is there any reason not to buy a new camera off of eBay?
April 7, 2010 3:40 PM   Subscribe

Are there reasons to buy a new camera from a retail outlet like B&H instead of picking up the same new/"sealed"/etc. digital camera off eBay, if the price is right? Are there any unusual downfalls to getting cameras off eBay? (I'm considering the Canon G11 or S90 at the moment.)
posted by dahliachewswell to Technology (18 answers total)
 
Gack, I would never do this. B&H is one of the most trusted names in the photo/video business. When you buy something from them, you know what you're getting--generally, a brand new (not refurbed) U.S. model (not gray market) covered by a warranty and their own exchange policy.

When you buy on eBay, you get none of that. Yes, the listings state what you're supposed to get, but even taking at face value a seller who has X number of positive feedback, B&H has, surely, X^X of smooth transactions with professionals around the world.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 3:51 PM on April 7, 2010 [2 favorites]


If the person has a high rating, it should be okay; however, you really need to make sure of that point. Many people are scammed through ebay. Check the price through multiple online vendors too.

Personally though, I think B&H would be safer since what you're purchasing is definitely going to be supported by them: if there is anything wrong, they would help.

http://www.lolmotivators.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/ebay-motivator.jpg
posted by doctorwhitecoat at 4:00 PM on April 7, 2010


I think an unusual downfall to purchasing expensive goods on eBay is that you may find that you paid $200 for a picture of the goods instead of the actual goods. I vote for B&H and agree that it would be much safer and easier to return and ensure warranties etc.
posted by foxy at 4:05 PM on April 7, 2010


Best answer: I've personally never bought any camera gear from anywhere but a reputable, rather well known, and local camera shop. All my gear comes with manufacturer rebates, warranty coverage and extensive question-answering and help from the shop and its employees. That is MY preference.

I have a friend who buys all his gear - ALL - from craigslist and ebay. I've used his gear before, to play around with the other bodies and lenses that he has that I don't, to see if I like them enough to consider buying them. And ya know? His gear is exactly what it says on the box, does the exact same thing my equivalent gear does. It's just not warrantied.

He pays about 10-50% less, on average, for his gear than I do. But I'm still never going to buy something off ebay or craigslist for my camera because my preference is to not do so.

If your focus is saving the cash and you don't care about the warranty, go on then. If you want the warranty for a possible lemon or anything that might go wrong in the next year or two, then B&H.
posted by kirstk at 4:05 PM on April 7, 2010


PS I was assuming you were talking about purchasing off ebay from a well reviewed seller.
posted by kirstk at 4:06 PM on April 7, 2010


Best answer: I buy so much gear that for me it just makes sense to stick with B&H all the time - pure convenience. Its also nice to be able to print out that purchase history from them when tax time comes. Another nice feature is that they offer "Bill Me Later", which is an easy credit program - provided you pay it off promptly.
posted by blaneyphoto at 4:10 PM on April 7, 2010


There are reputable merchants on eBay. However, if the price is really good for new-in-sealed-box then it's probably either gray market or potentially stolen. Cameras are a notoriously shady business, and I've always been happiest ordering from a respected shop. (These days, Amazon). Gray market isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you probably won't have a warranty.
posted by Nelson at 4:14 PM on April 7, 2010


I've never known a company that would take an eBay transaction as proof of original purchase for warranty purposes.

And a camera is exactly the sort of thing that I'd want a warranty on.
posted by Netzapper at 4:21 PM on April 7, 2010


Search for Brooklyn camera scams, and you'll find more than a few anecdotes about camera scams (For some reason, Brooklyn is famous for that, even though there are some very reputable internet stores based in Brooklyn as well).

The usual thing is: the guy sells it to you for an unusually low price, then (after they got your money), calls you to say that the camera you bought doesn't come with a battery, manual or drivers, and then quotes you $200 for the battery, $100 for the charger, etc, etc. If you try to cancel, they'll hold on to your money for as long as they can.

Get it from a store, and check resellerratings before pulling the trigger.
posted by qvantamon at 4:30 PM on April 7, 2010 [1 favorite]


I bought a Brooklyn camera set off eBay before I knew better. I received a box full of junk along with my camera. The camera's been great. The junk, not great.

The main HUGE problem I had with the eBay purchase was, "OK your order is done. Call us now to pay for it!!!"

Then I had to sit there on the phone for about 10 minutes, refusing to be upsold on aftermarket batteries, camera filters, etc.

All told, I got a good deal on a camera but spent too much on the extra junk. I would recommend camera-only deals, no junk.
posted by circular at 4:35 PM on April 7, 2010


I buy plenty from EBay but only after very careful reading of seller feedback, especially the negative feedback. Make sure there is a well established history for any significant purchase. I've yet to buy anything that I'd want a warranty on. And I have been burned a couple of times on small purchases -- one set of counterfeit headphones, a couple of merchants who never sent the item.

Ebay is essentially a flea market, with some ability to check up on the merchants. Ask yourself where you'd buy if you saw the camera you wanted at a flea market stand and also knew there was a B&H store that carried it a block away.
posted by bearwife at 4:37 PM on April 7, 2010


Cameras are different.</a.
posted by holgate at 4:56 PM on April 7, 2010


I've bought 2 cameras off of eBay, and both times they were brand new, in box, from reputable camera dealers--both were camera stores that just sold some cameras online (I think one was Samy's and the other Adorama, though I can't be sure).

Unless it's something like that (from an actual store), I would recommend against eBay. You can generally find great prices other places. I'd recommend trying out Bing shopping, because it will compare a bunch of sellers, and quite often you'll get some percent off (usually in the single digits), just for searching with Bing.
posted by deansfurniture5 at 5:01 PM on April 7, 2010 [1 favorite]


This may be dated, but in the past some of the less reputable sellers would sell "gray market" Canon cameras without a US warranty. Everything was fine until you had a problem.

Our last couple of cameras came from amazon directly - ebay sellers which had good ratings were not that much cheaper...
posted by NoDef at 5:35 PM on April 7, 2010


i've bought about $2000-3000 worth of camera equipment off of ebay, and never had a problem...i've even bought used lenses from individuals and saved a fortune...just make sure they have good clear pictures of the item...and discuss return policy before you buy...
posted by sexyrobot at 5:37 PM on April 7, 2010 [3 favorites]


Best answer: If you want a trustworthy source of used and some new equipment, try the buy and sell forums on fredmiranda.com instead of eBay,
posted by WinnipegDragon at 6:40 AM on April 8, 2010


For some reason the camera market is full of rip-off artists. It's not worth the tiny savings you'd get and if the savings is huge, it's most definitely a rip-off. Don't do it unless you really want a story to tell. Stick with B&H or Amazon or some other big name, reputable dealer.
posted by chairface at 10:32 PM on April 8, 2010


Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I don't think I'll be buying on eBay this time so I have the warranty intact and also, right now I am just too lazy to cull through a multitude of sellers to find a slightly cheaper camera. Thanks for all the information.
posted by dahliachewswell at 4:06 PM on April 17, 2010


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