I was sold a Minolta 28mm F2 AF lens and the front glass element is scratched. Should I return it or just get a partial refund?

BrianShaw · Jan 29, 2023

manfrominternet said:
Does anyone know what I can do? Do I take the seller to small claims court? Can these scratches possibly be fixed by someone?

Probably nothing, really.

You can; that's your prerogative... but don't expect to prevail. Once it is stated that you inspected the goods, and that eBay had been circumvented... I suspect the case would be dismissed. Inspection was the opportunity to assess condition, and a generalization/extension of the doctrine "fruit of the poisonous tree". Or buyers remourse.

Probably not fixable and, possibly, not much of a problem when used with a lens hood.

A very sad story and a very valuable life lesson. Time to make lemonade out of lemons... as difficult as that can be at times.

Mike Lopez · Jan 29, 2023

Alan Edward Klein said:
This might not be a consolation, but be thankful this lesson wasn't a car that cost $5000. Also, and I hope this doesn't sound mean. But you screwed eBay out of their commission. You and the seller played games. What goes around comes around. Karma. If you were honest in your dealings, you would have had eBay protection.

Exactly this. {Moderator's edit of mild profanity} **** around and find out, as they say.

manfrominternet · Jan 29, 2023

I mean, it's true he may still contact me, which is what I'm obviously hoping for. It's not like it's a week/month later. That said, I might just be making mountains out of mole hills. I'm usually busiest with my work during the weekends myself.

Alan Edward, I hope this whole paragraph doesn't sound mean, for all I know you might be an incredibly nice guy. I didn't screw eBay out of their commission. He did, which I honestly don't care about - good for him. Nonetheless, if you want to say that I was an accessory to his 'crime,' very well, I can accept that and sleep perfectly well at night. I actually wanted to do this through eBay, however, taking this off eBay and meeting him in person was still a safe bet. I've done it a zillion times with local buyers and sellers to save a couple bucks, WITHOUT issue. Unless you're a major eBay investor with preferred stock, I hope that doesn't offend you. The eBay fees are indeed beyond usurious, getting worse by the year; I'm a seller on eBay myself so I know the whole game. My responsibility as the buyer is to pay tax if you want to make the holier-than-thou comments. I have to say though, that it's, ahem, interesting of you to level a fallacious moral equivalency between me (and even the seller) trying to save a couple bucks against a giant, insanely wealthy corporation that routinely f*cks people out of their money. Not to sound crass, but are you the type of guy who enjoys kicking a man when he's already down? Is that what your "karma" entails? Help me out, for I'm clearly a very stupid man.

I guess your "karma" lesson might mean that it wouldn't exactly be out of place for me to go find the seller and royally f*ck him over too, right? That's "karma," right? In essence, the logical end is an eye for an eye, right? Perhaps the whole world should run on magical thinking like "karma?" Why even have rationality, logic, or skepticism when we can all be conscripted into thinking that "karma" is "the truth?" Besides your comments making me feel worse, which I really don't think you intended at least, what exactly is the lesson here, Alan? Telling me to be thankful it's not a $5000 car is just an insult to anyone's intelligence. I hope you can ponder over that one.

Even though I vented and know that I sounded whiny, for which I genuinely apologized knowing full well that no one wants to hear a pity party, pretty much eveyone else nonetheless here offered genuine, thoughtful, practical, and helpful advice, which is why I value this community. But "karma?" Come on Alan, I know you're smarter than that.

xkaes · Jan 29, 2023

Just like any EBAY sale, 95% of the sellers are totally honest. Same for the buyers. Unfortunately, you will sooner or later run into a jerk. Sometimes they are just dumb, and they apologize and try to make it right. Just as often they don't.

And it's the same with members of this or ANY on-line FORUM. As Levon Helm sang, "Take what you need, and leave the rest".

And I have yet to find anyone who actually knows what "KARMA" is. Just blow it off.

Huss · Jan 30, 2023

xkaes said:
And I have yet to find anyone who actually knows what "KARMA" is. Just blow it off.

Karma Chameleon was a song by Culture Club

Huss · Jan 30, 2023

To themanfromtheinternet, there is an old trick to deal w scratches on the front element. Take a black Sharpie marker pen and fill them in. Seriously. You can always clean it off w a little alcohol later.

warden · Jan 30, 2023

Huss said:
To themanfromtheinternet, there is an old trick to deal w scratches on the front element. Take a black Sharpie marker pen and fill them in. Seriously. You can always clean it off w a little alcohol later.

I’ve never heard of that but it makes sense!

xkaes · Jan 30, 2023

MUCH better than paint -- and get the THIN Sharpie, not the regular one. And if some gets outside the scratch, you can clean it off with alcohol.

Rolleiflexible · Jan 30, 2023

Huss said:
Karma Chameleon was a song by Culture Club

My karma ran over your dogma.

manfrominternet · Jan 30, 2023

Well... I have some good news to report. After I called the seller once again today and left a somewhat impassoined voicemail, he finally contacted me by text and asked if I'd like to return the lens or if I'd like to get a partial refund. I gave it much more thought, especially after I had a week to use the lens and consider all the useful input here. Not that this helps the issue with the lens, but I passed said lens around to all my friends and none of them were able to see any scratches. (Granted this was done somewhat dim lighting akin to where I inspected the lens at Starbucks when the seller originally sold it to me.) With that and reading various articles on scratched and damaged lenses - including the one Rolleiflexible sent (thanks for that!) - I grew a bit more comfortable with the lens. These scratches are superficial and, after gently cleaning the lens with a super soft cleaning cloth and 1-part rubbing alcohol to 20-parts distilled water, I can't feel any scratches with my fingernails.

Anyway, since the lens is in otherwise flawless condition and comes with the original box, paperwork, and lens storage container (mind you this is the newer 1999 edition which I never see sold with the original paperwork, box, etc. on eBay, thus making it a bit more valuable), I decided to ask for a partial refund of $85. A few hours later, the seller Venmoed me the $85 and that was it! So basically I got this whole set for $100. I'll use this refund towards another lens or, as I've taken many lenses apart to clean, I know I can disassemble this lens, purchase another Minolta 28mm F2 on the cheap and swap out the front glass element for a non-scratched one and not have to think about this issue again.

I might eventually sell my whole Minolta Maxxum/Dynax 7 set and go back to medium/large format film. I now have all the original boxes, paperwork, inserts, etc. to all my Minolta gear, including my other Minolta Maxxum prime lenses. If I sell the whole set, I'll of course mention the issue with the Minolta 28 F2 lens. Nonetheless, considering that literally everything looks like it's brand new, save of course for the fronts lens element on the 28mm F2, I suspect that I might get a decent penny for the whole set with a buyer who is completely fine with it.

You guys have been incredibly helpful and supportive despite my venting and making mountains out of molehills. (My apologies again.) No wonder I'm so fond of this community.

Now it's time to enjoy this lens and figure out if I should get the Minolta 35mm F2 or the Sigma 35mm F1.4 HSM Art to round my set out!

neilt3 · Jan 30, 2023

manfrominternet said:
Well... I have some good news to report. After I called the seller once again today and left a somewhat impassoined voicemail, he finally contacted me by text and asked if I'd like to return the lens or if I'd like to get a partial refund. I gave it much more thought, especially after I had a week to use the lens and consider all the useful input here. Not that this helps the issue with the lens, but I passed said lens around to all my friends and none of them were able to see any scratches. (Granted this was done somewhat dim lighting akin to where I inspected the lens at Starbucks when the seller originally sold it to me.) With that and reading various articles on scratched and damaged lenses - including the one Rolleiflexible sent (thanks for that!) - I grew a bit more comfortable with the lens. These scratches are superficial and, after gently cleaning the lens with a super soft cleaning cloth and 1-part rubbing alcohol to 20-parts distilled water, I can't feel any scratches with my fingernails.

Anyway, since the lens is in otherwise flawless condition and comes with the original box, paperwork, and lens storage container (mind you this is the newer 1999 edition which I never see sold with the original paperwork, box, etc. on eBay, thus making it a bit more valuable), I decided to ask for a partial refund of $85. A few hours later, the seller Venmoed me the $85 and that was it! So basically I got this whole set for $100. I'll use this refund towards another lens or, as I've taken many lenses apart to clean, I know I can disassemble this lens, purchase another Minolta 28mm F2 on the cheap and swap out the front glass element for a non-scratched one and not have to think about this issue again.

I might eventually sell my whole Minolta Maxxum/Dynax 7 set and go back to medium/large format film. I now have all the original boxes, paperwork, inserts, etc. to all my Minolta gear, including my other Minolta Maxxum prime lenses. If I sell the whole set, I'll of course mention the issue with the Minolta 28 F2 lens. Nonetheless, considering that literally everything looks like it's brand new, save of course for the fronts lens element on the 28mm F2, I suspect that I might get a decent penny for the whole set with a buyer who is completely fine with it.

You guys have been incredibly helpful and supportive despite my venting and making mountains out of molehills. (My apologies again.) No wonder I'm so fond of this community.

Now it's time to enjoy this lens and figure out if I should get the Minolta 35mm F2 or the Sigma 35mm F1.4 HSM Art to round my set out!

Excellent news , so it turns out the seller was good for it after all .

If your after a fast 35mm , have a look at the Sony 35mm f/1.4 G .
It's the same lens optically as the Minolta 35mm f/1.4 G , but for some reason it sells for less than the Minolta . Over here in the UK and Europe at any rate .
Prices have plummeted for A mount gear this last few years , I bought mine used around 8 years ago for around £800 , now I see them go for under £300 . A good time to buy .

I've just got a good deal on ebay for a Sony 70-400mm G SSM II at £560 , so I'm looking forward to trying that out on my Sony a99ii and SSM updated Minolta Dynax 9 .

Alan Edward Klein · Jan 30, 2023

manfrominternet said:
I mean, it's true he may still contact me, which is what I'm obviously hoping for. It's not like it's a week/month later. That said, I might just be making mountains out of mole hills. I'm usually busiest with my work during the weekends myself.

Alan Edward, I hope this whole paragraph doesn't sound mean, for all I know you might be an incredibly nice guy. I didn't screw eBay out of their commission. He did, which I honestly don't care about - good for him. Nonetheless, if you want to say that I was an accessory to his 'crime,' very well, I can accept that and sleep perfectly well at night. I actually wanted to do this through eBay, however, taking this off eBay and meeting him in person was still a safe bet. I've done it a zillion times with local buyers and sellers to save a couple bucks, WITHOUT issue. Unless you're a major eBay investor with preferred stock, I hope that doesn't offend you. The eBay fees are indeed beyond usurious, getting worse by the year; I'm a seller on eBay myself so I know the whole game. My responsibility as the buyer is to pay tax if you want to make the holier-than-thou comments. I have to say though, that it's, ahem, interesting of you to level a fallacious moral equivalency between me (and even the seller) trying to save a couple bucks against a giant, insanely wealthy corporation that routinely f*cks people out of their money. Not to sound crass, but are you the type of guy who enjoys kicking a man when he's already down? Is that what your "karma" entails? Help me out, for I'm clearly a very stupid man.

I guess your "karma" lesson might mean that it wouldn't exactly be out of place for me to go find the seller and royally f*ck him over too, right? That's "karma," right? In essence, the logical end is an eye for an eye, right? Perhaps the whole world should run on magical thinking like "karma?" Why even have rationality, logic, or skepticism when we can all be conscripted into thinking that "karma" is "the truth?" Besides your comments making me feel worse, which I really don't think you intended at least, what exactly is the lesson here, Alan? Telling me to be thankful it's not a $5000 car is just an insult to anyone's intelligence. I hope you can ponder over that one.

Even though I vented and know that I sounded whiny, for which I genuinely apologized knowing full well that no one wants to hear a pity party, pretty much eveyone else nonetheless here offered genuine, thoughtful, practical, and helpful advice, which is why I value this community. But "karma?" Come on Alan, I know you're smarter than that.

You're right. I'm sorry for criticizing you. Good luck with the new lens.

Sirius Glass · Jan 30, 2023

manfrominternet said:
Well... I have some good news to report. After I called the seller once again today and left a somewhat impassoined voicemail, he finally contacted me by text and asked if I'd like to return the lens or if I'd like to get a partial refund. I gave it much more thought, especially after I had a week to use the lens and consider all the useful input here. Not that this helps the issue with the lens, but I passed said lens around to all my friends and none of them were able to see any scratches. (Granted this was done somewhat dim lighting akin to where I inspected the lens at Starbucks when the seller originally sold it to me.) With that and reading various articles on scratched and damaged lenses - including the one Rolleiflexible sent (thanks for that!) - I grew a bit more comfortable with the lens. These scratches are superficial and, after gently cleaning the lens with a super soft cleaning cloth and 1-part rubbing alcohol to 20-parts distilled water, I can't feel any scratches with my fingernails.

Anyway, since the lens is in otherwise flawless condition and comes with the original box, paperwork, and lens storage container (mind you this is the newer 1999 edition which I never see sold with the original paperwork, box, etc. on eBay, thus making it a bit more valuable), I decided to ask for a partial refund of $85. A few hours later, the seller Venmoed me the $85 and that was it! So basically I got this whole set for $100. I'll use this refund towards another lens or, as I've taken many lenses apart to clean, I know I can disassemble this lens, purchase another Minolta 28mm F2 on the cheap and swap out the front glass element for a non-scratched one and not have to think about this issue again.

I might eventually sell my whole Minolta Maxxum/Dynax 7 set and go back to medium/large format film. I now have all the original boxes, paperwork, inserts, etc. to all my Minolta gear, including my other Minolta Maxxum prime lenses. If I sell the whole set, I'll of course mention the issue with the Minolta 28 F2 lens. Nonetheless, considering that literally everything looks like it's brand new, save of course for the fronts lens element on the 28mm F2, I suspect that I might get a decent penny for the whole set with a buyer who is completely fine with it.

You guys have been incredibly helpful and supportive despite my venting and making mountains out of molehills. (My apologies again.) No wonder I'm so fond of this community.

Now it's time to enjoy this lens and figure out if I should get the Minolta 35mm F2 or the Sigma 35mm F1.4 HSM Art to round my set out!

I am glad that you have an outcome that you can live with, when are you going to organize a 35mm camera wide angle shooting expedition in Los Angeles with Huss, Pieter12 and myself?

KerrKid · Jan 30, 2023

Relax. Like has been said, give the seller a few days. He may have a good reason for not getting back to you.

neilt3 · Jan 30, 2023

KerrKid said:
Relax. Like has been said, give the seller a few days. He may have a good reason for not getting back to you.

See post #35 .
It seems the OP has already received a partial refund on the lens after the seller contacted him .
It also seems the lens wasn't as knackard as the OP first thought and most of the marks cleaned off .

KerrKid · Jan 30, 2023

neilt3 said:
See post #35 .
It seems the OP has already received a partial refund on the lens after the seller contacted him .
It also seems the lens wasn't as knackard as the OP first thought and most of the marks cleaned off .

Well, well. Not sure what happened with my posting that after #35. Thanks for letting me know. Glad it turned out well for the OP and that he followed my advice before he followed it.

manfrominternet · Jan 31, 2023

Alan Edward Klein said:
You're right. I'm sorry for criticizing you. Good luck with the new lens.

Alan, no need to apologize. I obviously wasn't in the most positive mindset when I wrote to you, and I apologize for that. At the end of the day, I think you had good intentions and were just trying to be helpful by adding some perspective for me to consider. No harm done, friend.

manfrominternet · Jan 31, 2023

Sirius Glass said:
I am glad that you have an outcome that you can live with, when are you going to organize a 35mm camera wide angle shooting expedition in Los Angeles with Huss, Pieter12 and myself?

Ha, I'd be happy to! Is there some kind of SoCal photography club that I'm missing out on? Right now I'm on the east coast until late March, but once I'm back home that'd be terrific.

manfrominternet · Jan 31, 2023

neilt3 said:
Excellent news , so it turns out the seller was good for it after all .

If your after a fast 35mm , have a look at the Sony 35mm f/1.4 G .
It's the same lens optically as the Minolta 35mm f/1.4 G , but for some reason it sells for less than the Minolta . Over here in the UK and Europe at any rate .
Prices have plummeted for A mount gear this last few years , I bought mine used around 8 years ago for around £800 , now I see them go for under £300 . A good time to buy .

I've just got a good deal on ebay for a Sony 70-400mm G SSM II at £560 , so I'm looking forward to trying that out on my Sony a99ii and SSM updated Minolta Dynax 9 .

The seller was indeed good for it and, for all I know, fully intended to get back to me for this to be a fair transaction. I also suspect that my casually impassioned voicemail did a bit of the lifting. I had some genuine reasons to be upset, but I think it was a bit over the top, which I'm duly embarrassed by. Nonetheless, I cooled down after getting some genuinely good advice here, noting that the scratches are just superficial, extremely thin, and that you can't even feel them with your fingernails. Then I realized that, of course, if you shine a really strong iPhone light into any older lens, you're bound to find something disconcerting. At the end of the day, I think paying only $100 for this 1999-version Minolta 28mm F2 lens - superficial scratches or not, with $85 back in my pocket, is a fair deal between me and the seller. Perhaps I even came out on top, but that's not something important to me.

Anyway, 28mm is a perfect wide for me and the 50mm is a perfect telephoto for me. I think the Sony 35mm F1.4 G you mentioned is ideal. And I noticed the same thing too! It's optically the same as the Minolta 35mm F1.4 G, perhaps even with better coatings, and yet it sells for less! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I certainly won't complain about it.

While the prices drop for Sony A-mount glass (keeping my fingers crossed on this), I'll be happy to use my Minolta 50mm F1.4 and 28mm F2 in the meantime. Once I have a 35mm lens to complete the trio, I'll definitely be a happy camper.

I guess I should now ask for recommendations for a nice small shoulder or sling bag that will hold my Minolta Maxxum/Dynax 7 and three small lenses!

neilt3 · Jan 31, 2023

I'd always recommend going to a camera store to shop for a bag .
Take your gear with you that you want to put in it .
Fill it up and try it on . Different ones feel different, the weight that a camera bag can be , and how it feels when your wearing it varies from person to person .

Backpacks are different, but some shoulder / sling bags give me problems with my back . YMMV .

Plus it keeps your local camera store in business!

I was sold a Minolta 28mm F2 AF lens and the front glass element is scratched. Should I return it or just get a partial refund?

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