Should I order a GL2 from ebay? at DVinfo.net

John Lee · December 11th, 2002, 01:14 PM

I'm considering ordering a new GL2 with a "professional" kit off ebay, if I can get it for around 2200 dollars. The company selling it is one of those NYC camera retailers (47st.photo). I checked reseller rating, they received 2 positive reviews. They have sold almost 20,000 items on ebay and have only 150 complaints. They also offer some sort of "Mack" 4 year extended warranty.

Does anyone have any experience with this store, or the mack warranty? And also, ordering off ebay something I should avoid, despite the good reviews?

Ken Tanaka · December 11th, 2002, 01:49 PM

Kurt,
Certainly I can't tell you what you should do. 47th Street Photo has been arond a long time, but with a very checkered history. 150 complaints and 2 positive reviews is, frankly, terrible. The way these outfits operate is well documented here and elsewhere; offer the basic camera for rediculous price (often a gray-market camera), then hard sell "extended warranties" and crappy accessories to jack the price and profit margin up. The fact is that $2,200 is -far-too low of a price to be legitimate. There's more to the story of this "auction".

My advice is to buy directly from a reputable dealer such as ZGC or Zotz Digital (two of our sponsors) or another reputable place such as B&H Photo. eBay is fine for people buying $20 ceramic bunnies or other junk. But not for such a significant piece of equipment. (Can you tell I've been burned there? <g>) Personally, I've purchased a GL2 and XL1s from ZGC and couldn't have been more satisfied. Very fair price, sincere care for their customers, a desire to support their customers. Personally, that would be my choice regardless or their sponsorship here. (See http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&threadid=5363 for some stories from our Community members.)

Good luck. (You'll need it if you buy on eBay.)

John Lee · December 11th, 2002, 03:27 PM

I didn't mean to mislead anyone about the complaints, I meant that there were 150 negative reviews compared to 20,000 positive reviews for the company on ebay. and I only found 2 other positive reviews outside of ebay.

I've been burned on ebay before for cheaper things, which causes me to be skeptical of anyone with a negative review.

Thanks for the info, I'll be sure to check that site out.

Peter Moore · December 11th, 2002, 03:52 PM

I bought my GL2 from Willoughby's (not 47th st) and it was fine except the wide angle and telephoto lenses they gave me were wrong for the camera. They are selling it with 52mm threaded lenses and the camera needs 58mm, otherwise there's bad vignetting and for wide angle this really defeats the purpose! So don't buy it from them unless they promise to give you the right, 58 mm lenses.

Steve Nunez · December 11th, 2002, 04:06 PM

I live in NYC and 47st Photo has the worst reputation (or amongst the worst)....they exisit by scamming the tourists in that area (midtown Manhattan) and they're constantly on "Shame On You" type TV shows that show these guys for what they are......the only reputable stores in NYC are B&H and Adorama- you can forget the rest (even Cambridge is on the take- when I walk in- the 1st question they ask me is "where are you from" as they know locals can't be fooled with their sales techniques)

....get one from ZGC as everyone here says their service is the best as well as their price being fair.....I've tried but the NYC stores are all horrible- they're run by some of the shadiest people around and have more consumer fraud complaints than you can imagine!

Stay with the sites sponsors for the best results.

Paul Sedillo · December 11th, 2002, 04:14 PM

As has been mentioned here before, my preference is ZGC. I can't say enough good things about them. Make sure you mention that you heard about them from the DVinfo.net forum. Also ask for Mizell, he is great to work with.

John Lee · December 11th, 2002, 05:42 PM

I talked to a representative at ZGC. They do have an excellent price on the GL2.

Only thing is, I'd really like to purchase an extended warranty. I'm not sure if they offer this, but I'll look into it. The reason I'd like a better warranty than the 1 year deal is because my first camera, an old Sony handycam, had it's ccd go bad after a year. I can't afford to spend this much money and then have the camera break a year or two down the road...

Thanks for the help, I'm glad I didn't spend more money for lousy accessories and lenses that don't fit.

GaryBushey · December 13th, 2002, 05:47 AM

I actually bought my GL2 kit from 47thstreetphoto and had no complaints about it. Everything came as advertised and it was not a grey market camera.

Paul Sedillo · December 13th, 2002, 08:17 AM

<<<-- Originally posted by GaryBushey : I actually bought my GL2 kit from 47thstreetphoto and had no complaints about it. Everything came as advertised and it was not a grey market camera. -->>>

Gary,

What was included in the kit?

GaryBushey · December 13th, 2002, 08:36 AM

GL2 camera (with the usual accessories)
.5 wide angle lense
2x zoom lense
.3 macro lense
3 piece filter
lightweight tripod (pretty much useless)
carrying bag
4 hour battery

Peter Moore · December 13th, 2002, 11:04 AM

Do you have a vignetting problem with the wide-angle lens?

GaryBushey · December 13th, 2002, 12:26 PM

Actually I have not tried the lense yet.

gracejames · December 13th, 2002, 06:29 PM

What about buydig.com?
Any of you guys try them out?
CNET verified...

--james

John Lee · December 13th, 2002, 07:05 PM

I read some reviews at resellerratings on buydig.com

While they received a fairly high average overall score, probably over half of the reviews for them in the last 2 weeks all complained about them taking too long to ship items. Their price for the GL2 is pretty good though.

Bill Hardy · December 19th, 2002, 01:20 PM

Mines for sale: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...4860#post34860

December 11th, 2002, 01:14 PM	#1
John Lee Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Silver Spring, MD Posts: 152	Should I order a GL2 from ebay? I'm considering ordering a new GL2 with a "professional" kit off ebay, if I can get it for around 2200 dollars. The company selling it is one of those NYC camera retailers (47st.photo). I checked reseller rating, they received 2 positive reviews. They have sold almost 20,000 items on ebay and have only 150 complaints. They also offer some sort of "Mack" 4 year extended warranty. Does anyone have any experience with this store, or the mack warranty? And also, ordering off ebay something I should avoid, despite the good reviews?

December 11th, 2002, 01:49 PM	#2
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Kurt, Certainly I can't tell you what you should do. 47th Street Photo has been arond a long time, but with a very checkered history. 150 complaints and 2 positive reviews is, frankly, terrible. The way these outfits operate is well documented here and elsewhere; offer the basic camera for rediculous price (often a gray-market camera), then hard sell "extended warranties" and crappy accessories to jack the price and profit margin up. The fact is that $2,200 is -far-too low of a price to be legitimate. There's more to the story of this "auction". My advice is to buy directly from a reputable dealer such as ZGC or Zotz Digital (two of our sponsors) or another reputable place such as B&H Photo. eBay is fine for people buying $20 ceramic bunnies or other junk. But not for such a significant piece of equipment. (Can you tell I've been burned there? <g>) Personally, I've purchased a GL2 and XL1s from ZGC and couldn't have been more satisfied. Very fair price, sincere care for their customers, a desire to support their customers. Personally, that would be my choice regardless or their sponsorship here. (See http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&threadid=5363 for some stories from our Community members.) Good luck. (You'll need it if you buy on eBay.) __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

December 11th, 2002, 04:06 PM	#5
Steve Nunez Trustee Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Pembroke Pines, Florida Posts: 1,418	Forget the NYC stores I live in NYC and 47st Photo has the worst reputation (or amongst the worst)....they exisit by scamming the tourists in that area (midtown Manhattan) and they're constantly on "Shame On You" type TV shows that show these guys for what they are......the only reputable stores in NYC are B&H and Adorama- you can forget the rest (even Cambridge is on the take- when I walk in- the 1st question they ask me is "where are you from" as they know locals can't be fooled with their sales techniques) ....get one from ZGC as everyone here says their service is the best as well as their price being fair.....I've tried but the NYC stores are all horrible- they're run by some of the shadiest people around and have more consumer fraud complaints than you can imagine! Stay with the sites sponsors for the best results. __________________ Steve Nunez-New York City www.stevenunez.com

December 11th, 2002, 04:14 PM	#6
Paul Sedillo Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 607	As has been mentioned here before, my preference is ZGC. I can't say enough good things about them. Make sure you mention that you heard about them from the DVinfo.net forum. Also ask for Mizell, he is great to work with. __________________ Paul Sedillo Image::Studio http://www.image-studio.com Houston, Texas

December 13th, 2002, 05:47 AM	#8
GaryBushey Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 27	I actually bought my GL2 kit from 47thstreetphoto and had no complaints about it. Everything came as advertised and it was not a grey market camera. __________________ Gary A. Bushey

December 11th, 2002, 03:27 PM	#3
John Lee Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Silver Spring, MD Posts: 152	I didn't mean to mislead anyone about the complaints, I meant that there were 150 negative reviews compared to 20,000 positive reviews for the company on ebay. and I only found 2 other positive reviews outside of ebay. I've been burned on ebay before for cheaper things, which causes me to be skeptical of anyone with a negative review. Thanks for the info, I'll be sure to check that site out.

December 11th, 2002, 03:52 PM	#4
Peter Moore Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Arlington VA Posts: 1,034	I bought my GL2 from Willoughby's (not 47th st) and it was fine except the wide angle and telephoto lenses they gave me were wrong for the camera. They are selling it with 52mm threaded lenses and the camera needs 58mm, otherwise there's bad vignetting and for wide angle this really defeats the purpose! So don't buy it from them unless they promise to give you the right, 58 mm lenses.

December 11th, 2002, 05:42 PM	#7
John Lee Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Silver Spring, MD Posts: 152	I talked to a representative at ZGC. They do have an excellent price on the GL2. Only thing is, I'd really like to purchase an extended warranty. I'm not sure if they offer this, but I'll look into it. The reason I'd like a better warranty than the 1 year deal is because my first camera, an old Sony handycam, had it's ccd go bad after a year. I can't afford to spend this much money and then have the camera break a year or two down the road... Thanks for the help, I'm glad I didn't spend more money for lousy accessories and lenses that don't fit.

December 13th, 2002, 08:17 AM	#9
Paul Sedillo Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 607	<<<-- Originally posted by GaryBushey : I actually bought my GL2 kit from 47thstreetphoto and had no complaints about it. Everything came as advertised and it was not a grey market camera. -->>> Gary, What was included in the kit? __________________ Paul Sedillo Image::Studio http://www.image-studio.com Houston, Texas

December 13th, 2002, 08:36 AM	#10
GaryBushey Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 27	GL2 camera (with the usual accessories) .5 wide angle lense 2x zoom lense .3 macro lense 3 piece filter lightweight tripod (pretty much useless) carrying bag 4 hour battery __________________ Gary A. Bushey

December 13th, 2002, 11:04 AM	#11
Peter Moore Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Arlington VA Posts: 1,034	Do you have a vignetting problem with the wide-angle lens?

December 13th, 2002, 12:26 PM	#12
GaryBushey Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 27	Actually I have not tried the lense yet. __________________ Gary A. Bushey

December 13th, 2002, 06:29 PM	#13
gracejames New Boot Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 8	What about buydig.com? Any of you guys try them out? CNET verified... --james

December 13th, 2002, 07:05 PM	#14
John Lee Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Silver Spring, MD Posts: 152	I read some reviews at resellerratings on buydig.com While they received a fairly high average overall score, probably over half of the reviews for them in the last 2 weeks all complained about them taking too long to ship items. Their price for the GL2 is pretty good though.

December 19th, 2002, 01:20 PM	#15
Bill Hardy Major Player Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 205	Mines for sale: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...4860#post34860