In article <4ht793$e8q@news.aloha.com>, blake@kode.net says...

>Can anyone tell me if you have ever dealt with anyone posting these
>ads? Also how reputable are the classifieds in the magazine. I sure
>wouldnt want to get ripped off. Does the magazine have any type of
>guarentee ? I am looking for a few used lens. Thanks.

I have bought many items from Shutterbug classifieds over a period of
12-13 years, and this is is what I have learned from the experience:
(1), most people are honest in their financial dealings, but not in their equipment evaluations (they will optimistically rate gear,
but chearfully and promptly refund your money - I never get over this!
I think 80% of the time people draw the shades, turn the lights out, take their glasses off, close their eyes, and say [quite honestly...], "I don't see a mark on it!"). Occasionally, gear will be under rated by someone who sees no marks on a perfectly clean piece of gear, but feels that since it was used, there must be slight marks somewhere....
(2), though I hate to say it, I concluded that in general, if the person sounds old, his memory of the pristine and fully functional
gear often supercedes reality.
(3), some dealers (include the regulars and repeats in the
classifieds as dealers) are very honest (though maybe slightly optimistic) in their equipment ratings, and some are regularly not
accurate in their condition ratings, but be most suspicious of
the ones that have nothing but "Mint" equipment (which can mean that
the lens did roll down the street when dropped, but the truck didn't actually run OVER it).
(4), it hardly matters how the money is handled, though the seller will almost always request MO or CC in advance, but may accept a cash-only COD (which, with UPS, can include a MO or CC). (One useful thing I have used a couple of times with recalcatrant refunders [people always eagerly promise MBG, but when it comes to the crunch, a few will suddenly feel "wronged"...] is to pay for a COD with a bank MO. If the buyer has not cashed it, some banks will cancel the MO and refund your money [minus maybe $10].) US postal MO's offer no protection to the buyer, but are good for the seller.
(5),the 4 bad deals I experienced in a large number of purchases represented a small percentage of the total number of encounters (two people were engaged in intentional scams, and two people shorted me on refunds on the return of bad stuff ["for their trouble"]).
(6), there is no way to avoid the scam - the scammers seem the most real, and the deals, while good, are not suspiciously good (and the
hitches in the deal, the bumps, etc. are unlike what one would expect from a "smooth operator"). There is little or no recourse if a scam
has taken place - you can only depend on the averages to avoid one.
(7), the folks at Shutterbug seem not very interested in helping
with transaction problems, or in eliminating the less reputable dealers
from their classifieds - so you are on your own in judging whether
or not to proceed with a purchase from an advertiser (repeated monthly appearance in the classifieds is NO assurance of a dealer's honesty).
(8), there can be an advantage in having a first-class subscription
to SB for catching the wonder deals (far fewer now than in the past, alas), but rarely will anyone accept less than the asked price early-on.
I have dropped the expensive first class postage, and have lost little, though in the early days, 1st class was essential. If you pick up a Shutterbug at a store, the issue is at least almost a month older than the first-class subscription issue, and three weeks older than the regular subscription issue, so the good deals are mostly gone.
(9), most people operate by the rules, a few stretch them a bit, and
a tiny minority are out to get you - which are pretty good averages!
Have fun browsing through the Shutterbug classifieds!
Hope This Helps