Lily Pond at the Alhambra

Greetings, and welcome to my short introduction. If you're onto this page, I'm betting we likely have a thing or two in common, namely that we share an interest in photography and secondly, that we facilitate our hobby utilizing Minolta (and now, Sony) camera gear. In my opinion, over the years Minolta has produced some very nice gear that offers excellent value - especially their early AF lenses and recent DSLR's to name a few products. Their camera platforms were always leading edge technology with the best ergonomics, and the whole product line up was always more affordable than the other OEM's. It appears that Sony is very dedicated to continuing the Alpha mount and has successfully introduced the A100, A200, A300, A350 and A700 as well as many rebadged Minolta lenses and some new Carl Zeiss glass, accessories and flash units.

As for me, I'm an average guy in his 40's, working in the healthcare field. I enjoy skiing, fishing, playing hockey, working out at the gym, cycling, eBaying and of course, photography. I've been taking pictures with Minolta gear since the mid 1980's with the introduction of the Maxxum 7000. I started out with a 7000, a 3rd party standard zoom and the 2800AF flash. I quickly added a 100-200mm f/4.5, a 4000AF flash and CG-1000 set. I think I initially aspired to be a portrait photographer.  Over the years, I continued to add to my gear bag, and my photographic interests have since moved towards travel, landscape and macro.

Fast forward to the present, and after using the KM 7D, I've upgraded to the Sony A700, still use my 3600HS flash and have a bag full of lenses, most bought here on eBay. I've included a couple of photos taken with them (see right). Many of my lenses are described in my "Reviews and Guides".

Initially, when I started bidding on eBay auctions, I was suspicious about the entire idea of sending my money to a complete stranger while I waited with fingers crossed for a package to arrive in my mailbox. Though it didn't happen often, I was occasionally quite disappointed in the item upon its arrival or in how long it took to arrive. In a "Wild West" market like eBay, it is obvious that quality control is pretty tough to ensure. I quickly learned how to evaluate listings, sellers and the items they were hawking and my "eBay buying satisfaction" track record improved. For tips on buying gear on eBay, especially used lenses, you should head over to my "Reviews & Guides".

As an extension of my interest in photography and knowledge of the Maxxum product catalogue,  I decided to start selling Minolta Maxxum gear on eBay a couple times each month which has evolved into a full-time eBay store. As a result of some of my less than satisfying eBay buying experiences, I knew that if I was going to sell on eBay, I was going to do the best job that I could by offering fair pricing on clean, used equipment that was accurately described, and properly photographed in the listing. My top priority is that my buyer be completely satisfied with their eBay experience with me. This includes my service around the purchase which means timely shipping of a well packaged item, (no point in having your nice item arrive in pieces, or weeks later!) and promptly responding to buyer questions and concerns.  It's a bit of a read, but anyone bidding on my auctions should have a quick look at my "Fine Print" included in each auction listing.

I'm always happy to try and answer any questions my customers have about camera equipment. If you ask my opinion on a piece of gear, you can be assured you'll get an honest answer and not a bait and switch to buy something more expensive or that I may have in stock.  I believe that an educated buyer is a happy buyer. I would rather forego a sale than have a buyer purchase needless or inappropriate gear. In my "Reviews & Guides", I've posted several guides pertaining to photography in general and, of course, Minolta Maxxum gear - so have a look. Happy Bidding!

Jen in the Granada Cathedral

About My Listings, Photos and Equipment Grading:

I liken my eBay photo listings to a "Boutique" store, rather than a Big Box warehouse operation or New York City camera seller. For the most part, I list only Minolta Maxxum/Sony Alpha compatible camera equipment - the stuff I know best. I generally only list items once a month so that my attention to detail is not compromised and I try to ensure a high standard of quality both in the items listed and in the listings themselves. I don't run continuous auction listings, but rather, keep the store stocked and run an occasional auction when I have spare time - so be sure to "bookmark" me or add me to your "favourite sellers"! I find that most of the eBayers that I sell to are much happier hitting a Buy It Now listing and getting what they want rather than wait for an auction to end a week from now and risk losing the item to another bidder. My eBay store does run full time and I use this venue to showcase the nicest gear or more rare items that I have in stock, and occasionally put excess items in the "Bargain Basement" if you are looking for a really good deal. My auctions and store listings generally run "Worldwide" so that all ebayers have an opportunity to bid.

After a detailed cleaning and inspection, each and every item that I list is photographed specifically for that auction listing. No "Stock Photos" are used. While time consuming and labor intensive, I feel it is the best method to provide ebayers with the information required to make an informed decision to purchase or participate in one of my auctions. I use my A700 digital SLR along with a macro lens and 3 flash units so that I can provide detailed and well lit photos of the item you are bidding on. I do not conceal flaws and will include a close up of anything I believe noteworthy regarding condition. My photos are not retouched in any way. In the past, and contrary to eBay policy, you may have seen my photos in other listings. I now watermark and copyright my photos. If you see them in other listings, I would be wary bidding on these auctions for obvious reasons.

I try to be as accurate as possible in my "Item Description",  so that the buyer is pleased and satisfied with their eBay item when it arrives. Too many listings promise "mint" or "awesome" condition items and I've received a few of those over the years, much to my disappointment. From my perspective, it's much better to receive feedback like "better than described" than the alternative! 

My rating scale works like this, in ascending order of condition: Good > Very Good > Excellent > Excellent Plus > Mint Minus/Minty > Mint or Pristine. Grading is entirely subjective, but when I grade equipment, I try to err on the low side; I'd rather "underpromise" and then "overdeliver". If an item is broken or really beat up, I'll note this, list it "As Is" and probably call the item a "Dog"! (No offense intended to any canines.)

A warning about "As Is" listings - many sellers will list junk (broken or worn out gear) that they claim is in good or excellent working condition and then add this "As Is" disclaimer to their listing, along with "No Refunds".  Generally, I have found it best to avoid these sellers and their listings no matter how enticing the listing or price is.

Occasionally, I do make an error, and if I've missed something, a simple email will fix the problem. In my experience, based on the number of eBay transactions that I have completed, I have heard back about an issue from less than 0.50% of my customers, and those few were ultimately satisfied with my response to their issue.   Ideally, I would prefer that figure to be lower (like 0%!), but I guess we are all human!

You may come across other listing descriptions on Ebay that look remarkably similiar to mine - rest assured that my text is original in all of my listings, and once again, contrary to eBay policy, text theft occurs regularly. My write up on the Maxxum 7000 is so popular that a paragraph of it is now part of the eBay lexicon, reproduced in the eBay Product listing that is included in most Maxxum 7000 listings. Sigh!

About My Store

The grading and selection criteria for products that I list inside my eBay Store "Seagr112's Maxxum/Sony A100 Photo Gear", is very high. Essentially, the items that I list here are either new in box, like new in their original packaging, or of such fine condition that I consider them next-to-new. Occasionally I may list an item that doesn't quite meet this criteria but is included because it is a rarer or elite Minolta item or just a personal favorite. The majority of the time, you will find the cream of all the products that I list on eBay in my store, and they will have "Buy It Now" prices only. They are generally one-of-a-kind items, so if you see something of interest, don't procrastinate for too long!

About Feedback

My policy is simple: I leave feedback once you have left yours. I do feedback this way for two reasons. First, if you fall into that 0.50% category I mentioned above, I'd like to hear from you via email, rather than as an unhappy customer in the feedback section. I would like the opportunity to fix things rather than find out after the fact. Yes, that keeps my feedback looking good, but it also expedites keeping my customers ultimately satisfied, my primary goal.

Second, I like to receive feedback and I believe it is an integral part of Ebay that keeps the Ebay community informed about the transactions we partake in. If you take the time to leave me feedback, chances are you share the same belief and I will definitely return the favor!

Cheers!