Aw, that sucks! Sorry to see that. That one looked good in the pics you showed me if it's the same one we talked about. I'd start with the glass - if that can be cleaned and is ok, the rest is worth bothering with. If the glass is shot, I'd send it back. Keep us posted,

-Ed

Same one, no returns but I've sent the seller a message. We'll see if they respond.

Too bad. That lens is nowhere near "Excellent". At best, it's "Ugly". I hope they'll take it back.

If that is rated excellent condition, I wonder what a *Bad" rating would look like.

Did the seller have a lot of positive feedback or was the deal too good that the lack of feedback was an acceptable risk

Didn't buy it from a guy named Keith did you?

It was a gamble, as the seller only had one positive feedback ever since 2007. I've been looking awhile for this particular generation rokkor and it was the only one I've seen, so I went for it - against better instinct. The pics in the listing weren't very clear and it appeared to be just dust that would hopefully clean up well. Obviously that wasn't the case and likely the reason why detailed pics weren't included. I would've skipped over this lens for sure had there been accurate representation of its condition. I'll just chalk this up to experience.

The front element cleaned up decently, but the rear one not as well having some marks that show up when held against light. Nothing that would show up in images though. It has more dust than I've seen with other lenses and the aperture doesn't stop down more than halfway. There's oil on the blades, so it will definitely require servicing. If I don't find another one, I'll try my best to fix this one up.

No the seller is a female, but maybe she's in cahoots with "keith".. no idea really, haha - just trying to stay positive, but this plain sucks

oh btw, cogitech, these images were shot with macro takumar 50/4 preset, handheld without adapter - at least that one wasn't a disappointment! Can't wait for my adapter to show up ahaha. Gotta take the good with the bad...

That does suck. Reason I asked about the name is that a guy named Keith sells a lot of highly questionable gear on ebay, usually described as "EXCELLENT" or "OPTICALLY EXCELLENT".

My condolences. Happened to me a while ago too

Be careful with sell heavystar or heavy2star (it changed at some point). Dodgy descriptions and pretty much a total A-hole.

If there is no internal haze then it is probably ok to fix but you had better get at least 50% back to reflect the actual value of the lens and your time and effort to repair it..

Why don't you open a case with Ebay and see what happens? You haven't got much to lose at this point and you might be surprised. They're pretty good about going after bad sellers. I had to do that once and they refunded my money on the spot.

zombii wrote:
Why don't you open a case with Ebay and see what happens? You haven't got much to lose at this point and you might be surprised. They're pretty good about going after bad sellers. I had to do that once and they refunded my money on the spot.
+1 start with the seller and see if you can make any head way. But, from there see what happens with ebay. Did you use paypal? They can get your money back too.

Yep, have to go through the process. Couldn't even leave negative feedback without checking off three criteria, first of which trying to resolve/contact seller. I used paypal so that's also there to avail of as well. It's just a major pain having to go through it all. Thanks for the help guys!

That looks very bad
Keep it far, far away from other lenses, or the fungus is gonna travel :o

If you paid with PayPal you can open up a dispute with them and they will put a hold on her account for the amount the item cost you. I've used it once on an item that wasn't as described and got all my money back.

I've opened a case with eBay. Since Paypal was used is it redundant to also open one with them or is that automatic since it is owned by eBay? Not sure on that since I've never had to go about this until now.

Personally I would start the ball rolling with both eBay and PayPal if the options are available. Attack from all directions with both guns blazing I reckon!

Dodgy eBayers like this spoil it for the rest of us, so they need to be cut down asap before someone else gets hurt.

Could you please post the auction listing?...I'd love to see how they presented this....and while minor internal fungus is unlikely to "migrate" that lens has fungus ridden all over the exterior so I would hesitate to have it near any other gear.
Thanks....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200403295686&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

Finally heard back only after the case had been opened. Looks like they want to play games:

I just received your message from last night as well as a case stating that I have not contacted you. I am not clear if you would like to resolve this amicably or would prefer to refer it directly to ebay customer service to handle since I was only given a very small window to respond to your message. At this point I am going to assume the former. Please note that I need more than a couple of hours to reply to a message particularly those sent late in the evening as I work very long hours, travel frequently for work and do not always have access to my personal email account.

In regard to the lens, the pictures posted on the listing were taken that day of the posting. The pictures you posted were not visible to me so I do not know the difference in condition. It was definitely not exposed to chemicals by me, all of the rings moved freely. I do not have a camera body for the lens but was able to see it focus through the mechanism.

I also have the following questions:

1. Was the package damaged in any way when received? Do you still have the original packaging from the shipment?

2. Does the lens fit the camera body you purchased it for? What is the model number for the body?

3. Did you attempt to take any pictures with the lens? What was the quality of the pictures?

4. You indicate in the case that the repair cost would exceed the cost of the lens. Did you receive a quote for the repairs?

5. Did you ask any questions about the lens during the auction? I receive a number of questions regarding the condition but do not have a record of any correspondence from you.

Please provide me with the additional information requested above. In addition, I would appreciate seeing your pictures of the lens. From there we can determine an appropriate way to proceed.

Pure BS. Just trying to waste time, frustrate you and wear you down. Answer the questions and file a claim/dispute with ebaY. Don't mess around with this anymore.

forestmage wrote:
If you paid with PayPal you can open up a dispute with them and they will put a hold on her account for the amount the item cost you. I've used it once on an item that wasn't as described and got all my money back.

-Not unless the seller has at least 50 sales, and a 98% or higher feedback rating. Read the fine print.

To get Ebay to do anything (don't get your hopes up) you may need written proof that the lens is not as described. In other words, a written document from a lens expert. - and most won't do it, even for money, because they don't want to get involved. I went through this once with a $7,000 violin, and it took around six months to find someone willing to do it. The certificate cost around $200, they found in my favor (after countless phone calls) and I STILL never got my money back.

Good luck, but don't get your hopes up.

I added USM to the photo posted in the listing and it shows the external "rust"...not as clear as you've shown but the seller's own photo confirms your view of the condition of the lens....

PLEASE leave NEG feedback!