My recent Ebay experience

[res3567]

I love my Pentax equipment. But I can't take it everywere I want to as I was told at a recent concert. A compact camera would have been fine and my two compacts are broken. A factory defect which I will address later. So I purchased a compact superzoom and a full sized superzoom off Ebay. The compact works flawless. I got frisky and bought the full size counterpart after that and it doesn't work right. The zoom mechanism is broken. I bought the camera as is and the lister said he checked most but not all of the fuctions which was correct. The camera was sold as is and I knew that going into the auction. The camera can be fixed with time and money for the part. But I bought the camera for a great price.

The reason I am posting this is to say look at ALL of the wording. Look at the return policy. Look at the "Buy it Now" price if there is one. If it says as is, don't be suprised if there is something wrong with the product. I see a lot af cameras listed as broken with no returns. If you get a good deal then great! However, read all of what the lister has to say about the product including the return policy. There have been a few threads about bad online experiences with buying and selling. I am not upset as I have had A LOT of POSITIVE experiences on EBAY. My best purchase ever was my K10D which is still going strong today!

This was the acual wording from the auction:

(I bought it from auction for re-sell. It's include a neckstrap, and lense cap. It has some signs of used. It's work. It can be turn on, take pictures, take vdo., flash manually and can be turn off. I didn't try on everything. I can't guarantee anything. Sold as is. no return.)

Dont let an "as is" be a deturrent for everything however. Suppose you see a product you are very familiar with and can buy for cheap and fix for cheap and you sitll come out ahead?

[LeDave]

Thanks for the tips, I will not buy a product off ebay that is listed as is again.

[Das Boot]

I list all my stuff "as-is", but I try and describe the item as accurate as I can - including flaws. I include insurance in the price of shipping and usually have a line like this - "This item is in working condition and will be shipped in that condition. I include insurance in my shipping price in the event something is wrong with the item when you receive it due to shipping mishaps. Other than that, I've described it as well as possible and am selling it as-is. Thanks for looking... blah, blah, blah...."

[res3567]

Originally Posted by Das Boot

I list all my stuff "as-is", but I try and describe the item as accurate as I can - including flaws. I include insurance in the price of shipping and usually have a line like this - "This item is in working condition and will be shipped in that condition. I include insurance in my shipping price in the event something is wrong with the item when you receive it due to shipping mishaps. Other than that, I've described it as well as possible and am selling it as-is. Thanks for looking... blah, blah, blah...."

Buy accurately describing everything you are informing the pontential buyer of what the listing is all about. You cover your a** that way and you are letting everyone know you are an honest seller. That is why I am not angry about my purchase. I gambled and I broke even you could say. Didn't really win big, just got what was listed.

[séamuis]

personally, I wouldnt have purchased that camera after reading that decription.

[Wildnsyko]

Originally Posted by séamuis

personally, I wouldnt have purchased that camera after reading that decription.

Me either. Anything that says "As Is" is kind of scary. I'd rather know that the item was tested, used or what have you. "As Is" means they could have picked it up at an auction or wherever and have no clue if it really works or not.

[res3567]

Originally Posted by séamuis

personally, I wouldnt have purchased that camera after reading that decription.

Originally Posted by Wildnsyko

Me either. Anything that says "As Is" is kind of scary. I'd rather know that the item was tested, used or what have you. "As Is" means they could have picked it up at an auction or wherever and have no clue if it really works or not.

I know. I took a gamble. I broke even. I usually don't do that, and I told myself there was a possibility that it might arrive defective. I had the Ebay buying addiction briefly and I jumped on it. That is why I am not upset because I prepared myself for the worst and it was not really as bad as it could have been.

BTW, I glued the lens piece to the zoom pin. It seems to work fine....... for now......

Im not expecting it to last a long time. Whatever usage I get out of the digicam will be worth what I paid for it. I mainly bought it for it's video capabilities. ( Oh yea a K7 fits the bill nicely, but I aint got $1000 plus rite now to spend on a body.)

[res3567]

Here are the details.

Check it:





The front element came off easily after I found out it would not zoom at all. There is a slot to the left in which the zoom piece fits into. At the bottom is a pin that moves up and down.



The lens pieces; the front element and the zoom element??? Aint never seen the insides of a zoom lens.


The long piece at the top of the of the lens piece in the back is what the slot is for.




This is the part that seems to be broken. It apparently hooks up to a pin inside the cam, like a conecting rod to a piston.


I glued the plastic piece to the zoom pin inside the cam and it seems to work fine for now.

[Ian Tokeo]

I'm very wary of any eBay description that stresses "as-is, no return" so prominently, especially when coupled with a disclaimer that the seller doesn't really even know if it works or not. To your credit, you understood the gamble, but I have to say the description on this one really wouldn't have given me very high hopes for a big win. The seller's limited English language communication skills would also make me think twice about bidding on this one, as it raises the question of whether he's really getting across what he intends to communicate, and how much is being obscured by the pidgin English. It wouldn't give me much confidence in communicating with the seller, but the "as-is, no return" policy makes that a bit of a moot point.

Thanks for posting your experience. It's a good example of things to be wary of when shopping eBay.

[res3567]

This one has a good ending thus far. The camera is working perfectly.
Before I made the repairs, when the lens was retracted' an E18 error code would appear in the LCD screen. Now, the zoom works quite smoothly and there is no error code. I am still expecting it to fail at some point in the future. if it does not, that would a pleasant suprise. I have shoot hundreds of pics and did a little video. I primarily purchased the digicam for it's video capabilities and so far it has performed flawlessly. Not all "as is" experiences are bad, especially if you know the product well and how to repair it if it is listed as "broken". Many honest Ebayers will list the product as such. The buyer MUST READ ALL OF THE INFO BEFORE MAKING THE PURCHASE!