Buying an M8 through eBay

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ambientmick

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Anybody bought an M8 from fotoaglow on eBay? They are based in Hong Kong. The price is good and their feedback seems excellent. The ad says Leica international warranty. Do you think that there would be a problem with the warranty here in the UK and did you have to pay any duty? Thanks.
 
Here are the official Leica dealers in Hong Kong:
http://en.leica-camera.com/service/dealer_locator/hk/index.html#submit

I would never buy a a Leica M8 from Hong Kong unless it was from a seller on that list. I have bought from Man Shing and Tin Cheung before, and I found them both excellent when it came to price. However, I am now a regular customer of PhotoVillage. I got mine M8 from them at the old price ($4700), brand new in sealed box. Can't ask for more than that.
 
ambientmick said:
Anybody bought an M8 from fotoaglow on eBay? They are based in Hong Kong. The price is good and their feedback seems excellent. The ad says Leica international warranty. Do you think that there would be a problem with the warranty here in the UK and did you have to pay any duty? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Once you purchase the M8 from Hong Kong you'll find that everything is perfect including the warranty or that there is a problem, (large or small) with the camera or the warranty. On that note you have to decide if that's OK with you. Personally, I would only buy domestically from a reputable dealer where you can hold the M8 in your hands and shoot a few frames. There are so many disasters on EBay. Caution about being 'penny wise and pound foolish' as we say in the states.

Wang'r
 
Wang Chung said:
Once you purchase the M8 from Hong Kong you'll find that everything is perfect including the warranty or that there is a problem, (large or small) with the camera or the warranty. On that note you have to decide if that's OK with you. Personally, I would only buy domestically from a reputable dealer where you can hold the M8 in your hands and shoot a few frames. There are so many disasters on EBay. Caution about being 'penny wise and pound foolish' as we say in the states.

Wang'r
Click to expand...

Quite true but I have the choice to pay using escrow which means I can check it when it arrives before completing the payment. If the warranty is okay in the UK then I've just saved nearly £1000. I agree that buying such an item from ebay has risks but it's quite a saving.
 
It's a question of risk management and the level you are comfortable with. Remeber all of the fancy mortgage-backed securities that couldn't go wrong? Well, they all went wrong.

/T
 
I wouldn't pay much over $100 on Ebabe or whatever you can afford to lose. Recent experiences with PayPaw indicate they are out of control with fraudulent Sellers. JMHO :bang: I had a recent buying experience with B&H. Outstanding! :) Regards.
 
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I have sold and purchased many items on E Bay. I’m a blue star seller. E Bay DOES NOT back you in a bad deal. Pay pal will only refund up to $1000, BUT you must prove you did not receive the item. If the item is trash, Pay pal could care less. I had my account hijacked 2 times, in the past month. The best I can tell right now, E Bay is overwhelmed with fraud. If you must use E Bay DO NOT give them your bank account number. Use a credit card only, you may dispute the purchase with the card company, but that doesn’t always work either. My advice, shop from a US Leica dealer. They will help you with the factory if you need it.
 
My advice ,learned the very hard way, is stay away from ebay. I was bidding on a Noctilux from a seller who supposedly had a long and perfect record on ebay and was told that I had won the auction ( I was not told that the thief on the other end had ended the auction early)...Ebay was absolutely no help at all when I notified them of the theft. As a matter of absurd fact ebay keeps this fellow as a seller, did not remove him from being a rated ebay seller and ebay will probably make more money when another fool " buys" from him. If you have any doubt about what I am reporting just take a few seconds to go to their website and take an hour trying to report a theft.
 
Since you are in the UK it is probably easier for you to deal with Solms in the event that you need service (compared to us here in the USA). And I'm guessing that the UK distributor won't help you out since the M8 is from overseas. But I would still go the route of a "nearby" dealer that you can rely on if there are issues with the M8, and certain units do have issues.
 
Just a thought as I read all of the E Bay disgruntled buyers, does anybody know a web site that E Bayer’s can vent their complaints. I’ve got plenty I could dump .
 
Can i suggest you try Alex or Tony at popflash before proceeding with this? I bought an M8 from popflash and am very happy about price/etc.!
 
Some deals are too good to be true, and indeed they are.

Buy at a local dealer.
By not trying to save on a purchase,
you just saved yourself from a whole lot of trouble.

Test it, then hand over the cash,
what could be better?


A few weeks ago, I was at one of the store mentioned in this thread.
I tested a Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F1.2 Silver chrome, then one of aperture blade fell off, inside, it became jammed in some sort of way.

Think of the pain trying to return something and try an get an exchange?
They might have said it was misused.
 
ambientmick said:
Anybody bought an M8 from fotoaglow on eBay? They are based in Hong Kong. The price is good and their feedback seems excellent. The ad says Leica international warranty. Do you think that there would be a problem with the warranty here in the UK and did you have to pay any duty? Thanks.
Click to expand...

I've had Leica UK service grey market goods under the international warranty - they are usually okay on this (though it was pre-M8 days - things may have changed). Why not give them a ring and ask?

As far as import duty goes, the rate is zero in the UK for digital camera bodies (or a lens if it is attached). VAT is another matter. You should assume that you will have to pay 17.5% VAT plus an 'importation' charge levied by the courier or Royal Mail.
 
Take your best prices to your local dealer and see what they will do for you. They may not match it but may give you a price you can live with.
 
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