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I intend to purchase a new lens in the near future, Sigma's 50-500mm BIGMA. I have priced them locally and compared those prices to online prices. I found an ebay seller offering the lens for approximately $500 less than the local shops. I am seriously considering the online purchase for the substantial savings, but I have no experience with ebay or paypal and not really sure what I might be getting myself into.  The fear of being ripped off or receiving a defective product makes me hesitant to go through with an online purchase. I am also concerned about getting service, or more accurately, not being able to get service, after the purchase if it should be necessary. Can anyone with ebay and paypal experience offer some advice on how a newbie can protect themself and their product when making online purchases?

I have reviewed the feedback of the vendor and it's 99% positive but that doesn't remove the doubts I have about online purchases. To me, online purchases feel like a gamble where you could win by way of savings, or lose by being ripped off or by being sold a defective product and having trouble getting service. To me, this sounds like a fairly reputable seller but there might be red flags that I am missing. Perhaps a few people could check this link out and offer up their opinions on making an online purchase of a big ticket item like this. Thanks in advance.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Sigma-50-500mm-f-4-6-3-EX-DG-HSM-AF-Lens-for-Olympus_W0QQitemZ300321536407QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCamera_Lenses?hash=item45ec8ef997&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A6|72%3A1215|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A25

 

P.S. I should also mention that the seller is US based and I am in Ontario Canada. Will that complicate things beyond the currency exchange and how will the 4 year US warranty apply to someone in Canada?

 

 

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I don't buy a ton of stuff on eBay, but I have bought a number of things from there with no problem.  The seller you're looking at has a ton of feedback, so it's typically more accurate.  I usually ignore the positive reviews for the most part and focus on the neutral and negative reviews to see why people don't like them.  In this case, the majority of the neutral and negative reviews are because they take a while to ship and don't communicate very well, but it seems like most people get their product after some time.  If there's no rush to get it, then you might consider buying it from there.

here is real good site to check out sellers on ebay. you would be surprised at how many " big name" sellers don't do good on the ratings... On ebay, if the sale goes bad, and the buyer has to go the resolution route,  there is no  negative, or positive feedback at all.. no record of the transaction for you to see... http://www.resellerratings.com/store/47th_Street_Photo_13 

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Thanks for the feedback folks. Even though there seems to be substantial savings in online purchases, I think I will spend the extra $500-$600 and go with the piece of mind that comes from buying from one of the local, more reputable retailers. As much as I like to gamble, I just can bring myself to gamble with that much money. The last thing I want to do is tie my money up in a transaction that might take months to resolve if things go wrong. It'll cost more to buy locally, but that extra cost will ensure a problem free transaction. Thanks again. *s*

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My unorganized pictures can be viewed at

http://picasaweb.google.com/lonestranger102