Hi, I believe I did all the due diligence I could -- I searched this and other forums. I believe this is a gray market vendor, also known as 6ave, etc. The reviews have been mixed -- some claim "bait and switch", but others did ok. But what's intriguing is that their Ebay rating is very high (99.2%), see here: http://www.ebay.com/usr/6ave
Surely they cannot be that bad if they have such high ratings?! I am interested in a few items that they sell. Please share your experience.
I think they sell non-US models which are ineligible for repair or warranty or something like that in order to keep the initial prices low. Not sure. My statement probably needs verification.
rstoddard11 wrote:
I think they sell non-US models which are ineligible for repair or warranty or something like that in order to keep the initial prices low. Not sure. My statement probably needs verification.
Yes they are grey market. I've bought 2 bodies from them in the last couple of years with no problems at all. Never got a phone call from someone trying to sell me anything else. Bodies were brand new with all the accessories.
Most of the complaints (i.e. negative ratings) are about listed items not being in stock or slow shipping etc. I would guess there is an issue with over-reaching, i.e. having more open auctions than they can handle at certain points as their business goes up in volume.
My reading is that they have a pretty good rating for their volume.
Individuals that casually buy & sell in Ebay can maintain 100% rating...I do, but I have dealt with just over 100 auctions, in most of which I am a buyer.
User in question has 47,000+ ratings, the vast majority as a seller.
And 99.2% customer satisfaction is pretty darn good in my book.
I just bought a Canon 6D from them. No problems at all. The camera arrived, it was new, was cheap, and works just fine. It might be gray, I don't know. But, frankly, I don't really care.
I'd also echo the type of negatives reviews and their volume. 99.2% out of 42,000+ ratings is small potatoes.
I had a issue with them Spamming another photo forum, they refused to stop and kept creating new ID's. Claimed they had the right to post spam on a private forum! The email and IP's all led back to them. Finally, I inserted a filter to replace their name with Spam and it stopped.
howard wrote:
Hi, I believe I did all the due diligence I could -- I searched this and other forums. I believe this is a gray market vendor, also known as 6ave, etc. The reviews have been mixed -- some claim "bait and switch", but others did ok. But what's intriguing is that their Ebay rating is very high (99.2%), see here: http://www.ebay.com/usr/6ave
Surely they cannot be that bad if they have such high ratings?! I am interested in a few items that they sell. Please share your experience.
Thanks, Howard
Howard, they are the same as big value, electronics valley and also go by 6th Ave. I purchased a fisheye from Big Value Inc a few years ago and it was supposed to be new... They sent me a beat up refurb
I just bought a lens from them. They shipped it the following day and it's currently enroute. Apart from an email offering an extended warranty, no other communication other than confirmation of my purchase and the shipping information.
All things equal, I'm pleased so far. When my lens arrrives I'll post again should there be anything untoward.
GJR1 wrote:
I just bought a lens from them. They shipped it the following day and it's currently enroute. Apart from an email offering an extended warranty, no other communication other than confirmation of my purchase and the shipping information.
All things equal, I'm pleased so far. When my lens arrrives I'll post again should there be anything untoward.
Please keep us posted how the lens turns out.
All this means nothing if the lens is not good ...
Never dealt with them, but be careful with eBay ratings. They're slanted to make sellers look good and eBay is wary of going against disreputable sellers. I had a case of fraud and only multiple interventions via the California attorney-general's office to eBay got them to kick out the fraudulent party (a Japanese seller).
Ive bought from one of their companies. Bought an EOSM back when the were the kit at sub $275 new. Everything was like it should have been. Obviously repackaged (Box showed the 22mm being included when it wasnt). But it worked and looked brand new. I knew what I was getting into when I bought it and was happy with the results.
Following up, my lens just arrived via FedEX. It was packed adequately but Canon does a good job with protecting their product in the original box. My lens appears new and all original packing intact as from the OEM.
Needless to say, I'll take it out tomorrow and exercise it but the test shots in the house look just fine.
I recognize it's a grey market lens but the cost savings is considerable and after the warranty period, that it's grey certainly has less/little meaning. And no one looking at my images will be able to tell where the lens was originally to go.
I have a 100-400 II on the way, supposed to arrive Tuesday from 6ave. I will report in about the experience as well. Heck of a savings though I wish I had the funds in December when Adorama had their sale.
My 100-400 II arrived in perfect condition. All of the packaging looked factory fresh, it was not a return or repackage. the lens is great, I am happy with 6ave.
