The Elasticity of Ebay Speak

[L Collins]

From an Ebay "auction" for a Sony rx1:

"It is guaranteed to be in perfect working order but it is sold in "AS IS" condition (for example, the box may be torn, etc) and returns will not be accepted."

What can this possibly mean? I'm offered a "guarantee" but am prohibited from returning it as it is being sold "AS IS"?😕

 

[Underaglassbell]

I like:

"Shutter works perfectly..

..I am not a photographer and have no way to test this camera."

"...yadda yadda-yadda..

..NO RETURN".

🙄

 

[Rodchenko]

I had a couple of items recently advertised as in good working order which clearly weren't (including an Electro 35 with PoD). Fortunately, ebay's resolution system got me my money and postage back.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Anything listed "As-Is" is broken.

 

[Boris Stupak]

There is no such thing as "no returns" with today's eBay. You just have to say "not as described" and eBay will force seller to return your money. Just make sure you pay with PayPal.

A buyer has no risk at all.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Anything listed "As-Is" is broken.

Dear Chris,

No, be fair. Only almost certainly broken. And not necessarily completely broken, even then.

Cheers,

R.

 

[hepcat]

Never buy anything on eBay that you can't afford to have repaired.

 

[Boris Stupak]

Most of you seriously don't understand. No matter what a seller says, you can get back all your money for anything as long as you pay via PayPal.

There is zero risk for buyers. None. Not even return shipping.

Sellers are far more likely to be scammed by buyers.

 

[Underaglassbell]

Never buy anything on eBay that you can't afford to have repaired.

That's not quite fair. I think it's more a case of beware of those who know nothing about what they own/have for sale.

I have purchased plenty of camera's and lenses on the eBay without ever having to send one of to be repaired/fixed.

This is mainly because I tend to look for photographers rather then those whom happen to somehow be in possession of said item, or a shop type set up where everything is Mint- for the sake of a bigger profit, despite the item being anything but (subjective I know - but I'm sure you know what I mean).

Graflex Speed Graphic
Aero-Ektar

Leica M7
Collapsible 50mm Cron
Zeiss 50 f1.5

Hasselblad 203FE
110mm F2 FE
80mm F2.8 (CFE)

Contax G2
35mm G f2

Pentax 67 / 6x7
Pentax 67ii

35mm - 165mm SMC lenses for P67 system

EOS 3

Canon 5D

50mm f1.2 L
24-700mm f2.8 L
17-40mm f4 L


All purchased over many years and not one issue and I think a lot of that has to do with choosing the right seller/shop.

 

[mugent]

Most of you seriously don't understand. No matter what a seller says, you can get back all your money for anything as long as you pay via PayPal.

There is zero risk for buyers. None. Not even return shipping.

Sellers are far more likely to be scammed by buyers.

Indeed, eBay/Paypal will always side with the buyer.

Also, negative feedback is so bad for a major seller, they will do anything to avoid it.
However, if like any other shop, you don't like the sellers attitude, don't biuy from there, you don't have a right to an incredible deal ;-)

 

[Keith]

I have bought as many incorrectly functioning (described as perfect) items from our classifieds as I have from eBay.

 

[Exdsc]

Henry's big camera chain has a ebay store, their scam is shill bidding, so if you follow some items on their page for sometime, you see stuff reappearing like clock work, stuff that was 'sold' at higher than normal prices. For instance right now they have a Panasonic LV1 EVF going for $174! that is twice the price for new ones you can get on ebay.

Moral of the story, ebay is only good for accessories and small purchases, that also with buy now option, bidding is a waste of time and a rigged game.

 

[splitimageview]

Whatever. I have bought untold items from eBay over the years, and sell there all the time.

Anyone who thinks it's just for small purchases, that's good for me. That means less competition interested in the pricier items. 😉

And yes, "AS IS" and "no returns" are meaningless. But just like at brick and mortar stores, reputations are earned. No reason to spend money on those listings unless you are willing to deal with a possible ebay claim (which is really pretty painless.) Spend your money at the top rated sellers and you're very unlikely to have to resort to that.

 

[splitimageview]

I like:

"Shutter works perfectly..

..I am not a photographer and have no way to test this camera."

"...yadda yadda-yadda..

..NO RETURN".

🙄

These are usually the best deals.

 

[archeophoto]

Exactly! And that's why I don't understand the "Ebay bashing" that's common on forums especially among buyers. For buyers Ebay is probably one of the best places to buy. There is hardly any risk.
For sellers this is a different story. That's why I'm getting more and more reluctant to sell on Ebay and that's why you see less and less private sellers there.

Most of you seriously don't understand. No matter what a seller says, you can get back all your money for anything as long as you pay via PayPal.

There is zero risk for buyers. None. Not even return shipping.

Sellers are far more likely to be scammed by buyers.

 

[Al Patterson]

I hate the term "minty" referring to condition. I'm going to take pictures with it, not use it to make tea or to flavor food with it...

 

[chathaway]

"minty"...really?

 

[farlymac]

"minty"...really?

Oh yeah, that's a cetain California's dealer's moniker for everything he sells. He trys to corner the market on a particular item by buying up every one he finds, gives them a bit of a cleaning, then BINs it at an astronomical price. That's what drives up the prices some others are asking for now.

But I mostly don't have many issues with the sellers, unless the item is extremely dirty, or reaks of cigarette smoke. Then there is the occasional idiot who thinks chucking the item in a box three times the size needed with no packing is a good way to ship stuff.

I don't buy stuff with out-of-focus photos.

I don't buy stuff with a "representative" photo.

I steer clear of the "this is from my Uncle", or "I found this in my Dad's closet" types

And always check their feedback scores. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be above 97%.

PF

 

[mdarnton]

I have hardly ever bought a bad item on Ebay, but lots of great deals. I look for things that sellers obviously have no understanding of that the rest of you are too scared to bid on. 🙂 My best: an absolutely mint 50/1.4 AiS Nikkor for $50. Bad blurry photos of the underside of the lens, and no description of focal length or speed. I recognized the layout of the parts, saw that it had a UV filter on it, and figured that even if the person selling it didn't know what they had, the original owner had cared for it well. I was the only bidder, of course.

I have a couple of other ploys I'm not going to tell you about. 🙂 My one failure was a $20 zoom lens that I didn't really need but couldn't resist.

 

[splitimageview]

Yes. Not sharing any more techniques here, either. 🙂