Experiences buying used?

[beatlesblonde]

I'm in the market for a new camera and am 99.99% sure of what I want, but due to budget restraints I'm looking into buying used from a site like B&H. Anyone have any experience buying from them or other sites? They offer a 90 day warranty, plus the option to buy a 1 or 2 year extended warranty. As you can see by my ticker I have a trip coming up soon so I need to make a decision, so any suggestions would be appreciated!

TIA!

 

[havoc315]

They are very reputable and I've never heard of problems buying from them.
Almost all of my camera gear -- and I have a lot -- was bought used.

 

[traylorc]

B&H is reputable and I would have no issues buying from them. Another good option is KEH...I have bought a number of items from them with no issues.

 

[beatlesblonde]

They are very reputable and I've never heard of problems buying from them.
Almost all of my camera gear -- and I have a lot -- was bought used.

B&H is reputable and I would have no issues buying from them. Another good option is KEH...I have bought a number of items from them with no issues.

Yeah I figured B&H is pretty reputable. I've never heard of KEH, I found the same camera as the one I'm looking at on B&H, except I have to piece together the body with the lens (it's not already bundled together) and it's cheaper!

 

[photo_chick]

I tend to go to KEH first when buying used because I like their prices and they stand behind what they sell. B&H is good but their condition grading isn't as tough as KEH's. Also consider refurbs direct form the manufacturer, you can get some great deals that way as well.

 

[2Tiggies]

Be aware of any rebates that may apply to the camera system you are looking at. I only mention this because I briefly toyed with the idea of getting a used body from a camera store when buying my D7000, but the rebates combined with some special offers at the time made it cheaper to buy new.

 

[SkaGoat]

Buying used in general is an ok way to go, I've never bought from B&H myself but I know they are a stand up company.

I just bought a used Canon 7D from Kijiji (like Craigslist), and it's been a great buy.

I was torn between a new T5i, or a lightly used 7D, and I chose the more professional body.

Just out of interest what are you looking at buying?

 

[havoc315]

Since Ebay started offering stronger buyer protection, I've never had a bad experience. And it's even cheaper than a place like KEH and B&H. Though, I am very careful about who I buy from. There are reputable photo stores that use Ebay, or I'll look for knowledgeable sellers. There is also simply buying used from Amazon vendors, which gives you Amazon's guarantee.
Buying about 8 lenses over the years from Ebay... each one worked perfectly. I did get a 30-year-old nifty fifty where the aperture became sticky after a few months, can't be shocked about that with a 30-year-old lens and it arrived in good working order.

 

[beatlesblonde]

Well after scouring the internet I went with KEH to make my purchase. By this weekend I'll be the proud owner of a used (but in excellent condition) Pentax K2000 with a 18-55 F3.5-5.6 lens Which will give me plenty of time to play with it before we leave for WDW!

Thanks for everyone help!

 

[wiigirl]

They are very reputable and I've never heard of problems buying from them.
Almost all of my camera gear -- and I have a lot -- was bought used.

 

[HPS3]

If I would have known you were interested in Pentax gear, I would have sent you to PentaxForums.com. It's an excellent site for Pentaxians. They also have a great For Sale Forum which have bought and sold from myself. Another site that I have bought and sold from is Fredmiranda.com.

 

[beatlesblonde]

If I would have known you were interested in Pentax gear, I would have sent you to PentaxForums.com. It's an excellent site for Pentaxians. They also have a great For Sale Forum which have bought and sold from myself. Another site that I have bought and sold from is Fredmiranda.com.

That's okay. I'll keep those in mind for future reference though, I'll have to start building my glass collection (although for now I'm sticking with my kit lens for budgetary reasons)

 

[MAJPLO]

If I would have known you were interested in Pentax gear, I would have sent you to PentaxForums.com. It's an excellent site for Pentaxians. They also have a great For Sale Forum which have bought and sold from myself. Another site that I have bought and sold from is Fredmiranda.com.