[jem]

Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here.

---

It was an amazing story. I found it interesting that Pentax makes lenses with only front elements for display purposes. It makes sense, I guess -- considering how expensive some of the large primes are, but still the fact that he got his hands on one and did all the work himself was pretty cool.

A Pentax 645 600mm F5.6 of this type (front element only demo) sold on eBay around a month or so ago. Best I remember, it went for less than $200 USD plus shipping. Thought about bidding on it myself - but it is an awfully big paperweight.

Edit: Makes me wonder if the buyer had one of these demos and pulled a switch on the seller. To me, it makes more sense than to buy a $4000 USD lens, steal the guts for no apparent reason then return the husk to the seller for a refund (Edit again: Maybe only swapping the serial numbered collar).

---

Last edited by jem; 06-22-2009 at 04:10 PM. Reason: Additional thought & and a typo

[jem]

I suppose the followup to this would be how expensive an item would you buy or sell without some kind of buyer examination or pick up? I often wonder when I see cars that sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars going on eBay. I'm assuming that a seller wouldn't want Paypal fees on a transaction that large. Don't they have some kind of escrow for things like that?

I guess my pain level is pretty high. I bought a F* 600mm F4.0 via eBay from a dealer in Japan with only the dealer's rep, the listing's description and photos to go by. Very happy with the lens and I highly recommend the dealer - Ian Hobday.

[Dr_who]

I don't know the ebay seller or the buyer but I usually take everything on the internet with a grain of salt. Even if slim its quiet possible the package was tossed into a van, tossed into a plane and cracked in shipping. I certainly woulda had postal insurance and if not able to cover the value i would have just tried selling locally only.

[Ben Hunt]

I feel like giving that guy a hug...while i dish out justice...anyone remember "The Merchant of Venice" seems only fair that we remove 7 pounds of his flesh as he removed 7 pounds...i hope Karma exists...

Have a good one!

[K-9]

If the seller didn't insure it to Canada, and it arrived broken to the buyer, paypal's "not as significantly described" rule states that the buyer has to send the item back to the seller. When this is done, paypal reimburses the buyer. If all the inner elements cracked, the buyer would have had to empty the lens out, as the post office won't ship something that has broken glass sounds inside.

I don't know, call me skeptical, but I find it hard to believe paypal decided in one person's favor based on he said/she said. If the seller had good pictures of the lens beforehand, showing inner elements, I don't see how the buyer can just send it back, claiming they weren't there and paypal just gave them 4 grand.

If you magnify or look very closely at the tiny screws, you should be able to tell if it was ever opened up. The person would have to have opened it to get the elements out, unless they broke and were dumped out, or they were never there in the first place.

[lithos]

I feel like giving that guy a hug...while i dish out justice...anyone remember "The Merchant of Venice" seems only fair that we remove 7 pounds of his flesh as he removed 7 pounds...i hope Karma exists...

Have a good one!

Yeah, but then there's that whole blood loophole with that thing.

[Miserere]

EBay link

Some people are just scum, I'm embarrassed that it was someone from Canada that ripped this guy off. The story goes that two years ago he ebayed an A*400mm f/2.8 for close to $4000, only to have the buyer return it with only the front element intact. Paypal sided with the buyer - natch - and refunded the money, so the seller's left with no money and an incomplete lens. I guess it's a cautionary tale to remind us to keep our guard up. But what the hell was this guy supposed to do? In particular, I like the part about how the package returned to him was 7 lbs. lighter than when he shipped it. Damn.

Link doesn't work.

.

[Tom S.]

I guess my pain level is pretty high. I bought a F* 600mm F4.0 via eBay from a dealer in Japan with only the dealer's rep, the listing's description and photos to go by. Very happy with the lens and I highly recommend the dealer - Ian Hobday.

I know him - he used to live in Canada....

[Tom S.]

Link doesn't work.

.

Yes it does. If you are looking from work, they may have you blocked.

[jogiba]

A Pentax 645 600mm F4.0 of this type (front element only demo) sold on eBay around a month or so ago. Best I remember, it went for less than $200 USD plus shipping. Thought about bidding on it myself - but it is an awfully big paperweight.

Edit: Makes me wonder if the buyer had one of these demos and pulled a switch on the seller. To me, it makes more sense than to buy a $4000 USD lens, steal the guts for no apparent reason then return the husk to the seller for a refund (Edit again: Maybe only swapping the serial numbered collar).

The 645 only had the 600mm F5.6 lens. The 6x7 had a 600mm F4 and 800mm F4.

[jem]

The 645 only had the 600mm F5.6 lens. The 6x7 had a 600mm F4 and 800mm F4.

You are correct, had my F* 600mm F4.0 on the brain when I was typing.

[jem]

I know him - he used to live in Canada....

Great seller - would drop serious coin on one of his offerings again. And it took less than a week from payment to the lens being attached to my camera.

[K100Dave]

That is just outright awful! May that ***hole suffer badluck with his all of his gear.