Have you ever bought a camera on eBay (or anywhere else) and on using it found that it does not work or takes very poor quality pictures, much worse than you expect?

I'm willing to bet that you have!

Cameras are quite complicated pieces of equipment, modern digitals obviously so, but of course the digital camera is just a modern solution to 'image capture', and all the cameras ever built have had more or less the same problems to deal with.

Only a few decades ago even the most sophisticated cameras were almost completely mechanical, and the internal machinery is often as complex as a wristwatch, or the inside of a motor car engine. Even a modern digital has moving parts, the shutter cannot as yet be replaced with a purely electronic equivalent, and lenses must still be zoomed and focussed by means of gears and motors.

All this means that there is a lot to go wrong with a camera, and it is not possible to find out if a camera is a good buy or not just by looking at a few pictures. Even if a camera looks clean and well looked after it could be in a very poor mechanical state inside.

Even if you get a chance to handle a camera befor buying, it is no guarantee that it will work properly when you use it. Only a few very experienced individuals can make an assessment of the mechanical condition of a camera without internal inspection or bench testing, and even then it is only a rough idea!

So how do you make sure that you are buying a good camera on eBay? And how much should you really bid to make sure you get it when you find it?

The first and probably most important thing is this....

Rule 1.

Unless you yourself are an expert, only buy from an expert!

Choosing the seller is the most critical factor in ensuring that you are going to get a decent piece of kit. You need to assure yourself that whoever you buy your camera from is qualified to make a judgement of the camera you are buying.

This might sound like a bit of a sales pitch from a specialist camera seller, but it is a fact that a lot of cameras offered are being sold by people who do not know anything at all about cameras!

This is because the cameras are bought at general sales auctions as part of a mixed lot, and the camera is a 'bonus' item in a box of cheap china ornaments or something. 

(I sometimes get cameras as part of a lot, which explains why I also have some non-camera stuff in my eBay Shop.)

This also means that the camera may well have been sitting in a dark, damp, and dusty warehouse for a month or more. Which is just perfect for fungus to get hold and corrosion to set-in. 

In turn this means that the camera will need some TLC before it can be offered for sale!

A seller who is not a specialist camera seller will not be aware of the sort of problems that cameras can suffer from, or how to look for them, and certainly will not be able to rectify any problems found.

Also of course you will find cameras sold by non-specialists at over-inflated starting prices, by non-expert sellers who have not done their research!

(As with anything, it is not a good idea to try and trade in things you do not have any personal interest in. You will not find it at all easy to accumulate the knowledge required and inevitably lose money. You will also upset those who do know what they are doing, as well as the buyers!) 

Rule 2.

(Unless you are an expert.) Don't buy from a seller that does not offer a returns policy.

This should be obvious. You cannot judge a camera from it's appearance, and even experts do sometimes make mistakes!

Another point to remember is that many non-experts insist on no returns for a camera specifically because they don't know anything about cameras, and don't really know if the camera is good or not!

Rule 3. 

If it is sold for 'spares or repair' it is probably irreparably damaged.

A reputable seller with cameras for sale which cannot be economically repaired, will not usually try to imply a camera is repairable. Anyone who is qualified to make that assessment is also usually capable of repairing the camera.

It is occassionally the case that a camera might be repairable, but if that is the case then the seller should be able to state exactly what needs to be done, and (this is important) if you need any special parts.

Rule 4. 

Serviced or Overhauled cameras are the best. 

A camera which has been serviced or overhauled will at the very least, have been properly tested and inspected internally as well as outside.

It is important to remember that some cameras (almost all of them sooner or later.) will require servicing to work properly. If the camera has not been serviced it may not work very long. It does not matter if the camera looks great, it needs to work!

Cameras sold as serviced etc, should carry an extra guarantee. That is because the servicing should have sorted any problems with the camera, but also partly because any camera service man will admit that sometimes a repair does not 'take' properly first time, or an adjustment made may need time to settle in.

Rule 5

Don't be tempted by 'extras'. Especially do not accept the presence of extras as evidence of good maintenance or condition.

You will see cameras offered with for example 'with the original box', etc. Such things mean very little.

It could in the case of the box mean that it has been well kept, but it could also mean that the box came from a completly different camera. (I usually check to see if the camera serial number is printed on the box, and guarantee stubs etc are with it as well!) 

In any case, unless you are collecting camera boxes as well, the box itself is of little value.

Also, if the camera is offered with the original manual, check it is the manual for that camera, and ask yourself why a manual (Which might have value of it's own!) is being sold with the camera?

A user manual may have value as an item of photographic ephemera, but it is not necessary, and usually these can be downloaded from one of the many photo-enthusiast sites.

Other items such as spare lenses cases etc should not be though of as 'free items' but at the same time unless you really want or need those extras do not feel obliged to bid for them. Other people may well only be interested in the camera body, while others may only be interested in the lens. So you may well end up bidding for a camera body for someone who is after a lens.

Usually it is better to buy these separately. That way you can get a description of each item and a separate guarantee etc for each item. I have often bought a camera 'with lens' only to find that the lens is in fact an inferior type, or damaged, and then have a return refused on the grounds that the lens was a 'free' extra, or that I will have to return both camera (which I want) and the damaged lens (which I don't want) to obtain a refund.

Usually sellers will have suitable accessories for the camera you buy, and a discount may be offered if you buy the camera and accessories at the same time.

How to pick your seller.

You should by now have a good idea of how to find your seller.

You are looking for a seller who specializes in cameras selling very little else who offers a return policy, and a guarantee.

Also, someone who sells serviced and overhauled cameras.

To be certain of your seller always ask a few questions.

This will help pick out those who have little knowledge. Look out for incorrect terminology in the reply. A real camera enthusiast will actually enjoy researching the item they are selling, and should be able to answer your questions authoritatively.

Some good questions to ask....

Has the shutter been timed? If so how?

An experienced technician can make a reasonably good assesment of how even a focal plane shutter is running, but to check the speed requires the use of a test instrument of some sort. That the shutter 'looks about right' is not really good enough.

A focal plane shutter needs to be checked at it's maximum speed. This can be difficult if the camera has no manual shutter speed control. In such cases it may not be possible to check this without some sort of test instrument.

(The instruments required are not particularly complictated, and anyone equipped with a reasonable oscilloscope, and a bit of electonic knowledge can build a set-up quite adequate for accurate timing!)

Is the meter accurate? Does the speed shown in the viewfinder match?

Some cameras use a completely different metering circuit for the viewfinder indication from the one that is used to control the shutter. (Olympus OM1 for example.) If this is the case the viewfinder can show shutter speeds wildly different from the actual shutter speed. 

This means that checking the meter by means of the viewfinder indication can also be way out!

Again the shutter should be timed electronically whilst the camera is 'looking' at an accurate reference. Professionals use a lightbox, and a refernce aperture, but comparison with an accurate lightmeter using a known accurately calibrated lens and a evenly illuminated card is almost as good. (It takes a little longer, and finding a properly calibrated lens can be difficult!)

Then the viewfinder indication should be checked (with a porperly fitting eye-cup) to see if the indication matches the actual speed.

What about the condition of the light seals/traps?

These are often strips of foam rubber around the door edges. Their job is to prevent stray light entering the camera. There are often more light traps inside where you can't see tham.

These perish with age, and almost any camera with this kind of light seal which is more than 20 years old will have perished seals. These can be renewed quite cheaply, but it would cost £30 to be done 'proffessionally'.

There is no reason why this cannot be done by the seller, except that it takes 20 minutes!

However, the internal seals take longer to do, and should these start to come apart they can jam the camera solid.

Cameras where this can be a big problem are Pentax ME series camera (Particularly ME Super), where the shutter will eventually jam unless the problem has been addressed. This can cost a lot of money to get fixed. (I get most of mine already jammed, but this is fixed by the overhaul!) 

Have you had the camera long?

This can tell you a lot about the seller. If it is a privately owned camera then you can get a good idea of the use that the camera has been put to, and when it was last services and, any work done.

I stress that 'having work done' is usually a cood thing provided it's been dome properly!

If it is a trader expect to be told that is the case in response to this question!  

Have you personally tested this camera? If so how?

Sometimes the answer will ne no. Draw your own conclusions from that!

Often you are told that the seller has 'run a film through it'. This is best taken at face value, ie a film was put in, and would on to the end. That means the winder works, and the camera does not actually jam. (Not yet anyway!) It does not tell you anything useful!

If the film has been exposed, developed, and printed (an expensive operation for a trader!) it still does not tell you much more than the fact that the camera takes some pictures in certian conditions.

Remember shutter problems will show up at fast shutter speeds, and might not show at lower speeds, and unless the camera is used in widely varying light conditions the meter will not have been tested adaquately this way.

In fact you would neet to use several rolls of film to test a film camera, to cover all the possible combinations!

All it can really do is test that the camera focuses correctly!

So electronic testing of some sort is much to be preferred.

Has this camera been overhauled recently?

Ideally yes, or at least serviced. A service will at least have revealed any probelms and any adjustments made. But please note that man problems will only be addressed by an overhaul. 

What is your returns policy? Is there a guarantee?

If buying at a fixed price from a business seller, there should be a returns policy already shown! If not ask what it is.

You should also be offered a guarantee if the camera has been ovehauled. Sometimes the camera will need re-adjusted after a run-in period after an overhaul. This is not terribly common, but the seller should have a policy to cope with this.

Asking these questions should be enough to sort out the sheep from the wolves. Dont' however assume that a seller who can't answer all these questions is a 'wrong un', it is simply a fact that many cameras are sold by people who really don't know enough to tell you most of this, and you should make your own mind up.

Sellers to avoid

Any seller who does not specialize in cameras is a poor choice to buy a camera from if you really want the best.

Private individuals included! If you are buying from a private individual, satisfy yourself first that they are a private seller, and that they are selling their own camera, so ask a few questions about the camera, and check their other listings as well.

Avoid especially, and why....

We all know how to spot dodgy ebay sellers don't we, (Well don't we?) but for cameras I should make just make the following comments.

Sellers of general items.

Their descriptions of the camera are likely to be ill-informed.

Sellers who state that they know nothing about cameras, especially if they seem to have a lot of cameras for sale! 

Why would someone who knows nothing about cameras be selling so many? In any case, assume all cameras sold like this are broken!

Sellers who do not clearly state a returns policy.

If it does not work properly what are you going to do?

Sellers who appear to be running a business, but who do not say so. 

If a seller is selling a lot of items and regularly, is probably a business seller whether they realize it or not.

A business seller has various obligations to their customer, such as 'fitness for purpose', and these applies whether the goods are new or used. (In this case the stated purpose is the one which counts. So if an item is sold for scrap, then the stated purpose is as scrap!)

Also by law all goods sold at a fixed price by a business on the internet,must be returnable within seven days of receipt without any particular excuse.

(This is intended to prevent goods being deliberately mis-described. Of course this is quite difficult to prove, and so in essence, no reason need be given. 'I no longer want it' is good enough!) 

While it is not a legal requirement that a seller advertise the fact, it is a legal requirement that this is made clear, and all contact details are provided once the customer places an order. (If this does not happen then the trader is operating illegally!) A private seller does not have to do this.

It is however a good idea to declare this right up-front. That way you can be certain that your legally required details are visible to buyers.

There is a risk of course that a business seller who has not made it clear on their listings that they are a business seller, may also try and claim that they are a private seller should a dispute arise, and try to avoid their legal responsibilities.

While it is possible to bring the force of law to bear on such an individual, it is much safer to deal with someone who makes it clear from the start that they are a business seller.

What about pricing/bidding?

I hope you have realized by now that a good reliable camera bought on eBay may cost the seller a little more to prepare for sale. In some cases this can be several hours for a single camera. So obviously they will cost a little more.

Compare though the price of a similar item from a traditional camera shop. The camera shop item is also unlikely to have been serviced or overhauled (if this is offered for the ebay seller).

For them it is less necessary to do so than the Ebay seller. Their customer is not going to leave negative feedback, and if a customer claims there is a problem it is common for the customer to return to the shop. It is also quite expensive for the traditional shop owner to have each camera serviced, just ask how nuch it would cost in your local camera shop!

However a high price does not always mean a good camera, so always check the sellers credentials, just don't expect a great camera for no money!

In conclusion.

It should go without saying that if you want the best camera your money can buy, you should choose a seller who is a specialist in cameras. You should particularly look for those with a degree of technical knowledge, as they are the most likley to be selling cameras in good mechanical condition.

Buying cameras from non specialists will sometimes get you a bargian, but more often than not it will be average at best.

It's really up to you who you choose, but be careful, some cameras sold as good are really poor, and that is usually due to the seller not really knowing what they are selling.

If you wan to buy a broken camera for spares, of just to take apart to see how it works, these can be a good source, but don't let anyone fool you into thinking you are getting a perfect example of the type, just make sure not to bid too much. (And you will be doing the camera rebuilder a favour, that's where they get a lot of their raw material!)