Used Shwag.

[fiyerbirdie]

Pawn shops make loans on dslr gear, and there is always that guy who WAS intersted in photography but can be talked out of his gear or at least those "low quality lenses" he has upgraded.........

so............... What items are taboo to buy used. What gear is resiliant enough that you'd buy on Ebay, or from similar "unseen" venues.

........ My tentative plans are to get into DSLR with the canon rebel 350 hoo-yah, and raise the bar on my little hobby. I realize my P+S is better suited to rough enviroments but I want more capabilities, more room to grow.


...... taking pics during training/missions is great, however when packing it around Gear WILL be broken, not bent...... I accept that, therfore minor differences in longevity/durability as you photog's see them don't really apply to me. That's why I'm lookin to skimp......... that and the fact that we just don't earn that much.


Thanks for your time.
Fiyerbirdie USMC
--- semper fi ---

[jeisner]

Everything I have tested in pawn shops has been faulty in some way, which they deny and never want to factor into the price (although I have known people to get bargains, so take your DSLR and test the lenses as best you can)...

I have bought a number of lenses, esp older manual lenses off ebay and have not had any problems so far, when I bought off people with a decent amount of positive feedback who have sold lenses before...

I did get one lens sold in mint condition on ebay but it turned out to have small spot of fungus on the underside of the front element... When I complained (threatened negative feedback) we came to an arrangement to split the cleaning costs, and in the end (as the sale price was very good) I ended up still getting a good deal... They did also offer to refund the lens, most anyone on ebay if they have a lot of feedback, prefer to not get negative feedback, so don't just leave it contact them first and they normally offer to refund to avoid trouble...

Another good rule is to only buy through paypal on ebay, as if they mislead you, paypal will sort it out and get you a full refund. I did this once and got all my money back as the trader wasn't as willing to settle as the other time..

Two bad incidents (that were resolved) in a hundred odd trades is a pretty good track record in my opinion....

EDIT: I have also sold around a dozen lenses on ebay and never had any trouble..