The absolute #1 reason I do not buy used equipment: The lenses I want are rarely reduced enough in cost from the new ones that I'm willing to risk it. I'm not going to spend $430 to buy a used lens that I can buy new for $470 (most recent example). When there's a lens I want which runs $1500 ballpark the used one better be more then $200 less... are that is QUITE often not the case. So I buy new.
Originally Posted by Cory
Absolutely. In Ontario we have 13% sale tax, and all current model used L lenses are almost all for sale at its retail price, which means that you only save 13% on tax - in this case I'll just go to the retailer and pay the tax and then bring my brand new lens w/warantee home.
I enjoy trying to get a steal on ebay, but you have to be careful and I am feeling good right now because I haven't been burned yet. Worst case was that I got a 24-70 that was promised with a US warranty card, but it didn't come with one. I guess it didn't matter too much since I didn't have the original receipt either.
Taking the risk gives a chance for a really good deal. A couple months ago I got a 5D markI, a 430 EXII and a 70-300 IS (all brand new) for $1600. I got a special discount by using Paypal (10% off) and sold the 70-300 for $450 which meant I got the 5D and the 430 EXII for $1000. Everything works great!
Just buying an item any old day on ebay doesn't save you a ton of money over buying new or buying used from Adorama, but if you watch for a month you can get a really good deal. Again, I haven't been burned yet.
As somebody just starting out in the SLR world I love used gear. I've gotten some pretty good deals from the used sections of Adorama & B&H. If you cruise them enough you can come up with some pretty good deals, especially for non-L lenses. I gave up trying to find a used 70-200 as they were usually only priced 40 or 50 bucks cheaper than new with rebates.
Well, personally, I don't want to buy into someone else's problems. Granted, MOST people have good luck with used stuff, and MOST people are going to be honest enough. Another thing, people like me are just anal, and want untouched equipment. I like even ordering things online, because the place I usually order from (cameta.com by the way is an awesome place to go) sends a box out of storage, and nobody has been looking at it. haha I know that's a little anal but.....to each his own.
What happens to all the lenses folks return because they aren't "sharp copies"? Do they throw them back in new stock? Sell them as opened box?Do they get sent back to factory? Do they get check and sold as new? Do they get refurbed and sold as?
Keith
Not sure, but my first batch of equipment from Cameta Camera had a kit 50-250 that was blurry to the point that I believed it was defective, and they took it back no questions. Perhaps they put it back, but either way they didn't stick me with it! hah
I wouldn't know what any particular seller does, but based on my human experience, I would guess that they might check it out, and if nothing is obviously wrong (i.e, there's a good chance somebody else wouldn't notice the problem), they probably just rebox it and sell it to somebody else. Reality is, I suspect, that while everybody wants the 'good' stuff, most people wouldn't know what to look for. I suspect that's why most insist that everything is 'as new' for return (don't fill out the warranty card, all packing materials, etc.)
To be fair, many defects may in fact the user error, or simply product performance 'features' (like the 50mm f/1.2L unavoidable backfocus issues), and sending them back to Canon would be a real waste of time.
<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana;"]Apparently plenty of people have absolutely no problem with used gear; otherwise the resale prices would drop. The high resale is what the market will bear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"] <o></o
<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana;"]My main two problems with used gear are: <o
<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana;"]1) Not much money to be saved due to the high resale.<o
<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana;"]2) I'm paranoid of dealing with individuals online, even or especially, on E-bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"] <o
<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana;"]I’d consider used in a heartbeat if I could see the item in person and the savings were fairly considerable, relative to the overall cost involved. <o
<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana;"]I buy from Adorama’s refurbished list quite frequently and have considered their used gear but haven’t taken that plunge yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"] I’d love to get one of <st1:city w:st="on"]<st1
T3i, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/2.8 L, Sigma 30mm f/1.4, 430ex (x2), 580ex
13.3" MacBook Pro (late '11 model) w/8GB Ram & 1TB HD, Aperture 3 & Photoshop Elements 9
<p style="background: #efefef; margin: 0cm 0cm auto;" class="justify1"]
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE;"]I can't speak for other retailers, but at Adorama, faulty items are returned to the manufacturer or distributor.
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE;"]<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE;"]That doesn't mean that there aren't occasional problems; <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"]the manufacturers and distributors, who supply to Adorama, and of course, other retailers, do allow us to return equipment as new, because of over-stocks, exchanges etc. This can be a particular issue after the Christmas holiday when we all need to balance out our inventories.
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"]<o
<p style="background: #efefef; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"]Even if we at Adorama are completely thorough when packaging up these items for return, there is no doubt that less scrupulous retailers could well be receiving returns, trusting the customer's explanation that they never opened the box - packaging them up for return to the manufacturer or distributor. These items then form part of the inventory for sending out to other retailers.<o
<p style="background: #efefef; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"]No retailer can inspect the contents of every packaged received into the warehouse. If the manufacturer doesn't check the equipment before sending it back out, from the customer's perspective it is the retailer who looks bad, even though it may well have not been their fault.
<p style="background: #efefef; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"]
<p style="background: #efefef; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"]At Adorama we do have liberal return policies and there is no doubt that on occasion this is taken advantage of - although this does not exempt us from more closely checking any and all returns, some retailers don't.
<p style="background: #efefef; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"]<o
<p style="background: #efefef; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"]The problem is that we are all relying upon humans to carry out the required procedures at every point in the transaction, which can, and does, result in mistakes at any place along the line.<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE;"]<o
<p style="background: #efefef; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE;"]<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"]<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"]Sincerely
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"]<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"]Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"]<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<st1
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"]www.adorama.com<o
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