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The photo.net Classifieds section is a place where photo.net members can offer used photo equipment for sale, or post "Wanted To Buy" or "Wanted to Trade" items. Members may also post ads offering services.
There are several types of ads in this section
While it is not a requirement to be a subscriber (i.e. full, paying, member) of photo.net to post in this section, we consider it impolite to post more than a few ads per year in this section if you are not a photo.net subscriber. We reckon that you wouldn't waste your time with these classifieds unless they are working for you, and people who post a lot of ads without subscribing will most likely have their posting priveleges here suspended. If the ability to post here and the other features of the site aren't worth $25.00 to you, please have the courtesy not to compete with advertisers who are supporting photo.net financially. Prospective buyers should consider whether a person who seems to be chiseling photo.net out of a small subscription fee despite posting numerous ads for expensive items is someone they really want to do business with.
photo.net has not reviewed these ads and does not vouch for the sellers or buyers in any way. We are not a party to the transactions, and we derive no income from posting fees or commissions on the transactions. We provide absolutely no recourse in the case of fraud or any other unsatisfactory transaction -- other than to cooperate with law enforcement authorities by providing them with what information we might have from our database or logs.
The fact that the other party is a photo.net member or a subscriber, or even a volunteer moderator or other prominent participant in the site, is no guarantee that you will have a satisfactory transaction with that person, including the possibility of fraud. If you buy from a photo.net subscriber, it means that photo.net has received at least a $25.00 payment from that person, either via check or PayPal. That means they are somewhat more than just an email address; but anybody intent on defrauding you can become a photo.net member and pay us the nominal fee. So do not rely solely on someone's subscriber status on photo.net as an indicator of trustworthiness.
Photo equipment is often expensive, and the used equipment market is full of people who are not completely honest -- not to mention scam-artists and fraudsters. As a seller, you have working against you the fact that many other sellers are not trustworthy and buyers will be on their guard. Do not expect people to trust you. Be accurate with model numbers, serial numbers, etc. Do not exagerate the condition of used equipment. Be prepared to answer questions and to convince a buyer that you are honest, especially if the item you are selling is expensive. It has become normal operating procedure to provide digital pictures of the item being sold, as well as serial numbers, etc. Be prepared to provide these. Prospective buyers expect prompt answers to their email queries and for you to be efficient in shipping the item. If you are not going to be able to give your full attention to completing the transaction promptly, choose a different time to sell the item, or get someone else to handle the transaction for you. Buyers do not want to deal with a distracted seller, and often react to lack of promptness and efficiency with suspicion. If an emergency prevents you from completing a transaction promptly, go out of your way to keep the buyer informed as to what is happening. Don't expect buyers to be very patient about delays, no matter how reasonable you may think your explanations may be. And keep in mind that not all the buyers are trustworthy either.
As a buyer you must be cautious. Consider paying more to someone who has established a good reputation. Ask many questions and make sure it is very clear to you what is being sold. Ask for pictures, model numbers, and serial numbers. Check in photo.net's Stolen Registry whether the serial number has been reported as stolen. Find out whether the item is grey market and can be serviced in your country. If the seller claims the item is under warranty, ask questions about the warranty. Don't assume that it will be transferrable to you. Make sure that all the accessories, such as cables, batteries, chargers, transformers, straps, cases, caps, manuals, software, brackets, adapters, etc, that you think should be included are actually included, that they are in the right language, etc. Check out the other party carefully before committing your hard-earned money or significant time. photo.net's Neighbor section is one place where you may find or post comments on sellers and buyers. A negative comment might just be from someone with unreasonably high expectations -- a tough customer who is never satisfied. And not every transaction goes smoothly even for the most honest, conscientious, person. But several negative comments are cause for concern. Be alert to the possibility of fraud, and be suspicious of any person who does not seem on the level, who proposes odd terms, or who is evasive or slow in providing information. Get a real name, phone number and address for the person, not just an email address, and try to determine whether this address is a real one. Talk to the seller on the phone. If the transaction goes sour, you are going to need a real name, address, and phone number to give to the police. Don't buy from people who have no physical coordinates or whose physcial coordinates are a P.O. Box, hotel room, or internet cafe. If the terms seem too good to be true, they probably are not true. Don't be a dupe. If you have difficulty contacting the other party or getting information from him before the transaction is consummated, consider how difficult it will be to reach him once he has your money or the sold item.
Be extremely cautious in dealing with buyers or sellers in other countries. You may have to deal with importation formalities and the equipment may not be servicable in your country through normal channels. If anything goes wrong with the transaction, it will be hard enough dealing with law enforcement authorities and courts in your own country without having to deal with the extra problems presented by an unfamiliar language or legal system, or trying to get the attention of foreign police. In addition, some countries have earned very bad reputations when it comes to Internet transactions. We aren't going to list them here, as they change over time and we don't wish to insult honest sellers in those countries; but you should be extremely cautious when dealing with individuals in those countries. We suggest that you read our article Caveat Emptor -- Buyer Beware.
Please comment on your transaction, good or bad, in the Neighbor section. If you feel that you have been defrauded, please contact us. There is not very much we can do about it, but at least we can ban the photo.net account that was used by the other party. If you notice suspicious ads, or an advertiser who is posting many ads without being a subscriber, please contact us.
