Buying from KEH camera - any opinions out there?

[Loose_Canon]

hi all,

KEH has pretty good prices for used gear. i had a look at their reviews on yelp, they seemed mostly good but not all. has anyone here had any experience with them?

thanks,

N.

 

[tonyjr]

I have and will buy from them again .

 

[Tim Hutson]

KEH is a great place to buy and they have good deals. I have purchased several lenses from them in the past. The lenses always look better to me than their ratings suggest.

Last year I bought a 400 f2.8 that, as I remember, was rated as EX. It did not have a lens hood or lens trunk and so was about $3500. The people that packed it for shipment did a crappy job and it was damaged in shipment. I sent it back for repair. They repaired it and re-shipped. Same crappy packaging and the lens was damaged again! This time there was a very large dent in the front rim. I complained and called them. The result was that they upgraded my lens to one with an EX+ rating, a lens hood, and a trunk at no additional cost. The lens was very close to brand spankin' new and much more expensive!!

Excellent products and excellent service. KEH is a great place to shop.

 

[rjjr]

and will do so again. I've always been impressed with their quick shipping, prices, and the condition of their items.

 

[Loose_Canon]

thanks to all. they seem to have a reasonable reputation, i think i'll give them a try.

 

[ConanLloyd]

I have to thank the OP, I looked at their current lenses and can get the lenses I was looking for for a couple hundred in savings.

 

[KentG]

KEH is generally where the pros look for used glass. My brother, a full time pro, turned me onto them more than 2 decades ago. They were nice enough on a trip to ship a lens I needed to my hotel even before I arrived and checked in.

Kent Gittings

 

[rlwjones]

My son bought a full frame canon slr from KEH a couple years back (MKII5d I think). The price was good, and it's been a great camera. We bought him a large format lens this past Christmas. Again, it was first rate. I bought a used Canon 60D in December. It was in great condition, but it wasn't reading all of my sd cards. I wrote to KEH, and they replaced the camera immediately with one that works perfectly. It came in like new condition (It looks new). I'm impressed with this company.

 

[Wildlife Guy]

Very good company. I live in Atlanta and have sold bought equipment Equipment with KEH. Much easier than dealing with EBay even though you may receive a little less / pay a little more.

 

[DKCJB]

Does KEH have a retail showroom you can visit or are they internet only? I sometimes go to Atlanta and couldn't really tell from their website if they have a store front or not. It would be a long drive from where I go in that area so I never really tried a drive by.

Thanks.

 

[Dick Ginkowski]

Every dealing I have had with KEH has been clean, honest and hassle-free.

 

[Wildlife Guy]

No retail walkin,. I believe you can pickup purchased equipment which would allow inspection of the gear.

david

 

[DKCJB]

Thank you for the info. Glad I didn't drive down there then.

 

[wootang]

KEH is great. First rate.

 

[katew4444]

I have twice now had a bad experience with KEH Camera - and have not once had a good experience. The first time, I ordered a camera from them that was listed in excellent condition, yet one of the knobs would not even turn. It was inoperable. The second time, I ordered a new back for my camera, and KEH listed it as fitting a particular type of film, that it did not actually fit. Unfortunately, by the time I realized their error, I was outside their return window, and they would not accept my return for a refund. Very unhappy with KEH and will not be doing business with them again.

 

[LDY]

I am an unhappy KEH customer too. On the advice of a friend who a serious and quite accomplished photographer, I went to KEH when I wanted a used camera and bought an "Ex+" rated Nikon d90 body from them. When it arrived, I found it had over 82,000 shutter activations. I contacted Customer Service and was told I could buy an extended warranty that would cover a failed shutter for another $60. Didn't do it. They fooled me once... they won't fool me twice. No more shopping at KEH for me.

 

[dhogaza]

When it arrived, I found it had over 82,000 shutter activations

Their catagorizations do not include shutter activations. The categories are posted online, and are very clearly written. I don't see how you can claim "they fooled me once" when the documentation on what an EX+ camera is right there for you to read:

""EXCELLENT PLUS" rates 90 to 96 percent of original condition. Exceptionally nice, but may have slight wear on finish visible only under close inspection. Glass will be very clean."

It's a USED camera, fer cryin' out loud!

 

[Blue II]

I've sold them a few old lenses. Smooth transaction. Have never bought from them, though.

 

[dhogaza]

I bought a 600/4 MK II from them - the first used one I saw on the market. No case or second foot, which was fine w/me as I saved about $2500 over the new price. It was advertised as "like new" and arrived blemish free and operating perfectly.

Unfortunately, about three weeks after I got it, AF failed (locked up two different camera bodies whenever I tried to focus, both working perfectly with my many other lenses).

This was after the official two week return period, so I was understandably concerned.

They gave me an RMA to ship it back (they paid shipping), and their techs quickly confirmed that it was indeed broken. It was beyond their ability to repair it, and they immediately offered me a full refund despite being beyond the two-week return window. The other choice was to have them ship it to Canon for repair. I chose the latter. They couldn't offer an exchange because they had no others in stock, and despite searching, I couldn't find any others on the market used.

After Canon received it, they said it would take about six weeks to get parts and repair it (I'm guessing the electronics module was hosed). After KEH got the time estimate, they again offered me a full refund. I told them to go ahead and repair it and ship it back.

The KEH representative kept me posted during the entire process, and when the lens was returned from Canon, they shipped it to me FedEx overnight on their nickel, which I greatly appreciated.

 

[rjjr]

I have twice now had a bad experience with KEH Camera - and have not once had a good experience. The first time, I ordered a camera from them that was listed in excellent condition, yet one of the knobs would not even turn. It was inoperable. The second time, I ordered a new back for my camera, and KEH listed it as fitting a particular type of film, that it did not actually fit. Unfortunately, by the time I realized their error, I was outside their return window, and they would not accept my return for a refund. Very unhappy with KEH and will not be doing business with them again.

Your error was in not checking the fit it when it arrived. Had you found it inadequate, you could have returned it then.