eBay Is a Minefield ...

Lawrence

Senior Member
I read a post here about the Nikon D700 and out of interest went to price one on our local "Trade Me" site. There is one for sale at over NZ$2000.00 - quite a bit over.

So now I am interested to see what these things go for and head over to eBay.
Blow me down - heaps of them on there.

But such a variance in prices!

So here is the question - How the heck would you decide which one is a good deal?
I have no idea what to look for ...

Hey but don't stress too much I'm not in the market for one - just got curious as to how you sort the good from the bad on a site like eBay.
 
I know a lot of people love Ebay but I don't think I would every buy a camera there since for the most part you would never see the camera and test it before you actually bought it. Sort of like buying a pig in a poke.
 

Lovin Our Life

Senior Member
For me E-Bay is a scary place and I won't buy anything on there unless I can confirm it's an actual company. I do this by finding the company supposedly selling the item and look for their actual stand alone website. If I like what I see, then I buy from that site (non E-Bay) and had good results.
Best bet would be to find a good price from an actual respected company for this type of purchase, electronics are a gamble, and a good company will let you send it back if needed.
 

stmv

Senior Member
ebay protects the buyer, and honestly, I have bought lots of cameras and lens on ebay, and never a dud, read the description carefully, ask number of shots, etc,
and well most people take care of their gear,
 

RON_RIP

Senior Member
I have too few dollars to risk any on questionable selling sites. I purchase only from established dealers. The extra costs is worth it for the piece of mind that comes from buying from people who are known to stand behind their products.
 

JohnFrench

Senior Member
I have never bought anything off ebay, never will. Too much chance of dishonesty. I would use a "Crailgslist" type on-line sales format. I have had success with Craigslist myself, both selling and buying.
 

Lawrence

Senior Member
Never knew there was so much distrust of eBay and guess there must be a good reason for it.

But I still have no idea how one would research ...

Pop in some time [MENTION=6277]Don Kuykendall[/MENTION] :)
 

Eyelight

Senior Member
There are a lot of regular businesses on ebay.

Ebay_Adorama.JPG
 

480sparky

Senior Member
Ebay is a fine place, but you need to perform due diligence. You don't buy based on price, you buy based on history, feedback and return policy.

I bought a lens that was advertised as 'no optical flaws'. Turned out it had fungus etching on the inside elements. This rendered it useless. I contacted the seller, and was sent a link to print out a return shipping label. My entire purchase price was refunded with no squabbles.
 

Woodyg3

Senior Member
Contributor
I've purchased and sold a lot of stuff on Ebay, and only had a couple of problems. You have to be careful, but Ebay does protect buyers, and if you take your time, study price points and check out sellers before bidding, you will be okay.

Meanwhile, I've had great luck buying used form B&H and Adorama. That's where I look first. is there a similar store in NZ?
 

Lawrence

Senior Member
I've purchased and sold a lot of stuff on Ebay, and only had a couple of problems. You have to be careful, but Ebay does protect buyers, and if you take your time, study price points and check out sellers before bidding, you will be okay.

Meanwhile, I've had great luck buying used form B&H and Adorama. That's where I look first. is there a similar store in NZ?

Not that I know of Woody.

Shops here are usually small and sell only new stuff or on the other end of the scale - large and unfriendly with unseen corporate suits making the decisions.

We also seem to have a lot of photographers here considering our population and they are pretty knowledgeable when it comes to gear so bargains are snapped up.

I have bought from Amazon, Adorama and B&H with no hassles but never eBay
 

nickt

Senior Member
Like someone else said, lots of reputable well-known businesses on ebay. No problem with that. Lots of unknown of companies too, I would avoid those guys for high value items. For buying stuff from an individual, I try to snoop on him a bit. I look at his feedback, but I also look at what else he is selling. Does he look like he runs a pawn shop or second hand shop? I avoid that. Does he sell tons more stuff than he could possibly own? I avoid that. If he looks like a regular guy that sells some stuff here and there, then I may give him a chance. I like a personal description with a little story why he is selling it. If he just goes with the pre-made ebay description or just a brief few words, I avoid that, he is probably in a buying/selling business or selling the item for a 3rd party. I look at the pictures too. If they are crappy pictures, I avoid. You are selling camera equipment and you take a blurry picture with your flip-phone? No thanks. And finally if the background of the picture looks too plain, I reverse image search it on google to see if its a 'borrowed' image. I've bought hundreds of things on ebay and never got screwed and I have sold plenty of my own stuff too.
 

jay_dean

Senior Member
First and foremost look at the feedback, that's what its there for. As its been said, there is eBay protection, so if it is a dud, there's the option to get your money back. I bought one camera from there many moons ago, and all was well. I think people have some sort of inherent fear that eBay is just a trading name for a bunch of street thieves, its not. But you only hear about the bad eBay transactions, not the millions of good ones, it's like saying 'i'm not going in a car, people die in them'. I'm not saying that there aren't dishonest people on there, they're everywhere, that's just part of everyday life, just do your research and ask the buyer any pertinent questions
 

Rob Bye

Senior Member
I've made hundreds of purchases on ebay. Yes, I've been burned a couple of times, but I've learned to be extra careful. I deal with companies that have solid feedback ratings, and individuals who take the time to communicate and answer detailed questions. If I get a bad feeling, I bail.

I just started selling on ebay, and I have not enjoyed the experience thus far. From placing the ad to seeing the money in my account has been a minimum of five weeks. I understand ebay wanting to ensure all goes well with the transaction, but I'm not interested in waiting that long for a financial return. There are better options.
 
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