FSU selling FSU eBay Scam trend.

Ko.Fe.

Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
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In 2017 I purchased FED-4 as after CLA and tested with film. Picture was shown. Camera appears not working correctly, not serviced, not tested.
I spend couple of weeks to get my money back from scammer based in Ukraine. He has 100% feedback and thousand+ in sales.

Today at Russian speaking RF forum another scammer from Ukraine was reported. He is using rRRF pictures gallery and attaching to his listings the images taken by another camera and another person, without permission.
Also 100% feedback and thousands+ in sales.

And here is no simple way to report this scam on eBay. They don't even have simple messaging. How scumbags they became, charging big money for each sale, but no intention to keep their place clean....
 
This is the thread where pictures from another cameras are shown and seller listings are provided.
http://rangefinder.ru/club/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18129
One pictures owner has contacted the scammer, pictures were removed, but where are other listings with pictures taken by another cameras and another people.

That's interesting. I recently bought a Zorki 6, from a different Ukrainian seller, and after purchasing it I ran across the same listing but from the seller in linked forum thread. I was worried about what I'd receive, but I received the exact camera pictured in the listing. After getting the camera, I forgot all about it until seeing this thread.
From what I can tell, the seller I bought from is legit, and the other seller is just copying the listings.
 
Lots of scammers on Ebay and Ebay has no real teeth in doing anything about it.
Example: This guy has been running his scams for years.
He often does not have any items to ship just re-listed sold items .
I ordered the filter in the listing above from him a year ago and then reported non-shipment. Reported his scam. The listing keeps going back up.
He has now many negative feedbacks stating the same sort of thing from others.
Ebay should give him the boot but ... he is still there....another win for the interwebs!
 
Thank you, Colton.
So, conclusion is - do not trust any of them.

What a shame to be FSU and eBay seller these days. Disgrace at both ends...
 
I have bought several FSU cameras from alex-ukr-alex with good results. He will do custom orders such as matching a selected lens to a selected body. His prices are higher because he has better gear. He is a trained tech and does his own repair work.
 
Confirmative on my side. Working 5B in 2017. But I'm not sure if here is any CLA as he claimed was done or it is just fresh enough and he figured it out.

According to one FSU service person of FSU, here is no FSU sellers left on eBay who sells it after real CLA, not needle injections of kerosene to make it chug away for three months.
 
The only one I've had a good experience with is Yuri, at Fedka.

I've bought a few things from him, and they've all been spot on.
You pay more, but you get what you pay for.
 
Yes, I've not bought anything from him, but friends have used him for service and were very happy.

And both could be on eBay, but chose not to.
It is good lesson from eBay. If I want to sell something as tested with film, I have to provide this film. Not just low-res image in the listing.

It really bugs me. I have sold cameras on eBay after I tested them with film. But I never used someone else and different camera negatives, scans to show it.
 
I know, that's brutal.

And both could be on eBay, but chose not to.
It is good lesson from eBay. If I want to sell something as tested with film, I have to provide this film. Not just low-res image in the listing.

It really bugs me. I have sold cameras on eBay after I tested them with film. But I never used someone else and different camera negatives, scans to show it.
 
I have to second Yuri at Fedka. I have bought from him and everything has been fine.

I would add fellow FSU users here on RFF to be a good option too. I bought a Zorki 1 from davidnewtonguitars and the camera is in great shape.

Steve W

The only one I've had a good experience with is Yuri, at Fedka.

I've bought a few things from him, and they've all been spot on.
You pay more, but you get what you pay for.
 
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I have bought several FSU cameras from alex-ukr-alex with good results. He will do custom orders such as matching a selected lens to a selected body. His prices are higher because he has better gear. He is a trained tech and does his own repair work.
I highly recommend alex-ukr-alex also excellent cameras and serviced very well. I have had a very bad experience with artemstore fake picture camera not as shown with dents, bad curtain etc
 
I highly recommend alex-ukr-alex also excellent cameras and serviced very well. I have had a very bad experience with artemstore fake picture camera not as shown with dents, bad curtain etc

I've only bought one camera from him. It was a FED-2. It turned out to have a film pressure plate with bumps, that scratched my test roll of film. He admitted he might had overlooked it and sent me a better pressure plate for free. And the shutter was over tension-ed (well this is more like a default feature now...) .

Even though solved with nice attitude, this experience did discouraged me from buying from FSU eBay sellers even more. I've also learnt that buyers have different standards of "CLA" and "working condition", that renders feedback-referring quite useless.

I've had good experience from this seller,https://www.ebay.com/usr/old-stuff-old-things
however he sells way less cameras these days. He might be the only one I know who would take a close up photo of the shutter curtains and put it in the listing, and describe the problem properly if there are. He shoots old cameras himself and he knows what he is selling.
 
If I was going to run a scam I think FSU cameras would be pretty far down my list of money-making ideas ;)

Sorry to hear about the bad experiences.
 
If I was going to run a scam I think FSU cameras would be pretty far down my list of money-making ideas ;)

Sorry to hear about the bad experiences.

I think many of the sellers got their cameras almost for free (even if they partial refund you they still earn), and they earn some extra money from elevated shipping fee as well. If they sell a lot, which they do, they would earn more than an ecologist by this business.
 
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