Olympus reconditioned sale (20% off)

Alex Ethridge wrote:

brycesteiner wrote:

Alex Ethridge wrote:

rsmithgi wrote:

Good selection this time. Just got a 40-150 F2.8. for about $1000. Been waiting a long time for one.

Don't mean to throw water on the parade; but, after buying my initial Olympus setup, the OM-D E-M5, 12-40mm Pro lens, battery grip and a few other trinkets from B&H Photo, I decided to start buying gray market. I knew that I was building a comprehensive system and "so what" if I have to ship one back to Japan for in-warranty repair; I'm still way ahead in the money game.

So far, no problems and I've saved hundreds, maybe even a thousand or more, haven't added it up.

You found some that were less than $1000? I hadn't found any less than this on eBay.

No, not less but I found the 7-14mm 2.8 Pro for $1024 about three months ago and I think the authorized dealer price in the US was $1299 at the time, a $275 saving. Even if I had a crystal ball and knew about the coming $1000 offering, $24 would not be an inducement to wait.

I found the 40-150mm 2.8 Pro from the same dealer for $1069 with the current-at-the-time price from a US dealer being $1499, a savings of $430.

Both lenses came with one-year warranties from an e-bay dealer who has a five year history with over 99% positive feedback. And unlike other internet stores, a good rating on e-bay cannot be faked. So I saved $705 just on these two lenses.

Add to that, the Olympus 75mm 1.8 which I bought and is now $614 from another dealer, also with similar e-bay history, which was $899 at the time, a $285 savings.

Just those three items saved me $990. And I haven't even added in the OM-D E-M5 Mark II, the 14-42mm EZ pancake lens, the LC-37C lens cap, the MC-14 1.4x dedicated teleconverter, the HLD-8 battery grip and the 14-42 f/3.5-5-6 II R lens and I think my savings may exceed $2000 -- and I didn't have to wait and hope for a pie-in-the-sky sale that may or may not happen.

If this is a contest to see who bought a particular lens at the lowest price, then those who are getting it at $1000 now, win; but, if it is a comparison of buying strategies, then it comes out differently -- and I get mine when I want it without having to hope for a sale.

Now, if every one of these items broke in warranty and I had to ship them back to the dealer in Japan, I would still be way ahead on the money.

Care to share the name of the ebay dealer. I am not against buying at a discount from a good dealer.

We are all in different situations and willing to deal with different risks/delays. I was contemplating the 40-150 purchase for a long time. Photography is a hobby and I was reluctant to spend $1000 - $1500 on a lens. Ultimately, the $960 price came along at the same time as my wife wondering what to buy me for my birthday and father's day.