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December, 2024

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DUDE, I need some videocamera (GL1)/ebay advice FAST

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ProducerXXX
Posts: 1776 - Karma: 13
Hey everybody, I'm new here but I've been looking around for a couple of days. All I gotta say is these boards are wild.

So onto the camera. All you videographers out there, tell me if $800 is a good price for a BRAND NEW GL1. Here's the catch- the ebay auction seems a little...suspicious. I emailed the seller for the buy it now price, and here's the email I received:


My item is brand new, unopened box
all accessories included and also an international warranty.
First I am going to tell you some things I think you should know before
ending this deal.
I travel a lot and now I am in Eastern Europe. The item is going to be
shipped from europe also.
Now, I can ship through UPS air next day delivery. I will pay for all
taxes. If you wish you can also send me your full shipping info so I can
make a reservation on your name .
The price of the item is $800/unit (as I said earlier with shipping and
insurance taxes included). I need some money as fast as possible so I am
offering a 10 % discount if we end the deal in 24 hours.
Here I am stuck to western union wire transfer.I can't use paypal
because it's not available yet. Just because of this I set up an insurance
with ebay which guaranties 100 % of this deal. If you wish I can contact
eBay right away and have them send you an invoice with my insurance.
If you agree on my terms I am sure we can close the deal right now.
Please reply after you think it over.
Best regards.


So what do you guys think? This sound like a scam? I'm interested in the ebay contract, wanna see if it's legit. Also, the ebayer has 98 positive and 3 neutral comments in the last 12 months. I want this cam...it's a little more than I wanted to spend, but it's brand new, but definitely cheaper than the Canon GL2, Sony VX2100, or Panasonic DVC30. What do you guys think? I need some advice quick, and I know this forum is filled with genuises. So let's hear it- think I should buy it?
Feb 2 2006 8:22PM
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Thorvildsen
Posts: 1867 - Karma: 12
DON'T DO IT!!!
Scam for sure.
1. he's telling you that he is in easter europe.
2. he wants a wire transwer. save up some more bucksand buy a real cam instead of losing 800 bucks to tHis asshat!

my 2cents
Feb 2 2006 8:41PM
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Crock360
Posts: 2100 - Karma: 23
i dunno man, seems too sketchy for me. i wouldn't do it. I mean, i understand how much you want the camera, i was in the same position a year ago....but if it was me, i wouldnt
Feb 2 2006 8:49PM
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Snowcase
Posts: 11456 - Karma: 634
yea i just got a cam on ebay for $900 just wait and find a good deal and trust your instinct
Feb 3 2006 3:55AM
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ProducerXXX
Posts: 1776 - Karma: 13
Thanks guys, you're probably right. I sent this assclown an aggressively worded email questioning him. I haven't gotten a reply yet, and I doubt I will. I figure that if I'm spending this much $$$, it's better to just be patient and wait for a legit auction.

Besides, if the GL3 comes out, the price for the GL2's gonna drop...anyone have either one of these cams? Good for ski stuff?

I've been looking at a lot of backposts, and you guys are pretty hardcore, especially Snowcaps- you were pretty persistant. The backreading was helpful. Thanks guys.
Feb 3 2006 6:45AM
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Snowcase
Posts: 11456 - Karma: 634
haha yea i was
Feb 3 2006 7:48AM
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yeti
Posts: 6335 - Karma: 17
never ever ever ever pay for anything on ebay with anything other than paypal.

ESPECIALLY not wire transfer.
Feb 3 2006 9:26AM
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TheStamos
Posts: 9311 - Karma: 910
agreed, not worht the loss i mean sick shit but still. did you think about warranty.. i didnt read the above post because im lazy but warranty on a 2000 $ camera is important.
Feb 3 2006 12:54PM
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johnwiechecki
Posts: 1153 - Karma: 344
Who the hell has a once-top-of-the-line video camera brand new still in the box after they have been discontinued for like 2-3 years?
Feb 3 2006 1:07PM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
get a dvx.
Feb 3 2006 2:55PM
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freezed
Posts: 12973 - Karma: 500
never, ever do a wire transfer for ebay. almost guaranteed its a scam.
Feb 3 2006 3:18PM
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eastAR5
Posts: 15084 - Karma: 732
gl1 is weak
Feb 3 2006 6:00PM
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jensen
Posts: 2576 - Karma: 1,267
i have a gl2 and it works great for skiing. but this better not lead to another gl2 vs. vx2100 battle. the three most recent videos in my profile were all shot with a gl2 if you wanna see some stuff shot with it. remember they are a reduced quality for the internet.
Feb 3 2006 7:36PM
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Dan.
Posts: 7201 - Karma: 1,126
western union + eastern europe = fraud.

paypal is available everywhere man, he's lying to you if he says it isnt available to him yet
Feb 3 2006 9:49PM
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eastAR5
Posts: 15084 - Karma: 732
no its gl2 vs vx1000 battle

vx1000 obviously wins
Feb 4 2006 3:44AM
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Snowcase
Posts: 11456 - Karma: 634
yea i'm glad i went with the 1000
Feb 4 2006 5:33AM
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ProducerXXX
Posts: 1776 - Karma: 13
Ok, for real, here's how I replied:

I'm interested but I have a few questions first before I decide. Honestly I am
sceptical. I've got a few questions that need answered before I go through with
this- I think you'll see a few things don't match up.

First off, is the picture in the auction the actual camera? If so, why do you
say it's in an unopened box? In the picture the camera is shown in a case.

What is this international warranty? How long is it? Who is it offered/provided
by? What does it cover? This cam has been discontinued for a while, so if you
could explain this warranty thing better, I'd feel a lot better abou the
purchase.

Where are you from? Is this camera a "states" model? The writing on the cam and
box/instructions are in English, right? Why do you have this camera oversees
with you if you're from the USA?

Is the 10% discount off the $800?

Insurance- I'm not an overly-experienced ebayer, so I'd like to see this ebay
insurance before I even consider purchasing this camera.


Sorry for all the questions, but there's just a few things I need to know. This
in no way is stating I will purchase the camera...there's too many "ifs". If
you clear up a few things I'm wondering about, there's a chance I'll take the
offer. Thanks for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon.




Then he sent this:

Yes sir is the actula picture, you will have 2 years international warranty. Is a US modell.Before i contact ebay for your inssurance, i will need your name,
address, name of the item you want to buy and the price we agreed.
When ebay will approve it, you'll recieve an invoice from them.



So I sent him this:

Thanks for the offer, but it still seems quite vague- so I am no longer
interested. I don't know if it's a scam or not, but you should be aware that
when someone's going to spend 800+ on a quailty item, they deserved more
details. Sorry to waste your time.




Anyways, glad that's over. I'm going to keep looking, but for real, whey does everyone keep saying the GL1 isn't that great? I'm looking for a used semi-pro camera for under $1000. The VX1000 is about the same if not cheaper, but doesn't have a flip out screen. The VX2000 doesn't have 30fps/movie mode, and the VX2100 is too expensive/bigger. So that leave the clear-cut winner the GL1. Anyone have anythign to add?
Feb 4 2006 9:33AM
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Snowcase
Posts: 11456 - Karma: 634
gl2? I never use the flip screen anyway so it wasn't a loss for me.
Feb 4 2006 12:58PM
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