Ebay camera bundles

maggie1969

Hello all,

I was just wondering if anybody has bought the Canon digital dslr bundles on ebay? I was specifically looking at the Canon EOS 30D kit with 3 lenses, filters, tripod, case etc. for approx $1600.00. Is this a good price for all these items. To me, (as a enthusiastic beginner!), it seems really good.

If anybody has ordered how did you get on? Were the kits ok? Were you caught for duty charges? Any pros and cons anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

mitchhendrix

a word of warning
i was in the process of buying a similar 350D kit from ebay
i had to ring the company during the payment process they tried to sell me extra batteries etc which was fine but the icing on the cake was telling me i had to buy an international warranty so my cmaera would be covered for 3 years!!

that was just my experience
be very careful plus for such a large package you will probably be charged custom tax or whatever it is!! so it will cost a great deal more than you expect

Ruu_Old

You will be caught with customs and don't listen to any seller that tells you they can avoid it (unless they are going to pay it for you). I'm thinking of buying one from eBay but I'm located in the US right now. Watch what payment method to use also, no Western Union.

mikeanywhere

I bought all my Canon gear through Ebay and havent looked back. I plan to get a few lenses in the near future too (when I can finally decide ideally what I need).

The international warranty is a defo must!!

Beano

Just dont forget the golden rules of ebay

Never buy a high value item from a seller without a long history of positive feedback for similar items
Never pay by western union, only use paypal
Look for the buysafe seal
even if you pay by paypal you are only covered up to $1000

If you are unsure if the seller is legit or not post the link and we'll take a look at it for you.

Roen

@ Maggie, €1600 for a 30D and 3 lenses and a tripod seems like a steal. Are they all used? What lenses are they? What tripod is it? What filters and what case? If you don't want to post up a link, at least tell us what the lens combos are.
@ Mitchhendrix The 3 year international Mack warranty comes free with UrGalaxy on any L lens I got (all two of em). I don't really think that other shops should be charging for them.

mitchhendrix

yeah thats what i thought, i didnt like the idead of paying for a warranty just because the camera is being bought from outside america. because canon is an international company shouldnt athe warranty be include with the purchase?

maggie1969

Hello again all,

Thank you all for your replies and advise.

Some of you asked for a link to the kit I was looking at (or at least one of the kits) so here it is
http://cgi.ebay.com/Canon-EOS-30D-Digital-SLR-Camera-2-CANON-PRO-LENS-4GB_W0QQitemZ110040722257QQihZ001QQcategoryZ43454QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem.

I'm sorry it's so long. Didn't know how to insert a proper link so forgive me!

Looking forward to your advise again!

Ruu_Old

Hmm they don't accept Paypal, thats the only thing I'd be wary of. The feedback looks okay but remember how difficult it may be to contact them (if you have to call the US).

DamoKen

was looking into getting one of these bundle offers last year on ebay. after doing a lot of research I decided it was really not worth the risk. Here's a link to some reviews on peoples experiences with that store http://www.epinions.com/pr-Online_Stores_Services-ShopSunshine_com/display_~reviews .

Not saying that buying off ebay is very risky or anything, just that there are a lot of dealers out there (especially in the New York region for some reason) who operate through it and have a number of dubious scams they employ (i.e bait and switch) plus terrible customer service. Another favourite is to sell you a grey market camera, not suggesting that this applies to the seller you're looking at, just something to be wary of.

adrian522

My main concern with something like this would be the risk of getting stung for import duty and customs and excise etc. I think its around 20%. So it depends on what is declared as the value on the package. Some sellers from HK understate this, but it is still a hge risk.
Secondly you need to be aware that if the whole thing goes belly up paypal will be able to do little or nothing if the seller has drawn down the cash from the paypal account.
My advice would be 1st if it looks to good to be true it is, 2nd look at the currency exchange rates, 3rd look at the postage costs, 4th factor in import duty and taxes.
Also take a good look at sites like ac foto or teknikdirect, both based in Germany and very competitive.

Having said all that I did once buy a canon ixus camera from HK over ebay and the transaction went smoothly but if i had been caught for import duty it would probably have cost me more than say pixmania or whatever.

Hope all this helps, feel free to pm me if you want any more info.

Roen

The fact that they don't use PayPal strips you of some protection. I just have a funny feeling about this crowd, it all seems a bit happy and too good.
Then again I could be just jealous Bear in mind though that you'll stand a higher chance of having to pay duty with items coming from the States.
Best of luck with your purchase whatever you choose.

Beano

They do accept paypal but it seems you need to call them first. Reading some of their feedback they try to upsell you an international warranty. Their feedback seems to indicate that their shipping is expensive. There's nothing in the bundle that looks interesting either. The bundle includes the kit lens and a fairly cheap telephoto lens. The "wideangle" lens is laughable and pretty much useless.

Even the price doesnt seem particularly cheap given the quality of the rest of the items in the bundle. Especially when you consider the vat and duty you will be charged. On a €1600 item expect to pay around €500 in duty and vat. Doesnt seem like such a bargain now does it?

Have you had a look at some european online shops? http://www.technikdirekt.de sell the 30D with the Canon 17-85 IS lens that everybody raves about for €1627. That seems like a much better deal.

maggie1969

Thanks to all for your advise about these kits. As an enthusiastic beginner I was impressed when I saw these kits, but knew it probably was too good to be true. I think I'll pass on these and shop nearer home.

But I still want to get my first dslr camera. I saw the Canon EOS 300D in a shop in cork with a 18-55mm lens for €849 which seems like a good price, but the reviews for it on the internet weren't that good. I would like the Canon EOS 30D but is it too advanced for a beginner? What lenses etc should I get with it? I am interested in Landscape, wildlife and macro work. I know the Canon brand is expensive but they seem like the most reliable one.

Any advise from experienced dslr user would be greatly appreciated!

Beano

The 300D has been replaced twice since it was introduced by the 350D and 400D. The only reason I can think of to buy a 300D is if you are getting it very cheap. €850 is not cheap. I'm actually suprised that a shop still has it in stock. They must have it a couple of years.

Given that you're a beginner why not go for the 400D? It will do pretty much everything the 30D will do and the things it wont do you wont notice.

Roen

Get the best clobber you can afford Maggie, that way you'll only have yourself to blame!
If you had the moola to shell on a $1600 package then do the same €uros wise and get a 30D with a lens or two.
There's loads upon loads of links in the sticky above; you can't go wrong there.

Valentia

Beano wrote:

Given that you're a beginner why not go for the 400D? It will do pretty much everything the 30D will do and the things it wont do you wont notice.

The best advice ever!! It will do more than the 30D at alot less money.

Roen

Valentia wrote:

The best advice ever!! It will do more than the 30D at alot less money.

It all depends........at a lot less money though!

Valentia

Roen wrote:

It all depends........at a lot less money though!

True. Good advice?? I'll have to stop posting in the early hours, I'm a bit prone to exaggeration :eek:

Fionn

EOS 30D is a lot for a beginner, you could always look at the second-hand market always bargins to be got like this click here
then spend the rest of your dosh on good quality lens and other bits of kit.

Whatever you do - good luck with it

Beano

Valentia wrote:

True. Good advice?? I'll have to stop posting in the early hours, I'm a bit prone to exaggeration :eek:

you were right the first time Valentia, it was excellent advice

maggie1969

Thanks all! This at least gives me some idea what I should and shouldn't be looking at. I'll check out the 400D anyway for starters. I'll let you all know how I get on!