buying from ebay

[paapoopa]

Hi I am a newbie in rangefinder, trying to get my hands on my first rangefinder.
I have been browsing through ebay for fsu rangefinder, zorki4 /4k and fed 2 with jupiter lens in particular.
and there are some that seems really a good deal with free shipping.

I know a lot of people bought their stuff from ebay,
just want to find out is it safe?
and what should I look out for?
if i got the stuff and its not working, theres nothing i can do about it right?

thanks for sharing your experience in advance...

 

[Tantalize]

Hi I am a newbie in rangefinder, trying to get my hands on my first rangefinder.
I have been browsing through ebay for fsu rangefinder, zorki4 /4k and fed 2 with jupiter lens in particular.
and there are some that seems really a good deal with free shipping.

I know a lot of people bought their stuff from ebay,
just want to find out is it safe?
and what should I look out for?
if i got the stuff and its not working, theres nothing i can do about it right?

thanks for sharing your experience in advance...

My advise would be, if you are purchasing a big ticket item, purchase from a respectable shop. There are cases that people have been conned, and there are also people that are happy with their purchase. So if I am you, I will only purchase from ebay if it is something small (eg. book etc). If big ticket item (lenses), better buy from a respectable place, at least you know the warranty is there.

Why don't you ask CP to help you source? They might be able to help.

 

[Cactus jACK]

why not check the B&S, i recall a few zorki and feds recently... you can ask for pictures of the equipment, call to check, and most importantly view before buying (of course, you need to know what to look out for).

 

[chiif]

Hi I am a newbie in rangefinder, trying to get my hands on my first rangefinder.
I have been browsing through ebay for fsu rangefinder, zorki4 /4k and fed 2 with jupiter lens in particular.
and there are some that seems really a good deal with free shipping.

I know a lot of people bought their stuff from ebay,
just want to find out is it safe?
and what should I look out for?
if i got the stuff and its not working, theres nothing i can do about it right?

thanks for sharing your experience in advance...

If you buying a RF camera for the first time, I suggest that you check out the B&S section on Clubsnap first.

Buying FSU cameras on ebay is very very very risky. I bought a few of them from eBay, either the lens is a lemon, or the body is a piece of waste metal. Some may look decent on the outside, but the shutter curtain comes with a hole and hence all your pictures will have a burnt white patch or speed are way off. While some people got lucky and got a working collector piece with no issue at all.

Sending these FSU to CLA is not advisable as seeing the repairman will normally burn $80 to $150 in your pocket, which may be 2 to 3 times the cost of the camera + shipping.

Some of them may cost USD20 and shipping cost another USD25. Hence total works out to be USD45, which is about SGD70. If you don't mind the risk and fun of anticipating, go for it... afterall, shopping on eBay is a fun & addictive experience in general. :bsmilie:

In short, if you are new to RF & want to buy a body to shoot, touch the camera first before you buy. Have a feel of it first before you put down your money, so that you don't feel that you have been cheated... Sending the item back to Ukraine is going to cost you at least SGD40 and you might not be guaranteed a refund at all....

Can you imagine... if you have never tasted orange before and you ordered it from eBay, when it got delivered, it's actually lemon and you can't tell the difference from the picture because the description says it's orange. Until your mum told you that's it's lemon you know you have been cheated....

Well, you can leave a negative feedback on the ebayer, but by then you would be SGD70 poorer.

Nevertheless, sometimes we got really good deals on eBay... but most of the items are usually high value ticket items and by reputable sellers. For FSU cameras, it's best to avoid ebay.

Having said that, the russian lenses are really superb....

That's my take... there are some people who will have totally different views.

 

[LowLights]

Hi I am a newbie in rangefinder, trying to get my hands on my first rangefinder.
I have been browsing through ebay for fsu rangefinder, zorki4 /4k and fed 2 with jupiter lens in particular.
and there are some that seems really a good deal with free shipping.

I know a lot of people bought their stuff from ebay,
just want to find out is it safe?
and what should I look out for?
if i got the stuff and its not working, theres nothing i can do about it right?

thanks for sharing your experience in advance...

Evilbay is evil for the fact that many things can happen. Couple of things to look out for

1) The feedback of the Seller, the more the merrier
2) Is the Seller at 100% for his feedback..
3) Is the picture posted by the Seller clear, are his description of the item concise
4) Generally price would also be a good indication for the condition of the item.
If is it price very low compared to other similar items..then something is fishy
5) If in doubt of the item always contact the seller. He should response. If he does not ..better dun buy. Cause if you have a problem with the item..you got only Paypal to talk to
6) Try to not go for the cheapest you can find..but the average price ones. Condition generally better..but not always the case
7) There are Buy it Now items..which normally is at a higher price, but not necessary the best in condition..so keep your eyes open.
8) Items that that you have to bid to win are the most fun as this will really get your heart pumping..win or lose :bsmilie:

You also need to keep in mind that the delivery from them to us (assuming from States) will take about 6 to 10 days. So a little patience and faith goes a long way.
Which also means that most of the time the grace period given by the seller is insufficient. So if need time to inspect the item upon arrival..you might want to negotiate with the seller to extend his inspect period. But keep in mind that almost seller will not refund the shipping.

Certain items will get "lost" and you should keep a vigil for items that exceed 30day in shipping.

For big ticket items, I normally will ask (before the bidding ends) if the seller is able to sent via UPS, FedEx or DHL. Yes, you will have to pay a premium for this service, but heck.. I think it safer and faster to have it door to door.

There are many sincere sellers on Evil Bay but hey like the saying goes (Chinese)..
"Visit the mountain too often, so you will meet the Tiger"

Enjoy

 

[princej]

Hi there,

I have purchased quite a few things from ebay, local and overseas.

Ironically, one item I bought from local never arrived but the seller insisted they have delivered. The item cost ard $8 so I did not request for registered mail. After a few ding dong of emails I gave up.

Other items from overseas all ok. However, I always restrict myself to purchases under $100 sing. To cut or reduce losses.

Do take note that electronic or delicate items are very fragile.

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[Cactus jACK]

That's my take... there are some people who will have totally different views.

buy voigtländer here

that's one of my alternate points of view :bsmilie:

 

[LowLights]

buy voigtländer here

that's one of my alternate points of view :bsmilie:

You getting commission ah ? :bsmilie::bsmilie:

 

[PrimePhotog]

I suggest you only buy from the reputable shops such as by.I have had several bad experiences with eBay sellers.only buy second hand rf when you can physically test it to check if exposure and rf is aligned etc.otherwise,buy your rf from out voigtlander dealer "chiif"

 

[paapoopa]

I suggest you only buy from the reputable shops such as by.I have had several bad experiences with eBay sellers.only buy second hand rf when you can physically test it to check if exposure and rf is aligned etc.otherwise,buy your rf from out voigtlander dealer "chiif"

voigtlander is good, but being my first rf, I would like to try out something cheap first.
although i already can kind of feel the rf poison flowing inside my body.. ;p

Can you imagine... if you have never tasted orange before and you ordered it from eBay, when it got delivered, it's actually lemon and you can't tell the difference from the picture because the description says it's orange. Until your mum told you that's it's lemon you know you have been cheated....

hahah i like how you describe it :bsmilie:

 

[paapoopa]

why not check the B&S, i recall a few zorki and feds recently... you can ask for pictures of the equipment, call to check, and most importantly view before buying (of course, you need to know what to look out for).

ya i do see a few some were sold,
theres one selling without lens.
I am hoping to get one that comes with jupiter lens already.

seems hard to find here.

 

[PrimePhotog]

Be patient...it is not really hard to find.I have seen Jupiter sets floating around...

 

[jasbay]

first from clubsnap, then from ebay. at least you have a nick and handphone number after the deal. I bought quite a few stuff from clubsnap. if no gd, I can smile and walk away. wasting few bucks on petrol is better than full price + shipping on ebay. at this pt in time, I have made an ebay return but yet to see money coming back.... :cry:

 

[bernards]

I've been buying on ebay for years and never had any problems. Certain items are not worth the shipping. But it's got to be a rare incident where the ebay price/quality ratio is less compelling than local used shops.

Personally, I find FSU gear no pleasure to use. I'll rather buy a decent set from Chiif.