I had a really bad experience with this seller.
I was supposed to buy a complete Mamiya 7ii camera with 3 lenses and accessories from Bonn Macy (the seller). The camera was described as pristine and in "like new" condition.
The seller didn't want to use PayPal and suggested Zelle instead. Since zelle doesn't have buyer protection and this was a very expensive purchase, I told Bonn I would send him a partial payment first, and he would send one of the items, and I would pay for the remaining items after.
I sent him a partial payment of $1500 and he sent me one of the lenses (the agreed upon price of the lens was $1200). That was a mistake on my part - I was being overly cautious but assumed the seller was honest and that I would be buying the remaining items after receiving the lens.
The lens I received wasn't in the like new condition he described. The viewfinder spirit level had dried out, it was partially scratched as though someone tried removing the level, and the front glass of the viewfinder had a blemish on it. Besides looking like it had been cleaned with a wet sock, the lens itself was in very good condition; but before purchasing the rest of the items I asked Bonn for some close-up pictures of the camera body and remaining lenses to make sure there wouldn't be any more surprises.
Long story short, I had to pull teeth to get better pictures of the camera (which he never sent me) so I decided not to go through with the rest of the purchase. I contacted Bonn Macy 5-6 times to get back the additional $300 I had given him, but the seller hasn't replied to any of my emails or PMs (He's been active on the forums since)
I should have been more suspicious about him not wanting to use PayPal - if I had used paypal I could have opened a claim against him and gotten back those $300. Don't buy through zelle - there is no recourse.
I don't think I'll ever get my money back but I feel like I dodged a major bullet.
Buyer beware.
I was supposed to buy a complete Mamiya 7ii camera with 3 lenses and accessories from Bonn Macy (the seller). The camera was described as pristine and in "like new" condition.
The seller didn't want to use PayPal and suggested Zelle instead. Since zelle doesn't have buyer protection and this was a very expensive purchase, I told Bonn I would send him a partial payment first, and he would send one of the items, and I would pay for the remaining items after.
I sent him a partial payment of $1500 and he sent me one of the lenses (the agreed upon price of the lens was $1200). That was a mistake on my part - I was being overly cautious but assumed the seller was honest and that I would be buying the remaining items after receiving the lens.
The lens I received wasn't in the like new condition he described. The viewfinder spirit level had dried out, it was partially scratched as though someone tried removing the level, and the front glass of the viewfinder had a blemish on it. Besides looking like it had been cleaned with a wet sock, the lens itself was in very good condition; but before purchasing the rest of the items I asked Bonn for some close-up pictures of the camera body and remaining lenses to make sure there wouldn't be any more surprises.
Long story short, I had to pull teeth to get better pictures of the camera (which he never sent me) so I decided not to go through with the rest of the purchase. I contacted Bonn Macy 5-6 times to get back the additional $300 I had given him, but the seller hasn't replied to any of my emails or PMs (He's been active on the forums since)
I should have been more suspicious about him not wanting to use PayPal - if I had used paypal I could have opened a claim against him and gotten back those $300. Don't buy through zelle - there is no recourse.
I don't think I'll ever get my money back but I feel like I dodged a major bullet.
Buyer beware.