FM, POTN, Craigslist, Adorama/KEH/B&H in that order. Been pleased so far. Most people I deal with on forums are very meticulous and take excellent care when they obtain they gear so you get some nice stuff.
I have bought 2 hi end Canon lenses, the 300 f2.8 and 100-400mm from Adorama Used. Both were direct refurbs from Canon and immaculate.
My exclusive B&S is here on FM. Next is NatureScapes.net
Dan
I've bought mainly from Craigslist and eBay, with some from KEH and B+H. Most of my best deals have come on eBay (seriously, why do sellers have an auction end at midnight on Saturday?)
I've also had some good and bad luck on Amazon's used items (good: Tamron 60mm f/2 for $315. Bad: S90 that didn't work, and Amazon had to get the money back from the seller)
Lately though it's been Adorama, their packaging has been nothing short of stellar. My latest purchase, a LTM CV 35 Skopar C, came with the CV LTM→M mount adapter even though it wasn't listed in the description.
20DNoob wrote:
Lately though it's been Adorama, their packaging has been nothing short of stellar. My latest purchase, a LTM CV 35 Skopar C, came with the CV LTM→M mount adapter even though it wasn't listed in the description.
Good to hear! I'll be sure to pass your feedback on to the guys in the used department - I know they'll be delighted.
Yep, packing by Adorama new v. used, cannot be told apart. Superb on both counts (tony says as he eagerly awaits a Demo copy of a Zeiss 50/2 Macro Planar)
iGeekPro wrote:
This thread is TL:DR, but holy crap Helen AND Henry in the same thread that is so awkward.
Not awkward at all. We've dated but it's just casual. :-)
WOW....guys, never thought this thread would last this long...probably my longest chain on FM!
I have used B&H for my new 2541 Gitzo tripod purchase, and the shipping/packaging was really nice. Service was spot on as well...unfortunately no personal conversation due to Hanukkah and the store was closed but went thru' web order system....At this point have a bunch of stuff saved up on my wishlist for further purchase (filters especially...)....and a close friend used Adorama (for his camera/lens/filters) purchase and he is very happy with their service as well....
PerlaD300 wrote:
I have used B&H for my new 2541 Gitzo tripod purchase, and the shipping/packaging was really nice. Service was spot on as well...unfortunately no personal conversation due to Hanukkah and the store was closed but went thru' web order system....
We appreciate your business and kind words. One point of clarification -- we make NO adjustments to our regular operating schedule for Hanukkah.
If I buy from a NYC dealer it's usually Adorama. But most of my used gear has been bought on ebay, in the Buy-Sell section of www.largeformatphotography.info (obviously not a source for digital cameras and lenses), the classified section of www.photo.net, or from Mid-West Photo Exchange (not a big or real well known outfit except among large format photographers but great people to deal with).
I haven't bought from Craig's List because I live in a relatively small town and there isn't usually a lot of good gear listed. I haven't bought anything here only because I haven't been buying any gear lately but I certainly would if I found something here that I wanted. KEH's prices generally seem to be on the high side at least for the things I've been looking for so it's been a long time since I dealt with them.
It would be nice if Fred could add an RSS feed to the buy & sell here.
One issue I have with various forum B&Ss is that many sellers expect to recoup 90% of new value on a used item. Even if it's in mint condition, it's no longer new and no longer has a manufacturer's warranty. IMO, unless it's a rare, discontinued item, I'll buy new instead.
Lately I've been more into 'alt' gear and found the B&S at GetDPI has a nice selection of postings, and they have an RSS feed too. I found a minty GXR, M mount module and EVF for about 25% off new. I recently bought a Voigtlander lens from Robert White in the UK. Royal mail shipping was only £12 and was delivered in about 5 days. Item was mint, as described and pictured on their site. The price was also reasonable. I'll second Lensrentals.com. They too have an RSS feed and it's not uncommon for them to post many items a day, usually Canon and Nikon stuff.
Used to be here, but got really burned last year. Bought a lens from a member who had a number of sales and very good feedback. The lens broke a few months later and was sent back to Nikon for repair. Got a message back from Nikon --- "Sorry, had to confiscate the lens. It was stolen two years ago."
After a lot of hassle, filing a small court claims and hiring a Sheriff to serve papers, I got a partial refund on the lens from the seller. That person had -- apparently bought it from Craigslist -- and was using FM to flip items. Hard to say if he was knowingly flipping stolen items or just chose to look the other way.
Learned a lot and unfortunately, it definitely slowed my used purchases. Original purchasers only and proof of ownership for sure.
R, but holy crap Helen AND Henry in the same thread that is so awkward.