Tariq Gibran wrote:
You have found good deals here? Great gear but I have rarely seen true bargains.
Yes, there have been some fantastic deals here! 4 or 5 near mint condition 1DmkII going for $600 to $500 just to name the last few I missed out on. Lots of lenses that actually sell for less than the final bids on e-pay.. etc. etc. If you're not finding bargains here you're probably not looking.
And "bargains" at other sites often cost more than paying the normal average! I'd say half of auction "bargains" are busted, not as described, or suffer from some other problems. I'd rather pay the going average and get something that is as advertised and returnable if it's not. Unless you have a source where you can get bargains AND have hands on access to the items this place is pretty hard to beat - in the long run! Of course if you don't mind having to repair half of the stuff you buy then go for the auction sites.
p.17 #6 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
I guess it is different in Japan. I have almost 250 positive ratings on eBay, over half are purchases, and I have only had one total loss (keyboard from the States) and one mild undescribed flaw which I ended up writing off (Australia) and the rest have been fine.
p.17 #7 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
Bifurcator wrote:
Yes, there have been some fantastic deals here! 4 or 5 near mint condition 1DmkII going for $600 to $500 just to name the last few I missed out on. Lots of lenses that actually sell for less than the final bids on e-pay.. etc. etc. If you're not finding bargains here you're probably not looking.
And "bargains" at other sites often cost more than paying the normal average! I'd say half of auction "bargains" are busted, not as described, or suffer from some other problems. I'd rather pay the going average and get something that is as advertised and returnable if it's not. Unless you have a source where you can get bargains AND have hands on access to the items this place is pretty hard to beat - in the long run! Of course if you don't mind having to repair half of the stuff you buy then go for the auction sites.
I'm probably just looking for stuff that's unfortunately in high demand - high end glass rather then older digital bodies (which are probably the thing to buy right now).
Yeah, I do have a few "hands on" local spots so I always know what I'm in for.
p.17 #9 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
carstenw wrote:
I guess it is different in Japan. I have almost 250 positive ratings on eBay, over half are purchases, and I have only had one total loss (keyboard from the States) and one mild undescribed flaw which I ended up writing off (Australia) and the rest have been fine.
Same here. Approaching 350 positive ratings, pretty much half buys and half sells. A few purchased items were not as described but the ebay/ paypal protection has always gotten me out of those bad deals. Never once have I had someone unhappy with a purchase though. There are plenty of honest, fair deals on the auction site. My single rule is to never, ever buy anything I know I can't turn around and sell for at least the price I paid....as a user/ junkie, I would get in trouble fast if I did not follow that rule!
p.17 #10 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
I have 507 feedback (100%) on eBay, with about 25% sales. It's the biggest market place. A great place to do business, as long as you keep your wits about you.
p.17 #11 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
Tariq Gibran wrote:
My single rule is to never, ever buy anything I know I can't turn around and sell for at least the price I paid....as a user/ junkie, I would get in trouble fast if I did not follow that rule!
p.17 #15 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
Yep, that sucker is me I do get some very good prices from time to time, and luckily I sometimes buy ahead of the market swing, like my 75 Lux which I bought very early in the M8 days for 1700 and sold for around 2200, and I managed to get a nearly mint Hasselblad 203FE for around 1000 Euro, but that may or may not have made up for some less inspired purchases through the years.
p.17 #16 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
Well, I did say "bargains". According to your own rules here those are going average rates. I'm talking bargain basement priced items. The ones no one else bids on cuz they look messed up or whatever and end up going for "bargain" prices.
And, as long as we're talking about going average prices then there's plenty here on FM to choose from! Even some bargains - but with the advantage that the sellers are known quantities and will almost always do the right thing in case of trouble - probably not true of auction sites.
p.17 #17 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
carstenw wrote:
Yep, that sucker is me I do get some very good prices from time to time, and luckily I sometimes buy ahead of the market swing, like my 75 Lux which I bought very early in the M8 days for 1700 and sold for around 2200, and I managed to get a nearly mint Hasselblad 203FE for around 1000 Euro, but that may or may not have made up for some less inspired purchases through the years.
I am astounded at how much Leica stuff has appreciated over the past few years. Even Hasselblad has been rising quite a bit lately. Figures since I'm in the market for another blad now! I don't guess I'm going to find a Zeiss/ Blad kit with the 110mm for under 2K anymore.
p.17 #18 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
Bifurcator wrote:
Even some bargains - but with the advantage that the sellers are known quantities and will almost always do the right thing in case of trouble - probably not true of auction sites.
The system on that auction site is set up so that the seller pretty much has to do the right thing, regardless of who they are.
p.17 #19 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
Bifurcator wrote:
Even some bargains - but with the advantage that the sellers are known quantities and will almost always do the right thing in case of trouble - probably not true of auction sites.
Tariq Gibran wrote:
The system on that auction site is set up so that the seller pretty much has to do the right thing, regardless of who they are.
Not to mention someone like myself, I refuse to allow the e-bay/pay-pal seller rip-off plan (read "buyer protection") be effectual and make them do pay-pal directly.
Anyway, here's a few shots from last week's grab, the Tamrom SP 28-80mm F/3.5, just to keep it real :
p.17 #20 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
I really like the 1st shot bif. I have the 35-80/2.8 SP and it's amazingly sharp, especially at the long end. The Tamron org site shows this one as being sharper at the wide end which I assume you were using in that shot. How do you find it at 80mm?
And to keep to the thread on topic I have a Tamron SP 70-150 51A (soft focus) on it's way to me.
Lots of lenses that actually sell for less than the final bids on e-pay.. etc. etc. If you're not finding bargains here you're probably not looking.
I don't guess I'm going to find a Zeiss/ Blad kit with the 110mm for under 2K anymore.