New or Used Gear

I didn't buy used camera gear until the late 1980's, early 1990's and frankly at that point I was buying great that was interchangeable with what I had owned for over a decade and was already out of production.  And it was a good experience, an additional body and a couple of lenses from a local shop in Central Florida that cleaned and tested equipment before putting it in the case.  

When I went back into good cameras, I ordered new online from one the worlds largest online retailers.  This year I have made three used purchases to expand my collection. 

I was debating adding a second body on the APSC format DSLR or moving to mirrorless.  An hour in a local camera retailer, convinced me that I want to see what the lens sees not a video image of it, I am sticking with DSLR for the time being.  I went back a few weeks later and asked about adding a second body - a back-up camera if for no other reason.  The dealer had taken in a "used" Nikon D5500 DSLR with the standard 18-55 lens.  He took it down, opened the factory box and there it was in the original packaging right down to the plastic bags.  Someone had bought, was afraid of it, used it once or twice packed it away, then sold it.  It was as close to new and never out of the box as you can get.  And about half the price of the same item new.  Actually a very good price from a small locally owned independent retailer.  

I have bought two used lenses this year from KEH.com, a camera reseller based in the Atlanta area.  The product was as good or better than described, shipped promptly, received in perfect condition.  KEH's prices are not the cheapest, but they clean, inspect, and as needed adjust everything. My experience is that their condition grading is dead on. The website will tell you if something is bargain condition, or as is, or inoperable. Their excellent and as new gear has been as described.  I will say be careful with used gear online.  Look at where the dealer is located, I have read horror stories of camera shipped from overseas that tooks weeks or months to arrive, sometime with import duty assessed that had to be paid before the item could be delivered.  I shy away from websites that don't offer a physical street location that I can verify online that the business is at that location (Google Street View is really helpful.) 

My first experience with buying camera equipment from out of town, was in the middle 1970's when I borrowed my mother's credit card and called a now gone camera shop in New York.  I ordered a 135mm lens for about $150, they shipped me a 35mm lens worth about $79, a couple of panicked phone calls and two weeks of returning and waiting for reshipment and that was corrected, but it was a frightening experience for a teenager "borrowing" a parents credit card. (Mom knew, dad didn't and he was the one that opened the credit card bill and came looking for me - and the cash I had saved up to pay for it.)