make sure the lens is in good condition (obviously). look for scratches/dents on the outside casing. if there are more than one or two marks it could have lived a rough life and be soft when focused. i would take your camera with you to buy the lens (if possible) and make sure the AF works and doesn't sound harsh. if a zoom lens, make sure it is smooth action completely through the zoom range. it's not unreasonable for a higher priced lens (let's say $500 and up) to ask the seller to take the lens to a local camera shop and have a 3rd party evaluation (which you can pay for) to be sure the quality of the product in question. also worth noting, L-glass in canon and nikon's top shelf lenses have such a good construction that i would be less hesitant to buy one used than a cheaper lens since it takes a good whack to do any real damage to one...
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Patrick // 06 Frontier 6spd Nism osis // Mods: Uprev Tuned @ Z1 Motorsports: 257whp & 292 ft lbs
09 Pontiac G8 GXP // M6 // Sunroof // Tint... For now 
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