their prices aren't the best, and glass-wise if it's anything more obscure than a kit lens they tend not to have pricing available online.

Hi Ron and thanks for replying to this thread. Actually, I have put this item down as an A Grade article (still boxed with instructions, CD rom, etc) when I sent it off, so I may have to accept a reduction in the quoted price. See how it goes when hopefully something does happen this week (will have been two weeks by then).

 

[ronnus]

Hi Ron and thanks for replying to this thread. Actually, I have put this item down as an A Grade article (still boxed with instructions, CD rom, etc) when I sent it off, so I may have to accept a reduction in the quoted price. See how it goes when hopefully something does happen this week (will have been two weeks by then).

Hi Ian, if an item I've taken in is used in any way, I've always assumed B-grade, but you might get lucky. The only item I've ever assumed (correctly!) to be A-grade was a factory sealed LG Nexus 4. I can't remember where I read it (one of the millions of ranty online threads about CEX no doubt) but an employee of CEX suggested that they have a policy whereby if the device is used even to the point of having the plastic screen protectors removed, it's classed as B-grade. Sounds harsh, but when they say "as new" they pretty much mean "literally brand new" as far as I can tell!

I'm always very wary of being ripped off, but have found CEX perfectly usable and FAR less hassle than ebay, which these days just seems unusable for selling as a private individual due to high fees and unscrupulous buyers/scammers etc.. I used ebay for donkeys years to sell all manner of things but doubt I'll do so again unless I'm really struggling.

Also as an aside, I'm frankly stunned and amazed that no-one has jumped into the thread to frantically accuse me of working for CEX, as can allegedly happen when someone praises a company on this forum

 

[Ian D J]

Hi Ian, if an item I've taken in is used in any way, I've always assumed B-grade, but you might get lucky. The only item I've ever assumed (correctly!) to be A-grade was a factory sealed LG Nexus 4. I can't remember where I read it (one of the millions of ranty online threads about CEX no doubt) but an employee of CEX suggested that they have a policy whereby if the device is used even to the point of having the plastic screen protectors removed, it's classed as B-grade. Sounds harsh, but when they say "as new" they pretty much mean "literally brand new" as far as I can tell!

I'm always very wary of being ripped off, but have found CEX perfectly usable and FAR less hassle than ebay, which these days just seems unusable for selling as a private individual due to high fees and unscrupulous buyers/scammers etc.. I used ebay for donkeys years to sell all manner of things but doubt I'll do so again unless I'm really struggling.

Also as an aside, I'm frankly stunned and amazed that no-one has jumped into the thread to frantically accuse me of working for CEX, as can allegedly happen when someone praises a company on this forum

But this is it, I, too, got fed up with the way things have been going with eBay, then someone recommended I should give CEX a go . . . so here I am.
Who knows, the item may be tested by someone who is in a good mood or of the acknowledgeable type. Until then, the wait continues. :bang:

 

[Ian D J]

UPDATE: The order status changed from "awaiting testing" to "Order processing completed. Any payment due will follow shortly" this morning and remained unchanged since then.

I think it is fair to say that I don't think I'll be using CEX again for online stuff for a while, it is a bit too slow and plodding for my liking.

 

[big soft moose]

Also as an aside, I'm frankly stunned and amazed that no-one has jumped into the thread to frantically accuse me of working for CEX, as can allegedly happen when someone praises a company on this forum

if thats what you wanted you are doing it wrong - if you want to invoke shills law you need to set up a new account and tell us how great they are with your first post, then never post in any other threads , before getting increasingly irate, contradicting yourself several times , and then spit your dummy before leaving in a fit of high dudgeon .... then coming back with another new account to do it all over again.

 

[ronnus]

if thats what you wanted you are doing it wrong - if you want to invoke shills law you need to set up a new account and tell us how great they are with your first post, then never post in any other threads , before getting increasingly irate, contradicting yourself several times , and then spit your dummy before leaving in a fit of high dudgeon .... then coming back with another new account to do it all over again.

Heh Shills Law... I like it Also I think "dudgeon" is going to be my word of the week, it's tragically underused!

 

[Ian D J]

One last and final update!

For some strange reason, I thought I'd check up on my bank account online just now . . . and it's just showed up a payment made by CEX - and for the exact quoted price too!

So, that finally concludes this thread.

 

[ronnus]

One last and final update!

For some strange reason, I thought I'd check up on my bank account online just now . . . and it's just showed up a payment made by CEX - and for the exact quoted price too!

So, that finally concludes this thread.

Glad to hear