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rovershooter

rovershooter

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steve
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Has anyone bought any camera stuff off ebay from japan ? there is a good condition canon 400 f2 for sale but im wary of buying from ebay
so just looking for anyone whos bought from japan or china before
thanks
 
I did a fair bit of research on the seller before I bought (go through their feedback) and you also have to factor in import duty and check whether you pay for returns or not.

My purchase was successful although I was disappointed in the condition but not enough to send it back. I'd advise caution based on how much you're spending and how important the money and the lens are to you. Given my previous experience, I'd only use Japan again if I were truly desperate. I've been looking for a Fuji GF670 and Japan is the only source other than UK sellers who appear dodgy to me. I'm still waiting....
 
Harlequin565 said:
I did a fair bit of research on the seller before I bought (go through their feedback) and you also have to factor in import duty and check whether you pay for returns or not.

My purchase was successful although I was disappointed in the condition but not enough to send it back. I'd advise caution based on how much you're spending and how important the money and the lens are to you. Given my previous experience, I'd only use Japan again if I were truly desperate. I've been looking for a Fuji GF670 and Japan is the only source other than UK sellers who appear dodgy to me. I'm still waiting....
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yeah thanks for this, im really after a 400 f2 but theres not many good condition used ones on the go at the moment
i will certainly take your advice and do plenty of research before i take the next step
many thanks again for your feedback
 
Japan sellers are very hit and miss. They generally have ridiculous grading systems ranging from A+ to A+++++++++. What you then will receive is very hard to understand. You'll also get charge import tax and when the lens needs to be returned it's virtually impossible to reclaim the tax back. I no longer buy from Japan.
 
I’ve bought from a seller in Japan but I picked a seller with a lot of feedback.
camera was bought for £350 and I paid around £80 import tax.
Personally I would buy again only if I can’t find what I’m looking for in the UK.
It’s prob going to be a pain for returns.
But I believe if you ask for more photos the seller should be able to provide more. If they avoid reply obviously avoid.

Edit: also look the “about the seller” page, they usually provide a description of what they do. Some sellers can repair cameras, I would most likely prefer such a seller as the chances is they would do a more thorough inspection of the equipment.
It is a hit and miss unfortunately as lately more less experienced sellers are on eBay.
 
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I've bought a few Evil Bay items from Japan and have been successful thankfully. In all cases I knew it was a little risky, but I made sure they had good feedback first.

My items were all Hasselblad, so not cheap. However, even with the import duty on top they worked out a lot cheaper than UK prices.

Like any online purchase it's a risk, but I would be happy buying from Japan again. (y)
 
To be fair, eBay will let you return anything at anytime if you simply say it's not good. They will even give you the cash back even though they promise the seller that they will wait for inspection. Even if the return hasn't actually been delivered.

Regardless of if the buyer can prove 100% that they sent the item perfectly as listed. There is really zero seller protection. :mad:
 
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Generally the Japanese are very honest and reputable people to do business with but take time to understand the grading / condition descriptions.
 
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