Selling/trading to MPB - turnaround time?

[Ken Miracle]

I have never called them. If I had a question about a specific transaction I just used the e mail listed in the e mail from them when I set things up to ship to them for the final quote. The last time I had a number of major items I was getting a quote for I did get an e mail from a customer assistance person that offered to call me to for a consultation. I also got a seperate e mail address: [email protected] I have also usually gotten fast responses from e mail to [email protected]
You can also use the chat option available when logged into your mpb account.

 

[Edward Cusick]

Reiterating on what Ken said above, when I had questions I too either 1.) replied to email or quicker yet, 2.) begin a chat session with them.

You must be logged in to your MPB account and start off with a chat bot but after you enter your email just ask for the "team" in the text/question/chat field. The system will then connect with a real person. I agree it is very frustrating to not provide a direct phone number to customer service but honestly, I've had good results chatting.

Good luck.

 

[Woody Meristem]

Does anyone have an actual phone number for MPB? I can't find one on their website, and the only number I can find when I Giggled them is from complaintsboard.com, listed as (646) 513-4309. And when I tried calling that I got a recording, "Sorry that phone number was not found. Goodbye."

Have you tried the chat function on the website? I've had pretty good results using that in the past.

 

[MikeJ]

Yeah, I started a chat last night, but doesn't seem to have gotten me very far. Supposedly a ticket was created that was supposed to be emailed to me, but I haven't gotten that email. I suppose since I'm trying to chat after their chat hours, it's not helping. I'll have to try tomorrow during the day, maybe get an actual human. I also sent an email to their "Customer Experience Advisor" named Meimi (the only perceived human I've communicated with so far), they said they "contacted the team to obtain an update". That was around 11:30 this morning, haven't heard back.

I'm glad you all have had good experiences, for me I'm a little unimpressed with MPB.

 

[MikeJ]

Getting less impressed as time goes on. Started a new chat, got a hooman named Malikka. Got this response:

"Unfortunately we haven't heard back from the warehouse yet so we're unable to provide an update at this time. But I do see that the team has been reaching out and trying to get this resolved. I reach out again to try and get this escalated and handled as soon as possible."

I'm not sure who they're reaching out to, but it's sure not me.

 

[PhilcTx]

Unfortunate to have a 1st time experience with them such as yours.

My 1st sale to MPB a couple months ago was smooth as glass. Sent box of gear via FedEx Fri AM, MPB notified me of receipt on Monday, then email Tues/Wed with inspection results and revised appraisal. After my confirmation the $$$ arrived in my account in another 2-3 days.

 

[MikeJ]

Thanks, Phil, wish my experience was more like yours. Can't say that I won't be a little hesitant to use them again in the future.

 

[MikeJ]

Well, the squeaky wheel got the grease, only not as much as I was hoping. Unlike others' experiences, they came back about $900 less, which means the 600mm f4 E will cost me around $2500. So now I need to decide if I want to accept their quote, or have them ship everything back and deal with the hassle of selling privately.

One thing I found interesting - they're returning a TC-14E II as damage too severe?!? Everything I sent was packaged well, working and in good to like new condition. So that concerns me.

 

[JAJohnson]

Does anyone have an actual phone number for MPB? I can't find one on their website, and the only number I can find when I Giggled them is from complaintsboard.com, listed as (646) 513-4309. And when I tried calling that I got a recording, "Sorry that phone number was not found. Goodbye."

That’s the phone number on their FedEx account. Weird.

 

[Woody Meristem]

I once sold a camera body privately and, because the buyer wasn't happy, it was so much hassle that I'd rather take a lower price and have the sale over with. But not everyone is willing or able to do without that monetary difference.

 

[MikeJ]

That’s the phone number on their FedEx account. Weird.

Well, since they finally got back to me, I guess it's not needed anymore. But still odd that they don't have a dedicated customer service number.

I once sold a camera body privately and, because the buyer wasn't happy, it was so much hassle that I'd rather take a lower price and have the sale over with. But not everyone is willing or able to do without that monetary difference.

Yeah, I think I'm going to go ahead with it. With how many lenses, people wanting to haggle, and how long it could take, I think I'm going to cut my losses and accept the revised quote. The 600mm E that I'm getting is listed as like new and already comes with an A-S lens plate. So one less thing to worry about.

 

[Woody Meristem]

The cameras and lenses I've purchased from MPB have all been ones they rated as "Excellent", every one has looked like it just came out of the box from the factory. If they rate the lens you're getting as "Like New" I'd expect it to look like it's never been mounted on a camera. Remember, you can return it for 14 days, no questions asked if it doesn't meet your expectations.

 

[MikeJ]

Good to know - thanks Woody!

 

[Ken Miracle]

Whole thing has been crazy. TC-14E II did it have any visible damage when you sent it in? You had multiple boxes do you remember what else it was packed with, just thinking you might ask if there was damage to any of the boxes in shipping ie. a claim with FedEx.

I have never sent multiple boxes to them and no trade in situation because they have never had what I was looking for so no apples to apples experience but sadly as you noted your experience has been quite different than many.

 

[MikeJ]

No, no visible damage on the TC-14E II when I packed it up, Ken. It was in excellent condition, wrapped individually and inside a Lowepro Lens Trekker backpack with other items, also individually wrapped. And the backpack was inside a box with padding around it. So how that TC got damaged and nothing else? Seems a little odd to me.

They did offer a $10 discount on future orders...doubt I'll be taking advantage of that.

 

[Ken Miracle]

No, no visible damage on the TC-14E II when I packed it up, Ken. It was in excellent condition, wrapped individually and inside a Lowepro Lens Trekker backpack with other items, also individually wrapped. And the backpack was inside a box with padding around it. So how that TC got damaged and nothing else? Seems a little odd to me.

They did offer a $10 discount on future orders...doubt I'll be taking advantage of that.

I was wondering since you said the items were in good to like new condition and it has been a major mystery. I could understand why you would be very hesitant. One thing this episode is reminding me of is do not ship gear off for sale or service that close to a major holiday period.

 

[MikeJ]

Yeah, my mistake. First time selling to a company like them, only did it because they had the 600mm and I decided to trade in gear I hadn't been using for some time to offset the cost. In the past I've only sold privately and individual items, just didn't want to with how much I was getting rid of. Lesson learned!

 

[Ken Miracle]

Yeah, my mistake. First time selling to a company like them, only did it because they had the 600mm and I decided to trade in gear I hadn't been using for some time to offset the cost. In the past I've only sold privately and individual items, just didn't want to with how much I was getting rid of. Lesson learned!

It is a real bummer that you have had this bumpy ride with them. At least I hope and pray that the 600 f/4E ends up being a good copy !

For whatever reason I have had only good experiences selling to them and I sold off a lot of stuff back in 2022 when I moved from DSLR to to the Z world.

They paid a lot more for my 600 f/4 E, that I had gotten as a refurbished from Nikon USA on one of their sales, than anyone else offered. I do not remember the exact amount but it was about $800 less than I had paid for it so that ended up being a cheap 2 year rental on the 600 f/4 E.

I got lucky when I got Z9 and Z800 f/6.3 back in 2022 that I decided to sell off all of my DSLR gear before the prices dropped drastically and the vast majority was sold to MPB.

 

[ButlerKid]

Ditto. I sold my DSLR gear quickly once I decided to go mirrorless. That was Dec 2021-March 2022. I sold it via FM and NikonCafe before the prices started to plummet.

It is a real bummer that you have had this bumpy ride with them. At least I hope and pray that the 600 f/4E ends up being a good copy !

For whatever reason I have had only good experiences selling to them and I sold off a lot of stuff back in 2022 when I moved from DSLR to to the Z world.

They paid a lot more for my 600 f/4 E, that I had gotten as a refurbished from Nikon USA on one of their sales, than anyone else offered. I do not remember the exact amount but it was about $800 less than I had paid for it so that ended up being a cheap 2 year rental on the 600 f/4 E.

I got lucky when I got Z9 and Z800 f/6.3 back in 2022 that I decided to sell off all of my DSLR gear before the prices dropped drastically and the vast majority was sold to MPB.

 

[MikeJ]

It is a real bummer that you have had this bumpy ride with them. At least I hope and pray that the 600 f/4E ends up being a good copy !

For whatever reason I have had only good experiences selling to them and I sold off a lot of stuff back in 2022 when I moved from DSLR to to the Z world.

They paid a lot more for my 600 f/4 E, that I had gotten as a refurbished from Nikon USA on one of their sales, than anyone else offered. I do not remember the exact amount but it was about $800 less than I had paid for it so that ended up being a cheap 2 year rental on the 600 f/4 E.

I got lucky when I got Z9 and Z800 f/6.3 back in 2022 that I decided to sell off all of my DSLR gear before the prices dropped drastically and the vast majority was sold to MPB.

I hope mine is a good copy, too!

Ditto. I sold my DSLR gear quickly once I decided to go mirrorless. That was Dec 2021-March 2022. I sold it via FM and NikonCafe before the prices started to plummet.

I wish I would've sold my DSLR gear back then as well, I just wasn't quite in the financial position to do so at the time. Guess now I just cut my losses!