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Purchasing used m9-help please

JPizzzle

New member
Hey all
I'm in the process of purchasing a used m9 and have found one that is about 1.5 years old, still under warranty, and has a very light scratch on the bottom of the lcd. The seller states that it's surface, hard to photograph, and can't feel it with thumb. I asked for a picture taken of the camera at high iso, since I heard that you can check for dead pixels on the sensor or sensor dust that way. I attached the pic, and want to get feedback on whether those issues are present and whether this is a good deal on the leica. I think there might be some dust or marks in the clouds-not sure. I think he said there's about 2k actuations and agreed to sell for 5k. Any help is appreciated.

JP

p.s.-He's also selling a summilux 50mm 1.4 current model for $2k-good deal?
 

docmoore

Subscriber and Workshop Member
Hey all
I'm in the process of purchasing a used m9 and have found one that is about 1.5 years old...check for dead pixels on the sensor or sensor dust that way. I think he said there's about 2k actuations and agreed to sell for 5k. Any help is appreciated.

JP
All you can tell from this post is that he has one of the dirtiest sensors I have seen....easy to clean ... no idea on dead pixels...best done with a dark frame.

2000 exposures is nothing...

May be a good deal if you want a camera with no warranty...not to dissuade you but the savings is not overwhelming if he has scratched the LCD. Still a very compelling camera.

Bob
 

dude163

Active member
If its under warranty thats great news! if anything goes bad you can get it fixed


also: The stuff in the clouds is either dust on the sensor or the lens.
 

JPizzzle

New member
Is it possible to remove the scratches and would this warrant the 5k price? It's still under warranty and he agreed to file to transfer it. Is cleaning the sensor something that I should undertake-sorry have never dealt with this before.
 

skinnypix

New member
I don't know where you are located, but if you are in the U.S., it's my understanding that the warranty is not transferable for U.S. based repair. Can someone confirm?

--Alan
 

stephengilbert

Active member
The Summilux sounds like too good a deal. Current model Summiluxes sell for about $4000. You can search the forum for sales; search for "Summilux 50 mint," or something similar.
 

SYGTAFOTO

New member
Honestly, I have a hard time believing that this person is selling a 50 summilux asph for $2000.
This lens is close to $4000 new and if he's selling it for half price, it's one of the following:

1. He's a scammer
2. The lens is defective in some way
3. He doesn't know the value of the lens
4. The lens is not the current version (E43 pre-asph?)
5. The lens is actually the latest 50 summicron

If he claims the lens is the latest 50 summilux asph in sound condition, I say buyer beware on the M9 as well.
 

JPizzzle

New member
I asked him some questions on the lux and waiting to here back-i am starting to get a little suspicious-we shall see...

From the pic I attached it looks to be the current-no?
 

JPizzzle

New member
He actually has about 4k actuations I found out-last image info:

0x00000F41 HEX = 3905

Do you guys think that with the scratch and the actuations that it's worth the 5k-about 6 months left on warranty

Thanks again,
Huge purchase for me so deff want to make sure to figure everything out.
 

SYGTAFOTO

New member
Before deciding whether or not it is a good deal, are you certain that this person is a credible seller?

If I were in your shoes, price of the M9 seems good, but I'm not comfortable with the price of the lens.. and this makes me uncomfortable with the M9 as well.
 

JPizzzle

New member
Well, this is what I know.
I found him on amazon marketplace and is willing to sell through there-so i'm protected through amazon. He also has pics on flicker under his name dating back to 2010 with the m9. I also spoke to him over the phone. Not sure what more I can do beyond this when dealing with an out of state purchase? Any advice is recommended. He also agreed to go through paypal purchase if i'd like, but i like being able to go through amazon.

JP
 

SYGTAFOTO

New member
It sounds like you are already emotionally committed in purchasing the M9 since you are asking for suggestions on payment options..

As I said, you should make sure that the seller is not a scammer before thinking about payment options.. 50 summilux asph for $2000 should ring many, very large, loud alarms in your head. I suggest sorting this out first with the seller.
 

JPizzzle

New member
Well I am emotionally committed to purchasing an M9 in steel grey-it doesn't have to be this one, but the price is good on this. I'm going to see what he writes about the lux, it's deff ringing alarms in my head for sure.
 

mikel

Member
JP, like others, some definite caution flags go up for me.

I was curious what Amazon covered, and found this statement:

"Buyers who pay for Amazon Marketplace or Merchant purchases via the Amazon.com website and buyers who use Amazon Payments for qualified purchases from a third-party website are eligible to receive up to $2,500 of the purchase price, including shipping charges."

Here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_537868_requirements?nodeId=200783670#requirements

Just be careful....Mike
 

JPizzzle

New member
Thanks Mikel,
I had not known about the$2500 limit, that's a bit concerning. I wonder if using an amazon credit card would make a difference. Guessing not. Perhaps i'm better off using paypal and billmelater since it won't take any cash out of my account in case nothing shows up...
 

JPizzzle

New member
He said the lens has no issues and he has the box and receipts. Do you guys recommend I ask or do anything else at this point. It's an unbelievable price-for the lens particularly so not sure what to do to cover myself....
 

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
M9's go for about $6k, give or take. A minor scuff mark on the LCD cover isn't going to affect price all that much; maybe $100. Leica will replace the glass (for a fee, under $200 IIRC) if you care. The spots are dust. $5k is a real bargain, and even if it needs RF adjustment or some other work it's still a bargain. So is $2k for a 'lux 50A. Unless badly messed up Leica and many independent technicians can repair it for you for much less than you save over a mint used one. Assuming the items are real, if you don't like them you can flip them here on B&S forum and easily get your money back plus any shipping or other costs, and possibly make a little something for your trouble.

Agreed on all the buyer beware warnings... if it sounds too good it probably is. And both of these sound awfully good. But then maybe it's peanuts to the seller and they just want to unload it.

4k actuations basically means it's brand new and he didn't more than do a bit of QC on it.
 

JPizzzle

New member
Thanks Jan,
I didn't know about the plastic replacement, that's good to know. I just need to figure out how the warranty transfer works for US purchased items. Also, I need to figure out whether to go through paypal instead of amazon since it appears i'm only covered for $2500. If this works out, it'll certainly be an amazing deal, but we shall see. I'm not going to let this cloud my judgement...
JP
 

JPizzzle

New member
Anyone else has advice on how to setup this purchase? I spoke to amazon customer service and after a supervisor went digging around they guaranteed me that if an item does not arrive or what not that the case would be escalated and I would be covered for the full amount even if it's above $2500. I had them email me this in writing in case there are any issues. I am probably going to stick to amazon since I can use the amazon no interest card and no actual cash will be leaving my bank account in case this deal is not legitimate in any way.
 
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