Second hand lens

[duncan22]

I Have been considering buying a better lens but the one I want is much more than I am able to afford new so I was looking at second hand lenses on e-bay.
I guess the responses to this question will be mixed but is it wise to buy second hand in this manner ?
What I am looking for is others who have made purchases in this way and were they happy or did they regret the purchase.
One problem in purchasing from private sellers is the no return policy, so if you end up with a faulty lens that's money down the drain.
A Camera shop would be one solution but the price of second hand lenses is not far off the new price !
Please advise.

[GerryBateson]

I have had great use of lenses from ebay. you need to check out the feedback of the seller and not be afraid to ask why they are selling. There are bargains out there.

[donoreo]

I would never buy a lens that I could not try. I have purchased 3 used lenses all of them great.

[flake]

It would have been nice to have an idea of what lens you are acyually hoping to buy as some of them represent better value than others second hand. For instance if you're looking at a Canon 24 - 105mm IS L or a 100mm Macro you're probably not going to save much as they hold their value very well. On the other hand there are other lenses which lose a disproportionately higher value, the 17 - 55mm f/2.8 has fetched as little as £450 on Ebay recently, a loss of nearly £300 for the original buyer.

When you intend to buy second hand it's absolutely essential you know the lowest price for the item new, there are plenty of dreamers looking for far too much money, don't be tempted, there's one born every minute! Use Camera price buster to get a feel for the best new prices.

As for a faulty lens just what are you expecting might go wrong? They're pretty simple things in terms of construction, and broken elements are easy to spot! equally if the focus motor has gone or the aperture, it really will be immediately noticeable. The only 'fault' which won't be immediately apparant is manufacturing tolerance, where perhaps elements are slightly missaligned, but if you're using a crop sensor you probably won't ever notice.

Even if you buy a faulty lens a seller such as Ebay will protect you as the fault must be clearly stated in the listing, if it is not Ebay / Paypal will refund your money, however if you have bought a real bargain you might not want to return it, and instead opt for a repair. Sigma charge less than £100 for repair of most lenses, so it's important to bear in mind that repair might not be as disasterous as is sometimes thought.

I've bought lots of second hand lenses (and sold plenty too) the latest one was bought so cheap that when I discovered it had a problem with the alignment of the elements I chose to have it sent to Japan for repair, at a cost of £155 it's still a fantastic bargain & I know I'll get a lens which should be as good as new!

[Manxman]

Like others here I have bought most of my lenses secondhand off eBay. I now have a collection I could never have afforded new and none of them has caused me a problem.
I would echo the advice to look at feedback and in addition I would suggest trying to buy from sellers who allow personal pickup. These people have always been genuine in my experience. Of course this limits your choice and you have to be patient whilst a lens is offered in your geographical area!