Ive been shooting with Canon gear for over a decade now, mostly doing portrait work and some weekend street photography down here in Austin, but my trusty 5D Mark III is finally starting to show its age after taking a beating through too many dusty festival shoots. My shutter count is through the roof and the main dial is getting super finicky. So Im looking to upgrade to something mirrorless, probably an R6 Mark II, but man the retail prices right now are just brutal on my wallet. I got a hard limit of about fifteen hundred bucks for the body since I also need to factor in RF adapter costs and maybe a new card. My logic was to just grab a refurb straight from Canon cause Ive bought lenses that way before and they were basically mint condition with full warranties, but whenever I check their online refurb store lately, the stuff thats actually worth buying is permanently out of stock. Like, I keep missing the restock drops because of work. Is there some kind of tracker people use now or should I be looking at third-party refurb dealers like MPB or KEH instead? Im a bit nervous about buying from places that arent authorized dealers because of the sensor cleaning nightmare stories Ive heard, but maybe Im being too paranoid. Has anyone actually scored a good deal on a Canon mirrorless refurb recently or are the days of easy discounts totally dead...
Unfortunately, the days of easy Canon official refurbs are pretty much gone for high-demand bodies like the Canon EOS R6 Mark II Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera. Canon stock drops have become a frustrating game of chance thanks to automated scalper bots and high demand. You aren't imagining things. Since you are stuck working during those drops, I strongly suggest looking at MPB or KEH instead. I was nervous about third-party dealers too, but MPB rates their gear conservatively and includes a solid warranty. My last body came in way better condition than expected. Just check their grading system carefully and you will save a bundle compared to retail prices.
Regarding what #1 said about "Unfortunately, the days of easy Canon official refurbs..." - yeah, that matches my exact frustration last year when my old body died right before wedding season. I wasted weeks refreshing the official store and getting nowhere. When I finally branched out to third party sellers, I learned pretty quickly to watch out for grey market imports that lack proper regional warranty support. MPB and KEH are generally safe because they grade gear honestly, but you still gotta check their return policies carefully before pulling the trigger. Just dont rush into a sketchy listing on random auction sites where condition ratings are basically meaningless. Take your time and verify the shutter count first.