[stevebrot]

Just today, I saw an eBay listing that aroused my interest. It was for a clean-appearing Pentax KX bundled with a couple of filters and a 135/2.8 tele. Unfortunately the description lacked details as to the brand and model of the lens mounted on the camera nor did it say what brand the 135mm was.

I sent an inquiry to the seller asking about the lenses and got a reply about an hour later that the lens on the camera is Pentax brand and that the tele is 135/2.8 (what I already knew). He also said that the camera was already packed for shipping even though the auction will not end for almost a week (can/will not provide any additional details).

I took a long close look at the photos for the auction and think that the Pentax lens is probably a K 55/1.8. I also believe that the 135mm is a Nikon mount based on what appears to be a metal aperture coupling tab on the aperture ring.

Needless to say, I am not planning on bidding this item. Period. If no information is given, the item will always be as described.

Edit: The seller contacted me today to tell me that he had unpacked the lens and posted more pictures. I guess I am overly suspicious... The lens on the camera is a Pentax-K 55/1.8 and the 135/2.8 is an ancient Quantaray with what looks to be some sort of TX mount to fit who knows what!End edit

Later today I saw a 70-210 zoom advertised as Pentax mount, but the photos were obviously Canon FD. Return policy...all items sold as is...

Recently, I have noticed an up-tick in borderline fraudulent practices on eBay auctions both as reported on this forum and by auctions on the bay. Cameras bundled with incompatible lenses or accessories. Badly damaged goods sold as being in working condition. Badly out-of-focus pictures on items claimed to be in excellent++ condition.

Anyone care to share their interesting eBay experiences?

Steve

(Hoping that the Ricoh XR2s that I won yesterday is actually bundled with a working flash and Promaster 70-150...there is a good chance that the zoom is not K-mount...)

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Last edited by stevebrot; 01-16-2009 at 10:20 AM.

[Vylen]

i bought a 135mm soligor on ebay... shouldve been delivered to my house today (at work atm) ... it had the "SOLD AS IS" thing.. but there was a tonne of detail about it...

unfortunately i dont have a screw mount to k mount adapter yet haha... so even if it did come in, i wont be able to test it... but at least ill be able to compare it against the plentiful amount of images provided on it...

[stevebrot]

i bought a 135mm soligor on ebay... shouldve been delivered to my house today (at work atm) ... it had the "SOLD AS IS" thing.. but there was a tonne of detail about it...

unfortunately i dont have a screw mount to k mount adapter yet haha... so even if it did come in, i wont be able to test it... but at least ill be able to compare it against the plentiful amount of images provided on it...

You can actually do a fair amount of testing without even putting the lens on the camera:

• Check that the focus operates smoothly lock to lock without wobble
• For zooms, confirm that the mechanism is smooth without wobble or binding
• Check that the aperture ring operates smoothly lock to lock
• Examine the filter mount for dings or mangled threads
• Examine the mount for obvious damage
• Looking through the lens from the back, operate the auto-aperture actuator. The aperture blades should open/close sharply with no sticking/hesitation at all aperture settings.
• With the lens stopped down, rotate the aperture ring. The aperture opening should be appropriate for the setting and should be symmetrical. The blades should be free of oil (possible exception for manual and pre-set aperture lenses)

Using a strong oblique light source:

• Examine the front and rear elements for scratches
• Closely examine the internal elements for excess dust and fungus
• Closely examine the internal groups for separated elements

Steve

[X Man]

I'm not really sure that the two cases you bring up equate to any sort of fraud.

Look, a large portion of eBay sellers buy at second-hand shops, estate sales etc... They, aren't camera geeks. Even some camera geeks from the '70's [You know, the one with the super clean M-1.4 for $50 shipped] haven't touched the mess in over a decade.

As a buyer/seller, it rarely hurts me when someone is selling me something they know nothing about. I do the research and often get great deals from such sellers, using their lack of care or interest to my advantage.

BTW, what was the price for the K 55 f/1.8 and the unidentified 135? 'Cause, the rep and prices of that k 55 1.8 are going up, up, up.

Pay attention, don't do anything stupid... That's pretty much my eBay advice for buyers and sellers.

Picking a couple of auctions by clueless sellers and talking about fraud should, IMO be separate issues. I mean, if you've actually been ripped off, fine. But, there is now buyer protection through Paypal, there's mediation on eBay and via PP. It's getting pretty hard to get ripped off.

I'm a seller on eBay and I don't rip people off. I'm also a buyer and I've never been ripped off. So, I'm not really sure what you're talking about. It may not be perfect [eBay], but it certainly works.

Regards,
Mike

...

I took a long close look at the photos for the auction and think that the Pentax lens is probably a K 55/1.8. I also believe that the 135mm is a Nikon mount based on what appears to be a metal aperture coupling tab on the aperture ring.

Needless to say, I am not planning on bidding this item. Period. If no information is given, the item will always be as described.

Later today I saw a 70-210 zoom advertised as Pentax mount, but the photos were obviously Canon FD. Return policy...all items sold as is...

Recently, I have noticed an up-tick in borderline fraudulent practices on eBay...

Anyone care to share their interesting eBay experiences?

Steve

[xjjohnno]

A PrinzGalaxy comes to mind, supposedly excellent condition, bought for bugger all but not the point, held up to the light and frosting inside the lens as well as dust? that didn't seem to want to be removed which turned out to be scratces.

[Mechan1k]

I love the "increase the HP in your car by 50hp with the $10 power chip" scams.
It's a 10 cent resistor that tries to fool the ECU regarding intake air temp ... probably caung all manner of issues.

[Vylen]

i checked it out... its not perfect, but it wasnt described as such.... man i really wanna try it out bah

[stevebrot]

...As a buyer/seller, it rarely hurts me when someone is selling me something they know nothing about. I do the research and often get great deals from such sellers, using their lack of care or interest to my advantage.

Lack of care on a "Buy It Now" is one thing. I like that too. But other things like not answering questions about an item because it is "packed for shipping" a full week before the auction ends sounds lame to me. I think the current buzz word is disingenuous. This seller deals mostly in coins and collectible jewelry and figurines. I think he understands the importance of condition and accurate descriptions. Edit: The seller contacted me today to tell me that he had unpacked the lens and posted more pictures. I guess I am overly suspicious... End edit

BTW, what was the price for the K 55 f/1.8 and the unidentified 135? 'Cause, the rep and prices of that k 55 1.8 are going up, up, up.

The minimum bid on the KX with unknown Pentax lens on camera and unknown 135/2.8 was set at $50 with a KX manual, green and blue filters, and a hard lens case thrown in. That is a little high for a lot when all items are in unknown condition and the seller knows nothing about the condition/identity of any of the items and the picture is small and fairly fuzzy.

I understand that many of the sellers get their goods at yard sales, estate sales, and various second-hand stores. I also understand that camera stuff often is bought "at lot" in these situations with no information available and the seller usually has no interest in becoming an expert. In those situations, it is my expectation that the seller would list the item "as is" with no reserve, no promises, and no return.

I have to admit that I have never been the victim of full-on fraud, nor have I ever had to file a dispute with PayPal in order to recover my money. I did buy a camera (a KX with attached M 50/1.7) a few weeks ago that was described as being in near perfect condition with everything working "as new". It looked like a slam-dunk with a BIN price of $105. When I took delivery I could tell that it had been given a quick clean up with some sort of solvent and that the body did look pretty good despite all the seals having been dissolved off. However, when I gave it a quick test drive nothing worked except the shutter release and the focus ring. Truly...nothing worked. The mirror did not even return. I was out the shipping costs to send it back and the seller was out my purchase price including shipping and presumably the listing fee.

On the flip side, my current main film camera (Ricoh XR7) was picked up on a no reserve auction at eBay from the Seattle Goodwill for $25 with two zooms. One of the zooms was toast and the other was traded in partial payment to the local repair shop for a CLA. All in all a great deal for me, the seller, and the repair guy.

My pet peeves:

• Inaccurate and/or vague descriptions
• Fuzzy pictures
• High reserves on items where condition is questionable
• Posing a camera with a facsimile copy of the manual

Steve

[pingflood]

My ebay tips:

1) "Worked last time it was used" == guaranteed broken.

2) I find that most poorly done auctions (little information, bad spelling, bad pictures) are from honest people and sometimes you can score a great deal if you chat with them and feel them out, because a lot of people will avoid auctions that don't look professional.

[stevebrot]

My ebay tips:

1) "Worked last time it was used" == guaranteed broken.

2) I find that most poorly done auctions (little information, bad spelling, bad pictures) are from honest people and sometimes you can score a great deal if you chat with them and feel them out, because a lot of people will avoid auctions that don't look professional.

Excellent points pingflood. Especially #2. This morning there was a message from the seller for the KX (see original post) indicating that he had unpacked the lens and that he was posting more photos. Turns out the 135mm is a Quantaray with what looks like some sort of TX mount (two aperture scales). The lens on the camera is a Pentax-K 55/1.8. I will amend the original post to reflect the seller's good faith.

Steve

[Tom S.]

If an ad says no return, I wouldn't take it if they were giving it away. To me, that can only mean there is either something wrong with it, or it's in worse shape than their description claims.

"This was my fathers Camera." "I don't know much about it, but he sure loved it."


Translation.....

"Found this one at a Garage Sale last Saturday morning."

[woof]

I sold a Spotmatic once that had been CLA's by Erik. I had a LONG description on it and a large number of photos and offered to send the CLA paperwork with the camera. It sold for a very good price as a result of taking the time to do a large number of detailed photos complete with a great description, etc.

Some dude picks up on the fact that it sold high and copies the text word for word. He changed a few things. He SAID it had been CLA'd but removed the offer to send the paperwork for the CLA. Let's just say it was absolutely clear that he had stolen my description word for word. So much so that eBay pulled it right after I reported it.

woof!

[stevebrot]

I sold a Spotmatic once that had been CLA's by Erik. I had a LONG description on it and a large number of photos and offered to send the CLA paperwork with the camera. It sold for a very good price as a result of taking the time to do a large number of detailed photos complete with a great description, etc.

Some dude picks up on the fact that it sold high and copies the text word for word. He changed a few things. He SAID it had been CLA'd but removed the offer to send the paperwork for the CLA. Let's just say it was absolutely clear that he had stolen my description word for word. So much so that eBay pulled it right after I reported it.

woof!

That falls into the same category as three different auctions...all with the same photo.

Steve

[troyz]

I wouldn't use the word fraud, but I am peeved by:

(1) "Works great. . . needs new battery." Yeah, right.

(2) Sellers using the word "reconditioned" to mean "has been tinkered with".

Oh yeah, plagiarism is pretty bad too.