bonesmalones
Well-known member
This has probably been covered, but I see a pair of SE 10x42 on eBay that are listed as refurbished at a nice price. What is the overall view of refurbished gear? A risk or not?
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Your opinion on refurbished. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter bonesmalones
- Start date
David in NC
Well-known member
Not specific to binocs but I've bought two SLR cameras in the past and an MP3 player (all from REPUTABLE sellers) and had no problems...
bonesmalones
Well-known member
David - I'm leaning that way. I buy all my Apple computers as refurbs. Never an issue.
TheBirdGarden
I don't have the money
On eBay if you try listing an item as refurbished when it is not you can get in trouble. Refurbished are usually kept in great quality in my experiences.
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello Bones,
I did buy a refurbed Leica 8x32 BN on ebay, ten years, ago. However, it did come from an authorized U.S. dealer. I have bought refurbished Zeiss from a New York dealer, with a fine reputation, Cameraland, not far from my home.
Like you, I have purchased refurbished Macs from Apple, but my replacement cycle demanded that I get a new one, last year.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:
I did buy a refurbed Leica 8x32 BN on ebay, ten years, ago. However, it did come from an authorized U.S. dealer. I have bought refurbished Zeiss from a New York dealer, with a fine reputation, Cameraland, not far from my home.
Like you, I have purchased refurbished Macs from Apple, but my replacement cycle demanded that I get a new one, last year.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:
mikefreiberg
Well-known member
Bones,
How are you? Refurbed items usually perform like new. The main thing to keep in mind is that these products only have a 90-day warranty. However, you are usually getting the optics at steal of a price.
All the best,
Mike Freiberg
Nikon Birding Market Specialist
brocknroller
porromaniac
Mike,
You mean that refurb Nikon binoculars are only covered for 90-days period, and that if something goes wrong with them or if he accidentally drops them after that time, repair costs are out of pocket?
Can't he use the No Fault warranty on used optics after 90 days? If not, he's better off buying second-hand from an individual seller.
Brock
BruceH
Avatar: Harris Hawk
Bonesmalones....I think there is very little risk if it is refurbished by Nikon, so you need to find out from the seller who did the refurbish job. Not all auction listers go by the same definition.
You can take additional steps to protect yourself.
- Look at quality pictures of the item.
- Buy only if the buyer has a return policy if not as described. I bought a used unit from an auction seller after expressing my concerns and he agreed to take it back if they were not as described. They turned out to be just fine.
- Specifically ask the seller if there are any marks or scratches on the lenses or body so it is documented. PayPal will support you if the item is not as described.
- Find out what is included - lens covers, straps, case, papers, box.
- Check the sellers history.
I purchased a Nikon EDG refurbished by Nikon for $1K less than manufacturer advertised price and it was absolutely like brand new. I believe most units refurbished by Nikon come in a generic white box with a Nikon label specific for that unit and also include all the accessories and papers. They also put a very small punch mark by the serial number so they can tell it had been refurbished.
Brock ..... The 90 day warranty is the same as the 25 year warranty that comes with a factory new unit, except it is only for 90 days. It covers material and workmanship defects and there is no chargre for repairs if needed. After the 90 days, the No Fault warranty kicks in. Factory defects are still covered, but the owner has to pay the $10 fee under the no fault warranty plus shipping. Basically, the 90 day warranty gives you time to make sure the refurb went well. After that, it is just as if you bought a used unit where the no fault warranty is transferable.
You can take additional steps to protect yourself.
- Look at quality pictures of the item.
- Buy only if the buyer has a return policy if not as described. I bought a used unit from an auction seller after expressing my concerns and he agreed to take it back if they were not as described. They turned out to be just fine.
- Specifically ask the seller if there are any marks or scratches on the lenses or body so it is documented. PayPal will support you if the item is not as described.
- Find out what is included - lens covers, straps, case, papers, box.
- Check the sellers history.
I purchased a Nikon EDG refurbished by Nikon for $1K less than manufacturer advertised price and it was absolutely like brand new. I believe most units refurbished by Nikon come in a generic white box with a Nikon label specific for that unit and also include all the accessories and papers. They also put a very small punch mark by the serial number so they can tell it had been refurbished.
Brock ..... The 90 day warranty is the same as the 25 year warranty that comes with a factory new unit, except it is only for 90 days. It covers material and workmanship defects and there is no chargre for repairs if needed. After the 90 days, the No Fault warranty kicks in. Factory defects are still covered, but the owner has to pay the $10 fee under the no fault warranty plus shipping. Basically, the 90 day warranty gives you time to make sure the refurb went well. After that, it is just as if you bought a used unit where the no fault warranty is transferable.
bonesmalones
Well-known member
Thank you all for your valuable input.
I bought a refurbed 10 x 35 EII in 2004 at High Point Scientific for $250.00 when they sold for $450.00 new. I still have the 90 day guarantee papers in the box and I still use the binocular. I haven't babied it. My sons and family friends have used it when we went to Hawk Mountain and they were very pleased with it.
Nikon stamps a tiny slot under the Nikon label at the end of the hinge to indicate it is a refurb.
Bob
Nikon stamps a tiny slot under the Nikon label at the end of the hinge to indicate it is a refurb.
Bob
elkcub
Silicon Valley, California
When I bought a factory refurbished Nikon LXL a few years ago, that was exactly the circumstance. The No Fault warranty did apply: it said so in the official paperwork. I also liked the idea that it had an identifying white slot on the hinge cover, which showed that it had received individual attention.
Ed
mikefreiberg
Well-known member
Brock,
You are correct. The No-Fault Policy is out of play after 90 days. He will pay more for a second hand item most of the time. However, the protection of the warranty might be worth it in the buyer's mind.
All the best,
Mike Freiberg
Nikon Birding Market Specialist
Geoff Brown
Well-known member
I have a refurbished by manufacturer Nikon digital SLR and two refurbished Nikon lenses, and have never had any problems with them ever. They were considerably cheaper than if had bought them new.
BruceH
Avatar: Harris Hawk
Mike,
My understanding is that Nikon binoculars come with two warranties. The first is a "Limited Warranty" good for 25 years on a Nikon USA factory new product or 90 days on a Nikon reconditioned product. The second separate warranty is the No Fault Warranty without a time limit that covers issues for a small fee that are not covered by the Limited Warranty.
Are you saying that a Nikon USA reconditioned product is only covered by the 90 Limited Warranty and the No Fault Warranty does not apply to a Nikon USA reconditioned product? That is just the opposite of what I was told by customer service when I call about a year ago. I was told the No Fault Warranty covers the reconditioned item when the 90 day warranty is not in effect.
eitanaltman
Well-known member
Yeah, I'm confused too. Mike's statements also directly contradict what Ed wrote above:
If a refurb product has ZERO warranty coverage of ANY sort after 90 days then I would run far away, it's not worth the risk. This coming from a frequent user of "no fault" warranties (yes, I drop my binoculars frequently!).
If a refurb product has ZERO warranty coverage of ANY sort after 90 days then I would run far away, it's not worth the risk. This coming from a frequent user of "no fault" warranties (yes, I drop my binoculars frequently!).
From the aforegoing it would be seen that Nikon carried out a No-fault warranty replacement on a second-hand product.If a refurb product has ZERO warranty coverage of ANY sort after 90 days then I would run far away, it's not worth the risk. This coming from a frequent user of "no fault" warranties (yes, I drop my binoculars frequently!).[/QUOTE]
This is an earlier post by me in the thread: Nikon USA Warranty The warranty replacement dates to the last quarter of 2010.
"Nikon replaced a second-hand 10x42HG/LX which they could not repair with a refurbished Nikon Premier 10x42 (refurbished status identified by a silver punch mark on the focussing wheel), supplied with a 90 day warranty and, I hope, covered by the No-fault warranty. The dreary details of the background to this replacement are covered in Birdforum's Binocular Nikon forum. Your suggestion that Nikon owners print off a copy of the No-Fault policy is an excellent one, as the version that I used was much earlier than the 1/12 version mentioned in your present post.
Best wishes,
Chhayanat"
Mike Freiberg's statement that there is no warranty coverage after 90 days on a factory refurbished Nikon binocular (even the so-called Superior E and High Grade models), marks a substantial change in Nikon warranty cover. If correct, the information needs to be widely circulated both among owners of refurbished Nikon optics and among prospective buyers of such optics.
Chhayanat
I read Mike Freibergs statement to Brock in thread #13 above to mean that Nikon will cover any binocular refurbished by Nikon for 90 days under a "no-fault" basis should a problem be found with it after which the normal Nikon transferable warranty takes over. He said that Brock was correct.
This seems reasonable.
I have owned a refurbished Nikon 10 x 35 EII since 2006. I purchased it for $250.00 at High Point Scientific at their business in New Jersey. At that time these binoculars were selling for $450.00 new. High Point had a number of them in stock which they were selling as factory refurbished items. I got mine from an unopened box and not from the display.
Bob
This seems reasonable.
I have owned a refurbished Nikon 10 x 35 EII since 2006. I purchased it for $250.00 at High Point Scientific at their business in New Jersey. At that time these binoculars were selling for $450.00 new. High Point had a number of them in stock which they were selling as factory refurbished items. I got mine from an unopened box and not from the display.
Bob
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brocknroller
porromaniac
When Mike said that I was correct, he was referring to my second sentence that a buyer would be better off purchasing a Nikon bin on the second-hand market so he can take advantage of the No-Fault Policy after 90 days. Your 10x35 EII is not covered under the No-Fault Policy unless you never sent in your warranty card. Then again, Nikon might keep a database on refurbs so they might find out anyway by looking up the serial number. I don't know how they keep track of refurbs.
Here's what Mike said:
So while you might pay more on the second-hand market than for a refurb (though that's not always the case), he's saying that it might be worth paying more for the second-hand bin to gain the No Fault warranty since you will recoup the difference by only having to pay $20 on repair costs. The buyer of the refurb model with the 90-day warranty, will have to pay the full repair costs if something goes wrong with the bin on day 91.
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Here's what Mike said:
So while you might pay more on the second-hand market than for a refurb (though that's not always the case), he's saying that it might be worth paying more for the second-hand bin to gain the No Fault warranty since you will recoup the difference by only having to pay $20 on repair costs. The buyer of the refurb model with the 90-day warranty, will have to pay the full repair costs if something goes wrong with the bin on day 91.
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