Bad decision

[cherrygirl]

A friend of mine tested my Canon 50d and loved it. He was very anxious to purchased one and ended up buying a new Canon 50d, along with several lens, filters, tripod, backpack and some other accessories for like $1,400 off Ebay. I tried to tell him not to that he may not get the quality items he thinks he is getting. They even talked him into "upgrading" to digital lenses, which he did.

I"m not one to buy items like that online, I'm one that needs to see it, touch it etc.

Do you guys think he just wasted $1,400? I sure do! Has anyone purchased camera "kits" like this? I'm sure it is too late for him to change his mind but I was just curious what yall thought.

Thanks!

[WooD]

I've seen a lot of those ebay deals. All the stuff they add to the kits are usually junk, and I've heard some of the cameras are refurbished.

[olgabe]

I don't think it's waste of money. It is more risky depending on how established the seller is and whether manufacturer's warranty applies. If he is using a credit card and the products are defective, he can always back out of the deal.

I buy all my gear online and reputable stores like B&H and Adorama, it's cheaper and more reliable than local stores - in my view.I have a friend that buys a lot of his equipment from craigslist locally - he's always had a positive experience, even with expensive items.

[milosh]

I don't think it is necessarily a waste of money, depends like Olgabe said on sellers reputation and warranty. Usually the main items in those deals are ok, but all the other accessories they put in are junk. And the main items are those that count. I've had many positive experiences with eBay.

[ggilkey]

I bought my Canon 20D in a "kit" off ebay and most of it was good stuff - some was junk. I purchased my Canon 50D and other lens from B&H - by purchasing on-line I saved a few hundred in sales tax.

[cherrygirl]

Originally Posted by olgabe

I don't think it's waste of money. It is more risky depending on how established the seller is and whether manufacturer's warranty applies. If he is using a credit card and the products are defective, he can always back out of the deal.

I buy all my gear online and reputable stores like B&H and Adorama, it's cheaper and more reliable than local stores - in my view.I have a friend that buys a lot of his equipment from craigslist locally - he's always had a positive experience, even with expensive items.

I have heard great things about B&H and Adorama. I would consider buying from them but I admit I am more skeptical about craigslist and other similar sites.

Thanks for all the input!

[disappearingmist]

It's a gamble for sure. I bought my camera body off of ebay and it has been fine. Those kits look very sketchy to me, though. Hopefully, he will end up with a good camera body and maybe a couple decent lenses. Everything else may be junk.

[cherrygirl]

You guys were right! The camera body looks new and compared to mine seems to be identical.....the lenses however, except for the Tamron zoom were crap!! They were the kind that screw on to your other lenses...weird! He did get a nice backpack though!

[Swisstony10]

I got my Speedlite 580 EXII from an Ebay seller, for £120 less than the standard UK retail price, and it was absolutely spot on - brand new, boxed, wrapped, etc, and delivered free and very quickly (ordered on Friday, delivered on Monday). I've not been ripped-off on Ebay yet, although I tend to only buy from sellers with high positive feedback figures (and I check through any negative ones to see what kind of thing they relate to/complain about first).

Russ.

[PowerPix]

We've bought from eBay before (not electronics, though. Got camera from B&H). We do NOT purchase anything from a seller with less than 100% positive feedback. UNLESS, the negative feedback is something petty and not something we would worry about. Most of the time camera packages like the one you mention are ripoffs. Most of them come from "chop shops" where they take all the good brand name stuff (like Canon batteries) and replace them with cheaper goods that break. I have heard horror stories about packages like this and the companies that sell them. You must (or anyone purchasing) beware that the majority of these cameras are NOT AMERICAN MODELS, they are imported from third world countries. SCAM!!!! Refurbed, replicate, etc. Do not buy packages that promises 1000 goodies for an all low price (Even lower than you could just purchase the BODY!!!). I say stay away from these things. Period.