Problem ebay auctions?

[bennybo]

Hi,

I'm new here, but I've been lurking for some time.

I'm starting to get ready to pull the string on a Leica M body (still haven't decided which one (M2 or M4 or M6). I go back and forth every other day as many of you have no doubt done.

Ebay auctions are a great place to get a feel for prices and availability at least.

I'm dubious about a couple of auctions I've run into recently and I'd like to get some second opinions...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7570873162
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7569280443

Both same style of listing. Both zero feedback. Dodgy?

I'll post a WTB soon here and maybe have better luck than the ebay crapshoot.

Thanks for any help.

 

[david b]

I don't think either are scams because they are located here in the USA. I am NOT saying that ebay scams don't happen here, but lately, it seems, that they are mostly listed with UK addresses (flame suit on).

Also, they both accept paypal which gives you a bit of protection. Once you bid on an item, you can request the sellers contact info which includes town/state and phone number.

As someone with over 700 transactions, I would bid on these cameras. You can also email the sellers and ask to call them or even better is to ask for a photo of the camera sitting on todays local newspaper.

Good luck.

 

[celluloidprop]

I'd be very wary - two Leica auctions with zero feedback, using the exact same layout for the description.

 

[photogdave]

Hey Bennybo,
I honestly can't understand why people buy camera equipment from ebay. I can't imagine handing over my money for something that I have to wait for in the mail before I can see it. Especially something like a camera with so many mechanical parts and optics that need to be looked over and possibly tested. There are so many ways the seller can deceive you and make it difficult to get your money back.
Now I know plenty of people out there and here on this forum have had good luck and made great deals so I'm not trying to upset anyone, but for me it doesn't seem worth the risk. I would try checking out what some of the stores advertising on RFF have available. Usually the equipment will be warrantied to some extent and been checked over by someone knowledgeable to make sure it's in good working order. It's also a better barometer of value.
Buying and trading with fellow RFF members also seems to be a great way to get some good gear with peace of mind intact!
Good luck! 😀

 

[david b]

Let me show a few reasons why I use ebay to buy and sell...

Xpan II kit with 45mm lens...mint....$1400 including shipping

Hasselblad 503cw with 80mmCFE and A12 , mint with box and all paperwork...$1000 including shipping

Hasselblad 150mm CFi lens with caps...mint....$900

And this awesome buy...
Hasselblad 501c with 80mm and A12 with boxes
AND
Hasselblad 2xe extender with box and caps
AND
50mm CF FLE with box and caps
AND
A24 back with box

All for $1525 including shipping!!!!

Hasselblad Flexbody kit with box, bag, and all accessories...unused....$700 including shipping.

This is why I buy and sell on ebay.

 

[Little Prince]

Wow. I don't know much about all the other Hassy SLR stuff, but that Flexbody sounds like a great deal! I know someday I'd like to get my hands on one of those things, even though I have no clue why I'd want it 😀.

Sorry for OT comments.

 

[david b]

The flexbody is now selling for about $2400 on ebay which happens to be the original MSRP. I will most likely sell mine in the next month or so because I simply do not use it.

 

[John]

bennybo,

Those two ads look strange to me too. They are laid out the same. The pics seem slightly overexposed in the same way. They are selling very similar things - but it is a different seller. Both items look very mint which makes them rarer; however, the seller does not really know the product and appears to have copied a spec sheet or something?

I have been bidding on ebay where most sellers have 99% feedback. I believe this is good detective work on your part. Just my thoughts and not trying to be controversial. 😱

 

[Kim Coxon]

I would be wary of these. In the past there have been scams which list Paypal but at auction end they "demand" other payment. You don't have to pay that mind. Also neither of these has the feel of someone selling for the first time on eBay, you know the fuzzy pictures, just one etc. True there has been much talk of UK sites being hijacked but these are not hijacks and also talk about suspicious listing with no Paypal. But then the scammers probably read this as well 😉

Just my 2c worth, I would bid if interested but would ask questions first and be wary about payment.

Kim

 

[sf]

I would not do it. Especially not the one with the saagffss username. Totally bogus. Being in the USA doesn't mean much, because that information is easily faked, and often sellers will give alternate addresses for payment. When buying something as pricey as a Leica, buy from a reputable seller so that you have some safety net, should things go sour. I'm not saying that all sellers with zero feedback and nonsense screen names are scammers, but there's no point in pushing things. You may spend more buying from a seller with a good rating, but that money is spent not only on the camera, but on the security of the deal. Sort of a surcharge for your peace of mind. At least, that is how i see it.

 

[jamiewakeham]

Bit of a thread hijack - but - I've just recieved a Spotmatic F from a 99.8% seller on the 'bay which I paid £55 (suppose $120?) for, claimed to be in perfect working order. The lightmeter's broken, and indeed the switch which controls the meter has snapped off. The photos had all been taken at very carefully chosen angles to conceal this.

I assume the thing to do is to ask for all my money back, or maybe point out that withoput a meter the camera is worth much less, and ask to keep the body and get a partial refund?

Any advice?

Cheers,
Jamie

 

[Ben Z]

I too have never and will never buy anything on ebay, and probably won't sell anything either (the latter mostly because I travel almost constantly and would have to haul everything with me to be able to ship it). I know there are those jaw-dropping deals out there but I'm retired and can't afford to gamble. The biggest problem someone like me faces is that due to ebay fewer and fewer people are trading in or selling stuff to camera stores at their rip-off offers, and also stores are curtailing their buying of used film stuff, so the pickings are getting slimmer every day.

 

[Kim Coxon]

Contact the seller and ask for a full refund including post on the grounds that the item differs materially from the listing and see what he says. In the meantime, take it to a camera shop and get them to write an evaluation on it's condition. If the sellers refuses, or offers bid price only, put a formal complaint through Paypal if paid that way or through eBay on their fraud scheme.

Kim

Bit of a thread hijack - but - I've just recieved a Spotmatic F from a 99.8% seller on the 'bay which I paid £55 (suppose $120?) for, claimed to be in perfect working order. The lightmeter's broken, and indeed the switch which controls the meter has snapped off. The photos had all been taken at very carefully chosen angles to conceal this.

I assume the thing to do is to ask for all my money back, or maybe point out that withoput a meter the camera is worth much less, and ask to keep the body and get a partial refund?

Any advice?

Cheers,
Jamie

 

[zpuskas]

I agree with most said here. E-Bay can be a source of good deals but as with everything "caveat emptor". If you still want to go ahead I'd contact the sellers and specifically ask about shipping costs..they could hammer you later with obscene charges. I was looking at some 39mm filters today and the seller wanted $20 for S&H. Ouch!

 

[mad_boy]

The listings are similar indeed. Not only similar format but also same starting price and both with reserve (not too comon).

The format couls be explained, since it seem to be copied from KBcamera.
(see http://www.kbcamera.com/m2profile.htm). If I would know nothing about a camera and tried to sell it, I also might look there for a description of the camera.

It is strange that there is no mention at the M4 of the lens that aparently comes with it.

So if this would be a non-scam offer, it would be from 2 persons who would not know too much about (Leica) camera's (for instance an inheretance). But if this is the case, then why would they have put in such a high reserve price?

All in all for my feeling too many alarm-bells to bid.

Mad_boy

 

[celluloidprop]

If you're looking for an M4, one was listed on the Leica User Group today:
http://www.leica-users.org/v31/msg01118.html

Chrome, recent CLA, good deal.

 

[pbjbike]

Both auctions look iffy. Ask for their phone numbers and give them a call. It's much easier to tell if someone is on the level with a conversation. If they won't provide them, there's your answer. I succumbed to GAS several months ago and used B-I-N for a "bargain" M4 from a high volume camera dealer in Germany. It ended up needing a $350 CLA...No bargain in the end. Wait and see what comes up here in the next month or two. Honest members who'll give an accurate description of their gear and a more than fair price.

 

[Rick Waldroup]

Maybe it is just me but I have never one had one bit of problem selling camera gear on ebay and especially buying gear on ebay. Over several years, I have sold medium format gear, 35mm. large format (including an 8x10 Wista field camera), and numerous darkroom items. I have bought a lot of equipment, some of it rather pricey (over 4000.00), and never once had one probem. I have saved thousands of dollars this way and have gotten much more for the equipment I have sold rather than using my local camera store. The thing is to just do your homework and if something really looks weird or out of place, if it gives you a funny feeling, then pass on it. Something else will always come along.

 

[nrb]

Last Nov.8 I won a nice looking 50 Summicron on ebay for little less than €500. Seller was an Austrian gentleman and even though he stated in his ad that he would send it COD, he demanded on his first contact that I transfer that money to his bank account in Austria, and that he wouldn't accept paypal either. So I asked for his BIC/IBAN numbers as is the use in Europe and transfered the money to his account through my bank, first thing monday morning, at a cost of nearly €30.

Some 10 days later he sent me an email stating he had received no money, and that he'd be traveling to the US for the next 3 weeks.

The real problem begins when my bank says that my money was returned because the account number the seller gave me was not valid, quote.

I explained this problem to the seller through email but so far I heard of him no more. Neither did he report me to ebay as a non payer...

Can anyone spot any telling pattern here, because this case is strange enough. Surely I'd like to get my lens. Surely I did send him his money. Surely he didn't receive it. Surely he acts as if he cares not.

 

[celluloidprop]

Selling stuff, I've always been OK. Nothing horribly expensive - $400-500 tops for some Canon lenses and flashes. Non-camera gear, a couple of laptops and a desktop.

Buying stuff, I've had two iffy experiences. I 'won' an M6, asked about Paypal or a postal money order, got a 'plz send to Western Union in Los Angeles' reply, so I blew him off. Before that I got an OM4-Ti that didn't work at all (shutter seized or something) and had the wrong kind of focus screen. The guy whined about having it come back but eventually refunded my money.

On the other hand, the Crown Graphic, converted 110A and M7 I got off Ebay were fantastic.