Buying from a merchant: what to expect

[Bobonli]

I think I'm about to pull the trigger on an M camera. Because I'm risk averse and take comfort in knowing the person I purchased from will stand behind the sale and offer a return policy, I'll likely buy from a merchant. Tamarkin and Photovillage come to mind since I'm just outside NYC.

What can I expect in terms of the condition of the camera? Will it be recently CLA'd, will the finder be aligned etc? Do dealers service the cameras before they re-sell them?

In other words, can expect the camera to be in top working order, or is it on a camera-by-camera basis and I should expect that I may have to have it serviced, even though it was sold by a reputable dealer?

Thanks
Bob

 

[Papercut]

If it's sold in working order, it should arrive in working order (finder aligned, shutter working properly, etc.). If it's not, then you should send it back and either get a refund or have it serviced on their dime. A reputable vendor should stand behind the camera, unless you're buying it "as-is", "for parts", etc. This isn't to say that they CLA all their cameras (I doubt if they do any service unless there's an obvious problem), but you should expect to get a working camera.


The mantra of "get a CLA" is a bit overdone. As long as the camera is working well, I see little reason to have work done on it.

If you're close, is there any way to go into NYC and buy in-person? That way you could put a lens on it (or them if there's more than one option), peek through the finder, fire the shutter at all speeds (with the back open), press all the fiddly bits (not that there's many on an M), etc. Might help take some of the worry out of the whole process. Just a thought.

EDIT: Even if you go purchase it in person, you still won't know for sure if there's a problem until you run some film through it and see how the negatives are. But it may help ease the worry if you're intensely "risk averse".

 

[photogdave]

It all depends on the store. Where I am there are three stores that sell used gear. One of them inspects everything short of running film through it and has a machine to check the accuracy of the shutter speeds and meter. They offer a warranty but also sells gear on consignment, which gets the same inspection but no warranty.
Another store doesn't seem to do any inspection whatsoever and I've been burned by them when they wouldn't warranty the gear or give me a refund. I held on to the faulty equipment and traded it back to them a couple of years later and they didn't inspect it again!
The third store I haven't dealt with so I can't say.
I've heard really good things about Photovillage and Tamarkin so I would be confident buying from either of them.