Buying second hand...

avarice08

avarice08

Messages
1,696
Name
Rob
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi Guys,

When buying online for 2nd hand equipment, what do you specifically look for that puts your mind at ease about the seller? Do you trust eBay more than an independent website, or vice versa?

Not sure if this is in the right section...so please feel free to move!

Rob
 
personally ifs an expensive item i'd rather go to a trustworthy dealer who offers a warranty on used - i'd heartilly recomend MPB and camtech

next down the scale is the classifieds on here.. i'll only trade with those with good stats but i've never had a problem

ebay is nearly bottom of the pile - i'm sure there are bargains to be had , but there are a hell of a lot of chancers out there too
 
I've bought from here and had great deals with the odd problem.
I've bought from online dealers and had great deals with the odd problem - got a great D3S with 150 clicks from MPB.
I've bought from eBay and had great deals with the odd problem - my very best lens (70-200 f2.8) came from eBay.

Wherever you buy from take sensible precautions, check any customer feedback, check the authenticity of the website for online, (if it looks too good to be true it probably is),use a sensible payment system e.g. credit card or Paypal.
 
As gramps says, if it seems too good to be true.... you will get stung!

I buy on here mainly.
 
if i'm buying something expensive from ebay i tend to contact the seller and if i can't collect and pay cash there is no way i will bid on the item
that way i can inspect the item and make sure it's as described and the seller is happy because he gets the money in his hand

there's always the risk of future breakdown on second hand gear but so far i have not had any problems ( touch wood )
 
I only use specialist dealers, Grays of Westminster is my favourite
 
cambsno said:
As gramps says, if it seems too good to be true.... you will get stung!
Click to expand...

99% of the time anyway

you do get the occasional bargain for silly prices - I once got a 350D for £5.50 on ebay - but its usually because people have listed them wrong and/or have set stupid finish times

But i'd never bid more than i could afford to write off if it turns out to be a lemon
 
Yeah I was wondering the same. I've seen some nice deals on ebay, but I think I'm going to go with dealers or these forums rather. Feels more trustworthy.
 
:thumbs: to that - although you've got another week and another 12 meaningful posts before you can access classified on here
 
I've bought from a few places, MPB, alldigital0869 on ebay and a fair few items from the classifieds on here.
As well as checking their iTrader feedback I also like to do a 'find more posts by' search on the seller to get a general feel for their demeanour. If I don't like the way they come across I'll buy elsewhere.
 
I've bought on here, ebay, and a few other forums - must say I've got stung a couple of time - both ebay & a forum, if you aren't 100% use paypal and pay the fee, I had an issue resolved pretty quickly by them (I have also bagged some complete steels too) - Kama?

I must say though of all the places - this has been by far the best for both safety, and quality of items - people on here seem to value their property!
 
big soft moose said:
I once got a 350D for £5.50 on ebay
Click to expand...

Bargain of the century it was. I am surprised they sent it - and I would be well chuffed to get one today at this price

Personally, I find ebay quite OK, but I am very careful and avoid all dealers / business sellers like a plague after some dodgy experience.
 
Yeah It wasnt that long ago and it was quite well used - I was quite suprised it went for so little (my snipe was £70) - I only wanted it to use for risky stuff that i don't want to use my good kit for (I've got ideas about rigging it on a remote control plane or airship for areials - but i've not worked out the fine detail of how yet)

I did have to pay another tenner for P&P but even so i was quite chuffed
 
Last edited:
I have bought from ebay, got a 70-200mm f2.8 on there. I was nervy but looked into history and what they had sold before etc to make sure it was in line.

I once got a D80 on there too.

Never had a problem, both sb600's, fisheye and some other bits from there too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top