Used Canon batteries from MPB?

Greg Edwards wrote:

nnowak wrote:

StrugglingforLight wrote:

I noticed mpb has a few used Canon LP-E12 Batteries for $23 and under. Some are listed in "like new" condition. Is that regarding the cosmetic condition or the capacity remaining? Do they even test that? Also what does the 6 month warranty cover for a battery?

Has anyone purchased a battery from them, how was it?

I would never pay good money for unknown quality used batteries. Especially when you can get 2 new third party parties for less than the price of a single used battery. It is just too difficult to know what kind of treatment that battery has had. For example, you could have a battery that was only used in the camera once, but spent a year sitting on the charger constantly getting topped up to 100%. The battery would look like new with barely a mark on the contacts, but performance would be dramatically degraded.

If MPB had the equipment to do a full load test on each battery and reported a % for remaining life, then they might be worth considering. As it is, you are buying a complete unknown.

On the other hand, you really need to do your research if you're looking at cheaper third party batteries (and chargers). There's so many dodgy brands around, even with fake CE logos on them.

While there might be some brands of questionable quality, at least it is something you can research.  If a third party battery has hundreds of good reviews on Amazon, spanning multiple years, it is likely a safe choice.  An untested used battery is a complete unknown.  The used battery may be nearly perfect and last for years, or it may swell up the day after the 6 month warranty expires.  It is a complete lottery.