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DSLRs on Ebay
Bryse Eayo
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'd like to pick up a Canon EOS 20D on the cheap. There seems to be some really awesome deals on ebay. Are these the real thing or bogus?
How safe is it to purchase cameras off ebay, what should I be looking for?
How safe is it to purchase cameras off ebay, what should I be looking for?
Bryse Eayo on
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Really, you're probably much, much better off looking around locally. You will VERY likely find a local shop that deals in used camera gear, and they will have prices that are competitive with eBay. You CAN expect to pay slightly more, but not paying for shipping, and not taking any risks in terms of being the victim of fraud or whatever else is worth a small premium.
Also, Ottawa is a city with a large press presence. Obviously this means quite a few photographers live or at least work there. These people treat their gear well as it is their livelihood. When they upgrade their gear, they need to sell the old stuff because really who needs to accumulate junk? So I think you should have good odds finding a reasonably priced local alternative with a return policy attached to it.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
If it's a store or another "awesome deal," it may very well be a random camera store in brooklyn that will only allow you to pay by credit card over the phone. Then they'll try to pressure you into buying accessories. If you don't buy the (overpriced and crappy) accessories, suddenly the camera is on backorder. You can either cancel, or just wait forever for the backorder (hint: it will never come into stock for you, even if they're selling more on eBay).
It's pretty classic bait & switch, but there's little you can do about it (other than make it a personal vendetta against the company, which some people have done -- there's a few pages around that I've seen). Generally, the good deals aren't -- they're just artificially low and you won't get your camera unless you pay more than retail via some crappy accessories.
Sometimes the bad deals are pretty good -- video cameras with extra tapes or whatever. The "extended warranty" is always a scam. You will end up paying essentially the same as Amazon, if you actually get your camera (plus acc's), and if you have absolutely no accessories of your own to start with, the starter stuff that you get stuck with isn't all bad. You'll have to get new stuff if you get serious about the hobby, though.
I did this for a video camera. Got a crappy case, crappy tripod, bigger video card, pack of tapes, some other random things. The price ended up being basically the same as Amazon, but the camcorder was new and I got some basic stuff I would've had to buy anyway. For me, the hassle was basically worth it, but only in the sense of "I didn't really get ripped off, but I do have more stuff of low quality now."