First I must let it be known that up until now, I’ve had very good experiences with Adorama. That being said, I had only purchased new from them.

Recently I decided that I was switching from my Canon Rebel XT to a Fuji S5 Pro. The Fuji uses Nikon-mount lenses. Therefore, I would be getting rid of anything Canon related.

I had used the online quote forms of both B&H, and KEH. They gave similar prices, with KEH being slightly higher. Then I saw Adorama had it, and in their pamphlet in the store, said that they give the most for used equipment. So I filled out a form online listing my Rebel XT, the kit lens, and my 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 IS lens, and got a call back.

The person I dealt with told me to come down, and if the equipment was in the condition that it was described, it was worth $600, and that Adorama would give me at least 70% of it’s value. This is very ambiguous to begin with, and unnecessarily confusing. The values were near what B&H and KEH were offering. Considering Adorama had a Fuji S5 Pro, listed in Excellent condition, I thought that would be the place to investigate more.

Upon arriving to Adorama, I was told to ask for another person, the one who ran the used counter. I did, and explained that someone had given me a quote and told me to come in. I displayed everything on the counter. I also said that I had two Rebel Ti film bodies, and a Sigma 28-70 lens.

I was then told, that yes, I would get 70% of the value, and then 8% on top of THAT value if I were to use it for store credit towards a purchase. So the XT and lens were worth $420. The 2 Rebel Ti were worth $30, and the Sigma lens was worth $10. Within a couple of minutes, everything was in plastic bags. I need to point out that at this time, I showed the person who ran the counter that there was film in one of the Ti bodies. I told him the batteries were dead, so I couldn’t get it out. I was told not to worry.

I was then shuttled over to another rep, who would ring up the transaction. While this was going on, I forgot about the Ti bodies. More on that later. The S5 arrived from the back, and it looked fine, though the battery seemed dead. I also got a spare battery, a lens, and an extended warranty. I asked if all the used items were inspected and cleaned, including the sensor, and was told they absolutely were. They couldn’t find the rest of the items (aside from the body), right away, so I waited a few minutes, and then was told to go to the cashier, and they’d make sure I got everything. As it was getting close to the end of my lunch hour, I did so.

They found the accessories (they thought it had a box, and was looking for that), I paid, and was on my way. As I was about half-way back to the office, I realized I didn’t get my film back from one of the Ti bodies. I wondered if they’d call me (they have all my customer info), and let it go, as I wasn’t sure what was on it anyway.

After charging the battery, I took a few shots, and realized that the sensor was NOT cleaned. Thankfully a bulb blower was able to resolve that without any issue. Work has been very crazy the last week or two, so I didn’t have much time to play with it. I had noted that S5s on EBay were going in the $600-$1000 range depending on condition. When I looked at the maintenance counter, I was shocked to see 31,000 shutter clicks. For something listed as Excellent, this was not what I expected. Looking again on Ebay, those items were closer to the $500-700 range, not $869. For that price, I was seeing 10,000 or less shutter clicks. My 70-300 lens was also worth much more then expected, given it’s age and how much I paid for it.

I contacted customer service via the web site the next day, and was told I needed an order number to do anything. Um, I was just there, are you seriously telling me you can’t look it up by customer name, in this day in age? It was infuriating. Given that I was at work doing this, and the receipt was home, this just made for more delays. As soon as I got home, I emailed the order #s. Then I heard nothing. So I went to the store that afternoon.