Most used camera listings on eBay are fine. A body that worked yesterday usually works today, and plenty of sellers are photographers moving up to something newer. The trouble is that the wear that matters doesn't show in a photo, and a few listings are written to keep it that way. Here's what we look for when we read one, in roughly the order we check it.
Photos of this camera
Start with the photos. You want pictures of the actual body for sale: the front with a lens or the body cap on, the top plate, the back with the screen switched on, both sides with the doors closed, and the base. A listing with only the maker's product shots, or a photo you've seen on another listing, tells you nothing about condition. If the seller has several of the same model, ask which one you'll get.
Read the wear the photos do show the way a repairer would. Paint worn to bare metal on the corners and a shiny thumb rest mean a camera that was carried and used hard. That isn't a reason to pass, but it should match the shutter count the seller quotes. A body with worn-through paint and a count of a few thousand doesn't add up, and it's fair to ask about it.
The shutter count, stated or missing
A good listing gives a number. "Low shutter count" or "lightly used" with no figure is the seller's impression. Ask for the count, and on brands that write it into the image file, ask for an unedited full-size JPEG straight from the camera so you can read it yourself. Our shutter count guide covers how each brand stores it. Then compare the count with the maker's rating on the camera's page here. A count well under the rating leaves plenty of life. A count past it doesn't mean the camera is dying, but price it as one that may need a new shutter.
Mirrorless bodies add a wrinkle. Many have an electronic shutter mode that doesn't move the curtains, and depending on the brand those frames may not be counted. A low count on a body that was used mostly in silent mode is still good news for the shutter, but it says less about how much the rest of the camera has been used.
What's in the box
Batteries and chargers are specific to each model, and the maker's own battery is a real part of what you're paying for. Check that the listing names them and look for them in the photos. A camera that comes with a third-party battery works, but some bodies warn about batteries they don't recognize, and the maker's battery-life figures assume its own cells. "Body only" sometimes means no battery, no charger and no body cap, so read it literally and ask.
Kit listings bundle the body with the zoom it was sold with new. Kit zooms are useful but modest, so work out what the body alone is worth and add what that lens sells for on its own. Don't pay extra for a kit if you plan to buy better lenses anyway.
Grey market and warranty
A grey-market camera was made for sale in another country and imported outside the maker's official channel. It's the same camera, but in the US some makers won't repair a grey body under warranty. Signs of a grey import include a charger with a foreign plug, a manual in another language, menus set to another language, and words like "international version" or "import model". If the camera is young enough that warranty matters, ask where it was first sold. On an older body that's out of warranty anyway, grey matters much less, as long as the price reflects it.
Untested, as is, and for parts
These words move the risk onto you. A seller with the camera, a battery and a charger can test it in a minute, so "untested" on a modern digital body often means the seller tried and didn't like what they saw, or doesn't know how. Price untested bodies as broken unless the photos show the screen on and a menu displayed. "For parts" is a plain statement that something's wrong. Those listings can make sense for a repairer who knows what the fault is, not for someone who wants to take pictures this weekend.
Sensor, screen and viewfinder
Ask for a photo of a plain sky or a white wall taken at f/16 with the focus set to manual and slightly off. Dust shows as soft dark spots, and most of it cleans off. Marks that stay in the same place after a cleaning can mean a scratched filter in front of the sensor, which is a bigger job. Look closely at photos of the rear screen for scratches or odd bright and dark spots, and on a mirrorless body ask whether the viewfinder shows anything the rear screen doesn't.
Doors, ports and card slots
Check the rubber covers over the ports and the card door in the photos. Torn port covers let in dust and damp, and a card door that won't latch is a common repair on well-used bodies. On cameras with two card slots, ask whether both read and write. Older pro bodies like the Canon 5D Mark III use a CompactFlash slot with fine pins, and a bent pin stops that slot reading cards.
The seller and the return policy
Feedback count matters less than what the feedback says. A seller with a few hundred camera sales and comments about accurate descriptions is a safer bet than one with thousands of unrelated sales. Read the return policy before you buy, and assume you'll use it. A used camera is easiest to judge in your hands, and our arrival checklist covers what to test while you can still send it back. eBay's Money Back Guarantee also covers an item that doesn't match its listing or arrives faulty, with a request window of 30 days after delivery or the seller's own return window, whichever is longer. Save the listing text and photos when you buy.
Prices that don't fit
A price well below everything else for the same body is a question to ask, not a bargain to grab. Sometimes it's a seller who wants a quick sale. Sometimes it's a grey import, a missing battery, a high shutter count or a fault the description skates past. Compare the listing with the dated picks on each camera's page here and with eBay's sold listings for the same model. If the gap is big and the listing doesn't explain it, move on. Another one will come along, and you can browse every body we cover while you wait.
