Trust EBay Stores?

[Method]

(ie: $1600 at Henrys for just the body + 28-135)

i got my D40 at henrys, 800+ with manufactures warranty plus another 3yr instore warranty. they can school you on some knowledge aswell, and nothing beats then holding the camera it self in your hands to see if you really like it.

 

[skieur]

So, the two stores I'm looking at (ShopSunshine and DigitalCorp) both have very good ratings - 98.2% and 98.6%. Would you personally consider an EBay store 'safe' to buy from as opposed to regular Ebay, or stick with the much-higher prices (ie: $1600 at Henrys for just the body + 28-135) of an in-store purchase.

If you check out Downtown Camera or another store in Canada on the Internet that is cheaper than Henrys, then Henrys will match that price.

skieur

 

[jstuedle]

I have bought about 350 items over the last 6 years from ePay and never have been burned. One item, a collectible old Nikkormat was said to be mint and had a dent in the viewfinder cover. Returned for full refund. Most items were under $100.00 but many were well over $1000.00 and no problems other than the one mentioned. The last expensive item was a CoolScan 8000 w/all accessories for $1,200 in mint/almost new condition. The best deal recently was a Hassy EL/M body/finder for $90.00. It can be a great resource if you do your homework. Check sellers ratings and I personally don't buy from other than the US, UK and Australia. I did buy some cheap Hassy accessories from the Ukraine. Other than waiting 2 weeks to receive them it went smoothly. OTOH, my daughter did buy a few LV purses from Hong Kong and really got burned big time.

 

[GoM]

i got my D40 at henrys, 800+ with manufactures warranty plus another 3yr instore warranty. they can school you on some knowledge aswell, and nothing beats then holding the camera it self in your hands to see if you really like it.

yeah, I know. Having held the 30D and the D40, I ultimately just liked the whole Canon features/feel better. So, I'm basing my exuberance for the 40D on my experience both holding and shooting with the 30D.

If you check out Downtown Camera or another store in Canada on the Internet that is cheaper than Henrys, then Henrys will match that price.

Yeah, I know. Having looked at Henrys, DC, Best Buy and Black's online (Aden didn't have the 40D listed), the prices for the body + 28-135 were identical except for Black's, which was $50 cheaper as of a couple days ago.

edit: I started both replies "yeah, I know. Having..."

Weird.

 

[jstuedle]

comparing a D40 to a 40D? Would the comparison with something like a D80 not be more in price/feature line? I shoot Nikon and think the D40 is too small, light and restricted in feature. It's a nice camera for the price but to compare a $500 camera with a $1,500 camera is like taking a knife to a gun fight.

 

[GoM]

Im not comparing the D40 to the 40D directly; I just haven't tried out the D80 like I have by shooting a D40 and a 30D

 

[clarinetJWD]

My advice: eBay is perfectly fine. I ordered my camera from a brick and morter turned eBay store, Cameta Camera, and certainly recommend them.

Use toolhaus.org, as it can help you sort out all the negative feedback so you can see what you're up against.

I am an eBay type person, and I've found that more often than not, it is a better experience than online stores, and even physical stores, so I say go for it.

 

[GoM]

Even for something as wallet-busting as a spankin' new body, as opposed to a more 'safe' and potentially-less-invested option such as a lens or accessory?

Though I will search for Cameta...it's come up a few times in this thread

 

[clarinetJWD]

Even for something as wallet-busting as a spankin' new body, as opposed to a more 'safe' and potentially-less-invested option such as a lens or accessory?

Though I will search for Cameta...it's come up a few times in this thread

I got my D70, lens, memory card, camera bag, extra battery, and lens cleaning kit from Cameta, no problems, full Nikon warranty.

 

[hamster]

So, with the imminent release of the 40D, I've been beginning a search of EBay stores to find out what kind of deals are available...some packages are pretty nice ($1300-1600 including 1/2 lenses, 1GB-4GB card, assorted other goodies), but while the price is certainly nice, I'm not sure if it outweights the 'safe' conscious of buying through a store in person.

So, the two stores I'm looking at (ShopSunshine and DigitalCorp) both have very good ratings - 98.2% and 98.6%. Would you personally consider an EBay store 'safe' to buy from as opposed to regular Ebay, or stick with the much-higher prices (ie: $1600 at Henrys for just the body + 28-135) of an in-store purchase.

I always look at resellerratings.com - both of the ebay stores you listed are reviewed here. One is 7ish/10 and the other just 5/10. Those are out of my comfort level.