Did your Ebay camera Work out of the Box?

[karlori]

M3 with rotten cloths on the shutter and a rather strong smell of gas ( not the good kind :P )... I feel that someone dunked it in wd40 and then in some gas to get it lubed.
I rejected to take it into ownership at the customs office so it went back straight away... Buuuuuut, i did buy a pentax MX sight unseen with the stock image listed and voila a near mint camera arrived.

[zuiko85]

E-bay translation guide;

"I don't know much about cameras...."= it's broken
"Worked fine the last time I used it..." = it's broken (last time used was in 1976)
"Not tested but dials move and shutter clicks..."= it's broken
"I have no battery to check the meter with..."= it's broken
"Controls a little stiff but should free up with use..."= it's broken
"Works but sold as-is, no return..."= it's broken

Probably many more I missed.

[karlori]

Originally Posted by zuiko85

E-bay translation guide;

"I don't know much about cameras...."= it's broken
"Worked fine the last time I used it..." = it's broken (last time used was in 1976)
"Not tested but dials move and shutter clicks..."= it's broken
"I have no battery to check the meter with..."= it's broken
"Controls a little stiff but should free up with use..."= it's broken
"Works but sold as-is, no return..."= it's broken

Probably many more I missed.

Seller refurbished... (With the exception of few a real craftsmen) = missing parts and really battered inside...
Minty = Smells like mint but is used and shows wear cleverly not shown in photos
There is film inside = i screwed it up so much i can't even open the body anymore
Just a small ding = mechanics are bashed beyond recognition
Electronics are flaky = its 99% dead
Etc...

[literiter]

I've had some pretty good luck.

-Two really old Super Ikonta B Cameras work perfectly and the shutters are very accurate.
-A remarkably pristine Kodak Retina ii, which was so poorly photographed by the seller that I bought it for parts, very cheaply! Like $30.00.
-A Nikon F2 with the DP-1 head. Again only one poor photograph and I thought I would at least have it for a spare. Even the light meter was functional and accurate.

The worst I received was a a Welta Weltini that arrived via Canada Post about 1/2 inch thinner than it should have been. It was very well packaged but that didn't really matter, it had been crushed anyway. Even the lens was smashed.
Of course this was not the fault of the seller!!
-Insurance is a really good idea.

[mathomas]

I just returned a 90mm Elmarit-R. Max aperture wasn't max -- some aperture blades showing even at f/2.8: both off the camera, and during exposure. Real bummer because it was in very good condition otherwise and took nice photos.

I tried to get the seller to split shipping (he charged $15, and it cost me $20 to ship back). He refused, saying "my shipping to you was underestimated, so I'm already in the hole". I thought, "that's funny, by my math that makes you about $5 in the hole while I'm $35 in the hole". Whatever. At least he did the refund/return (it was a "no return" auction).


Also recently got a 28mm Elmarit-R with really stiff focusing. It's not unusable, but annoying and disappointing. I figure I'll just live with it for now, and get it CLA'd someday.

[Lano]

I just got my second not working Leica IIIf today, it was sold as in perfect working condition.

[Spanik]

So far I have one that doesn't work OOB, a FED 35A. Well, it seems to work but the speeds are erratic. Of about 8 camera's that looks reasonable to me. All camera's older than 10 years need lightseal replacements but otherwise work perfect. Some of them I use regulary with lightseal that do a reasonable chewing gum impression.

[TXForester]

I bought two digital p&s from through ebay. One came from Gazelle. Both worked fine and the one from Gazelle was in better condition than described.

I did buy a lens from ebay that didn't work as described (aperture stuck wide open). I got a refund for that one.

[harlequin]

- Bought an Olympus Trip 35 that needed work - though I knew that at the time. - Yashica Electro 35GTN that supposedly didn't work properly - does when you put a battery in it. - Lomo Lubitel 166U that worked as well as described. 100% record so far. Yay!

[bjornkeizers]

I bought all my cameras second hand, some from Ebay. I mostly have good luck, with minor exceptions.

A Canon EOS 5 had some missing sections on the LCD display but worked otherwise fine. Seller offered film as compensation.

Canon EOS 1000FN: Broken battery door not mentioned by seller. Easy fix (=tape it shut). Seems to work just fine, so didn't bother getting refund / replacement.

Worst one: Olympus XA2. Sold as working, sadly isn't. Bad electronics means no hope for repair. Shame as it looks quite nice and came with working flash. Was very cheap, so didn't bother with a return.

The other ones, Minox 35 GT, Canon GIII QL17 and Bronica ETRS worked as advertised and all came from private sellers.

[camperbc]

I 've had very good luck with my Ebay transaction. All of my vintage cameras have arrived in pristine condition. (cosmetically and mechanically) I use only a few trusted sources for all of my purchases.

Glen

[al1966]

The last few cameras I bought off the bay have been all good; Nikon f70 and f50, Oly OM2/40/20 and an Pen EE2. In fact the OM2 F70 and Pen EE2 were near mint, Sadly I got a lens listed as Nikon mount 24-70 that turned out to be a Canon mount 28-70 and had to go through the complaints thing. I would say that virtually everything camera wise I have got has been ok.

[jesse1dog]

Having had a run-in with a seller of a Panasonic G1, but got my money back thro' eBay and Paypal, I got a Panasonic Lumix FZ5 through a private seller. Some wear round the shutter but its the best camera I have ever had. For the relatively stupid price I paid, £47, to include spare battery and case, it's been a real bargain - suits me and produces some great results.

jesse

[FlyingLotus]

i don't really buy tons of cameras off of Ebay mainly because you simply don't know what to expect.

On the other hand if i really have to get it off the bay, i would have to ask tons of questions about the camera before buying, which usually irritates the seller. So far however, from all the purchases that i've made through the bay, i'm pretty happy, most required minor cleaning and replacing light seals.

Off Ebay:
Nikon FG
Nikon Series E 50mm f/1.8 lens
Yashica 44
Yashica 635
Rolleiflex Lens Hood
Polaroid 250
Polaroid 104
Polaroid SX-70 Sonar
Polaroid SX-70 Alpha 1
Leica Adapter "nipple" and Cable Release

[Fraser]

I bought a Canon Eos 1 for a £120 that turned out to be a 1v. I thought that was quite a good buy!

[jesse1dog]

I'm mad - but anyone who has met me knows that!

Picked up a Lumix LX1 last week - just over £50.
In great condition with just an odd mark on the screen.
Doesn't look to have had any real use but haven't investigated the number of shutter activations. Decided that I don't really need to know and getting the information from the camera seems to involve a certain probability of completely messing up!
However as a nearly digital camera illiterate I thought the camera was one to experiment on and to see what all the buttons and menues did. Having great fun at present because everything seems to work just as it should. It would be useful to have a printed manual: I know there is a pdf version on the net. However I now discover that the camera 'does more' than the instructions say! So having a great time at no great expense.
Another excellent eBay buy!

jesse

[wblynch]

I have bought over 30 cameras from Ebay. About half of them had moderate problems. Several wouldn't work at all. Most were bought for very low prices.

Most annoying were two different Leica C1 point-n-shoots that were described as perfectly working but neither did. I determined from the design that Leica C1, C2 and C3 cameras are pure junk.

I have bought 'parts' cameras that were perfect, minus batteries, and 'perfect' cameras that were junk.

My happy results outweigh the losers and I probably only spent $250 on losers over 12 years. And they serve as parts sources so that's ok.

[colyn]

The few that came to me in non-working condition but described as working were returned for a full refund. I had to fight to get my money back though..

I've had more come to me in good working order after being described as non-working..

[GWT]

I recently picked up a Fed 2 D4 body only, which is very clean and sounds like it works fine - I haven't run a film though it yet. I'm waiting on a Petri Racer which was cheap but advertised as "VINTAGE PETRI RACER CAMERA + CASE PRICED TO CLEAR UNTESTED" the seller said it fired and film lever advanced so hopefully it may work.

I try always not too spend a lot on ebay as you can never tell. Most I paid was £150/$235 for a Bessa R which arrived damaged - seller refunded.

Biggest disappointment was a Yashica Lynx 14 which is beautifully clean with case but broke a day later.

Mostly the people I have dealt with have been honest, but with the older cameras I like I know I'm taking a chance.

[Nicolai]

Bought my first Leica, a M4-2, at ebay for $400. The seller was saying something about battery corrosion, but I never saw anything worked straight out of the box and in excellent shape.

[camperbc]

Ebay has indeed been very good to me. I have purchased about twenty cameras over the past year alone, and have not had a single negative experience. I finally got around to shooting two of my favorite Ebay scores last week; both are Soviet rangefinders, a FED 2 and Zorki-4, (and just yesterday developed the film; my first home developing in 35 years!) and I am completely blown away by the results. I bought these cameras for well under $100 each; both look as perfect as the day they were made, and as it turns out, they are also functioning as new. Difficult to believe that the photographs are from cameras built over a half century ago!

I had another very positive Ebay experience just a few days ago. Rather astonishingly, I won a mint early 1950's Ensign Ranger 6X9 (120 roll film) folder on Ebay for $5. Yup, 5 bucks! It's mind-boggling that no one else would want to bid on such a beautifully flawless medium format camera!

So yes, there surely are endless online deals to be found. My list of Ebay successes is long, and I will continue to buy with confidence!

Glen

[Texsport]

Cameras have been fine, but 3 different lenses have been returned.

Texsport

[wcurtiss]

I have been very lucky with ebay purchases. All of the cameras and lenses have worked great right out of the box. The only thing I have had to do to any of them is replace the light seals which I assume needs doing from the get go.

[mike rosenlof]

My eBay purchases have all worked. It's been a while since I've bought anything that might break though. Like over ten years.

The photos had to be decent and the text had to sound like the seller had a clue what they were selling. No fuzzy photos. No "I don't know much about this, but".

[grapejohnson]

Mamiya NC1000 (their cheap 35mm SLR) was in excellent cosmetic condition, but the sprockets didn't move the film and the aperture blades were sticky. I got a full refund and was able to keep the camera. Paperweight.
FED 4 in perfect condition.
Canon AT-1 in perfect condition.

All three were $30 each. Not bad!

Every lens I bought from ebay was also in perfect condition.