Ffordes

Chipper

Chipper

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Linda
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I asked Ffordes whether they would be interested in my a few items and they came back with 3 options, all of which were better than anywhere else. Please tell me your experience of using Ffordes on a commission, trade in and straight sell basis. Thank you.
 
My experience has been excellent.
in every case I opted for commission sales.
The only downside (if it is a downside to you) is that your money only appears approx. 1 month after the item sells.
Also less popular items can take months to shift.
Compare this to mpb or Wex where you get the cash straight away.
They are a nice friendly outfit to deal with.
 
Thank you for that. How accurate have you found their predictions on price?
 
Well 90% of what I sent ( guessing 12-15 items over past 18 months) have sold for the asking price.
On a couple I phoned and asked them to drop the asking price after 5-6 weeks of no sale.
 
I do not get along with them very well....
A while back I bought a lens from them which was not focussing properly. Even with -20 on MFA it wouldn't focus accurately so it was rather misaligned. I returned it and they only refunded the cost of the lens. Forget refunding my return postage, they didn't even refund the initial sending postage costs which they should have as per the law.

So I refuse to buy from them unless they offer free delivery which sometimes they do if you ask nicely and sometimes they won't. There is an item on their website that has not sold for two months and I'd buy it if they offered free delivery. Given the price of the item most shops would in fact offer free delivery yet they choose to rather not sell it than offer me free delivery.

I do not think they have good business sense though they seem to have been in business forever. So may be its just one of those places I do not get along with (there aren't many, I even get along with MPB!!) but everyone else seems fine with them.
 
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I've sold a lot through Ffordes. They're my main go-to because often I want to trade for something on their site.

Great on the phone (which they answer quite quickly), and honest in dealings. Pricewise it's difficult to tell. My Bessa didn't even make it to the store front (sold to a customer on a wait list) whereas my M6 has been on for a few weeks. Have had some wiggle room on sales - especially if it's being sold on commission (they ask the seller). I've had other places give me better quotes, but I'd rather deal with a (good) service I know than an unknown for the sake of a few quid.
 
nandbytes said:
I do not get along with them very well....
A while back I bought a lens from them which was not focussing properly. Even with -20 on MFA it wouldn't focus accurately so it was rather misaligned. I returned it and they only refunded the cost of the lens. Forget refunding my return postage, they didn't even refund the initial sending postage costs which they should have as per the law.

So I refuse to buy from them unless they offer free delivery which sometimes they do if you ask nicely and sometimes they won't. There is an item on their website that has not sold for two months and I'd buy it if they offered free delivery. Given the price of the item most shops would in fact offer free delivery yet they choose to rather not sell it than offer me free delivery.

I do not think they have good business sense though they seem to have been in business forever. So may be its just one of those places I do not get along with (there aren't many, I even get along with MPB!!) but everyone else seems fine with them.
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Thanks for the heads up on postage costs.
 
I used them to sell about a dozen items. I was able to drop them in myself. They all sold at the prices suggested, the longest time was quite a few months, but I wasn't in a hurry. Comms were good and money received quickly.

Edited for phone typos!
 
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I've only bought from them but first class service with that reassuring personal touch.
 
I've dealt with Ffordes for buying and selling including on commission for donkey's years, and have always found them straightforward, genuine, and pleasant to deal with.
 
I've bought, sold and traded with them many times over the years, and have always been satisfied with the deals. It obviously depends on what you want to sell, since they can have several examples of a particular lens in stock and it might then take a while for your one to sell on commission. OTOH, they also have a Wanted Item page where there may be a customer just waiting for that gem, so it will fly off the shelf. Great people to deal with in my experience. (y)
 
I find the website, and images a bit clunky on ffordes, which is a shame as others are positive with their experience
 
I have both sold to and bought from Ffordes. Easy to deal with, money and goods sent promptly. Biggest problem I had was understanding the heavy Scottish accent of a member of staff there! Would certainly use them again.
 
Andrew Smith said:
I have both sold to and bought from Ffordes. Easy to deal with, money and goods sent promptly. Biggest problem I had was understanding the heavy Scottish accent of a member of staff there! Would certainly use them again.
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I suppose we cannot hold it against you being from the South. You can't help it :p
 
Andrew Smith said:
I have both sold to and bought from Ffordes. Easy to deal with, money and goods sent promptly. Biggest problem I had was understanding the heavy Scottish accent of a member of staff there! Would certainly use them again.
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I can see you sat there, phone in one hand and Google Translate on the laptop in front of you! :ROFLMAO:

I've purchased from Ffordes and found them good to deal with thus far.
 
Andrew Smith said:
Biggest problem I had was understanding the heavy Scottish accent of a member of staff there!
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Reminds me of many years ago when radio communication was first introduced into the local police force.
Our shift Inspector was really taken with it and decided that he would be the most qualified to test out its use - he had a very broad Scottish accent and most of his messages were received with a short delay followed by, "Sorry Sir, a breakup in transmission can you repeat please!" :LOL:

Another satisfied user of Ffordes here.
 
Well, this turned out to be an excellent decision. I had posted 2 of the items on here and received a couple of low offers on two of them. Needing to move things along [house sale], I decided to send them to Ffordes who offered a significantly better range of prices [commission sale, trade-in or buy in]. I went with the commission sale for a month and then review. The first item [an Olympus compact camera] went for more than I was offered by the retailer for the whole lot; the next one [a waterproof film camera. WP1 Canon] sold last week. I didn't know this when I had emailed to ask if my request to switch to having my kit bought by them. They told me it had sold and that I would be getting my money for that in a due course [after the trial period with the new purchaser] and then offered me another 90 for the rest. So, hats off to Ffordes; I will end up with approximately 3 x what I was offered by a retailer. Result and will definitely use them again. :clap:
 
Chipper said:
Well, this turned out to be an excellent decision. I had posted 2 of the items on here and received a couple of low offers on two of them. Needing to move things along [house sale], I decided to send them to Ffordes who offered a significantly better range of prices [commission sale, trade-in or buy in]. I went with the commission sale for a month and then review. The first item [an Olympus compact camera] went for more than I was offered by the retailer for the whole lot; the next one [a waterproof film camera. WP1 Canon] sold last week. I didn't know this when I had emailed to ask if my request to switch to having my kit bought by them. They told me it had sold and that I would be getting my money for that in a due course [after the trial period with the new purchaser] and then offered me another 90 for the rest. So, hats off to Ffordes; I will end up with approximately 3 x what I was offered by a retailer. Result and will definitely use them again. :clap:
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I've gotten on well with Ffordes. Two of my top MF lenses are from them and both have been spot on.
 
I've bought a few things from Ffordes and have only one complaint: since they revamped the web site it's no longer so easy to spot the bargains! :wideyed:
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
I've bought a few things from Ffordes and have only one complaint: since they revamped the web site it's no longer so easy to spot the bargains! :wideyed:
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If I had a complaint it would also be the website. Not enough images and zero descriptions but I do know that if I call them they generally give me an honest description. I've spent a grand on two lenses with them lately and both have been good and gone into my keeper case.
 
I traded in a load of film gear for a new lens, found them fair with good communication. The only downside was seemingly a lack of a digital invoice for the new lens but i don't know if that was normal and has now been changed, or just an oversight since the transaction was done via email rather than buying through the website
 
I just popped a query to them re 645z sensor cleaning and I have to say impressed with the pricing and swiftness of response.

I'll probably use them for this as they specialise in these larger cameras. AJ Johnstone in Glasgow are good but charge nearly a 3rd more and haven't got that much of the dust bunnies out and added a couple in. AJ Johnstone used to make a much better job of my small format camera's than they have with the 645Z but they said it's a camera they're not actually official repairers of nor one they get often.

I'll take both up to Ffordes nearer the time they get really bad. Most of my PP timing wise is cloning out the dust bunnies which the 45-85 lens is very adept at sucking in.
 
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SFTPhotography said:
I just popped a query to them re 645z sensor cleaning and I have to say impressed with the pricing and swiftness of response.

I'll probably use them for this as they specialise in these larger cameras. AJ Johnstone in Glasgow are good but charge nearly a 3rd more and haven't got that much of the dust bunnies out and added a couple in. AJ Johnstone used to make a much better job of my small format camera's than they have with the 645Z but they said it's a camera they're not actually official repairers of nor one they get often.

I'll take both up to Ffordes nearer the time they get really bad. Most of my PP timing wise is cloning out the dust bunnies which the 45-85 lens is very adept at sucking in.
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Good to know, Steve. I'm a bit reluctant to let the local shop on the IOW clean my Z6 and am equally reluctant to do it myself. Via Special Delivery it really doesn't matter whether I send it to Southampton or North Scotland..
 
I used Ffordes recently to buy a "used mint" Canon EOS R which was advertised as coming with a free RF to EF adaptor.
Upon completing the purchase I got a message from one of the chaps saying that the offer of a free adaptor was a website listing error but they would honour it anyway.
True enough the next day both camera and mount adaptor arrived.

Nice straightforward and honest transaction.

I too would love to visit their shop next time I'm up north.
 
stupar said:
I used Ffordes recently to buy a "used mint" Canon EOS R which was advertised as coming with a free RF to EF adaptor.
Upon completing the purchase I got a message from one of the chaps saying that the offer of a free adaptor was a website listing error but they would honour it anyway.
True enough the next day both camera and mount adaptor arrived.

Nice straightforward and honest transaction.

I too would love to visit their shop next time I'm up north.
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I am going up on Tuesday to drop in the 645z for a sensor clean, and also take the opportunity to discuss other lenses for the system. I said I'd keep my 645 kit bag simple but got notions of a 55 2.8 and 75 2.8. The 45-85 zoom is good, but it really sucks in the dust and reckon I am probably better with primes and the occasional lens swap rather than a dust pumper. I'll have a chat, get some guidance as they sell this gear all the time, they'll know it well.
 
SFTPhotography said:
I am going up on Tuesday to drop in the 645z for a sensor clean, and also take the opportunity to discuss other lenses for the system. I said I'd keep my 645 kit bag simple but got notions of a 55 2.8 and 75 2.8. The 45-85 zoom is good, but it really sucks in the dust and reckon I am probably better with primes and the occasional lens swap rather than a dust pumper. I'll have a chat, get some guidance as they sell this gear all the time, they'll know it well.
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Enjoy your visit and I'm sure they will give you sound advice on your needs.
 
I was so chuffed with my first sale - almost 300 for my items instead of the 100 a retailer offered - that I sent them 4 more last month and then promptly forgot about them as we are in the midst of house packing to move in 3 weeks [fingers crossed]. I was wondering, a couple of days ago, whether anything had happened but forgot to email and ask. Yesterday, I received an email syaing two items had sold {a Canon G16 in tiptop condition] and a wee Manfrotto tripod head when I received an email notifying me that two items of the 4 had sold and that I would be credited shortly with £144... nice!
 
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