London Camera Exchange - Used Gear

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Looking for people's experiences please of purchasing used gear from LCE, in particular their grading system.

The reason I ask is they have 3 Canon 100-400 on the website, all showing as 5* but the prices vary by £200
 
Looking for people's experiences please of purchasing used gear from LCE, in particular their grading system.

The reason I ask is they have 3 Canon 100-400 on the website, all showing as 5* but the prices vary by £200

I believe grading is just for condition of lens

Pricing difference may indicate incomplete accessories, caps/hood/box/etc..
 
I have bought from them a couple of times locally with no problems, however within the last couple of weeks I bought a camera body from a store further afield which was badly worn and very dirty, it went back the next day. I guess it depends which branch you buy from so your observation about variations might be valid.
 
Having dealt with various branches over the last 45 years I've found them reliable and helpful.
 
I've happily bought from them, but be aware that each store runs separately and they will each have different levels of what the star rating means. Good from one store may mean V close to mint, while from another there may be significant cosmetic damage and some wear. If in doubt then call up the store and ask questions over the phone.
 
I’ve bought a few things over the years and all have been as described.
Always had good service.
 
Bought and sold from/to them several times, always ended well. However, that's always been face to face so both sides can inspect what they're getting.
 
I did post a review on here somewhere of my experience of buying AND returning an item a few days before the 6 month warranty ran out.... in short.. brilliant.. very helpful and quick to respond... would deffo buy from them again
 
I'v bought from and sold items to our local LCE and have been very happy with the items and prices every time. That being said I've always done this in-shop so have been able to inspect and test the equipment first. I'm not sure that buying online would give you a different result.
 
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Most of my camera gear has come from my local branch of LCE, and never had an issue. My most recent purchase only bring Friday which was in fact a 100-400 ii.
I would imagine the varied prices would be postcode related, If ones on the Strand prices will be higher than let’s say Newcastle.?
 
They offered the lowest price on a lens I was looking to sell
To be honest it was derisory and a hundred quid less than two of their competitors
 
I have been a regular at Gosforth LCE. Very fair and helpful. Each LCE has its own boss, with the buying power of a network. I have always done this in person.
 
I have been a regular at Gosforth LCE. Very fair and helpful. Each LCE has its own boss, with the buying power of a network. I have always done this in person.

Same here, buying new and used gear as well as trading in equipment. It's been a great experience every time. I've also bought a used 1D mk IV from their Worcester branch, and the camera was in way better condition than their grading would have had you believe. That branch was every bit as helpful and accommodating as the Gosforth branch to.

Cheers,

Simon.
 
I have bought a number of used lenses from LCE and have alway had good customer experience. Once even had to claim on the warranty just a week before it ran out and they sorted it out with no hassle.

The difference in price is normally because the items are individually priced in the various branches. They are franchises and each shop follows its own grading and evaluation process. On the whole their trade-in prices are abysmal but their used prices are rather good sometimes. So much so I have actually made some money on the odd occasion or two.

I have also never paid the full asking price. I normally haggle and pay less than what they ask for (because I know they buy-in goods at crazy low prices). They will also normally throw in free delivery if you ask nicely.

Their rating is OK-ish. If its 5 stars or even 4 stars its generally in excellent condition to near-mint. I see a bit of a drop in condition for goods labelled as 3 stars but seem to value them accordingly too.

hope that helps.
 
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I've only had issues with LCE when buying new.

There's nothing boils my p*** more than when they re-box a display item and then try and tell me it's new.

Regarding second hand, I'll never buy anything without seeing it first.
 
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Thanks to everyone for their input. Its very helpful to understand how the business operates.

I agree its always best to see the item in person but that's not always possible logistically.

At least the feedback is positive re buying pre owned from them
 
I've only had issues with LCE when buying new.

There's nothing boils my p*** more than when they re-box a display item and then try and tell me it's new.

Regarding second hand, I'll never buy anything without seeing it first.
Where did that happen?
 
I've bought from them online and they were very helpful rushed the order to get it out the same day and the camera was as described. I once asked for a quote when looking to sell some gear and they were way below what WEX or MPB were offering.
 
there robbing buggers
buy from e bay or gumtree or private
That’s a pretty damning statement, care to share your experiences?
 
Buying from LCE is ok by me - I recently bought a NEW Sony 100-4000mm OSS G Master lens, from my local LCE branch, same price as WEX and a face to face deal which I do prefer.

Selling however: they didn't come close to the P-ex price I was given by WEX in fact they were a couple of hundred pounds under that valuation for Sony DSLR kit I wished to sell ( moving from DSLR to Mirrorless).

So I will buy from LCE but not sell to them based on P-ex figures they give

Les :)
 
I did post a review on here somewhere of my experience of buying AND returning an item a few days before the 6 month warranty ran out.... in short.. brilliant.. very helpful and quick to respond... would deffo buy from them again


PS My experience was buyng online as no outlets near me so everyhting done by email and post :)
 
It appears the likes of LCE and Park Cameras will offer at most 40% of new value for lenses or cameras even if they are as new.
 
It appears the likes of LCE and Park Cameras will offer at most 40% of new value for lenses or cameras even if they are as new.
That seems about right to me and I've bought and sold a lot of cameras in the last 50 years.

Some people think that retailers are run as some sort of charity but they're like any other business: anything they buy has a retail price and a dealer price (what they would get if they sold it on within the trade). A prudent manager will only buy in second hand items (which in legal terms is anything used in any way before) at a price below the dealer price so that they can at least move it on without a loss. The important thing to remember is that retailers have fixed overheads that need to be covered so your "brand new" pride and joy is worth exactly as much as it will contribute to those overheads.
 
there robbing buggers
buy from e bay or gumtree or private
No, they are not - generalising is neither fair nor accurate; each branch acts independently and a bad experience at one branch does not mean that they are all the same. I regularly visited the north east when my in laws were terminally ill. I have other branches of LCE nearer to me and one well known independent store but wait until we go north, having built up a good relationship with the staff there and knowing I will get a fair deal. I could get more selling privately but I always trade in or get a credit note if there isn't something I want. At one point, because I couldn't get up there, the branch in Gosforth arranged for me to take my unwanted gear to another branch. And no, I don't work for them and have no relatives who do.
 
I bought a used camera yesterday from LCE, went into the shop and the chap I dealt with was very helpful.
Seems to be fine, think I paid a fair price and pleasant surprise to find two extra genuine batteries in the box.
Lots of places wouldn't leave them in so its a thumbs up from me on this occasion
 
In what respect ? If it's they are charging more than a private seller, that's a given bearing in mind premises, warranty, overheads etc.

Or is it something specific to LCE ?
still dick tupins daylight robbers
 
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