BEWARE: Photography SCAMS

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Go to squarespace.com/Chelsea & save 10% off your first website or domain with code “Chelsea"

[@SilverLarry]

I find MPB to be every bit as good as KEH, plus MPB shows pictures of the actual products which KEH does not do. That said, I do trust KEH's rating system so I actually don't prefer one over the other. Occasionally, I've found deals on used equipment from B+H and Adorama, but rarely.

[@ganganbrodericks7031]

TC how can I get your help to buy from KEH. I'm a photographer from Nigeria. I have severally try to reach KEH. They never responded or the email just can't get through.

[@d.cassarino]

​@@ganganbrodericks7031 I'm afraid Nigeria is a risky state where ship goods

[@semperfi-1918]

That is pretty bad. That hasnt happened to me yet. But ive had buyers claim item doesnt work. And it gets back and works.

[@rickfarber4243]

Speaking of not buying camera gear from Amazon, that is the company that cares so little about the photography community that they shut down DPReview without flinching.

[@javiej]

They don't care about the "photography community", but they care about "not losing good clients" more than anyone else. I buy almost everything from Amazon and I had many bad experiences, but every single time I called Amazon and they gave me an instant refund. No other company in the world provides such a good warranty, and that's why Amazon is so successful. Because they care.

[@delpinsky]

@@javiej Exactly. Sometimes they even leave you the item, if it's not worth to them to get it back with all the hassle of the shipping back to them. But the thing of DPReview I just can't understand it. They could have put the website on sale or ask for a crowdfunding way to keep it alive. But they stupidly severed the oxigen tank mask.

[@rdbimages]

On the other hand, their return policy is great. You receive your refund the moment your returned package is scanned at UPS. FedEx or USPS. And return shipping charges are usually free. More companies should do so well. I buy from Amazon with no trepidation and just use good old common sense. BTW, why does Chelsea always look like she is sweating? 🤔

[@thorssensgamesNCC1701]

I only buy from B&H or Adorama.

[@elboogie2324]

I buy from B&H, Amazon, Adorama, Used Photo Pro, and some eBay. I'm just really careful with eBay

[@rastersplatter]

As a cybersecurity professional, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this post. You asked - In the early 90's as an IT consultant, had an agreement with a company to setup and provide 6 office systems (286 hardware, DOS OS, and software licenses - Lotus 123 + other stuff). Purchased it all and set it up in their office on a Thursday/Friday. On Monday, showed up to provide training and receive payment; and the offices were vacated. Empty. They burned me for $6K. That is $14K+ in 2023 dollars. And I was one year into my new business. It was brutal.

[@modelcitizen1977]

@@randomoneforstuff3696 They gained 6 new computers with a full setup and software keys.

[@lidge1994]

@@randomoneforstuff3696 An entire system already set up and then relocated somewhere else for free, at most, they had to change some small bits of code or protocol to get the already made system to work. Better than setting it up yourself and MUCH MUCH MUCH better than having to purchase the hardware software and then start setting it all up, hoping you get it right.

[@forrestunderwood3174]

@@lidge1994 Dude, it was in the early 90's.

[@mathu_stans]

Sorry for your loss. May they never know peace

[@semperfi-1918]

That sucks. I got burned 16k

[@fepatton]

This happens in the guitar world. A buyer will swap out the expensive pickups and electronics, then demand a refund because the guitar “wasn’t as advertised” or something. eBay always sides with the buyer, so the seller is just out of luck. I’ve given up selling there. Most of my used photo gear comes from KEH or from eBay sellers with tons of sales and 100% feedback. New I get from my KEH, B&H, and Adorama. No Amazon anymore though. 😤

[@rmclark339]

I will never sell anything expensive on Ebay. I got scammed out of a Sony 24-105 a couple of years ago. The scammer said the lens was defective and demanded a refund and the lens they sent back was an old film lens with zero value. Ebay would not back me up and I even received a negative comment from the scammer. I will only sell my camera equipment to MPB or KEH. Both are good, I like MPB better.

[@Tarets]

Why do you people not record your unboxings...

[@rmclark339]

@@Tarets I did. I always do. The problem was with ebay and of course the scammer. Again, I'll never sell an item on Ebay.

[@forrestunderwood3174]

@@Tarets You could fake unboxings.

[@itsjim2875]

@RM Clark - you might also try "Used Photo Pro", a division of Roberts Camera in Indianapolis. They're excellent in buying/selling used gear.

[@MyLifeFrAiurGaming]

Mpb buying and selling is great but they deliberately delay your refund for no reason, be sure to buy a gear that you are sure of, otherwise u are gonna have to deal with customer service for month +

[@thespian117]

Tony, the same "shipped to someone in my town" happened to me with an eBay purchase last month. Thankfully the local UPS hub shared with me the address it was sent to. This camera was also marked as "51lbs" 😂 Turns out scammers don't ship anything. They somehow get a tracking label of another (legit) shipment and tell eBay that that's it. Because I had the real address (from UPS) that wasn't my address and the weight was so off, ebay helped me out and gave a refund. I owe it to my local UPS center workers!

[@lelandsmith2320]

Ebay not sympathetic and made me do a police report to resolve it. Since then I don't buy from new sellers.

[@intagphotovideo]

@@lelandsmith2320 yes...this is why i do not sell anything on ebay anymore

[@BillTheTechnoGypsy]

I used to do IT consulting. The worst contracts I had were law firms! Their attitude was “go ahead and sue us, we will have no legal fees”. So after that….they had to pay projected costs up front.

[@wolphin732]

if you get a recording of that... you can go to the lawyer licensing board for them... as being a scammy lawyer is really bad. Also if you sue the law firm... the lawyers in the firm can't represent themselves... as it's a conflict of interest. might also be able to find a lawyer to work on contingency for going after the law firm... as the scammy one would also affect their own reputation.

[@lonnieclemens8028]

I am sorry to hear about Tony and Chelsea getting scammed. I hate to see hardworking people taken advantage of. You guys always give good advice with such a positive attitude. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@szinski]

I've had no issues ordering from Amazon, but you need to make sure that the item is listed as "Sold by Amazon" and "Ships from Amazon" ... BOTH must say Amazon... that way you're not dealing with a marketplace seller. All of the gear that I've purchased that way came with valid USA warranty cards and I had no issues registering the serial numbers with Canon Professional Services.

[@geofflongford2008]

When I advertise gear I often get " I'm buying this for my son etc and because I'm at sea at the moment I will organise a courier etc etc" I'm amazed how many oceanographers want to buy my gear.

[@RobKristjansson]

As a voice over artist, the sunk cost fallacy is the one I have the toughest time with. It is so hard to shut everything down after you've auditioned multiple times, negotiated a deal, waited, etc. But when they want to make just one more change to the deal (always a sketchy one lol) you've gotta pull the plug.

[@photosky14]

Thank you for protecting us Tony and Chelsea by doing these videos.

[@user-yg7ps4gh1x]

Those are sobering experiences. Thank you for having the courage to share them.

[@ModernVintageFilm]

My first gig was ALMOST getting scammed out of photos I had shot for a couple. They didn't receive the photos but I lost 8 hours of my time. What a waste.

[@PhotoReddy]

Twice I bought a Nikon D810 from Amazon that turned out to be a fake sale. Amazon refunded my purchase, but did not take down the seller.

[@zih5903]

Thank you for this video. It's very informative. I'm so tired of trying to stay ahead of all these scamming scumbags.

[@libation14221]

Thanks guys. Great info. I've been hosed on Facebook ads, not the marketplace which I seldom use. Marketplace I use for local only and only cash; but you need to be careful. Your stories are really bizarre and demonstrate the need for tougher penalties. Give these scumbags 20 years for this bs.

[@video-carl]

Great to make more people aware of this. I've stopped using eBay because they deliver such an opaque experience

[@lukeoftheskythatsometimesw8253]

Thanks you guys, I learned a few things today. I’ve been “had” before but not with photography equipment … the money was gone in a flash Now I’m older and the bad guys are even smarter. I can kinda see them coming now mostly but every once in a while they almost get me. I hate thieves ! 😡🤬

[@ema_groot29]

This was like 3/4 yrs ago but I bought 2 bags and “couldn’t believe the price! and FREE shipping too only 30$ for 2” no bag ever shipped got an empty box and the website shut down 2 days after they replied to me emails with a: “we are sorry refunds aren’t possible we can send a new package tho” this time I got a box... with a second box inside- it was rough to process what had happened lol this was my first scam experience and now I’m more aware. It’s crazy to think about how easy it is to swindle ignorant people who simply just had trust in the seller because they just never learned about it. scams are always evolving and hard to pinpoint sometimes so even after warning about certain scams a new one will pop up with different tactics. IT’S SOOO FRUSTRATING!!!

[@CtrlSaltDelete]

I've only ever had good experiences so far buying used gear, but I have a few rules that I think worked well for me - 1. I'll only ever meet in person to check the gear before buying - if they won't allow that I'm not buying from them. 2. I need to know why they are selling it. If I can't see any explanation or signs why they're selling it I'm not going near it. On the flipside if you see they're selling a bunch of photography gear at once that looks like it all worked as part of a kit that's a major green flag. This also ends up being a thing where the price is too good for no clear reason or the gear they're selling is from a big range of interests and/or unused I get suspicious of buying stolen goods. 3. Cash. Not always possible, and I will pay someone through paypal or other means depending on the reasons, gear or my impression of them, but if people aren't cool with cash at all it's a red flag. 4. If the item allows it meeting in a public space. I like train stations, or places where there will be cameras around - not because they can't scam you in public, but because the fishy people I have looked at buying from reveal how nervous they are when you bring up being in public or near cameras, at which point you don't go near them.

[@DanuteP]

Good guidelines. Our local police welcome folks to use their parking lots for in-person sales. :-)

[@jamessanders2164]

I was selling my Canon Rebel T5 with the 18-55 and 75-300 and some guy messaged saying "Can I pay you and you ship it to my daughter out in AZ? It's for her birthday and I wanted to surprise her with it. He sent an email that looked like a PayPal email, and I called PayPal and gave them the transaction number and they said it was fake and I messaged and told them that I checked with PayPal, and they said it was fake. They blocked me. I reported them and made a post to warn others. I try to meet in person in a safe location.

[@tinman225]

"Don't buy gray market items, buy from big retailers like our sponsor KEH". Buying used B&H states they don't distinguish between gray market and US items. Can only assume this is typical for KEH as well.

[@RolandGonzales1961]

Thank you for this video. It’s sad that there are scammers everywhere. For many starting photographers the used markets are where they shop. As a buyer, I have had some negative experiences even with local marketplaces like OfferUp and Craigslist. I have stuck with only local sellers on the pretense that I at lease look at the item before buying it. There have been a number of times the seller shows up with broken gear (I always take a camera body or lens/battery to test the gear in the field) - I even had one seller try to tell me my camera broke his lens. I also have had situations in which when I explain my intent to test in the field the seller ghosts me. One particular red flag is when you see the same items (based on the items pictured) from different sellers or at different prices on different ads. I have had sellers move meeting places around (I think to ware me down and get me to agree to buy items that are in poor or broken condition). And as always, “deals too good to be good” usually are bad deals.

[@adrianalfordphotography]

Yes I have had the same eBay scam happen to me as Tony. I sold a lens in mint condition and the guy at 30 days asked for a refund saying, “my pictures are soft not sharp.” The only thing that saved me was the scammer misjudged his 30 days and I had proof he received the lens after having it 32 days. Luckily eBay listened and refused the guy’s refund. He then went to his credit card with the same BS story and they believed him!!! It was then eBays problem to issue a refund. I point blank refuse to sell anything on eBay ever again as scammers are just taking advantage of the 30 day money back guarantee and either refuse to return the item, plus get a refund or they cancel through their credit card. So why do eBay even offer a “no returns” selection button when selling?

[@edc5338]

This video was sorely needed. I have been lucky so far buying equipment except one time I bought a damaged "new" camera on Amazon. They took the return with no problem. I only buy new and used from B&H, KEH and reputable dealers. I rarely buy from eBay and never from out of the country.

[@intagphotovideo]

and it's sad. because ebay was a great idea. They ruined it by trusting buyers more than sellers.

[@billbromer]

Used Photo Pro (Robert’s Camera in Indianapolis) is also great for used gear. Their online prices are cheaper than their eBay prices for the same item. They also show photos of the actual item they are selling not stock pics.

[@elboogie2324]

This is true. I started buying from them on eBay and then I found their site from a friend's recommendation. Had no idea it was the same people I bought from before. So now, I just go straight to their site. They have really fast shipping.

[@mikemoir2603]

Have bought from Robert’s since 2016. Wish I’d started sooner…they’re the best!

[@waynosfotos]

Stock pics or images used of a new camera off the internet, BIG RED FLAG! Seen this so often, they say, still in the box, brand new. But they don't actually show the camera or goods.

[@captaincrankysdock9730]

@@waynosfotosAs far as I', concerned, "pictures of the actual item", are beyond worthless to begin with. They're low resolution, and tell you nothing about what's going on inside the item. You just have to take that on faith. Although, the dealers who will give you the shutter count on bodies are much preferable to those who won't.

[@katerinegiannikos]

Thanks for sharing this! It's so shocking to see so many scammers out there and they actually get away with it 🤬 another notorious scam that I've seen a few times is when they're selling something, you reach out, it seems legit and then they say something along the lines of "I'm in the hospital going for surgery and won't be able to meet up" and then try get you to send them money🙄

[@intagphotovideo]

ebay scammers get away with it becouse ebay loves them more then legit customers

[@therealscoobydoo]

A popular one: Out of town real estate investors will have a photographer take picture of a property, say the pics were not what they were looking for, refuse to pay, but use the photos.

[@macbuang07]

Thanks for posting this! That’s why I always do local transactions in public places. And to always check the person’s profile is legit. Be safe everyone!

[@gastonpiget1034]

Moral of the story: buy in stores or from trusted sites. The innocent days are over over over. The sludge has ruined it for everyone.

[@elisabethlafontaine8979]

Thank you for this Tony and Chelsea. Fascinating stories. I’ve never been scammed - I buy and sell occasionally from eBay - so far without a problem. Nobody buys my photos - YET! Stunning Digital Photography has taught me a lot. I’ve just bought a three hour lesson for my Canon R6 as I’m finding focusing difficult. However, I’m going to forward your video to our photography club as I’m sure some members are professionals. No problem with FB Marketplace or Amazon.

[@bala1000mina]

Dear Chelsea, Dear Tony, Thank you so much for sharing this important issue with the world, I love your videos and I always learn a lot from your videos, not only technical but the other aspects of photography you talk about and share your valuable points with the world! God bless you both and good luck in whatever you do in your life!

[@Arturborzecki]

The best and safest way to sell is with personal pickup - gear for money. And you meet with the buyer in a bank or cash deposit machine - so you can verify if money is legit. Alternatively you sell it cheaper but ask for a regular money transfer / pre-paid. When you meet to give out the gear take a friend with you as a witness. It sounds crazy, but welcome to our world :)

[@SkyPathProductions]

Do you have a link to a written contract?

[@jefferyrobbins3468]

Is that Chelsea featured on the website of DXO PureRaw?

[@tdemask]

I noticed that too. I also noticed that the photo is credited to some other photographer outside the US.

[@ComAndCollectedFastLane]

Hi Tony and Chelsea. I’ve noticed on Mercari almost every decent camera for sale, the seller has zero previous sales and an obviously fake bio picture. I know Mercari doesn’t pay the seller until you receive the item and “accept” it. So what do you think they are trying? I messaged two to ask questions and they didn’t even reply. So they weren’t trying to get me to buy away from Mercari. 🤷‍♂️

[@HR-wd6cw]

Personally, the only two ways I get "rid" of camera gear is to sell it someone in person (like on Craiglist) or I trade it in (KEH, or the local camera store). I only did once (a long time) sold a lens online (ebay) and everything went smooth. Got paid, never heard from the person again, which is fine ,and a good thing I guess (no news is good news). But after hearing about such scams as you described, I stopped selling (or rather shipping) gear of any sort. I will sell on FB market place for example, but I won't ship. Buyer has to pick it up from me, cash only, and everything is sold "as is".

[@boutthere3374]

The first 5 mins convinced me to never use Ebay. If you two, who know what you are doing, get taken then it's much worse than the few times it's happened to you. This also adds to my fear of the digital currency they are trying to scam us into.

[@notallwhowanderarelost4797]

I've heard of the "gray market" issue and always wondered what people are supposed to do when they're traveling and equipment breaks?

[@noelchignell1048]

Interesting question, I suspect if you buy legitimately in your own country and the serial numbers match then the camera company may repair it but it'd be nice to know for sure. This must happen reasonably often with press/sports pros

[@Edwin--]

Usually they offer specialised support for professionals, if you have registered for this ahead of time and that is applied worldwide. But I find the 'grey market'-issue also a scam, manufacturers should stand behind all their products.

[@modelcitizen1977]

I would guess actual traveling professionals (CNN, Nat Geo, etc) are registered with Canon/Sony/Nikon etc and have some sort of blanket service contract. Everyone else either brings a spare if they can afford it, uses their phone, or waits until they go home for service.

[@raidstudios]

one thing with Ebay is if you are using a collection point DONT Forget to put the CODE (ecp) ... i lost 3 packages within a month becausee the seller did put the coode in the address part or anywhere else ... 2 out of 3 packages made it back to sellors but 3rtd got lost because no return address... still add a return address even if you dont accept returns incase the postal address gets smudged ,falls off , becomes unreadable etc

[@pembridgehouse]

Thanks Guys. I usually don't sell anything or buy anything unless I can actually talk to them on their phone number.Amazing how many people balk at this. I can't blame them because we are all so security conscious. We get so many phone scams in Australia that people are in the habit of ignoring phone calls on mobile or landline.I sold cameras at an actual physical camera market for the first time last year.I'll be waiting for that again this year. I have contacts of people who have bought from me before and sometimes they will ring or text and ask what I might currentlly have for sale. These are mostly film shooters.This problem will not go away in a hurry.Great content as usual. Geoff

[@FlyBoyEnterprises]

I think I can speak for all I being thankful & appreciative for the PSA. Consider this shared.

[@abelardojeda]

If a client can’t pay your expenses at the beginning of a travel/reportage photography project (plane tickets, hotels and food), then it is a scam. At least form me there is no other way around. I mean, even those places charging for a permission to shot… can be part of the scam. It is like “Scam Tours”.

[@jerryrichards8172]

I'm new to eBay I purchased 1 camera and several lenses. I was a bit nervous I'm glad you made this video. I mostly use KEH then B&H for the peace of mind pluss the price are often comparable to eBay.

[@nothingtoseeheremovealong...]

The unfortunate part about only buying from companies who are middlemen for these transactions is firstly, they end up controlling the FMV of the item and second, they end up depleting the supply of used second hand gear from other people. I experienced this last year attempting to replace my iPhone without going through the traditional channels. It took a lot more hassle than I was used to, to accomplish the task of just finding a solid used phone. Obviously being scammed is awful but I'm not a fan of corporations controlling every single facet of a transaction new and used.

[@replikov4762]

Is there a reason they didn’t mention B&H? I’ve always had great transactions with them.

[@maxipadthai]

Not their sponsor, but yeah B&H is lightyears better for Canadian customers.

[@susanmiles5895]

The two of you are great!! I know I can count on a good laugh!!

[@johngriffin5996]

I have only bought used photo gear from people I know who are from members of local camera clubs. I have bought new gear from local retailers who were authorized dealers and never had problems, even when a remote trigger release stopped working and they immediately replaced it and we tested the new one (the same way we tested the original one). I have had excellent results buying new equipment from a Northeast US regional dealer, Hunt's Photo and Video. They also buy and sell used equipment and although I haven't bought anything used from them, I would buy something if they had what I wanted at a price I was willing to pay.

[@ClausPelz]

Selling on eBay is like Russian roulette, I'm not selling anything on eBay anymore!

[@FinalManaTrigger]

Yeah, that's why I don't sell on eBay anymore. I've had people ask for partial refunds because something is supposedly wrong when they get the item... it's a scam.

[@Arturborzecki]

The worst scam is when you send the gear and buyer pick it up but then reports that the box was empty. Even if you report it to Police s a theft, the buyer does the same - Police won’t be able to judge who is to blame but the portal you were using to sell it will always stay on the buyer side. You lose the money and gear.

[@ds-09xz]

there is one here in brazil: You're seeling a macbook, an iphone or something similar. The buyer ask for a refund and send you the iphone, but when it arrive you realize is the same model you sold, but with LESS storage/memory/SSD. In other words, they just upgrade their devices on you. In the eyes of the website that intermediate the process, everything is just fine and you take the hit. ah there is another one a friend of mine went through: They browse your product and somehow manage to find the email you use to log in into the website account. They start a conversation with you via website question area,asking about the product, is any damage they should be aware of... ask for more pictures and this takes a few days on play. Then you receive an email with exactly like the website notification, telling you that you just sold the product for that user. It also give you the reverse shipping code you should use to post the product (a common thing here in Brazil). If you in a hury for some reason and take that email for granted, you just lost your product. You only realize when you log in to the website and your product is still there with no buyer, no notification, no money...

[@billhallsongs]

Thanks Tony and Chelsea! A great detailed heads up!

[@prophetkeyset2628]

Took your advice and gave KEH a try. The quote seemed reasonable so I sent my camera in to them. After hands on evaluation they offered MORE than original estimate. Very happy with the no stress process. Thanks for promoting this option for selling camera equipment .

[@intagphotovideo]

you get less with KEH but safe

[@frankcarenza921]

Thank you for your insightful video about scamming. Am going to continue to rely on my local camera stores especially given your insights about Amazon.

[@jimbuckley4986]

A great reminder. Thanks again for a informative and timely message

[@davidmilisock5200]

I had a gray market issue with new Nikkor lenses and a camera body. Now I discovered the issue before buying so I didn't get ripped but manufacturers who have a gray market policy need to advertise that policy on their sites more prominently. Yes I paid more but I bought good gear and in 5 years if I need it repaired I'm good to go. So the extra bucks are just good investment.

[@BABA-ws5eo]

Yes, they should have a full page on their site somewhere explaining it. It's a really strange policy altogether. I don't know of anything else that I purchase where I have to worry about the service center caring about where I purchased it, if it's an out of warranty repair.

[@michelle_pgh]

Even legit retailers are not immune from scams. This happened years ago when they still existed, I bought a Canon flash from Circuit City. The flash was behind the counter, the sales person had to get it for me once I gave them the tag from the floor. Everything should have been legit, right? I get it home and open up the box, only to find a candle inside the flash box instead of a flash. I have no idea how that happened, other than either an employee did it, or someone bought one, returned it with the candle in the box, and whomever at the store took the return didn't bother opening the box to make sure the correct item was in it. Fortunately I took it back to the store and they gave me another one (which I opened in the store before leaving of course). But I was worried and thankful they didn't try to accuse me of being the one who swapped them out and thinking I was trying to scam them. Even major retailers you have to be on your toes with.

[@boostedmaniac]

At 14:30, I would like to find out what is the best way to look up a serial number and determine if it’s grey market. I’ve tried looking all over Nikon’s site for some serial verification and haven’t found anything.

[@TheRatlord74]

i stopped using Ebay a few years ago. My wife and I got scammed and Ebay sided with them. I don't give second chances.

[@elqpixphotography]

The deposit scams almost happened to me twice. They call it a mobile check I think. Where they will email you a check and they say it works just the same, you do a scan through your phone from your bank to do a mobile deposit. They are getting crafty with info as well. Almost got me, it was an inquiry for a photoshoot for a local soccer team. They said they booked me and said we made the check out for $1000 more by accident because they "finance manager" thought I was with the videographer. So they asked if I can cash it and just pay the videographer. I was like... nope. But they really do their research to make it sound like they are local. Another time it happened when the individual sent me a bunch of photos asking if I can do a slide show for them. They offered an amount before I could quote them. They also attempted to use the email check, so I said lets meet in person so we can go over details. Then it got choppy after that. They backed out.

[@jasonebeling6347]

This was a great video. i really learned a lot from it!!! I forget what you call the "you have too much time wrapped up in the sale scam". but I ran across that multiple times. nothing pisses me off more than to have all your time and energy invested in selling something and they play that game "i only have x amount of dollars you will just have to take it or leave it, im to the point now that i say forget it and get back in my car!! because i don't bring people to my place. i always meet at a mcdonalds or a busy gas station or someplace very visible like that. I had movers try and scam me, then i find this is commonplace in the moving industry, I paid ahead of time to have my stuff moved across the country. they assessed my items gave me a price and i paid for the service and every thing. it was a legit long haul moving company that had ALL MY PERSONAL ITEMS PRETTY MUCH. all my furniture and everything. i paid them thousands as i was legit moving across the country!! They came and picked it up like they said in their company logo moving truck!! they gave me the papers and receipts, counted boxes sealed them the whole nine yards! they said it would take like 2 weeks to get to my new place. fine i felt good about all of this two weeks later they contacted me and said they were having logistics issues and said it would be another 2 weeks. then they called and said they might not be able to get my stuff to me for another month, i was like what? they gave me a whole song and dance all designed to make you avail to receive your stuff at 6 in the morning, I changed plans moved things around took a day off work did everything i could do to to make delivering it at 6 am doable!!! they get there at 6 am it is not the same moving company van, and these people that pulled up in the truck looked sketchy as hell, I'm here its 6 am In a nice little suburb and these sketchy people get out of a truck and tell me that it's going to cost me 2000 more dollars that they had to pay tolls , and payments the company didn't know about that they were required to pay locally they gave me a good story, I was pissed I called the company but guess what 6am no company is going to be open, yet, i was going to get the guy that i initially paid in full already. i kept trying and to no avail, know one was at the company of course,and these sketchy guys are in my face breathing down my neck telling me i need to make up my mind real quick they have other people's stuff they have to deliver as well. they said that i could pay the 2000 dollars or they would not give me my things and put my stuff back in a warehouse somewhere and to get it out i would have to pay a daily fee and have to repay the company to deliver it or go pick it up myself and of course the warehouse was in the next state!!! so i called their bluff, I said they could have it!!! take every bit of it!! i don't care anymore, i had already been a month without it up to this point and i've been getting along just fine so they can have it!! and when that company opens in an hour I will call them and call the police and tell everybody in between what just happened!! i told them i already had the day off, i might as well make use of the time and call everyone i can and tell them how you guys are extorting me for more money with my personal things. I took pictures of the they guys and their truck and license plates and everything then i turned around and walked into the house slammed the door and turned out the lights!! they were knocking on my door 15 min later and said the next house person called and said that she needed her stuff delivered the next day so now they have time. they told me they will unload my items and they will call the company and tell them about the misunderstanding and that they might end up billing me. for the rest!! i said that was fine. because i would love talk with this company as well!! I didn't want them in my house at all and had them put the stuff in the garage and leave!! and by this time I have my brother there and his friend who is a sheriff where i live. we all watched them unload my stuff. they were trying real hard to extort money out of me at 6 am when most of the world is still sleeping. and hasn't begun to function yet!!! FYI. i never heard from them or the company again, I went online and wrote a huge detailed review showing the pictures of the guys the truck and everything i had on this company, i also reported them to the BBB!! i wish there was more i could have done!! I'm just glad my brother and his friend showed up for support. because dealing with three sketchy guys like that at 6am could have been very bad!!! thats half of their game, they planned all of this they knew i wouldn't have many people to call on at that time of the morning!! this wasn't their first time at the rodeo!!!

[@phynx2006]

"Seventh ring of hell where no one should be" nice one Chelsea, you hit the nail on the head 👍😎

[@Ghostmanriding]

I'm closing my Ebay account,and Im closing my Amazon prime.Half of my transactions on both sites are shipping scams or similar. Several of my Ebay purchases are sent out by the scam seller,and then cancelled and returned by the seller half way to my address. Its now happening on Amazon,along with Amazon closing DP reviews. I am so done with all this.

[@SamKnutson]

Thank you for being so honest about your own experiences getting scammed sharing those as examples! Good video!

[@boatman222345]

I recently got ripped off via an ad popup on either KZbin. The ad featured an exquisitely crafted kinetic sculpture. The "list" price was over $100 but it was discounted 50% supposedly as part of a going out of business sale. It took forever to arrive from Iceland and when I opened the package it was a cheap piece of junk about half the size I expected. Worse yet when I assembled it and installed in on our lawn it not only failed to function it rusted after a single rainstorm. Cost me $69 with shipping.. . Never again!

[@tjt072]

I have sold a lot of graphic novel comics on ebay along with a few other things. I have had my share of scammers. One time I sold a set of walking dead graphic novels. When the customer got the package, they said they were missing a book. I know I didn't leave it out, I didn't have it & my husband even knew I mailed it. They just wanted their money back. After this and other issues, I started video taping me putting the items in the mailing bag & what shape the item was in so if they tried to tell me they were missing something etc, I had proof other wise. I also stated in the description that they would have to mail me back the damaged envelope along with the item so I prove to the post office it was damaged in shipment. Then when I sold a hand help game of Yahtzee, the customer said it didn't work. I said yes it did and I had had video proof that it did, never heard from them again. So yes, video document everything to prove something before mailing so the customer can't accuse you of something

[@JorgeMartinezTheMaestro]

RENTING GEAR? READ THIS! Always open the box in front of the pickup store employee. I rented an R6 in 2021 with an RF lens (from one a large video/photography rental company) and the R6 was missing! The box was closed but the tape was cut along the seem. Opening the box at the FedEx site, in front of the employee saved me much grief and anxiety. A changed my normal delivery store to what considered an affluent town in CT, thinking it would be better handled and this is what happened. Thank you Tony and Chelsea! I'm still hoping to see you guys around CT and have you sign my "Stunning Digital Photography" book from 2019! It's old and worn, but I still like to reference it once in awhile.

[@skatetoexplorevideos2477]

The only thing that sucks is that selling through KEH, or other camera sites, is that you get paid way less than what you'd like to sell it for. They make money off buyers and sellers.

[@neworleansportraitphotogra9015]

I was selling something on fbm. He knew the price, he came to my house to try it out. Then he was like oh I only have this much. I kicked him out.

[@jimrinaldi8357]

An excellent video, Chelsea and Tony. I only buy or sell used gear through MPB or other major retailers, so I feel safe. I did purchase some gray market items but did it knowingly from a major retailer who offered their own warranty. If the camera breaks after that, the risk is on me and I'm OK with that. I NEVER buy or sell from private individuals, or companies I don't know.

[@trampledbygeese]

When selling, remember to check the consumer laws both where you are and where the buyer lives, as some places like Europe have the right to return law which can give up to a year to return in some situations.

[@deanpratley125]

Really really good advice thank you guys!

[@alien6551]

I bought a canon 1dx mark 3 from mpb it was a gray market camera I checked with canon uk they told me as long as I have bill of sale from mpb they would service the camera as its a pro camera

[@NSNorfolk]

These scams are really terrible and E-Bay seems to be the nexus for them. Thanks for the tips!

[@capturemeinpictures]

I purchased a Nikon Z7ii from B&H Photo and found out that it was "gray market"! Upon contacting a sales rep, they pointed to the statement that they also sell new gray market gear. They do say that they will exchange defective equipment within the warranty period. I trust B&HPhoto to honor an exchange, but I could not use the SN to apply for my NPS (Nikon Professional Services) qualification.

[@andy70d35]

In the UK, I always use camera jungle for used cameras and lenses. They are a great company to deal with.

[@krissk77]

Good one. i once bought perfume online , Amazon UK. got an empty box. and one box quarter. gave the sellers negative reviews.

[@t.e.1189]

It's a shame there are such creeps out there. I could never do anything like that to others, not even my worst enemy.

[@tomirwinphoto]

In person cash sales only transacted at a local Starbucks. In the past twelve years I’ve bought & sold a dozen cameras, over four dozen lenses along with laptops, gym equipment, electronics and more. No problems ever with anything I’ve purchased or sold when meeting face to face. I’d never buy or sell anything from a remote party.

[@PatrickDaviesC]

When buying on eBay, I assume I'll lose my money. When selling on eBay, I assume I'll lose the item. Given those expectations, I'm never disappointed.

[@mrwashur1991]

Then why even bother using it?

[@zih5903]

I like your philosophy Patrick. Expect nothing, then you will never be disappointed 😄 Cheers.

[@maxipadthai]

@@mrwashur1991 Same reason some people like BDSM.

[@killpop8255]

There used to also be an eBay scam that was a play on words and try to sell a picture of the item rather than the item that is pictured

[@svaphrodite]

Excellent advice! For reliable sources for camera gear, if you are a VET you have access to AAFES and NEX. They don't sell gray market and you won't pay sales tax and, if you use a Military Star Card, you won't pay shipping. I bought my Fujifilm 150-600 through NEX and save about $200 in sales and shipping charges! I've never had trouble with camera gear SOLD AND SHIPPED by Amazon. Also, Amazon has a great no questions asked free return policy even on items purchased from Amazon Warehouse. I returned a defective $145 item from Warehouse and my refund was credited within an hour of dropping it off at UPS. Can't ask for better than that.

[@steevewhitehead1416]

Good chat. I finished a purchase just after a website up date and it said " something had gone wrong- please try again" I was using Paypal and challenged the extra payments taken. However, thier programming system said that they where legitimate purchases, I contacted the seller who acknowledged the server fault and shortly returned the over paid funds. Sometimes these intermediaries like Paypal need to use a person to understand properly the situation rather than loading the problem into a preset resolution process. Not a scam, but could easily be made into a scam, I think.

[@PulpFreePress]

Nice discussion. The sad truth is, most people want to be trusting, and con artists depend on this sort of normal behavior.

[@LorenaBalaguer]

What about people who email you pretending to want to book a session with you. You talk for awhile and they seem legit, the you send them the invoice and they disappear. Never asked for my private info or anything like that. What do they do with the invoice? and also, I can see if they saw the invoice or opened and they never do. What's the scam there? Thank you!

[@Paul_Wetor]

One way to protect yourself would be to take photos/video of packaging the item to be sold and unboxing of any returns.

[@Battlem0nk]

Many people say this is useless. The evidence isn't used or looked at. Ebay/Paypal will almost always side with the buyer.

[@mathu_stans]

Here in Kenya it's getting worse. They call photographers for work usually in an Air BNB pretending its an indoor event shoot. Then they drug the photographer and take off with all the gear. Then the photographer is left fighting for their life

[@nightstringers]

Do you use software to help protect drives with your work on them? If so what do you use?

[@tomisham9900]

I recently purchased a Cannon R10 with the 18-45 lens for just over $1000.00 first thing I do is register my equipment and the camera and box indicated it for Europe. I sent it back with no trouble and once the money was returned I found the camera and lens kit for $200.00 less and made for USA, the price had just got lowered on it! I love the camera. This was from Amazon I went to the second seller's website and they are a real camera store so I felt comfortable purchasing from them, thank you ProCam.

[@mikebroesel]

I was selling an expensive near new lens in excellent condition on eBay but the buyer claimed he tested the lens and found there was a dust speck inside the lens and demanded some money back or he would make things difficult for me.

[@GotDuhka]

Aside from joining the PPA, do you have any guidance on how to make your own contracts, print releases, model releases, etc? I thought rocket lawyer would be a good solution but their templates are lacking and PPA is out of reach for a startup when I am already insured through my business insurance.

[@60shots]

Thanks, guys, some really great tips from both of you. Hard to imagine you you getting scammed but it goes to show.

[@JeffCarnie]

Someone booked us for a wedding, and we asked for a deposit. After receiving the deposit, we noticed the check was for 1000.00 more, with instructions for us to pay another vendor with the additional funds after they contacted us. Right away, this seemed quite suspicious, so I called the venue where the event was, and they had no record of anything happening that day. I then went to the bank with the check; the bank said it was a fake check.

[@mt-nv4jd]

To clarify, you absolutely CAN buy grey market gear from KEH and others. The difference is they have their own repair facility. I have not been disappointed with their sales or service.

[@saltlessshakedowns4999]

I got a jar of pickles sent to me instead of a phone. I was on the ball kept everything and actually got a phone. So some scammers are half scammers if you screw up and through the pickles and packaging away you would be screwed. Great video

[@E4xtream]

Best way to sell gear privately is to people you know and trust. Otherwise, just hold onto it or sell to reputable companies as mentioned.

[@camerasutra247]

Same happened to me for a Leica q2. eBay was a joke to deal with PayPal took a month and found it that a empty box was shipped to a warehouse in my city. I would love to come share this with you all real story.

[@an1_uk]

Scam I've come across numerous times on eBay when buying something... Item arrived not as described. For example one camera I bought had heavy scratching to the focusing screen not mentioned on the listing, but was mentioned on a hand written note inside the box. Filed not as described claim on eBay. The seller quickly accepts the return so they don't have to pay for the returns shipping label in the hope that they can scare you into paying to return it. I've learned that once the seller accepts the return like this, eBay won't get involved any longer. So when this happens I've taken to keeping the item and the refund. That way they can't try to sell it again and scam someone else.

[@y2ktube]

"The seller quickly accepts the return so they don't have to pay for the returns shipping label" - Huh ?

[@an1_uk]

​@@y2ktubewhen eBay accepts the seller has to refund the item, they issue a returns shipping label that the seller has to pay for.

[@mountainhobo]

I sold some equipment in the past. Since I lived in a big city, I had the luxury to say "local transaction only, cash on hand after you test merchandise". Worked every time, and most buyers seemed happy with that procedure. Nevertheless, I realize it might not be possible in smaller towns.