Ebay lens

Would you guys buy brand new lenses off ebay? considering they are much cheaper than the stores..

It depends upon who the seller is and whether or not the lens is a US version. If I was leary about the seller I would just go to B&H, Adorama, Beach, etc. and buy new from them. They are much cheaper than any of the stores that are local to me.

I have bought a couple of used lenses from eBay and have not had a problem with either one.
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I too have bought several lens off EBay. My #1 store so far is H&K, but there you are not getting US versions, same lens just a different warranty process etc. For me that's OK because i am in Europe. I buy second hand or older lens from those sellers with a high sales volume and 99.5% or higher rating. Great luck there also as i just got a 28mm F2.8 AiS for $100 and it is SHARP!

Do your homework, get insurance on it and you will be fine
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Bob

I reside in Australia, but with the strong dollar seems like its cheaper to buy it from B&H. There shouldn't be a problem with model though right? What do you mean by US version?

Go to this link for the difference in USA and Imported (Grey Market) items

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/GreyMarketStatic.jsp

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Bob

G'day mate, I live in Melbourne and purchased a heap of gear from Ebay. I believe it is exactly the same as buying from a bricks and mortar store. You just have to do your research first the same. No one just walks into a store, and without any research into their purchase, plonks down $1000+ for a lens without checking out return policy, price matching quality etc.
I have bought the following on Ebay so far:-
70-200 vr Black
70-200 vr Light Grey
28-70 f2.8
85 f1.4D
12-24 v4
D100
SB 800
SB 80 DX

I did however purchase my 24-70 f2.8G and my Sigma 30 f1.4 from Elizabeth st stores.

The big thing is to do your research first, check out the feedback of the seller, and the feedback of the people who made the purchases. Check to see if they regularly buy and sell big ticket items.
Cheers
Tim

hey bob - when you say H&K on ebay, is this who you were referring to?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Nikon-105mm-f-2-8G-Micro-Macro-VR-Lens-Free-UV-Filter_W0QQitemZ200201302190QQihZ010QQcategoryZ43453QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I've always bought small things on ebay, but lenses ive always been hesitant. Out of interest, which ebay suppliers do you buy from majority of the time? I see you have a nice collection of lenses

I got my 85 f1.4D from HK Supplies, my light grey 70-200 vr and my 50 f1.4D came from this store, its called lenny200watch or something like that.

http://stores.ebay.com.au/WORLD-OF-LUXURY_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm

My D100 came from Cameta Cameras, good service, but bloody expensive on postage. The 28-70 f2.8 came from shutterblade, they were ok.
I can't remember alot of the others due to being such a long time ago.
Cheers
Tim

Let the byuers beware. I have bought lens from ebay with good success. However, one always need to check out the sellers and communicate with them. In any market place whether brick and mortar or virtual, there are shady ones and there are honest folks trying to make a living. No I don't make a living on ebay.

I bought my 28-70 f2.8 on ebay.

Tu

I dunno, maybe I'm too hippy looking, or because I live way out in surburbia and never went to art school with the punks behind the counter, but it seems clerks at the big pro shop in the city brush me off like a wino. Whereas I've had some back and forth discussion, one guy even suggested that what he was selling probably wasn't what I wanted and sent me an url to a different lens than his.

In the old days I heard about guys who would buy a hasselblad lens and test it, return it for another till they found the one they liked. try that now.

some lenses do have a rep for diviation from the specs, I don't know that a local store will let you go through them to find a good one, so with ebay you could buy one and test, if it sucks, put it back up for auction.

In my medium format days I would buy lenses, every one of them from studio closing sales and ebay, remember early days of ebay, before digital photos? Before feedback? I sent $1,000 money order to guy with a po box and got back 2 wide angle mamiya lenses in great condition. I did however buy my bods new.
I would buy meters new.

Normally I try to be informed before going in to buy, and on those occasions when I do go in with specific this and that, the clerks want to tell me that something else is better. Now usually I pick my object of desire because the last workshop I went to half the class has one, and while it maybe possible that half got one for the simple reason the previous workshop instructor was sponsored by the maker of it, that's still a powerful network of reinforcement, its why wacom is the only graphic tablet worth mentioning these days, probably why apple still hangs on...but that's a topic for another post.

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