keh.com

wilfbiffherb · Sep 13, 2011

im thinking of building up a camera kit from keh.com and getting it shipped over to the uk. most of the bits im looking at getting are rated as "bargain". has anyone here bought a camera from them ebfore? im just worried its going to arrive and be a pile of crud. ive heard they tend to underrate their goods so theres a good chance ill get decent gear.

vpwphoto · Sep 13, 2011

I have mixed results with them... I'd take their Bargain description seriously, and consider your will get what they describe... you might get lucky, but with an ocean between you and them I'd order the best grade you can afford for your use.
Body marks etc are up to interpretation, I'd say their lens marks are accurate as in will or will not effect image quality.
Folks that get all bent out of shape about a cleaning whisp, a little dust inside etc, may not be happy with the EX grade.
Cleaning wisps don't bother me as much as they do some...

vpwphoto · Sep 13, 2011

KEH is great if you wake up and need something odd like a Nikonos 20mm or an extension tube and don't want to wait for e-bay transactions to end, or missing what you want by .50 cents. KEH ships quick, and you mostly get what you expect.. I just get fuzzy with the EX EX- EX+ grades.. Ugly and Bargain. are what they are.

BradleyK · Sep 13, 2011

A long-time KEH customer, I have been doing business with them since 1981, when I was in school in Atlanta. As far as grading goes, I have found KEH to error, if you will, on the stingy side. To wit: in the past six months, I have purchased a Nikon F2A, a black Hasselblad 500 C/M and several A12 backs , all listed as bargain. Despite the fact that only the Nikon had any visible markings (the usual rubbing marks around the strap lugs), all items were listed as bargain grade. To date, all have performed without incident.
In the past, I have purchased items such as tripods, Halliburton camera cases, and miscellaneous items such as cable releases and extension tubes. Again, bargain grade, and again no issues.
That said, I am decidedly more partciular when it comes to glass: EX is my cut-off; I will not take the chance on buying a lower grade.
In sum: for anything but lenses, if my 30 years' experience with the folks at KEH is any indication, you are not taking any great risk in buying Bargain grade items.:munch:

ContaxRTSFundus · Sep 13, 2011

Hi - I've been buying Contax and Mamiya RZ67 gear from KEH for about 3 years and rate them very highly. Included in my last purchase about 2 weeks ago was a Contax 167MT + D-7 Data Back marked as BGN for $39... That would be cheap for the D-7 alone - when the parcel arrived there were just 2 small brassing marks on the 167's baseplate and a minor scratch on the window of the D-7....stunning value. They're also great for finding the more obscure items though weirdly, they're often not listed under their respective camera sections - that's how after looking for 3 years for the SX701 ground glass plate for the RZ67's Tilt/Shift Adapter, I finally found one. Their search facility is very good. I have never had reason to complain in about 30 transactions. Postal charges to the UK are not cheap but in opting for FedEx carriage, the parcel usually arrives within 4 working days and then about 3 weeks later you get the invoice from them for any UK Customs charges. DO NOT forget that those usurious swine at Customs now levy Import Duty and/or 20% VAT on the total cost of an overseas purchase - they will add the cost of postage & insurance to the cost of new or used items for tax calculation (!!!) My friends in the US can't believe they get away with that...

Despite the cost of shipping and UK taxes, buying my gear from KEH has always proved cheaper than from a UK retailer and even Ebay. I heartily recommend them and yes, you're right in thinking they tend to underrate the quality of their gear. To simplify checkout, I always use their PayPal option.

fmajor · Sep 13, 2011

I bought my RB67 Pro-S from them (as well as several smaller format lenses) - all EX condition and all were accurately graded. The RB67 had new light seals and everything works perfectly - i couldn't be happier with the purchase (unless it was free of course!!!).

On another note, i my RB just over a year ago and the price has more than doubled - talk about perfect timing!!!

Tom Nutter · Sep 13, 2011

I have bought many things from there...always been happy and often surprised by the excellent condition of some of the things I have bought...even in proclaimed bargain condition. They also did a really fair trade with me recently between some of my medium format gear and a view camera lens I wanted.

wilfbiffherb · Sep 13, 2011

thanks for all the advice guys. i was planning on getting bargain grade body and accessories and getting better grade lenses anyway. this imprt tax has me a little worried though, postage to the uk is enough already, dont want to get hit with a hundred quid bill a few weeks after!

bdial · Sep 13, 2011

We haven't had a new KEH thread in a while.
You should look through this thread before you make your decision; (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

They have many satisfied customers (including me), some mostly satisfied, and a few who are disgruntled. Not a bad track record overall.
But I've never bought a body or lens from them.

The consensus seems to be that they grade mostly on cosmetics. If I were buying from them from overseas, I'd probably skip bargain grade for bodies, though it's probably ok for lenses, depending what it is.
They are good about taking back returns, but for you the return shipping would quickly eat up any savings you got from going bgn vs. ex or better.

Jeff Kubach · Sep 13, 2011

I found that bargain grade is good from KEH so far.

Jeff

MattKing · Sep 13, 2011

Telephone them and ask what they would charge to CLA the equipment before they ship it to you.

And be sure to ask as well how that might affect their return policy and warranty.

paul ron · Sep 13, 2011

I've dealt with them a long time and never had any problems with their quality or grading system. I generally buy BGN stuff that to me looks n operates as well as EXC grades.

Once I did have a problem with a lens that had a dented filter ring and they took it back n sent me a better grade of the same lens.

But if you are in the UK, that may be a different story with overseas shipping charges in the way of an easy free return via UPS if you did have that one in a hudred problems.

.

Roger Cole · Sep 13, 2011

fmajor said:
I bought my RB67 Pro-S from them (as well as several smaller format lenses) - all EX condition and all were accurately graded. The RB67 had new light seals and everything works perfectly - i couldn't be happier with the purchase (unless it was free of course!!!).

On another note, i my RB just over a year ago and the price has more than doubled - talk about perfect timing!!!

Same with my Pentax LX - bought last year in EX condition for $364, now a BGN grade is that much. They don't list one exactly as mine, EX grade with FA1 finder, but one with the FA2, which is the same except lacking a hot shoe, is now $645 in EX condition! Wow, $281 more for one without a hot shoe.

On the subject, I've bought several things from them with no issues. The only item I've returned was my fault; I bought a filter for a lens I hadn't used in a long time and ordered the wrong size because I "knew" the size, but was wrong. Just sent it back, no problem.

I do have a couple of complaints, but they are in the nature of their well disclosed practice, not experience. One is that you can't call up and talk to someone who can look at the actual item you are interested in. It's off in a warehouse somewhere else and will just be picked from the shelf when you order. The other is that they are local to me, more or less - on the other side of the Atlanta metro but I could certainly drive over and pick something up. But they charge $5 for that, some sort of a pick up fee or "go back in the warehouse and get it fee" or something. I've never heard of such and it's silly. The result is, by the time I include the cost of gas for driving over there, it's cheaper to ship it FedEx than to just pick it up.

atomicthumbs · Sep 13, 2011

I bought a Mamiya 645 150mm f/2.8 lens in EX from them, and the glass was in absolutely perfect condition, with only one tiny paint chip on the mount. KEH is the best store for used cameras online, in my opinion.

Peter Simpson · Sep 13, 2011

I have been buying lenses, bodies from them for 3 years or so, always BGN grade and have no complaints. I always felt like I got a fair deal, sometimes a steal.

removed account4 · Sep 13, 2011

Peter Simpson said:
I have been buying lenses, bodies from them for 3 years or so, always BGN grade and have no complaints. I always felt like I got a fair deal, sometimes a steal.

same here
but i have been buying from them since the mid 1990s ...
the last thing i bought was a "bargain" olympus stylus p/s camera
it was new in the box which was still wrapped in plastic ... and like $20 shipped
sounds like a bargain to me !
john

zenrhino · Sep 13, 2011

I bought a lens for my GS-1 that was listed as bargain at KEH and would have been listed as "minty" on fleBay.

I've never been anything but happy with them.

Except when they changed their website, but that's not a problem with the gear they sell.

TimVance · Sep 14, 2011

I don't think they check the quipment before selling it.

They sold me a broken Mamiya 7 and a broken Contax 645 back. With the Mamiya, all they would have had to do was turn it to the "on" position to see if it worked. It would have saved me a huge headache. I live in Florida and it was still a pain to ship it back and get my money refunded. If I were you, I would not. You're too far away.

If you do order something, I would call them and make sure what you're getting works. With a company that big it should be mandatory to check the equipment before selling it.

Smudger · Sep 14, 2011

KEH may work better for a Brit. if he/she has any mates living there to re-mail stuff.
God Bless the USA, but they have a little bit of trouble trusting the Rest Of The World when it comes to sending stuff, so they tend to 'Think of a freight charge-and then double it -just to be sure'.
I had some luck recently with a major N.Y. retailer - a reasoned approach put me in touch with "Fred-37" along the lines of 'can we sharpen the pencil on this huge UPS Int'l quote ?'
A day later : a deal to send USPS - saving me more than half : goods arrived in Noo Zeeland 13 days later.
If you do not ask-you do not get.

ozphoto · Sep 14, 2011

I picked up a BGN lens for my GS1 - for me it was just fine. Still paid less for the lens and shipping, than I could recently pick up in AU. I agree with Paul on his comments BGN=EXC, but then maybe I've been lucky.

If you're happy to select BGN grade gear - you should be prepared for it to be just that - thinking you're going to get a "great bargain" may be successful, but then again, it may not. However, if you don't care for their BGN description at all - go up to the next grade, that way you won't be disappointed.

bblhed · Sep 14, 2011

I'm seeing a lot more good than bad comments here, and adding one more. I bought a Pentax 6X7 135mm lens from them a while back, it wasn't BGN but close to it, I had to go a step up because they didn't have a BGN grade lens in that size. The lens was all pretty, clean and worked great, I was happy.

Sirius Glass · Sep 14, 2011

Wow, we went a few weeks without a KEH thread or posting!

Long time user. Very happy with them. They under rate their equipment; I have gotten EX and EX+ that were LN. The few problems got resolved.

Steve

lxdude · Sep 15, 2011

How about combining them (or the more recent ones)and making it a sticky?

PaulMD · Sep 15, 2011

BGN grade is ebay EXCELLENT NEAR MINT. It means there's at most a coating scratch, most likely just finish wear or brassing. They have an extremely liberal return policy (except on as-is) and all their used equipment now carries a 6-month warranty.

UG grade stuff is a risk. It can be a tiny bit of fungus that'll never affect anything or it can look like it fell off the truck on the middle of the highway. I'm not sure what they do with all the stuff that falls in between BGN (one scratch somewhere) and UG (repeatedly backed over with a car), it doesn't seem to exist.

I do a lot of my camera shopping there now, because I know what I get (always BGN) will be high-quality stuff that works right. They're usually cheaper than Adorama and BH Photo/Video, and their selection is better.

mr. mohaupt · Sep 15, 2011

Another thing I found about KEH that is great is there prices on Mamiya RB stuff is much lower than on fleaBay. You can pick up a 180mm on KEH for 40-70 bucks and on eBay they tend to go for over $100. I would say the only exception is maybe the wide glass.

~M

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