Ebay ?

[dorisdvu]

I am looking for a Canon A80 camera. I found 1 on ebay for a reasonable price. ($398.99 which includes $430 of new extras) How can I be sure the company is reputable? Do I just go by the reviews? The company is Sunshine Electro.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

Clisk on the # next to their name. This gives a review of all the people that have done transactions with them.

If you use Paypal to pay, I believe they have a "buy with confidence" warranty..I purchase off Ebay all the time. GOOD LUCK!

 

[Lewski709]

Sometimes, you can even get a guarantee with Paypal. If the product doesn't work, isn't as listed, etc.....you can get the majority (if not all) of your money back. The problem I have had is I can't tell how you would know if you can get this guarantee or not. It may be researchable on paypal....I have just noticed that sometimes it is offered and sometimes it isn't. Of course, there is a small fee for using it.

As DisneyDmbNut suggested, check the feedback. For excellent feedback, see my user name Lewski709! No negatives are a GREAT thing!!!!

 

[dorisdvu]

They have 3612 positive reviews and 125 negative. Sounds pretty decent to me.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

you need to read the negatives...sometimes newbies will post a negative because it took too long, or it was broken ( something that can happen in the mail and is not necessarily the seller's fault). Read the comments...That is what I do.

Renee..a.re you following me again!

 

[Lewski709]

If there are a lot that are RECENT, I would watch it. Also, check to see if there is a pattern of time (around Christmas) when the negative feedback have been posted. I realize it may take some time to research, but worth it when spending a lot.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

Originally posted by DisneyDmbNut

Renee..are you following me again!

ps...the kids are stinkin cute...that would be a good holiday card!

 

[Lewski709]

I am..........I still need to get WL....I believe!!!

And THANK YOU!

 

[dorisdvu]

I read thru some of the negatives---
complaints of long time shipping (month)--merchant responded that they received a check that didn't have information on it and it took a long time to get the info to ship.

product was damaged and replacement refused because didn't call with in 14 days. Merchant replied that it was 1 month before the call.

on hold 20 minutes to pay for item. Merchant replied that time was exaggeration of time and emailed within minutes to pay for item.

Paid for immediately, lengthly delivery due to FedEx. Merchant replied product shipped w/i 2 days and gripe is with FedEx.

About 10 complaints in the past month, mostly from newbies.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

Hmm...I think you are safe...Good Luck!!

Renee...are you going to be in DW on the 24th? PM ME!

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

ok..just because I am nosey...I looked up that vendor...Looks very good...It says something that the seller responds to the negative feedback...that means they care! I say go for it!

 

[lynxstch]

and tried to look up the seller as Sunshine Electro..I come up with invalid id..is that the correct name?

 

[Lewski709]

You are most likely OK....is ther NO ONE else selling the same thing though? You may be more comfortable with another seller since you have some reservations.

 

[dorisdvu]

Originally posted by lynxstch
and tried to look up the seller as Sunshine Electro..I come up with invalid id..is that the correct name?

The seller's name is sunshineelec. The store's name is Sunshine Electro. Item #2966924289.


Thanks for all your input.

 

[lynxstch]

but I wouldn't pay this company $400...not with their 15 negative feedbacks in the last 30 days..their responses to negative feedback also leave a lot to be desired..if you choose to buy from them..use paypal if it's one of their payment options..and use a credit card to pay (not ax or discover)....and make sure they are shipping it with delivery confirmation or signature required..cover all the bases with this company ..especially if you have reservations ..which I had as soon as I looked thru their feedback..good luck!

 

[TigerBear]

I personally would not buy from someone with 125 negative reviews.

 

[SparKeLLy]

I wouldn't go with that one. First off, those "extras" included are way over exaggerated in retail price!! That table top tripod you could get for 5 bucks, and in my opinion it's not even worth that!

I found this price for the same camera....no "extras" but its from a real store with a good rating on pricegrabber.

And you can get great deals on compactflash cards as well at ecost.com, etc.

$327
http://www.shopdigitalonline.com/productdetail.asp?ProductID=689

 

[IloveDMB]

My simon's website compares prices from around the internet. i did some searching for you and came up with as low as 293 without shipping.

My Simon

 

[dorisdvu]

Thanks for all the input. I'll keep shopping.

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

Personally, I don't go by the number of negative feedbacks a person has. You could have 125 negatives and 30,000 positives...that would be quite good. I go by the percentage of negatives a seller has. If a person has more than 1 negative per 100 positives, I think long and hard before bidding on expensive items. This guy has in the 96% range, which kind of sucks. That means that nearly four people out of a hundred are not happy. Plus another four people per hundred gave him nuetrals. Many people give neutrals to avoid retaliation so I tend to look at neutrals as negatives. When you look at it that way, 8 out of 100 people are not happy, which is a lot of risk when spending that kind of money.

Somebody else mentioned that the extras weren't worth the $400 the seller says they are worth. I agree! He claims the cleaning kit is worth $29.99. On what planet????? Try about $3.99. Also, the 128mb memory card isn't worth that much. Memory is going down in price and I've seen the 128 mb compact flash cards for around $50 at office max. That table top tripod is worth about $5 and OMG, no way is the camera case worth $99! I have a similar case and paid $14 for it.

If you do buy the camera, make sure you purchase insurance, and if at all possible, use a credit card that guarantees your purchases. Most ebayers are ethical people. I've been ebaying for years and have only had two people not send me my item (out of about 600-700 transactions) so I think the risk is relatively small. It would probably be ok. But if you can find a similar deal from somebody who has better feedback, I'd look elseware myself. Good luck to you!