KEH question

[darr]

I have bought a few accessories from KEH online. They were fine. I remember when they had a showroom. Then, being in Atlanta, I could visit and examine the stuff in person. I hesitate to buy from them now because of their high shipping costs for something I could just as easily pick up.

Rafael,

I remember walking in off of 14th Street and buying from the KEH shelves. Then years later they moved to the Marietta Blvd location and you could not walk in and browse, but I could pick up my orders. The last time I lived in the area was in 2000, has that all changed?

Darr

[Brian Ellis]

I bought a "bargain" Pentax 67 TTL finder from KEH. It worked but there was a major dent in the top. Pretty much like they say "bargain" means, functional but not pretty.

[Sheldon N]

I bought a bargain Fuji lens from KEH. When I got it the glass was a bit dusty and there was the faintest hint of wear. I wouldn't have any reservations calling it mint to anyone else. They've been pretty conservative on the things I've seen from them.

[reellis67]

I've bought a number of lenses and a camera from them that were rated BGN that turned out to be fantastic. I also bought my wife an EX camera that looked like it was just taken out of the factory box. I've dealt with them 5 times total and all 5 were flawless.

- Randy

[Al Seyle]

Question I have is SELLING to KEH. Their first question is- Has this item ever been used professionally? As though they're going to mark it lower if so. An item should be priced according to its condition, not who has used (or not used) it.

[Ron Marshall]

Question I have is SELLING to KEH. Their first question is- Has this item ever been used professionally? As though they're going to mark it lower if so. An item should be priced according to its condition, not who has used (or not used) it.

They might be concerned that internal mechanisms that cannot be observed without dissasembly might be considerably worn with pro equipment.

[Brian Ellis]

Question I have is SELLING to KEH. Their first question is- Has this item ever been used professionally? As though they're going to mark it lower if so. An item should be priced according to its condition, not who has used (or not used) it.

Based on my one experience selling to them, selling is much different than buying. Yeas ago I bought an old Zeiss 35mm system (camera, 4 or 5 lenses, etc.) that looked mint to me and worked perfectly. But I had no use for it, it was an impulse purchase at a camera show, and that was in the days before ebay. So I called KEH, described the condition as honestly as I could, and they quoted a price of something like $300 (about 3/4 of what I paid, which seemed fair to me). So I boxed it up, shipped it, and when they received it they called and said it was in poor condition and all they could pay was $50 for the whole system. That seemed strange but I figured they knew more than I did about photography equipment so rather than pay to have it shipped back and then try to sell it some other way I let it go. A couple months later I looked in their Shutterbug ad and there was a Zeiss system exactly like mine described as E+ or Mint - with a selling price of about $500.

Conincidence? Did they just happen to get two identical old Zeiss systems in, one in bad condition (mine) and another in mint or E+ condition, and they tried to sell only the latter? Or did they do something to the camera and lenses that all of a sudden changed the condition from poor to excellent/mint? I don't think so. I think they knew they had me over a barrel and paid the least they possibly could. So especially today, where there seems to be a market for anything on ebay, I wouldn't sell anything to them.

[Al Seyle]

Six months ago I got their quote to buy my Contax T3. I shipped it and within a week got a check for 10% MORE than the quote. I have purchased several items from them over the years and have usually been happy. The one exception was a lot of 12 4x5 film holders which were far from the excellent that was stated. I think if they are out of the excellent, they just ship what they have just to fill the order. Still a much better chance than ebay in by experience. At least they will work with you.

[Oren Grad]

Question I have is SELLING to KEH. Their first question is- Has this item ever been used professionally? As though they're going to mark it lower if so. An item should be priced according to its condition, not who has used (or not used) it.

But what do you mean by "condition"? Would you rather buy a camera that looks like new but has been used for 50,000 exposures, or one that's scuffed up a bit but had only 10 rolls through it? One of the reasons buying used equipment is tricky is that the "condition" ratings are usually just cosmetic ratings, and it's anybody's guess how much functional wear-and-tear the equipment has suffered.

As for KEH, they'd be rational to mark down an item that has been used professionally, because the odds that a buyer will have a problem with it are almost certainly higher.

It's a bit easier with view cameras, because the construction is much simpler and there are generally few critical components that are hidden. But if you're out to buy a used Hassy or Nikon F-series camera, watch out.

[Andy Eads]

As a high school photography teacher, I once needed 6 Nikon FM bodies for a short term project. I called KEH, asked them to bid on 6 usable cameras. They gave me a good price, shipped them quickly and they all worked fine. They have my confidence.