I normally do not complain about about eBay sellers

[dexdog]

But this is just offensive, in my opinion.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/40360894144...EAAOSwTwdiXNWm

From the eBay description:
"Being a Carl Zeiss lens the Sonnar is already predisposed to be soft and flarey, some say that this is the lenses character...sadly though its because Carl Zeiss and his crew just weren't that great at making sharp lenses. In order to make a CZ lens appear sharp you have to use all the tricks you can...add contrast and try to avoid flare at all costs.

Here we are...the INSTANT CZ improvement kit! A nice deep shade to kill any flare before it starts(and is heartily encouraged by the lens design) and two filters that spring clip fit and will add much needed contrast. The filters are clean and clear and the shade is highly effective. Don't delay! Buy it today to avoid future regret(that is the next time you make a print from the Sonnar without a shade/filter).

The filters come in a small and handy leather case with room for one more filter, the shade is used and still works, the adaptor allows the use of the lens without a filter."

My comments:
I never knew until now that "Carl Zeiss and crew weren't that great at making sharp lenses". 🙄
I am really starting to despise eBay.

 

[Rob-F]

That is pretty over the top. If they had just said their deep shade will improve contrast and get the best from the lens, they might have been right.

 

[CMur12]

I didn't realize you were quoting the eBay posting until I followed the link. Without quotation marks, it looks like your posting is your opinion, which initially left me confused.

I see good stuff and bad stuff on eBay, so this is nothing new. The price is reasonable, however, for a buyer wise enough to know what s/he is buying.

- Murray

 

[Sonnar Brian]

My Favorite:

"I know nothing about cameras, but I see no reason why it will not work perfectly"

It had been in a fire and the insides were melted, but you could not see the damage.

 

[dexdog]

I didn't realize you were quoting the eBay posting until I followed the link. Without quotation marks, it looks like your posting is your opinion, which initially left me confused.

I see good stuff and bad stuff on eBay, so this is nothing new. The price is reasonable, however, for a buyer wise enough to know what s/he is buying.

- Murray

Yeah I did not have quotation marks in original post, but amended it within a few minutes.

 

[dexdog]

My Favorite:

"I know nothing about cameras, but I see no reason why it will not work perfectly"

It had been in a fire and the insides were melted, but you could not see the damage.

Unfortunately, the stuff this guy is selling may be an old Walz kit, which is good quality and increasingly scarce.

 

[boojum]

I agree the flak about the product is over the top. Have you seen car, camera or stereo ads recently? He has a really good rating which is what I go by in evaluating the seller. I have bought stuff for a few years on eBay, Jupiters and Leicas and more and have done well so far. But here past does not predict future. We are shopping in a virtual bazaar and it can be dicey. Just be cautious. If it looks to good to be true, guess what?

 

[Retro-Grouch]

It is downright amazing the number of sellers whose fathers, the previous owners of the items for sale, were "professional photographers". Usually with an Argus. Or a Brownie. Or an Instamatic...

 

[qqphotos]

In the last few weeks I've been noticing ads on eBay from sellers in Japan listing as "MINT" lenses in really terrible condition - serious external brassing, scratches and worn-off coatings, fungus, etc. And more than one "EX+++" f/2.8 Summaron in LTM that was obviously just ripped out of a goggled M-mount one and wouldn't be usable as LTM at all.

 

[boojum]

In the last few weeks I've been noticing ads on eBay from sellers in Japan listing as "MINT" lenses in really terrible condition - serious external brassing, scratches and worn-off coatings, fungus, etc. And more than one "EX+++" f/2.8 Summaron in LTM that was obviously just ripped out of a goggled M-mount one and wouldn't be usable as LTM at all.

I was shopping for a Cooke Amotal and found most of them were listed likewise but looked pretty shoddy. Same guy each time. He has a bunch but they all looked ratty. However, this was all offset by his high prices. LOL Luckily I found a fellow here stateside who had a pristine one that he would sell me, through eBay. The lens was everything he said and all as represented in the photos. The lens has been very kind to me and I am very glad I saw examples of its images here. It may have cured my lens addiction. At least for now.

As for those lenses or anything that seems misrepresented, buyer beware. If returns are not accepted, well, what does that tell you? If the rating is below ~98% what does this tell you? One must be cautious and realistic. Understand that not everyone on eBay is a shyster. There are decent people out there trying to make a living or to augment one. But you had better do your homework before you spend your money. It is too late after you spend your money. Buyer beware applies.

 

[santino]

I like it 😛
May decrease the price of Zeiss lenses 😉.

 

[David Hughes]

ebay sellers usually give them selves away if you read what they have or haven't written carefully. What they haven't said is often more important.

My favourites are the digital cameras with manuals, battery, charger and media card that are "untested" and "as is" etc. etc. I wonder why as a test shot or six wouldn't take all day to do...

Regards, David

 

[ChrisPlatt]

eBay sellers are often uninformed; others "play dumb" as noted. So many of the items folks here are interested in are 30 to 50 years old or more.
With any eBay photo or electronics purchase I always expect a trip to the repair shop will be required. That cost is figured into my acquisition price.
That's also why usually I will consider only items I know repairer is willing and able to service. Sometimes I get lucky and no service is required. 😎

Chris

 

[Sonnar Brian]

This is uncommon, and I normally buy things like this. The price is good.

But the seller is so obnoxious in the description, and I just don't need anything that bad.

 

[jsrockit]

It is downright amazing the number of sellers whose fathers, the previous owners of the items for sale, were "professional photographers". Usually with an Argus. Or a Brownie. Or an Instamatic...

To many people, professional means "good" photographer, and not someone whose job it was to photograph and make money. I correct people regarding myself. People have said it about me, and I say I am a proud amateur.

 

[afildes]

I once wrote a long guide to ebay comments as in 'professional' = 'black', 'focus a bit stiff' = 'irretrievably jammed'. "I don't have a battery to test it" = "It's not working at all and never will."
But it's a two way problem.
It's buyers I have a problem with mostly right now. Back in the Dark Ages ebay used to warn people that winning an item was buying it, like any auction. (I've been on there for over 20 years) You bid, you won so that's a contract - pay up. Now it's more a matter of "Er, you don't feel like paying for it now you won? Ah well, OK. The seller can always go to the trouble of relisting." I have one item at $1500 where three 'buyers' in a row have welched on the deal. One decided he couldn't afford it. One asked me to relist with a Buy it Now which I did - and then he went silent - clever as they can't give him a non-payer strike for that. Then one made an offer which I accepted and...still waiting, waiting... What am I paying ebay 13% or more for? (Once it was 3-4%) It seems that ebay have gone so desperate to draw in buyers/shoppers with promises of protection that they have lost seller protection while simultaneously cranking up the prices. And their payment system is a lot less friendly than Paypal used to be (You get around to paying me when...?)
But I do have to agree with the comment on the Tokyo Mint sellers. That seems to be a whole new category where 'mint' is followed by 'normal signs of use and wear, or 95% of original condition. To me, mint what it always did - as new in the box, unused, perfect. Like a collectible coin issue from the Mint. The Tokyo sellers used to be very good with their descriptions but no longer. An 'Excellent +++++, Near Mint' Contax G1 I bought had six small dings along the back edge of the top plate. A 'near mint' Nikon SP had significant rubs, a misty finder with RF prism separation and the name plate dinged and rubbed.
These listings are often yellow and red decorated and I suspect that Japanese sellers with poor English are using a common template which is ignorantly translated and/or deceptive. If you complain, they offer to refund, no problem. But I've usually paid close to 20% in tax and import duty to land it which is technically recoverable but takes more trouble than it is worth. (As in, please fill out this 73 page form and then wait until hell freezes over) So, no, a refund is not adequate. Complaints to the seller are met with another reflex offer of refund.
I'm planning to get a Japanese friend of mine to draft a complaint to ebay.jp on the grounds that it is deceptive behaviour. Anyone want to be in a complaint wave?

 

[afildes]

But this is just offensive, in my opinion.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/40360894144...EAAOSwTwdiXNWm

From the eBay description:
"Being a Carl Zeiss lens the Sonnar is already predisposed to be soft and flarey, some say that this is the lenses character...sadly though its because Carl Zeiss and his crew just weren't that great at making sharp lenses. In order to make a CZ lens appear sharp you have to use all the tricks you can...add contrast and try to avoid flare at all costs.

Here we are...the INSTANT CZ improvement kit! A nice deep shade to kill any flare before it starts(and is heartily encouraged by the lens design) and two filters that spring clip fit and will add much needed contrast. The filters are clean and clear and the shade is highly effective. Don't delay! Buy it today to avoid future regret(that is the next time you make a print from the Sonnar without a shade/filter).

The filters come in a small and handy leather case with room for one more filter, the shade is used and still works, the adaptor allows the use of the lens without a filter."

My comments:
I never knew until now that "Carl Zeiss and crew weren't that great at making sharp lenses". 🙄
I am really starting to despise eBay.

They were considered sharp in their time (1930's) but less so now. Aspherical elements and all that have left most of the Sonnar designs behind so the 'chasracter' is now more important. Fast aperture was more its thing back then anyway. And Berthele was never a Zeiss employee - he was a contractor who declined to join the Tessar squad. A good Sonnar fast Tele has a glow that is perfect for a portrait but it's optimised for resolution, rather than contrast. That's why you can still dial in more contrast in PS - the detail is there.
And yes, a hood is the one accessory that will improve almost every shot. Once the major makers used to include a hood with every lens - now it's often an extra, even with many high end lenses. Disgraceful.

 

[JoeV]

Perhaps you should despise the seller’s opinion, rather than despise the entire online selling platform. I mean, there’s already plenty of evidence to despise eBay for what it is, without adding this sellers opinion into the mix!