Would You Buy a Used Lens?

If you buy a used lens on eBay, you take your chances -- though lately I've been buying old manual focus Nikon lenses very cheaply for use on my new G1, and these lenses are way beyond any kind of warranty anyway.
If you buy from somewhere like KEH.COM, they have evaluated the lenses and they have a return policy within the first two weeks, so your chances of being stuck with a bad copy are slim, assuming you test the lens yourself in the first two weeks for obvious defects.
It seems to me buying used lenses is no different than buying anything else used. You pay your money and you take your chances, and on average the good deals hopefully outweigh the occasional lemons.

My main lenses at the moment are: Tokina 11-16mm f2.8, Nikon 17-55mm f2.8, Nikon 28mm PC, Sigma 30mm f1.4, Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VR, Nikon 80-400mm VR, Nikon TC-17E. Of that list, only the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 and 80-400mm VR were purchased new, mainly because the spread between new & used wasn't big enough. I've had no issues with any used lens I've ever bought, and that includes the four Bronica 645 lenses and four LF lenses. I agree that KEH is highly reliable and have bought a few lenses from them, mostly LF.

Kent in SD

If the outer lens surfaces are free from abrasions, aperture blades are clean, snappy in action and dry, there's no mold and not much dust on inside elements, and if the focusing collar turns smoothly and the mount looks clean, with no bent or sticking pins, and nothing rattles inside, it ought to be alright. Finally, will the seller commit to giving your money back if it's not right?

I bought my D700, 17-35/2.8 and 28-70/2.8 off of Creigs Lost (edited to avoid the photonet filters) in FTF transactions. No regrets at all and I saved a bundle. In fact I could sell the lenses any day for way more than I paid for them.

I've bought a couple of lens from KEH and both were as advertised. And they have a return policy as been discussed. I would be very hesatent to buy anything of real value on ebay or one the other auction websites.

I have bought lenses on ebay, and even the occasional one on the photo.net classifieds - all MF Canons, Zuikos and Nikkors - maybe 20 in total. I have returned one because it was simply more "battered" than described. All of the others were as described or better than described. While I accept that you never can tell what you've bought until it arrives at your door, my experience with used lenses has been overwhelmingly positive.

I buy my used lenses from places that offer warranties and have decent return polices. When I bought the latest lens, I took my camera into the store and tried out two 24mm lenses and bought the one that seemed sharper. I also bought Hasselblad lenses and a body and a back from them, and returned one of the Hassy lenses (kept two). With Craigs List, buy local, and try out on your camera before actually buying the camera (I prefer the store, actually, because I know where to find them if I want to take the lens back and they will take anything back in the first 14 days without question).

Sometimes, people sell lenses because they're crudded up inside or scratched. Sometimes, and especially with manual lenses in the autofocus age, people sell lenses because they're not autofocus. And some older autofocus lenses won't work on the cheaper digital cameras. My D300 had taken less than 500 shots -- I think it was traded in for a D700.

I have bought several Nikon lenses used, some ebay, some FtF, one Adorama.
Saved a lot of money.
20mm f/2.8D
35mm f/2D
50mm f/1.4D
60mm f/2.8D
85mm f/1.8D
17-35mm f/2.8D
28-70mm f/2.8D
70-200mm f/2.8G VR
80-400 f/4-5.6D VR
Almost no problems. The 17-35mm had the expected focus squeak.

Thanks for all the responses. Very enlightening and that website is one I've never been too. Looking at KEH, do you go for EX or better?