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Hank
Tinkerer
Username: Hank
Post Number: 8
Registered: 07-2011
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2011 - 08:21 am: | 
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Hello all. Im looking for other "used camera" online stores. I already know of adorama & B&H . Please list some others. Thanks, Henry |
Waynemel
Tinkerer
Username: Waynemel
Post Number: 79
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2011 - 09:02 am: |
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KEH Camera |
Hank
Tinkerer
Username: Hank
Post Number: 9
Registered: 07-2011
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2011 - 09:17 am: |
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Yeah I was at KEH also. Man they really mark up the prices. Doesnt seem like they are trying to give any good deals. |
Br1078lum
Tinkerer
Username: Br1078lum
Post Number: 112
Registered: 11-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, July 18, 2011 - 07:30 pm: |
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From what I have been hearing about KEH, you can get some really sweet deals perusing their BGN selections. They seem to have a very high standard they go by when it comes to grading the condition of the equipment, and most folks I hear from are very satisfied with the bargain pieces. Give them another look.
PF |
Old_school
Tinkerer
Username: Old_school
Post Number: 102
Registered: 04-2011
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 21, 2011 - 10:29 pm: |
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Hank: Keep an eye on www.shopgoodwill.com, as things show up there on occasion. But, be warned, some of the people go nuts & I think they are bidding too much on some of the items. I snagged a Liecaflex SL / 50:2, not bad, & a few Canons.
Good luck! |
Br1078lum
Tinkerer
Username: Br1078lum
Post Number: 119
Registered: 11-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 22, 2011 - 09:15 am: |
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I wondered who got that SL/50:2. I've noticed the bidding at Goodwill going nuts too, even on items that one could almost consider junk. Not long ago, you could get some really nice deals, but it seems the impetuous spirit of some of the bidders is getting out of hand. But every once in a while I will make out okay on something I need. Still, a lot of what you find there is highly questionable as to the condition.
PF |
Mndean
Tinkerer
Username: Mndean
Post Number: 248
Registered: 08-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 22, 2011 - 05:43 pm: |
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I've seen some pretty silly sale prices at those Goodwill auctions, and it's not always very desirable items, either. I've done better looking in local thrift shops, even Goodwill. |
Denny
Tinkerer
Username: Denny
Post Number: 73
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 22, 2011 - 08:46 pm: |
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I have wound up with several "collectibles" off of Goodwill. I would say virtually all of them needed help, which is how and why I found this site.
I feel some have been real bargains and don't understand why I got them for the bid I did. As others have stated, some go for prices way beyond what I am willing to pay, but patience will often payoff.
My two best finds (in my mind anyway), a nice Yashicamat LM for $36 and a Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2 with the Tessar lens and Compur shutter for $10. Shipping added to these prices which is another big variable. Some are in the $17 range and others $10.
I have also picked up Sunpak 422D and 433D for under $10.
If the purchase works, I got a good deal. If it is broken beyond repair, I made a contribution to a good charity.
Some stores know cameras pretty well and describe them well. Indianapolis comes to mind. Others are almost humorous. My favorite was "the shitter clicks". |
Waynemel
Tinkerer
Username: Waynemel
Post Number: 81
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 23, 2011 - 06:37 am: |
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I have not purchased from Goodwill because their shipping charges to Canada are outrageous. I think the last time I checked, it was around $50-60 shipping. There goes the bargain! |
Cooltouch
Tinkerer
Username: Cooltouch
Post Number: 140
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2011 - 04:29 pm: |
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Hey Wayne,
You can probably find a member here who will relay the item for you. I've done that before with a few friends from Europe and Hong Kong with eBay sellers who wouldn't ship outside the US.
In your case, the savings could be significant, but it does depend somewhat on the Goodwill store. As for shipping to Canada, I shipped a lens (a Nikkor 35mm f/2) to a guy in BC just a few days ago -- First Class mail, and it cost me less than $9. But if I would have bought that lens from a Goodwill store, it might have cost me $15 to $20 for them to ship to me. Their shipping charges tend to be on the high side, I've found. Some tack on a fixed handling charge, but others tack on a handlig charge that's a percentage of the sales price. I complained to them about this -- telling them that it was actually a buyer premium they were adding to the auction, which is something auction houses will do. But Goodwill doesn't have a good reason for this since they are both the seller and the auction house. Fortunately not many of the stores do this. |
Cooltouch
Tinkerer
Username: Cooltouch
Post Number: 141
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2011 - 04:51 pm: |
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I too have had positive experiences with KEH. And yes, the BGN items represent an exceptional value. I recently bought a lens that was listed as BGN and when I got it, except for a very small amount of wear around the bayonet lugs for the hood and a tiny scratch on the zoom ring, the lens was in just about mint condition.
Yep, I'll definitely shop KEH again. |
Old_school
Tinkerer
Username: Old_school
Post Number: 111
Registered: 04-2011
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2011 - 11:26 am: |
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Then there are these guys:
http://www.collectiblecameras.com/
I have not bought anything from them & do not know how they rate. But it looks like a few things show up that could be gotten for parts or practice items. It looks like they a get good turn over of items. Any one use them?
The Best Mike..... |
Mndean
Tinkerer
Username: Mndean
Post Number: 252
Registered: 08-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 12, 2011 - 05:19 pm: |
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Does anyone else find shopgoodwill sort of an "equipment Russian roulette" site due to their no testing/no refund policy of auctions? The prices for the vast majority of photo items are really no better and often worse than the big online auction site, where you can get questions answered and have some protection if an item is broken, or never worked correctly in the first place. The only Goodwill location auctioning that regularly tests if their cameras are even alive is Seattle. And still, I see cameras like the Canon AE-1 and AE-1 Program fetch high prices, often more than the A-1.
I bought an AE-1+50/1.8+Speedlight 177A from a brick-and-mortar Goodwill for $10. Check out http://www.shopgoodwill.com/auctions/Canon-AE-1-35mm-Camera-with-Flash-8339241.h tml for a near-identically specced camera and its final price sans shipping. Mine I bought untested, but the camera and lens were in excellent shape with no Canon squeal once I put a battery in it. The flash, however, didn't work. I threw out the bag as the lining was crumbling. I could gamble the $10. I couldn't the $100+shipping.
I just don't see the attraction of the site, it seems a bad deal most of the time, without even considering shipping. |
Ron_g
Tinkerer
Username: Ron_g
Post Number: 83
Registered: 07-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 13, 2011 - 03:16 am: |
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In most cases the shipping sours the deal,especially when you consider the risks.
I have bought from them when there was no packing involved,they just threw it in a box.
I check their site every day but very seldom bid on anything.Craigslist is where I make most of my buys these days.Ron G |
Mndean
Tinkerer
Username: Mndean
Post Number: 253
Registered: 08-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 13, 2011 - 09:30 am: |
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Same here. Craigslist and thrift stores. I don't even use The Auction Site That Will Not Be Named unless I really need something.
Ouch, I didn't realize packing was that bad, too. I feel for someone who paid a lot (there sold a TL Electro-X with a 55/1.2 for nearly $500 yesterday) and finds the thing rattling in a box. |
Denny
Tinkerer
Username: Denny
Post Number: 77
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 13, 2011 - 07:48 pm: |
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I search Craigslist, but locally, really haven't found anything that was priced where I thought it should be.
I have had pretty good luck at garage sales, estate sales and local flea markets. At least there, you can actually look before you buy. The two that come to mind are a Contaflex 1, with a working Brockway Director light meter and all manuals for $10, and a very clean Pentax K1000, with a battery in it proving the meter was working for $5. But those finds are rare.
Shopgoodwill is getting to be more of a crapshoot all the time. I basically keep my expectations pretty low anymore, and check shipping costs before I even consider placing a bid. Shipping is often a deal breaker for me.
Having said that I still feel I can find a good deal occasionally, but I am getting very picky, and with the great help from people on this forum get some neat old cameras shooting again.
It is very rare I buy a shelf queen (at least on purpose). |
Mndean
Tinkerer
Username: Mndean
Post Number: 255
Registered: 08-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 13, 2011 - 11:26 pm: |
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Same here, I don't take shelf queens unless they're either given to me or are weird and very cheap. |
Old_school
Tinkerer
Username: Old_school
Post Number: 116
Registered: 04-2011
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - 12:32 am: |
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The Western Reserve Camera Collectors group is having a meet 28 August 2011 @ Ritchfield Days Inn on Rt 21 10am to 3pm in Ritchfield Ohio. $6 @ the door & $5 with a print out of the posting on Craigs List 21 Aug 2011.
The other note is as noted, make sure & check the shipping charges from the Goodwill site before placing a bid, as for me the Tacoma, WA shipping fees are nuts. They got me once, & I learned to check all of them. The Rochester, NY store is a little nuts too, as they put reserves on their items & I think someone bids on them just to get them off the site. KEH has been fair in their pricing & description on a few items I have purchased from them.
The Best Mike.... |
Mndean
Tinkerer
Username: Mndean
Post Number: 260
Registered: 08-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - 10:39 pm: |
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After watching the shopgoodwill site for a while longer, I came to some conclusions:
- You can find a good deal there, but it's very dependent on what equipment you get (brand and type).
- Shipping costs are somewhat high and quite variable. Some Goodwills charge a percentage of the sale price for "handling". Chew on that one for awhile.
- Equipment is not tested unless you buy from a certain few Goodwill sites. Some of it also is displayed in a appalling state, which can be a good thing, I guess.
So to sum it up, I haven't changed my mind about the site for most photo items, but I might take a flyer on a camera sometime, expecting the worst. |
Edward8
Tinkerer
Username: Edward8
Post Number: 62
Registered: 03-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 09:51 pm: |
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In Australia, try Camera Lane. Speak to Alan. Or Camera Exchange. Speak to John. In Sydney, try ECS. In Adelaide, try any Camera House. Old gear is rife in Adelaide. In Hobart,Tasmania, try Walsh Optical.
Regards. |
