Don’t get burned!
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Photography gear is pricey, and buying used is a great way to keep your wallet from getting too thin, but it also comes with quite a few risks. The high price associated with photo gear sometimes attracts unsavory folks disguising themselves as reputable sellers, as a means to part you from your hard earned cash. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to avoid this from happening.
I’ve been buying gear on a budget for thirteen years now, mostly via eBay and Craigslist, and in that time have come of with a basic set of rules to protect myself from getting burned. And after recently reading a gear-buying horror story, I felt compelled to write down my rules – with the input of my DPReview colleagues – and share them with you.
Note: There are exceptions to these rules and following them does not necessary guarantee you won’t get burned by a bad deal. As with any big-ticket purchase, common sense is the best and safest policy.
Buy from reputable used retailers
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Buy from reputable used retailers like KEH or from the used department of reputable camera retailers like Adorama or B&H. If you are unsure of whether a camera retailer is reputable, if they are based in the USA, a quick search of the company’s name on the Better Business Bureau website should provide you the answer.
As a rule, always be sure to check and understand the retailer’s return policy, just in case you have an issue. For instance, KEH offers a 6 month return window.
Buy from sellers with a positive history
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The advantage of buying from a used retailer is generally piece of mind; the disadvantage is you will likely pay more than buying direct from a selling party. That’s where consumer-to-consumer sites like eBay and more recently, Amazon Marketplace* come into play.
If you plan on purchasing from a seller on one of these sites, I can not emphasize enough how important it is that they have a positive selling history with multiple completed transactions. At least ten is a good place to start, but the more the merrier. Checking a seller’s history is simple on both of the above-mentioned sites.
DPReview.com is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amazon but is editorially independent of our parent company.
Use safe payment methods
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Only pay using a payment method you trust. PayPal is the obvious option, especially if buying on eBay, but there are others out there. And be wary of anyone who wants you to pay by wiring money to them via Western Union. If you choose to do so, make sure you’ve developed a sufficient level of trust with the seller.
Buy from other photo enthusiasts and ask questions
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Buy from sellers who are photographers/photo enthusiasts. They’ll likely have taken better care of their gear and know more about its operation. The language used in an item’s description is usually a good indicator of whether the seller is a photo enthusiast or just someone who picked up some gear at an estate sale. If you are still unsure, reach out to the seller and ask them a question about the gear. If their reply doesn’t satisfy you, don’t buy it.
Try Craigslist gear paired with your own
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If you plan on buying off Craigslist, try the gear with your own lenses/camera before you buy. One of my colleagues went to check out a prospective lens from a Craigslist seller. The lens seemed to function great on the gentleman’s camera, but when my buddy mounted it on his, the AF motor started to squeak. My friend had done his research and knew this particular lens occasionally suffers from premature failed AF motors, so he politely said ‘no thank you’ and moved on. Had he not tried it on his own camera, he might have ended up with a lemon of a lens.
Know the warning signs of gear failure, and ask for shutter counts
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This is in a similar vein to the previous tip: Always, ALWAYS research warning sizes of failure for a piece of used gear you are considering purchasing. Some used gear holds up surprisingly well over time; some does not. For instance, early production Nikon 17-35mm F2.8 lenses suffer from the aforementioned failed focus motor. Knowing the warning signs of failure is essential. And don’t be afraid to ask the buyer if ‘the AF motor squeaks at all.’ These kind of questions and their answers can help protect you.
On a similar note, if purchasing a used camera, always ask for the shutter count. In the same way the odometer in a used car provides a metric for how much wear and tear it’s received, so does a shutter count. Because shutters are only guaranteed so many actuations by the manufacturer, it is crucial to check before you buy.
Skip grey market gear
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Avoid grey market gear. If you are unfamiliar with the term, it refers to gear that is sold in new condition, but without a corresponding warranty for the country in which it is being purchased. To be clear: ANY camera or lens bought new from a reputable dealer will always have a warranty card issued by the manufacturer. Grey market cameras have usually been imported illegally. Some will come with a third party warranty, some will not.
While the prices might be tempting, it’s best to avoid these ‘deals.’ If you end up having a problem with the gear or there is some kind of recall, you may run into issues when sending it back to the manufacturer. Not to mention that grey market sales undermine the integrity of the photography gear market as a whole.
Look into alternative versions, save some dough
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Look for alternative versions of gear that may be less expensive. This is less a tip about protecting yourself and more a tip about finding the best deal, but what the heck, we included it anyway. A good example of this is the Leica CL, which goes for a lot more money than a Leitz Minolta CL, despite being the same camera.
Check compatibility
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Double check your prospective gear’s compatibility with your current gear. This one is pretty commonsense, but if you accidentally buy a Canon FD mount lens for your 5D Mark III, the screw-up is on you, not the seller. Likewise, if you buy a Nikkor-D lens and your DSLR doesn’t have a built-in AF motor, that’s your problem – not the seller’s.
Patience is key
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Be patient. If buying on Amazon Marketplace or eBay, you can set automated searches or notifications for products of interest. Don’t rush into buying something because you don’t see a lot of copies for sale.
Update the gear’s registration info
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Make sure if the seller had registered their gear with the manufacturer that you coordinate changing the registration info to your own. I recently heard an unfortunate story of a photographer sending a piece of gear, bought used, to the manufacturer due to a recall, and the manufacturer sending it back to the original buyer. A sticky wicket for sure! Don’t let that happen to you.
Have any used-gear-buying tips of your own? Share them with us. If they’re solid enough will include them in our list!
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)