buy speedlight sb-600 used?

Hi, someone is selling a used sb-600 Nikon speedlight on my local CL for $150. They have a "receipt" that says they purchased it in may last year but apparently they have no warranty information. They claim they only used it once for a wedding. I'm wondering if this is a good deal or not?

I did buy a lens from this seller, a 50mm f/1.8D and it has focus problems, my D90 has problems turning the little focus screw (it doesn't have problems on my 70-300 lens which has the same focus screw so I know its the lens). The seller did tell me they used this as their main lens but they have a d60 camera so it wouldn't auto-focus the lens correctly so I'm guessing the seller didn't know about this problem because they were always manually focusing.

The seller did say that I could test this flash all I want so I'm wondering if it works mounted on the camera and wirelessly using my cameras built in commander should be ok to buy? Is there any other tests I should try with it?

I have found my SB-600 an excellent flash for the D90. Buying used has its possible bug-a-boos, but technically it is a great combination.
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pops

pops52 said:

Buying used has its possible bug-a-boos, but technically it is a great combination.
--
pops

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Thats what I was wondering, what should I watch out for?

Nikon speedlights are usually built pretty tough. If it flashes, then its usually good.

Robbie C said:

Nikon speedlights are usually built pretty tough. If it flashes, then its usually good.

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Thanks, thats what I thought. I was going to make sure it connects wirelessly to my nikon and flashes a few times and whatnot.

I buy a lot of my stuff used, OK all of my stuff used. I have a "No New" policy in place right now, if I can't find it used and at a good price I don't get it.

$150 for a used SB-600 is not a bad price. Is that his initial asking price? I'm not a lowballer but I always expect a little movement in price before I buy. If the ad was clearly a firm price then you judge the deal at it's advertised price.

I've never had any quality issues with anything that I've purchased through CL. I always test thoroughly and have walked away from a lens that wouldn't autofocus properly on my D70. Bring your own batteries fire a lot of test shots on your camera (not his). Test the TTL, manual, test wireless, the beep and all menus. If everything seems good it probably is.

The fact that the lens you purchased from him does not work properly is troubling. It suggests that he possibly does not take good care of his gear and worse yet unloads his broken junk on CL. I wouldn't believe his story about not knowing about the lenses' focusing issue for a minute. He knew, he knew. For this reason alone I would stay away from this seller. You can find sub $200 SB-600s everywhere. Find a more reliable seller.

eddyshoots

freefallnick said:

Hi, someone is selling a used sb-600 Nikon speedlight on my local CL for $150. They have a "receipt" that says they purchased it in may last year but apparently they have no warranty information. They claim they only used it once for a wedding. I'm wondering if this is a good deal or not?

I did buy a lens from this seller, a 50mm f/1.8D and it has focus problems, my D90 has problems turning the little focus screw (it doesn't have problems on my 70-300 lens which has the same focus screw so I know its the lens). The seller did tell me they used this as their main lens but they have a d60 camera so it wouldn't auto-focus the lens correctly so I'm guessing the seller didn't know about this problem because they were always manually focusing.

The seller did say that I could test this flash all I want so I'm wondering if it works mounted on the camera and wirelessly using my cameras built in commander should be ok to buy? Is there any other tests I should try with it?

Click to expand...