I ordered the lens as condition of Bargain on August 2. After I read the reviews in this site, I was a little worry about it. The lens came in today and it is better than I expected. I am very happy about it and sure will buy from them again.

first time ordering from KEH. shipped to my pretty quickly, everything went smoothly... got my lens. found out it did not want to work very well with my camera. naturally, i shipped it back for a refund. i did not recieve a refund until today. nearly two weeks after they recieved it. i called them about it and they were quite rude about it. i emailed them the night before also.. took them a week to respond. nice.

Excellent product, fast shipping, and solid warranty. Purchased a second hand Canon 85L F1.2 lens in EX condition. Condition of lens was EX or better. Focus is spot on with my my 1D MK II and it is super sharp even wide open. Glass is clean. There is some dust on the inside of the lens but it doesn't affect picture quality. Already having lots of fun with this lens. It can do things nothing else in my bag can do. This is not my first purchase from KEH and it sure as heck won't be my last.  

I ordered a 4x5 camera from KEH recently because of KEH stated 14 day return policy andI was convinced by the salesperson I was not taking the risk of purchasing the same item on Ebay because of this. I was not given any description of the item except a vague idea of what it was NOT. Here's the rub with this business; Salesman told me I had 14 days to assess my purchase. WRONG! I only have 6 days within which I have to have the item returned, since the KEH return policy fine print states 14 day return from INVOICE DATE! That is ludicrous, and completely misleading. Judging from the reports of KEH on this website, which are either GLOWING or NEGATIVE, I would BEWARE of this business. I am unable to recommend purchasing from KEH as a result of being mislead about this fundamental stipulation of their return policy which is utterly BOGUS.  
UPDATE: 3/2/2009: 4x5 camera arrived in a beat up box with crumpled paper and one layer of thin bubble wrap separating SOME of the parts of the expensive Swiss made 4x5. The camera was shipped to me with a badly scratched etched ground glass, incorrect 3rd party replacement bellows, incorrect old-style base clamp, leaking bubble level, a missing metal cap on the standard frame, and last but not least, 6 or 8 spring loaded pins for locking and unlocking the lensboards, back, and bellows were corroded and frozen closed. All told, the camera requires at least $500 of repairs and replacement parts. KEH assured me that their camera ratings are conservative and reflect only cosmetic effects such as scuffs, mars, paint loss, but NEVER usability and function, which is TESTED and quality assured to be in good working order. I was completely BAMBOOZLED by KEH and am going to pursue legal alternatives to their unethical and highly probable illegal false advertising and bad-faith dealings. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT PURCHASE ANYTHING from KEH, unless you get a statement of condition IN WRITTEN FORM, signed off by the salesperson, which will NEVER happen at KEH, because they will not communicate ANYTHING in writing, I've found from experience. SHAME on KEH!

This review was modified by its author, boscoevich, on 3/2/09 11:57 PM.

Ordered a couple of cheap items and of course they did not have one of them. Instead of sending me an e-mail they just shipped the item they had and cancelled the other.

This review was modified by its author, hndlebrkng, on 1/19/09 4:51 PM.

I've made only two orders from KEH yet and what they send me is quite expectable. However, in my opinion their quality control is not quite perfect. My second order included a lens in "EX" (excellent) condition which means glass has no marks and wear is moderate. After checking and cleaning the lens I've discovered front element has minor and cosmetic but noticeable coating defect in the form of a ring. I've tried both Eclipse cleaning liquids but with no success. Moreover, filter thread of the lens turned out to be relatively stiff and after some checking I've found a deformation of lens barrel - the lens has been definitely dropped in the past. Of course, these defects (especially when combined) can justify only "BGN" (bargain) condition so I should assume they avoided attention of KEH QC. I order from abroad so KEH return policy does not work for me as EMS is too slow here. Fortunately, the lens functions well thanks to the lack of any plastic.

Excellent company. I bought and EX+ rated Sigma 70-200mm EX f/2.8 APO lens from them for $600 an it came today, 6 days after the original order, in near perfect new condition. I would say the ratings are very conservative.

I bought a Nikon 80-200 2.8 AFS for a price that was a bit less than I would have paid on eBay. The service was excellent--very friendly and knowledgeable, and called me back promptly with an answer to a question. The shipping cost was totally reasonable, and the lens shipped that day. It arrived, exactly as advertised, right on time. I definitely couldn't have been happier about this deal.

This is my second order with KEH, but my first problem which has turned into a complete nightmare.  
I placed the order on-line Monday, October 6, 2008 12:07 AM.  
After I twice requested shipping information I was advised the order shipped Wednesday 10/8 by UPS ground, but KEH could not advise me of the UPS tracking number.  
After a week on Monday October 13th the KEH sales manager at KEH stated by email, "I have been unable to locate your shipment. KEH will be refunding your purchase amount. Sorry for the inconvenience." In my opinion the order probably never did ship.  
Today Oct 17th the refund has yet not shown up in my credit card account.  
I also noticed today a camera identical to the one I ordered is a new listing for sale on the KEH web page for sale, what a coincidence. There is no question in my mind that the camera I bought never shipped but was lost in house.

This review was modified by its author, georgek911, on 10/20/08 12:13 PM.

I have dealt with KEH for years, always got conservatively described  
items and great service so yesterday I ordered a new Nikon D300 with  
Nikon 18-200 lens. Dan Orchard could not have given better service,  
great price, immediate order number verified by email, called back to  
see if I was completely satisfied and sure about order.Was patient  
while I resolved a debit card issue. Was knowledgeable. Helped nicely  
on some extra items I needed...Shipped FedEX ground. FedEx emailed  
last night saying they had product and as of noon today I have a brand  
new finely packed , US Nikon warranted D300 in my hands. impossible to  
beat that . I just went online and ordered some more stuff from KEH !!  
Down right happy with this transaction...!  
Just received my second order within a week. Price was super. The 'Exe" product ( Filters) arrived more like "LN" No signs of wear. Deliver was prompt. Could not be improved..  
 
 
Gaines Blackwell

This review was modified by its author, Spot55, on 8/18/08 8:26 PM.

KEH has lost me as a customer.  
 
I use to regard them as a completely above board seller of photographic equipment, but my latest experience with them feels like I dealt with a bait and switch seller.  
 
Last night I ordered a Nikon flash outfit from their website for $599.95. I selected ground shipping for $12.95. Insurance added $2.50, for a grand total of $615.40. I placed the order.  
 
I only received an order number at the end of the transaction, which I wrote down, but didn't get the expected email confirmation and receipt that I get from most other sellers. For that reason I called this morning to make sure the order had gone through ok. It had.  
 
I was told, as pretty much an after thought, that my card had been charged $635. What? That must be wrong. My total came to $615.40. But I was assured by the female voice that the total charged was $635. I objected to being charged $35 for shipping and cancelled the order. The woman couldn't explain why I was being charged $20 more than what was stated on their website for ground shipping.  
 
A few minutes later I called again and spoke to a man, Ken. After hearing my problem he looked into it, called me back, and assured me the $35 shipping charge was right. Then why did the website say $12.95 + 2.50, for a total of $15.45?  
 
The only explanation he could offer was that the website was only an estimate, and if the real shipping price is different KEH calls the customer to let them know.  
 
I see a couple of problems with this. First, nowhere did the website say anything about the listed shipping charges being an estimate. (There was a remark about large items being sent by Air costing more, but I had selected ground shipping.) Second, no one called me. It was me who called them, and only inadvertently did I learn about the extra charge for shipping. And they had already charged my credit card!  
 
Bait and switch? Absolutely....not on merchandise, but on shipping charges. My feeling is that they should have honored their own published shipping rates, which was actually a fair price for ground shipping, while $35 is a bit of a gouge. (Maybe this is why they don't supply an email receipt for the transaction....nothing is actually put in writing.)  
 
I never return to companies who use such sales methods. KEH is now on my avoid list.  
 
(After this bad experience I placed the same order with Abe's of Maine. Same flash outfit. Same Nikon USA merchandise (not gray market). Same price, $599.95. But shipping is FREE! We will see how this one goes.)

This was my first transaction with KEH, and upon receiving the product, I agree with others that KEH is conservative in their product ratings. I purchased a used Canon 28-300 L lens from them. It was rated EX, which, according to them:  
 
Shows moderate wear. May have small dings, pecks and slight finish wear. Glass may have some dust, but no marks.  
 
I wouldn't have noticed the slight dings if I didn't put the lens in front of my eyes. No dust at all. It came with all the accessories-bag, strap, and caps, and was nicely packed. Might as well be new.  
 
Shipment was quick. I placed the order on a Sunday afternoon. As it costs nearly $2000 (incl. shipping/insurance), and I was shipping to an address different from my billing one, I knew they would be asking questions, so I called them Monday to give them the credit card confirmations they need. The ball starts rolling, and by Friday afternoon, I had the lens in hand.  
 
Couldn't be smoother. Hopefully I can count on these guys again.

I have heard a lot through the years about how reputable KEH is, and how the 'undergrade' their equipment, so you always get a better item than the grade, however it turned out that is not completely true.  
 
I have ordered two Minolta lenses from KEH, and both had the EX grade (I didn't dare order BGN). They didn't arrive on time (as promised), and I had to leave the country for a month. When I came back, I found the package (arrived 1 week late), but my biggest unpleasant surprise was that one of the lenses had a deep crack in the plastic of the zoom window!  
 
Both lenses otherwise looked ok, not mint, but in very good cosmetic condition, and the glass was excellent except for some dust, but the crack in the zoom window I could not stomach. How could anyone with proper sight rate this lens as EX???  
 
So I started emailing KEH and at first they didn't believe me, and only after a lot of to and fro, and after sending them MACRO pictures of the crack itself they agreed that the lens was overrated and downgraded it to BGN, while saying they 'can't imagine how this could have happened' (the lenses were well packed so it definitely did not happen in shipping).  
 
So now they offered me either $39 credit (on $325 lens), which they claim was the price difference b/w BGN and EX, or to ship the lens back for refund, but they would only pay me $10 for the return shipping and will not refund my forward shipping charge.  
 
Both of these cases did not sound good to me, since shipping to them would cost me more than $10, and the $39 (on $325 EX graded lens) I felt was insufficient compensation for the troubles I went through, which were completely their mistake. I wrote them about this, and pointed out that reputable merchants also compensate customers not only for the actual costs but also for the hassle they incurred, but KEH did not budge from their position.  
 
At the end I accepted the $39 credit just not to waste further time and nerves in this, but I remain deeply disappointed in KEH and feel they have gone far down the downward spiral in the last few years.  
 
A word of advice to future KEH customers: Either buy LN rated products (which are overpriced on their site), or be prepared for something similar that happened to me. KEH of recent is definitely not KEH of some 5-10 years ago, and they do not even try to go above and beyond to satisfy the customer. Be advised.

KEH both buys and sells camera equipment. This reveiw is from a seller's perspective. I recently returned from five years overseas. Given the digital camera revolution, I was surprised to see that someone was offering what seemed to me good prices for 35mm cameras and accessories. A bit skeptical at first, I had assumed the stuff was essentially worthless, I sent a small batch of what I had to sell. Satisfied with the results I proceeded to sell all my 35mm and medium format equipment. The prices seemed reasonable and fair. The purchasing agents were both polite and professional. One thing for a seller to keep in mind is that they rate the equipment very conservatively; what I thought was Excellent + they rated at merely Excellent and so on. If you read many of the reviews that satisfied customers have written you will see that they appear to pass on this conservative rating to their customers. In conclusion, you can avoid the perils and pitfalls of E-bay, as well as the scams of certain predatory Internet buyers (KEH gave me $2,000 for equipment one Internat scam site offered me $210 for)by selling your used 35mm and medium format equipment to KEH.

This is my second order with KEH, and second problem with them. The first time I ordered a new lens with overnight shipping and it arrived as expected. I later found out that I was charged more for shipping than my email confirmation showed. They credited me back in within a couple days of contacting them so no harm done. On my second order I needed a lens ASAP so ordered it with overnight shipping. One week later I haven't heard a peep from them and still don't have a lens. I sent an email a couple days ago with no response. I have heard great things about them, but think it's time for me to start purchasing things elsewhere.