Is Ebay trustworthy?

[-Su]

I've kind of decided what kind of camera I want as my first SLR(I'm deciding between the Canon Rebel Eos xTi/400d or the Nikon d60). I know that on Ebay you can buy cameras and etc. but some of the offers look very suspicous like this one:
Canon EOS 400D / Rebel Xti Kit with EF-S 18-55mm Len - eBay (item 200548275022 end time Dec-04-10 08:58:04 PST)
And this one:
Canon EOS 400D / Rebel Xti Kit with EF-S 18-55mm Lens - eBay (item 330501532607 end time Dec-04-10 15:03:53 PST)

I know that this is Ebay and that you can bid on the items but what happens if it's the last day and is still the same price. Would it be safe to still try and buy the item?Also I know of KEH.com, Adorama.com(I think), and B&Hvideo.com, but what are some other great places to get the cameras.

 

[tirediron]

Your local bricks and mortar camera store where a knowledgeable clerk can explain to you the pros and cons of different models, show you cameras with the features and price-point you want and answer your questions. Service can be worth paying for! I but a LOT of used gear off of eBay, but I would not buy bodies or lenses, ESPECIALLY from the "true good to be true" listings.

 

[lildlege1]

I bought my first digital camera on ebay a used digital canon rebel 400d. I luv it. I am learning so many new things with it and I love the way you can see the picture right after you take it. I also have a canon rebel slr film camera, this was my first camera but I love digital better. Good luck.

 

[MohaimenK]

I've probably bought over $20k worth of things off ebay in the last 5 years and I can tell you, if you know what you're doing, you will be fine. I only got scammed once for $200 item out of it but luckily paypal took care of that. You should see who's selling, what they're selling, what price they're selling it at.

Also, pay with paypal as if it's something where they never sent an item then paypal will give you 100% money back. You'll see the logo in the ebay listing.

eBay Buyer Protection

 

[OGDaniel]

I would say for the most part ebay is trustworthy. If there is ever a scam then the use of paypal really takes care of it. You should be fine though.

 

[rateeg]

See the feedbacks of sellers.

 

[Jcampbelll]

See the feedbacks of sellers.

That sums it up. Make sure the seller has good ratings. Don't buy from sellers who don't have any ratings or bad ratings. And make sure there are pictures of the product. I have bought a lens off ebay for a good price and am very happy with it.

 

[Showzo]

the reason why its 50$ is cause thats the starting bid price..you can bid 60..someone might bid 70..and so on. it says reserve not met..so the seller set a reserve price..lets say its 600$..if the bidding total amount when the time is up doesn't meet 600$ he will NOT sell the item..
check his feed back and other uses maybe have commented on him saying how they liked him as a seller.

hope this helped..

 

[Sachphotography]

As long as you pay with paypal it is pretty secure.

 

[MissCream]

I bought most of my stuff from ebay, I just purchased a K20D (Pentax) today! Like others have said as long as you check out the sellers feedback and carefully read the description then you should be okay

 

[SLRJoe]

If you want to save yourself money, then yes definitely buy off eBay. Sure, there might be some scam sellers listed, but provided you pay via paypal you're entitled to 'eBay buyer protection' which will give you a full refund if there's a problem with the product you just purchased, e.g. not what was listed, or broken, or not showing up.

I had a problem a few months ago, and used eBay buyer protection, and got a full refund. The only caveat is that it will probably take about 1 month to go through the buyer protection process if you need to use it, but you do get your money back.

 

[HelenOster]

......Also I know of ....Adorama.com (I think), ....

Adorama does indeed sell used equipment; in fact we usually have in excess of 25,000 pieces in our used department warehouse at any given time, and everything we sell comes with a 90-day warranty - which includes a 30-day returns period for exchange or refund.

We also have 4 different Ebay stores!

If you need any advice, or after-sales support, please don't hesitate to drop me an email: HelenO@adorama.com