Premium Member Tim Carroll Posted April 16, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted April 16, 2009 I've been following "cine lens set" auctions on eBay for the last few months now. And in that time Visual Products has had a number of auctions. The lenses look pretty nice, and Visual Products states: NO RESERVE AUCTION This is a great chance to get a great deal on a rare & unique lens set for your camera package Then, when the auction doesn't go as high as Visual Products would like, they cancel the auction at the last minute and erase all the bids. I find that pretty offensive. If they want to put a reserve on an auction, fine, but don't advertise a NO RESERVE auction, and then close it at the last minute and cancel all the bids. They currently have an auction for a set of Cooke Speed Panchro lenses in BNCR mount, listed as NO RESERVE like previously. This time they were including a Visual Products BNCR Mount for RED ONE with the auction, so if someone wins the auction they can use the lenses on their RED ONE. Visual Products eBay Auction The bidding has only gotten up to $3650 and suddenly the pictures of the Visual Products BNCR Mount for RED ONE mount have disappeared from the auction. They cleverly noted in the auction that "Not Included: Any item not pictured below" so they could get around the eBay restriction of not being able to remove something from a listing once a bid has been placed. So they just removed the pictures of the Visual Products BNCR Mount for RED ONE, and if they don't close the auction at the last minute like they have been doing, they can tell the winning bidder that he/she doesn't get the Visual Products BNCR Mount for RED ONE because it was no longer pictured in the auction. Personally I think that really sucks. Best, -Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Stephen Williams Posted April 16, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted April 16, 2009 Hi Tim, I agree, I have asked VP to comment. BTW the RED mount is included acording to the wording of the ad. Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim Carroll Posted April 16, 2009 Author Premium Member Share Posted April 16, 2009 Hi Tim, I agree, I have asked VP to comment. BTW the RED mount is included acording to the wording of the ad. Stephen Stephen, When the auction first went up there were pictures of the RED mount, like the ones below. They have now been removed from the auction and if you try to click on the marker where the pictures were, you get this message: "The page cannot be found" and it is a link to the Visual Products web site, so they are in control of whether the images are there or not. I agree, the auction still talks about the RED mount being included, but it also states that "Not Included: Any item not pictured below" and now the RED mount is no longer pictured. Best, -Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim Carroll Posted April 17, 2009 Author Premium Member Share Posted April 17, 2009 Well, it got up to $5100 and Visual Products didn't close the auction and cancel the bids, so hopefully someone got a nice set of Re-housed Cooke Speed Panchros in BNCR mount. If they have a RED camera I hope they will also get the "Visual Products BNCR Mount for RED ONE" Best, -Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Hyslop Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Personally I think that really sucks. Sounds like a bait-and-switch tactic - which is illegal in many countries. File a complaint against them. I would consider their tactics fraudulent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Wow Tim you complained here and you actually got some attention! Good for you. R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmatEscalante Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Visual Products is a good and honest company that I have done business with many times in the past 10 years to complete satisfaction. Amat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Rakoczy Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I have not done business with VP, however, many many people have referred me to them... so, they must be doing (something) right as the folks who referred them are stand up people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim Carroll Posted April 17, 2009 Author Premium Member Share Posted April 17, 2009 I have never had a problem with buying gear from Visual Products. Everything I have received from them was just as described, and when it hasn't been, they have made good on it. I'm not sure these eBay auctions are showing them off at their best. Best, -Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Adrian Sierkowski Posted April 17, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted April 17, 2009 _______happens. I can vouch for VP. It's my primary purchase place for cine gear (when I get the money). Can't really fault them for a faulty e-bay auction. It's certainly a lot safer than going with a private bidder I would say. Chalk this up to human error and move on-- though certainly Kudos on catching it so at least it won't happen again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Dan Goulder Posted April 17, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted April 17, 2009 The folks at Visual Products are as decent and honorable as anybody you'll ever do business with. I haven't the least bit of doubt that whatever slight you may have perceived was unintentional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Paul Bruening Posted April 17, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted April 17, 2009 They've been good eggs every time I've done business with them. It doesn't seem like them to do anything shady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Hyslop Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 What with all the positive feedback on Visual Products, and the explanation from Mr. Benton, I hereby withdraw my suggestion of filing a complaint, and my allegations of underhanded tactics. My apologies to Visual Products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Rakoczy Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Very honest and stand up of you Jim!... maybe Tim should follow suit(?)... Why post an accusatory post if all you had to do was call them first for an explanation???... after all, many have read the first post and have not followed this thread any further... and the damage has been done.. not good for VP at all... :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim Carroll Posted April 18, 2009 Author Premium Member Share Posted April 18, 2009 many have read the first post and have not followed this thread any further... David, Maybe you are guilty of the same. If you had read the entire thread you would have seen this post of mine: "I have never had a problem with buying gear from Visual Products. Everything I have received from them was just as described, and when it hasn't been, they have made good on it. I'm not sure these eBay auctions are showing them off at their best. Best, -Tim" I do wish Rick had address the previous auction where Visual Products had canceled all the bids and removed the "cine lens set" just before the auction closed. Maybe that too was for a legitimate reason, but without an explanation it does not make Visual Products look good to the eBay community. Best, -Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Rakoczy Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 I saw it.. it was just way after the fact.... after many stood up for VP's reputation <_< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim Carroll Posted April 18, 2009 Author Premium Member Share Posted April 18, 2009 I saw it.. it was just way after the fact.... after many stood up for VP's reputation <_< Actually David, I posted that immediately after I had the opportunity to read Rick Benton's explanation for why he treated the auction exactly how I described. Which happened to be less than two hours after Rick posted his explanation. Maybe you spend 24 hours a day on this forum. I, unfortunately, am not afforded that luxury, as I actually have a life. Was that smarmy enough? ;) Best, -Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Hal Smith Posted April 18, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted April 18, 2009 The only way an eBay auction can be pulled down within the last twelve hours is if there are no bids. If there are any bids it can be pulled but must be sold to the current highest bidder. If there is a reserve the auction must be allowed to complete. If a seller wants to end an auction before twelve hours to go they're free to cancel it or sell the item to the current highest bidder. I've done some business with VP with satisfaction. I did buy one lens that I decided I didn't want after all and they took it back for full credit with no hassle. I've even done a little horsetrading with them, trading in a so-so O'Connor 50D that was missing some of the bolt on parts getting something I needed in return. Their website isn't always up to date, a couple of my Speed Panchro II/III's came from them. I was asking them about something else and mentioned that I was looking for those lenses and they checked and had what I wanted and sold them for a fair price. It's always worth a phone call to them if your looking for something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Rakoczy Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Actually David, I posted that immediately after I had the opportunity to read Rick Benton's explanation for why he treated the auction exactly how I described. Which happened to be less than two hours after Rick posted his explanation. Maybe you spend 24 hours a day on this forum. I, unfortunately, am not afforded that luxury, as I actually have a life. Was that smarmy enough? ;) Best, -Tim Hey, no problem Tim. No need to be swarmy ;) ... I don't 'live' here either. Have a great relaxing evening. (sincerely) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim Carroll Posted April 19, 2009 Author Premium Member Share Posted April 19, 2009 The only way an eBay auction can be pulled down within the last twelve hours is if there are no bids. If there are any bids it can be pulled but must be sold to the current highest bidder. If there is a reserve the auction must be allowed to complete. Hal, The auction I was referring to was a no reserve auction. And I have followed a number of auctions over the years where, within the last twelve hours, the seller cancelled all the bids on the auction, so there are no bids, then the seller took the auction down. The reason I know this happened with the earlier VP auction is that (like I always do on auctions I am interested in) I bookmarked the auction, and followed it. The day before the auction ended, the bidding was only about half the price I had seen a similar set listed for on VP's web site. Thinking it was a really good deal I decided to bid, but when I pulled the auction up on the last day, I found that all the previous bids had been cancelled and the auction had been closed. This was after they had advertised the auction as "No Reserve". Maybe there was a good reason they did this, I don't know, but from appearances it looks like they took the auction down because the bidding hadn't gotten up high enough. Best, -Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim Carroll Posted April 19, 2009 Author Premium Member Share Posted April 19, 2009 Have a great relaxing evening. (sincerely) David, You do the same. Don't know what kind of weather you folks are having down there in Florida, but up here in Chicago it was 69ºF and beautiful the last couple of days. Which is really rare in Chicago in April. Best, -Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Rakoczy Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Sounds like a great time to shoot exteriors! Spring budding on the trees and clear, crisp skies! We are around 75 (95 is coming) but the seas are still a bit rough... a couple more weeks and we kick into full blown offshore fishing mode for Wahoo, Tuna, Sailfish and Marlin! :wub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XiaoSu Han Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 so anyone here took them? :) i wanted them really bad but entered too low a maximum bid at the end of it because i was too excited :) **** happens i guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now