Second Hand or New from eBay?

daedalus2097

Hi,
Recently I was asked to advise on an SLR for a moderate budget. What came to mind was the 400D, but buying new over the counter is a bit outside the budget I was given. So I was thinking about second hand, or about the countless shops on eBay selling them new. Has anyone any thoughts on either of these routes? I know second hand is risky, but buying new from the likes of URGalaxy is surely a similar risk, no? And there's the risk of having to pay import duty with the likes of these.

I also noticed a few sellers saying the item was in the UK, even though the seller's registered in the USA. Has anyone had any experience with these guys?

Thanks, and I hope this doesn't come across as a "what camera" type of thread - it's not

rymus

what's the budget like? I hear a long time boards user has a great dslr for sale.. If I could only remember who it was..

daedalus2097

LOL I'll have to get a proper figure for you, but I reckon it'll be a bit lower than you're looking for for the 20D... I'd guess less than 500 quid anyway. Besides, it's for a beginner and possibly yours is overkill, though I'll see what kind of money we're talking and let you know.

rymus

if it sways your decision any.. the 20D was my beginner camera. Also, in the subject of swaying decisions, I have interest in the grip seperatly which would bring down the price of the body.

Now, for fear of inviting the wrath of the mods, I'll away to my darkened corner office.

Paulw

20D is a great camera. It was my beginner DSLR too, with no regrets at all.

I sold mine last week (not on boards/adverts) and got €300 for it. From looking at Rymus's picts, mine seemed a lot more used than his, and probably a good few more shutter actions too.

A very good camera and well worth considering.

daedalus2097

Hmmm... Very interesting I'll run it by him and see what kind of money he's thinking of and get back to you privately I suppose...

Anyways, people would recommend going down the second hand route then as opposed to the eBay-from-afar route, yeah?

Paulw

Depends on what you want and what your budget is. I've bought loads of kit from kea-photo on ebay in the last year (7k+ value) with not a single problem.

But, I wouldn't buy 2nd hand from ebay, just in case.

rymus

ebay for brand new stuff.. Wouldnt buy used from ebay as you cant try before buying 99% of the time. At least with a local/known seller, you can find them and kneecap them if it's not as advertised or if it craps out on you within a week.

Ok so at the moment I'm a tad biased but thats the way I operate at all other times. I bought a used lens from the UK on ebay once for about 100 quid but tbh, I wouldn't spend more on used kit from ebay than I could afford to lose. I certainly wouldn't be buying a used dslr from ebay without completely inspecting it first. There could well be a thick crusty film of grime all over the sensor for all you know

daedalus2097

Thanks guys, that's kinda what I was thinking alright. Thing is, how likely is it that I'll have to pay customs fees etc. buying from Kea? I like the look of their shop and their reputation but getting shafted for tax could mess up the whole thing for him...

*Dallas

hey daedalus2097,

i've alot of experience on eBay.. if you want to pass on the user name and/or item number i can have a butchers!

Thirdfox

I'd only buy cheap stuff second stuff from ebay (like my 30 euro lens from Italy). If I'm going to spend lots of money online then it had better in a new condition or have a great rerturn policy!

Ricky91t

Well iv bought 2 Slr's off ebay and 2 lense.
Both camera were described as in great condition one had very light use and must of only had 4000 clicks when i got it(i only figured out how to check ativations recently)The other said used for a few years by an amateur iv had it for a year and had around 15000 clicks on it so i was very pleased.The first cam was my 20D and the second my 300D

daedalus2097

Cheers, I'm an eBay regular myself, but never for anything from outside the EU, and never a camera. I've bought Hi-Fi gear, lots of computer parts and even a car, but I'm a little wary of these outside EU ones. One in particular that caught my eye was this guy:

eBay Clicky

Seems to be decent enough and has heaps of good feedback, but especially since I'm getting it for someone else I don't want them to be shafted for tax etc., or for warranty in case something goes wrong. I get the impression from that ad that the seller is providing the warranty on that item rather than Canon themselves... Anyway, good to get as many thoughts and ideas before I go buying. Thanks!

Edit: We're looking at a ceiling of around €500 including decent memory card and bag...