My experience with KEH Camera

jon404 · 03-03-2014, 11:39 PM - **2 Likes**

I want to tell you about my recent experience with KEH Camera, a well-known company in Smyrna, Georgia. They buy and re-sell used cameras and lenses.

I ordered a Pentax f/2.8 200mm lens, in LN- condition, with 2-day shipping. It arrived exactly on time, and, from the outside, looked very, very clean... 'like new', as advertised. But when I used it, on both my K-30 and K-01, the autofocus just didn't work. It hunted back and forth and most often, wouldn't lock on. I then learned from posts on this forum that sometimes the SDM motor fails, or just works incorrectly.

E-mailed KEH. Described the problem. Got an immediate response -- 'send it back, here's how, here's your return number, here's a FedEx label'... KEH paid the return shipping. Next day, I sent the defective lens back.

But in the short time I had it to use, I really liked the lens itself -- the quality, the way it handled -- and the image quality, when I had it on manual focus. So I e-mailed KEH again and asked if they could just let me exchange the defective one for another one they were selling... the second one in EX+ condition (one step down from LN-). Again, an immediate response, that they would send the second lens as soon as my defective lens arrived.

And sure enough, a few days later, they e-mailed me that the second lens had shipped, and it also arrived right on time, using the 2-day shipping I had paid for the first time around. Next, without being asked, KEH credited my VISA card with the price difference between lens one and lens two, which was less expensive.

And today, the second lens arrived. The exterior looks every bit as good as the first lens! And it works perfectly -- fast autofocus, smooth manual motion, sharp images with great color quality. Baseball season is starting now, and I'm looking forward to using the lens to catch the action.

But this is about KEH, not me. I want to recommend KEH to anyone looking for a used camera or lens. You will get what you pay for... and my experience is that their condition-grading is conservative, so that you always get more than what you paid for. You will get excellent service, and if there is a problem, you will get immediate help to make sure it is resolved fairly.

KEH? Recommended. Five stars. The way an internet business should be!

Jon Donahue, San Diego, California.

hcc · 03-04-2014, 12:04 AM

Good feedback. Thank you for sharing.

Many PF members incl. myself used Keh in the past, and it is highly recommended.

**NZ_Ross** · 03-04-2014, 01:11 AM

Great to see positive experiences shared, and credit given where credit is due.

I have looked at lenses on sale at KEH from here in New Zealand, and wondered.

So thank you, this feedback is very helpful to me, to know they are really good to deal with.

**kiwi_jono** · 03-04-2014, 01:59 AM

+1 thanks. Its really great to have someone posting a positive experience for a change.

Another Kiwi, that will have a look at KEH!

peterjcb · 03-04-2014, 07:01 AM

+1 to KEH products & super fast shipping. I have used them countless times to buy stuff.

vonBaloney · 03-04-2014, 07:27 AM

Yes, they generally have very good service, and they pay for the return shipping if they are at fault. (Note that there is also a return window if you just change your mind, which is nice.) Their grading is conservative, but it is also obviously "quick" as you've just found out (I recently received a lens with the wrong mount!) -- so thoroughly inspect and test anything you get from them as soon as it arrives. The BGN ("bargain") grade is hit-or-miss -- I've gotten stuff that was just obviously broken and I've got stuff that was absolutely mint -- can't find a single flaw on it and I'm just marveling why it was graded BGN. I have a feeling that in some cases they just give it the grade that it came in with so the seller doesn't think they are being taken advantage of by re-grading it higher. (They have a system where you can grade your own stuff and they will give you a quote you based on that, so if the person mailing in the lens grades what ought to be EX or better lens as a BGN for whatever reason, maybe they just leave it at that since they paid for it at that rate? That is total speculation, just seriously I've gotten *perfect* lenses graded bargain, and I've got total crap lenses graded bargain, so it is strange. Or maybe there are some things they just don't want hanging around -- I tend to buy oddball lenses, and almost all older stuff, not modern AF lenses.)

Fat Albert · 03-04-2014, 07:46 AM

Has anybody bought any lenses rated UG from KEH, and what have your experiences been with that grade?

**dadipentak** · 03-04-2014, 08:09 AM

Originally posted by Fat Albert

Has anybody bought any lenses rated UG from KEH, and what have your experiences been with that grade?

My experience with KEH has been very good every time. The one UG lens I bought from them was unacceptable so I returned it for refund--no problem.

vonBaloney · 03-04-2014, 09:09 AM

I have bought UG lenses, which I expect to be "unacceptable" -- that's why they are graded that and the prices are very low. UG should be considered "for parts" or repair -- don't expect to get anything usable as-is. Anything graded UG will have some glaring problem that will affect the image so it is usually problems with the glass, anything with a major mechanical problem I suspect they just keep for their repair department. (All of the lenses I have sent back with mechanical issues never re-appear on the site for sale again.) I think all of the UG lenses I have bought have had haze or fogged internal elements -- some cleaned up, some didn't.

FrankC · 03-04-2014, 09:48 AM

I bought most of my 645 lenses from them: AF 75mm, A120mm Macro, AF 200mm. The 200mm stopped focusing and I had to ship it back. Paid for shipping one way was my only cost. The others are seemingly better than advertised.

thazooo · 03-04-2014, 10:40 AM

Paying for return shipping must be new. Several years ago I ordered a camera body listed as EX+. Arrived with shutter button not working and debris all over the sensor.
I paid for shipping coming to me and returning. Only other option was to send it back and they would fix it. Nope. I was credited for price of camera only.
SO buyer beware.

FrankC · 03-04-2014, 10:50 AM

I may have been wrong about not having to pay for return shipping; it's been a few years since that happened. However, my current recollection is that I had only paid one way.

vonBaloney · 03-04-2014, 11:07 AM

Yeah, I think they used to pay for return shipping only sporadically or if you complained about it. But for the last year or so at least if you are returning something for some problem not your fault, they automatically give you a prepaid FedEx label...

jon404 · 03-04-2014, 01:38 PM

Yes, they gave me a pre-paid FedEx label immediately.

As to the UG lenses... could this be a ~~cheap~~ cost-effective way for Pentaxians to keep up with -- let alone surpass -- all those Holga people? Actually, bring me up to date -- is the Holga phenomenon still going on? Or has it gone the way of Beanie Babies and Bitcoins?

**gofour3** · 03-04-2014, 01:49 PM

+1 for KEH. I have bought numerous items from them and they are highly recommended.
They screwed up a couple lens hood orders, but let me keep the wrong item (which I sold) and refunded my money right away.
The only negative with KEH is the expensive online shipping rates outside the USA. However if you order via phone you can get a better shipping rate than online.

Phil.

03-03-2014, 11:39 PM - 2 Likes	#1
jon404 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Photos: Gallery Posts: 696	My experience with KEH Camera I want to tell you about my recent experience with KEH Camera, a well-known company in Smyrna, Georgia. They buy and re-sell used cameras and lenses. I ordered a Pentax f/2.8 200mm lens, in LN- condition, with 2-day shipping. It arrived exactly on time, and, from the outside, looked very, very clean... 'like new', as advertised. But when I used it, on both my K-30 and K-01, the autofocus just didn't work. It hunted back and forth and most often, wouldn't lock on. I then learned from posts on this forum that sometimes the SDM motor fails, or just works incorrectly. E-mailed KEH. Described the problem. Got an immediate response -- 'send it back, here's how, here's your return number, here's a FedEx label'... KEH paid the return shipping. Next day, I sent the defective lens back. But in the short time I had it to use, I really liked the lens itself -- the quality, the way it handled -- and the image quality, when I had it on manual focus. So I e-mailed KEH again and asked if they could just let me exchange the defective one for another one they were selling... the second one in EX+ condition (one step down from LN-). Again, an immediate response, that they would send the second lens as soon as my defective lens arrived. And sure enough, a few days later, they e-mailed me that the second lens had shipped, and it also arrived right on time, using the 2-day shipping I had paid for the first time around. Next, without being asked, KEH credited my VISA card with the price difference between lens one and lens two, which was less expensive. And today, the second lens arrived. The exterior looks every bit as good as the first lens! And it works perfectly -- fast autofocus, smooth manual motion, sharp images with great color quality. Baseball season is starting now, and I'm looking forward to using the lens to catch the action. But this is about KEH, not me. I want to recommend KEH to anyone looking for a used camera or lens. You will get what you pay for... and my experience is that their condition-grading is conservative, so that you always get more than what you paid for. You will get excellent service, and if there is a problem, you will get immediate help to make sure it is resolved fairly. KEH? Recommended. Five stars. The way an internet business should be! Jon Donahue, San Diego, California.

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03-04-2014, 12:04 AM	#2
hcc Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,002	Good feedback. Thank you for sharing. Many PF members incl. myself used Keh in the past, and it is highly recommended.

03-04-2014, 01:11 AM	#3
NZ_Ross Kiwi Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Timaru Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,225	Great to see positive experiences shared, and credit given where credit is due. I have looked at lenses on sale at KEH from here in New Zealand, and wondered. So thank you, this feedback is very helpful to me, to know they are really good to deal with.

03-04-2014, 01:59 AM	#4
kiwi_jono Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Christchurch, New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,437	+1 thanks. Its really great to have someone posting a positive experience for a change. Another Kiwi, that will have a look at KEH!

03-04-2014, 07:01 AM	#5
peterjcb Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Weddington, NC Posts: 468	+1 to KEH products & super fast shipping. I have used them countless times to buy stuff.

03-04-2014, 07:27 AM	#6
vonBaloney Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 6,029	Yes, they generally have very good service, and they pay for the return shipping if they are at fault. (Note that there is also a return window if you just change your mind, which is nice.) Their grading is conservative, but it is also obviously "quick" as you've just found out (I recently received a lens with the wrong mount!) -- so thoroughly inspect and test anything you get from them as soon as it arrives. The BGN ("bargain") grade is hit-or-miss -- I've gotten stuff that was just obviously broken and I've got stuff that was absolutely mint -- can't find a single flaw on it and I'm just marveling why it was graded BGN. I have a feeling that in some cases they just give it the grade that it came in with so the seller doesn't think they are being taken advantage of by re-grading it higher. (They have a system where you can grade your own stuff and they will give you a quote you based on that, so if the person mailing in the lens grades what ought to be EX or better lens as a BGN for whatever reason, maybe they just leave it at that since they paid for it at that rate? That is total speculation, just seriously I've gotten perfect lenses graded bargain, and I've got total crap lenses graded bargain, so it is strange. Or maybe there are some things they just don't want hanging around -- I tend to buy oddball lenses, and almost all older stuff, not modern AF lenses.)

03-04-2014, 07:46 AM	#7
Fat Albert Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 966	Has anybody bought any lenses rated UG from KEH, and what have your experiences been with that grade?

03-04-2014, 08:09 AM	#8
dadipentak Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,590	Originally posted by Fat Albert Has anybody bought any lenses rated UG from KEH, and what have your experiences been with that grade? My experience with KEH has been very good every time. The one UG lens I bought from them was unacceptable so I returned it for refund--no problem.

03-04-2014, 09:09 AM	#9
vonBaloney Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 6,029	I have bought UG lenses, which I expect to be "unacceptable" -- that's why they are graded that and the prices are very low. UG should be considered "for parts" or repair -- don't expect to get anything usable as-is. Anything graded UG will have some glaring problem that will affect the image so it is usually problems with the glass, anything with a major mechanical problem I suspect they just keep for their repair department. (All of the lenses I have sent back with mechanical issues never re-appear on the site for sale again.) I think all of the UG lenses I have bought have had haze or fogged internal elements -- some cleaned up, some didn't.

03-04-2014, 09:48 AM	#10
FrankC Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Photos: Gallery Posts: 322	I bought most of my 645 lenses from them: AF 75mm, A120mm Macro, AF 200mm. The 200mm stopped focusing and I had to ship it back. Paid for shipping one way was my only cost. The others are seemingly better than advertised.

03-04-2014, 10:40 AM	#11
thazooo Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 854	Paying for return shipping must be new. Several years ago I ordered a camera body listed as EX+. Arrived with shutter button not working and debris all over the sensor. I paid for shipping coming to me and returning. Only other option was to send it back and they would fix it. Nope. I was credited for price of camera only. SO buyer beware.

03-04-2014, 10:50 AM	#12
FrankC Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Photos: Gallery Posts: 322	I may have been wrong about not having to pay for return shipping; it's been a few years since that happened. However, my current recollection is that I had only paid one way.

03-04-2014, 11:07 AM	#13
vonBaloney Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 6,029	Yeah, I think they used to pay for return shipping only sporadically or if you complained about it. But for the last year or so at least if you are returning something for some problem not your fault, they automatically give you a prepaid FedEx label...

03-04-2014, 01:38 PM	#14
jon404 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Photos: Gallery Posts: 696 Original Poster	Yes, they gave me a pre-paid FedEx label immediately. As to the UG lenses... could this be a ~~cheap~~ cost-effective way for Pentaxians to keep up with -- let alone surpass -- all those Holga people? Actually, bring me up to date -- is the Holga phenomenon still going on? Or has it gone the way of Beanie Babies and Bitcoins?

03-04-2014, 01:49 PM	#15
gofour3 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,091	+1 for KEH. I have bought numerous items from them and they are highly recommended. They screwed up a couple lens hood orders, but let me keep the wrong item (which I sold) and refunded my money right away. The only negative with KEH is the expensive online shipping rates outside the USA. However if you order via phone you can get a better shipping rate than online. Phil.