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KEH Grading

M_Wales
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · KEH Grading

I do wish KEH would show pictures of the actual item on the website like MPB.

Sep 13, 2023 at 08:26 PM

madNbad
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · KEH Grading

genjy wrote:
KEH's Ebay store shows photos of the actual items... and it has thousands of listings going. Not sure why the main www site doesn't do the same.

Items in the eBay listing most likely had been sitting in the warehouse. By putting it on eBay, someone who may not be a regular KEH customer will se it. I’m guessing they receive hundreds of pieces of gear a day and it’s easier and faster to show a generic photo and list how many are available. KEH has great customer service but any large business will have items that fall short of customers expectations. They were great in the past, still pretty good and one of the few places that will buy your gear without argument.
Also, much of the gear they buy comes from camera shops that are closing of estates. There are also the rental shops that are clearing out inventory.

Sep 13, 2023 at 08:32 PM

Al Trujillo
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · KEH Grading

I wonder whether their grading system may be hurting them. Not long ago I shipped a Zeiss Milvus lens to KEH which I hoped to sell. The lens was one I used infrequently and was very well taken care of.

I expected a minimum ' LN-' from them but they graded it as 'Bargain' and offered me much less than anticipated.

I can't leave this post on a negative because items I've purchased from KEH have been very good and their customer service top-notch. I also sent a lens to their shop for repair and they did a remarkable job on it.

Sep 16, 2023 at 05:01 PM

VailJohnson
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · KEH Grading

How is this in any way deceiving?

You can buy New or Like new, Excellent, bargain, or ugly/as is. Makes sense to me.

Sep 16, 2023 at 05:12 PM

jwpstl
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · KEH Grading

Unless it’s an item you bought new, used it once, and put it back in the box, you’ll never get a LN grade from KEH. I don’t know what they look for but I’ve never been able to get anything more than Excellent on what I thought was LN.

Al Trujillo wrote:
I wonder whether their grading system may be hurting them. Not long ago I shipped a Zeiss Milvus lens to KEH which I hoped to sell. The lens was one I used infrequently and was very well taken care of.

I expected a minimum ' LN-' from them but they graded it as 'Bargain' and offered me much less than anticipated.

I can't leave this post on a negative because items I've purchased from KEH have been very good and their customer service top-notch. I also sent a lens to their shop for repair and they did a remarkable job...Show more →

Sep 16, 2023 at 05:14 PM

AmbientMike
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · KEH Grading

karimnasser wrote:
I saw a Leica for sale at KEH graded as Excellent. I was about to buy it when I decided to take a look at their grading system. Apparently Excellent is one level right above Bargain, which I find *very* deceiving to say the least. Although KEH does provide you with a link to see their grading system, I still find the grading system very sneaky. Excellent in any context is excellent, meaning better than good, better than very good, and definitely NOT one level above Bargain. Any thoughts?

https://www.keh.com/shop/grading-system

Think of BGN as ex- if you like. I don't consider it deceiving, for one thing that's how they've always done it, as long as I've bought from them. And it's marked clearly on their site afaik.

BGN gear can be used, having coating marks or ex+ or better. Kind of a grab bag. Not sure they're going to send you high end pristine Leica gear in BGN grade though.

I haven't bought recently, it does seem to have changed hands, but often buy BGN because I use my stuff pretty heavily and it's not going to be ex or better in a few months anyway if it's a piece of gear I really use. It's hard to tell the grade using online photos. Everything looks good

Sep 18, 2023 at 11:34 AM

pixelpreaching
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · KEH Grading

I only buy bargain or ugly items because they are so conservative with their ratings. I just received an "ugly" AE prism finder for my Mamiya RZ67 Pro, and I cannot find a single issue with it. I figured there would be scratches or a dent or something, but nope.

Now I have bought some "ugly" lenses that were indeed ugly (e.g. a lens I just bought had a dented filter ring) but never bought a bargain-grade item that was less than excellent in condition.

Frankly, I have no idea how the distinguish between Excellent ane Excellent+.

Sep 24, 2023 at 05:35 PM

dpsaiz
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · KEH Grading

I've questioned the bargain as well. There are several videos on the tube where the reviewer records an unboxing of a bargain lens.

From what I've seen the videos the bargain lenses are in much better condition than the reviewer thought.

Every bargain lens video I've seen its difficult to find any flaws. One guy bought a bargain 5DMKII and it had some flaws on the bottom of the camera where it was mounted to a tripod. Other than that it look NIB.

Honestly of I've never been dissatisfied with any of my KEH or MPB purchases. If they were as dishonest as some say they'd be out of business.

Additionally we have to be honest about our own expectations when buying used. I bought a used EOS 5D MKII with vertical grip with all the EOM boxes, documentation and accessories. He said it was used and he wasn't being honest...it was pristine, NIB appearance. I couldn't find any wear flaws, scratches, bumps anywhere. The camera had a shutter count of less than 5000.

I was more than pleased.

I've had the same level of satisfaction from KEH and MPB.

If you're afraid of used then fork over the $$$$ and buy new.

Nov 01, 2023 at 06:35 AM

RustyBug
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · KEH Grading

To grade is human ... to accept returns is divine.

Even if the grading doesn't match your expectation ... send 'er back. That's just part of the realm in the used market, when dealing long distance. Always better if you can lay your hands on it, first ... but, that's not always available. I do make a trip to Roberts in Indianapolis on occasion, so hands on is nice, but it does come with a cost (i.e. gas / time).

It's been a while since I've gotten anything from KEH ... but, I had no issues returning things that, once I got them ... well, I just changed my mind, 'cuz they didn't trip my trigger as much as I'd hoped. Didn't have anything to do with grading issues, just changed my mind. No problems getting it sent back. That's been several years back, but I'd use KEH again, if they have what I'm looking for.

Although, my FIRST place to look for used gear, is FM ... but, some members don't always have as good a return policy as KEH, etc. does.

Nov 01, 2023 at 11:57 AM

lifeandmylens
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · KEH Grading

As long as they accept returns if not as expected then I don't see much worry with it. I purchased a Hasselblad lens from them a little while ago that was listed as Bargain. It arrived with a huge chip out of the front element. I chatted with them and they said that's expected for "Bargain" condition. I laughed and returned it right away, they paid for return shipping.

Nov 02, 2023 at 07:42 AM

dpsaiz
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · KEH Grading

Additionally, KEH has a no hassle return policy. You have 21 days to return a product. You call them for an RMA number and pack the item for return.

They don't pay for return shipping if you changed your mind.

Nov 03, 2023 at 07:36 AM

Robin Smith
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · KEH Grading

Nothing wrong with KEH. I've been buying from them for 2 decades. MBP and Roberts are also good. Complaints about classifications are legion. Whatever you pick someone won't like it. Suppose you are selling an "excellent" camera you probably would not like to be told it is "Middling" or "OK" or "not bad". KEH's classification system is easily reached for every listing. As someone else commented. "Bargain" can be very good too.

All of these s/h dealers are not going to give a camera or lens a full CLA before offering for sale. They would have no stock to sell and the prices would skyrocket. This is why you can return things.

Nov 03, 2023 at 08:31 AM

algrove
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · KEH Grading

Returns or not I would never buy an item rated as Bargain since to me that is the bottom of the heap. I used to buy from KEH like 10 years ago and was satisfied, but bought excellent + or like that.

Nov 03, 2023 at 05:59 PM

RomanMF
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p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · KEH Grading

I have found KEH's ratings to be VERY conservative. Both my Hasselblad 503CW and Nikon 35Ti were rated at EX and I'm still looking for flaws years later, lol.

Nov 08, 2023 at 04:53 PM

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