50mm, which one?

[D'z Nutz]

Holy shit, and here I thought you were overly paranoid about buying used gear. Good on you to return the stolen gear.

That said I've been buying used gear for well over a decade and that won't change. Just buy from a reputable source and do your homework prior to.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Man, what a shitty deal. Damn fine of you to return that lens, I wish there was some way for you to be compensated, like through your insurance or something. I wonder if you could sue him in small claims court for the loss you incurred.

In retrospect, ~50% of my used gear has been from KEH or similar. The only time I thought an item was weirdly cheap was from TCS and I doubt they'd be fencing stolen gear.

[NoPulp]

I signed the restitution form, meaning I'm asking the court to order him to pay me back directly. Unfortunately it doesn't "make" him pay me. I think a lawyer could recommend that he pays me before court to make him look good. I also think the repayment can be apart of a probation condition. But really the restitution is just another blemish on the guys record. No real way to get my money other than I take him myself to court which wouldn't be worth my time IMO. I'm not sure if police seized cash or if they could even return it directly to me.

I asked the police if they'll return the lens to the owner. They said they'll try to. They did mention that if the person doesn't want it (went through insurance already), there's a possibility it can be given to me since it would be a waste to destroy?

So I'm not sure how all this works. I dont even know if i have to go to court or what happens. I guess it'll be an interesting experience...




I guess I should ask, what are good sites I can purchase used equipment from? I know it's more expensive to go through another party, but I'd feel much better purchasing from a business that can insure proper functioning equipment and not stolen...

[djmr2]

shitty deal but good on you for returning it!

try http://www.fredmiranda.com/ as a good site. User base is worldwide but with everything it's us dominant.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Well, really hoping they come through for you, one way or another.

As far as websites go, keh.com is the most popular seller of used camera goods that I know of, and I have purchased from them a number of times with good results.

[NoPulp]

Originally posted by BerserkerCatSplat
Well, really hoping they come through for you, one way or another.

As far as websites go, keh.com is the most popular seller of used camera goods that I know of, and I have purchased from them a number of times with good results.

That looks like a decent site. Prices aren't horrible, seems like its basically just to USD to CAD conversion for what I could buy off facebook/kijiji. You've had good luck with them?

Have you purchased anything below grade LN-? Like are EX+ and EX still acceptable grades? Not sure how picky places are with their grading system. If the glass is in great shape, but the exterior has a couple scratches, that would be okay. Don't want equipment that has significant blemishes someone would notice without specifically look for them.

[msommers]

KEH is really great (I've bought and sold to them) and it's about as safe and easy as it comes to dealing with used equipment. However, they are in the US and as such our prices are brutal. They're also a little more expensive than what you'd find privately, which isn't really shocking. Condition wise, I think they rate things pretty conservatively. Like a Bargain piece isn't a hunk of junk - probably in better condition than some 'mint, barely used' things I see on Kijiji lol.

[ga16i]

I've had good luck with eBay only dealing with sellers with 100+ reviews who sells mostly photography related items.

As for 50mm'ish range lens. I'm using my old Contax 50mm 1.7 on Kindai adapter when I'm wanting to slow down. More of a 35mm guy myself and am quite happy with the Canon 35mm f2 IS USM. If they made a 50mm with IS, I probably would buy that too.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by NoPulp


That looks like a decent site. Prices aren't horrible, seems like its basically just to USD to CAD conversion for what I could buy off facebook/kijiji. You've had good luck with them?

Have you purchased anything below grade LN-? Like are EX+ and EX still acceptable grades? Not sure how picky places are with their grading system. If the glass is in great shape, but the exterior has a couple scratches, that would be okay. Don't want equipment that has significant blemishes someone would notice without specifically look for them.

Yep, most of my large format lenses were bought through KEH at very good prices, and I also purchased a couple of SLR lenses from them.

Their grading system is known for being very conservative. I bought two "Bargain" grade lenses that probably would have been described as "excellent condition" on Kijiji or Ebay, haha. The only problem I ever had was a bargain-grade zoom I bought turned out to have a jammed focusing helicoid. I called them up, had them pay to ship it back and they refunded me in full.

[taemo]

be wary of the shipping charges with KEH though, to Canada IIRC was around 50-60 US$

I havent had any experience with stolen gear on kijiji yet, although I rarely buy lens locally, other than a 70-300 IS lens that I bought years ago that was mis-focusing.

I try to avoid buying lenses from the US on ebay because of the potential import tax, Japan ebay though I buy all the time (just bought a lens few minutes ago as a matter of fact).
Although be wary of Japan sellers saying EX++ or excellent condition but then on description the lens has scratches, haze or fungus

Fred Miranda and RFF are my go to shopping place.

[blitz]

I'd much rather deal with people on Fred Miranda than Kijiji. I've done 100+ deals on there with only one shitty experience, and that was with me as the seller.

KEH is good, but usually not the best prices and shipping is high. BH Photo used department is in the same boat.

I'm with Earl on ebay from Japan, just read the descriptions. I've never been charged taxes or fees from an ebay purchase from Japan so that's a bonus. The only time I've paid fees on an item from Japan is when I bought my old Noctilux on Fred Miranda. Canadian customs misplaced the decimal point when calculating tax and I paid 10% of what I should have

[taemo]

what, they thought it was 8000 Yen instead of 8000$? lol

[Mitsu3000gt]

I've never purchased anything off of Kijiji in my life and this is just one reason why. If I did, I would be checking the serial number and receipt before exchanging any money that's for sure. If the sellers are anything like the buyers I deal with, I wouldn't be able to trust a single one of them haha. Dealing with people on forums with lots of positive feedback and places like KEH are almost always the best ways to go for camera gear. KEH won't be very good right now though because our dollar is trash and shipping is also in USD. I don't trust anyone on eBay either unless it's a known store.

Glad the POS got caught, but he'll get a slap on the wrist and back at it again in no time.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by taemo
what, they thought it was 8000 Yen instead of 8000$? lol

The opposite of that happened to another Beyonder - he ordered something from Japan and they accidentally listed the value in Yen instead of CAD. When I went to the post office to pick it up for him as he was out of the country, they wanted ~$300 in GST.

[NoPulp]

I've been dealing on kijiji for years and have had nothing but positive experiences. I'll be avoiding ebay too...
I think I'll sign up for Fred, but more for info. Might buy if from a very experienced member.

Keh is looking pretty good. I'd rather spend some extra money for the piece of mind of warranty/knowledge/paper trail.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by NoPulp
I've been dealing on kijiji for years and have had nothing but positive experiences. I'll be avoiding ebay too...
I think I'll sign up for Fred, but more for info. Might buy if from a very experienced member.

Keh is looking pretty good. I'd rather spend some extra money for the piece of mind of warranty/knowledge/paper trail.

You don't have to pay to join FM unless you want to use the buy/sell for feedback purposes. You can still browse it for free and use the forums and contact people freely. Good forum though, probably the best of the camera ones out there. Very little trolling.

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt


You don't have to pay to join FM unless you want to use the buy/sell for feedback purposes. You can still browse it for free and use the forums and contact people freely. Good forum though, probably the best of the camera ones out there. Very little trolling.

You only have to pay to post ads.

[blitz]

Originally posted by taemo
what, they thought it was 8000 Yen instead of 8000$? lol

It was less than that. They valued it at $900 CAD instead of $9000. The paperwork was filled out properly in Japan too, it was a total fuckup on Canadian Customs part.

The Canadapost guy gave me a bill for like $50

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by BerserkerCatSplat


The opposite of that happened to another Beyonder - he ordered something from Japan and they accidentally listed the value in Yen instead of CAD. When I went to the post office to pick it up for him as he was out of the country, they wanted ~$300 in GST.

So what happens in situations like that? Can you re-submit it for the correct declaration with some supporting documents and hope to be reimbursed?

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by D'z Nutz


So what happens in situations like that? Can you re-submit it for the correct declaration with some supporting documents and hope to be reimbursed?

I knew something was fishy, so I didn't pay the $300 and left the package at the post office for him to deal with. I believe he refused the package and had them re-ship it with correct info rather than try to get money back after the fact.