while both MBP, KEH (and any B&M accepting trade-ins for that matter) have less-than-ideal sales for anyone who has use that kind of service (me included) .. this is the first time i've come across an experience where KEH seems to have went out of their way to displease their customer...which makes absolutely no sense from a business perspective since they've been around since the Stone Age.
This is certainly not the first time KEH gone out of their way to screw a customer - I have had several bad experiences with them, both made worse by them lying about the issues - so I have no reason not to believe the OP here.
They are sometimes okay to sell to, but I would never, ever buy anything from them again
1. FM users - Never ever ever had less than a great experience here.
2. Sammy's Camera, Pasadena - got my last Xpro3 Dura there for 1,250, got a FTZ adapter for 100
3. MPB - Generally never a deal to be found but never been let down either. Selling has been great too, except once they got my gear and than dropped their offer significantly, not because anything was wrong with what I had but because it was an A7C and the A7CII came out like THAT week and they dropped their prices. Kind of lame but they sent it back when I said no so no harm no foul.
4. Used Photo Pro - Only ever bought analog gear there but I had a bad meter in a camera and they took it back no problem
5. Local craigslist - I got a Leica M 262 off CL, several Fujis
6. Adorama Preowned - Got an open bot XE4 with kit 24/2.8 WR for $800. That's never happening again.
32. KEH - Last time I bought from them was in 2014 and it was fine I guess, but I need photos in 2026.
61. Facebook Marketplace - It's a great experience if you like getting one word replies 3 days later.
Honorable mention: Reddit marketplace - sold low value stuff there quick. Never bought anything from there though and likley won't unless it's low risk.
Cliff L. wrote:
This is certainly not the first time KEH gone out of their way to screw a customer - I have had several bad experiences with them, both made worse by them lying about the issues - so I have no reason not to believe the OP here.
They are sometimes okay to sell to, but I would never, ever buy anything from them again
can you provide a specific instance from one of your several bad experiences? i'd like to know.
as for "no reason not to believe OP" really? no reason at all? look, OP has no history and her story is really out there. to me if you have not established a rapport with anyone here, when you claim such borderline ridiculous story happened, you have to provide receipts.. there's no "i'll take your word for it.". hell, i don't even give such leniency even with my friends IRL.
Cliff L. wrote:
This is certainly not the first time KEH gone out of their way to screw a customer - I have had several bad experiences with them, both made worse by them lying about the issues - so I have no reason not to believe the OP here.
They are sometimes okay to sell to, but I would never, ever buy anything from them again
If you had so many bad experiences with KEH, why would you keep dealing with them?
dalegaspi wrote:
can you provide a specific instance from one of your several bad experiences? i'd like to know.
I purchased a Canon lens the advertised as "Like New -". When I received it the front element had a gouge (not a scratch or cleaning mark, but an actual gouge deep into the surface of the glass). When I contacted them, their excuse was that the UPS driver must have opened the box and damaged the lens, and then sealed it back up again so it looked like it was still unopened. Needless to say this was a blatant fabrication on their part.
The previous order was a Canon motor drive which was dead on arrival, even though it looked fine - but obviously they had not tested it on a camera. They did not want to accept a return, but eventually did after I insisted. There was a third instance, but I don't remember the details.
as for "no reason not to believe OP" really? no reason at all? look, OP has no history and her story is really out there. to me if you have not established a rapport with anyone here, when you claim such borderline ridiculous story happened, you have to provide receipts.. there's no "i'll take your word for it.". hell, i don't even give such leniency even with my friends IRL.
What does a person's history on this forum have to do with their credibility? There's nothing "borderline ridiculous" about their story just because it doesn't happen to align with your own opinion.
Cliff L. wrote:
Your message stated that "I have had several bad experiences with them". Most people would have stopped dealing with them after one or two. I was wondering why it took "several" before you stopped dealing with them.
What part of "I would never, ever buy anything from them again" didn't you understand?
Never bought anything from them. Never was interested. Their photos are terrible so you can’t truly see condition. Their values are pathetic. I was offered $3000 for my then, like-new Sony A9III which was 2 months after it was released. Right…… I get it, they flip it, but that camera retailed $6,798. A two month old A9III then was still north of $6,000. So, no thanks.
Cliff L. wrote:
What does a person's history on this forum have to do with their credibility? There's nothing "borderline ridiculous" about their story just because it doesn't happen to align with your own opinion.
"story just because it doesn't happen to align with your own opinion."
correction: it doesn't align with my own _experience_; opinions here does not really matter.
by your argument.. I can say the same thing about you.. you just side with OP because it fits your narrative. also, if you had so several bad experiences with them like you claim, you seem to be a glutton for punishment.
dalegaspi wrote:
"story just because it doesn't happen to align with your own opinion."
correction: it doesn't align with my own _experience_; opinions here does not really matter.
by your argument.. I can say the same thing about you.. you just side with OP because it fits your narrative. also, if you had so several bad experiences with them like you claim, you seem to be a glutton for punishment.
Maybe I'm just willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, especially when there have been some good experiences mixed in with the bad.
One bad experience - shit happens
Two bad experiences - maybe the seller is having problems...
Third (very) bad experience - time to stop dealing with these people
From the way you're getting so bent out of shape over people discussing problems they've had with KEH, I'm guessing you're one of their employees, here to police the discussion forums...
Cliff L. wrote:
Maybe I'm just willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, especially when there have been some good experiences mixed in with the bad.
One bad experience - shit happens
Two bad experiences - maybe the seller is having problems...
Third (very) bad experience - time to stop dealing with these people
From the way you're getting so bent out of shape over people discussing problems they've had with KEH, I'm guessing you're one of their employees, here to police the discussion forums...
no, I'm not a KEH employee. lol.. idk why you think I'm getting bent out of shape.. it seems you're projecting. but hey I'd be mad at myself too if it took me _three_ times to finally learn my lesson.
dalegaspi wrote:
no, I'm not a KEH employee. lol.. idk why you think I'm getting bent out of shape.. it seems you're projecting. but hey I'd be mad at myself too if it took me _three_ times to finally learn my lesson.
There are only so many used suppliers and generally they are getting worse lately. The best lesson is to buy new if possible and if it must be used then buy from a reliable vendor with a good return program.
Seeing all these responses is not surprising given my negative experience. The only items I buy from them now are small value and easy to examine/test. I would never buy a used camera since it is too difficult to determine internal condition.
I tend to buy and sell used frequently. MAP in Japan is my primary but KEH did most of the volume for probably 20+ years. They now do 0 and will continue to do 0. No one big transaction. Just quotes started getting less generous so selling went to MPB. And grading started to get too optimistic to the point I received an Excellent camera that was borderline Poor. I want to buy and use. Not buy, repack, get less back than I paid, pay for postage and return. Let others play those games.
