Why are used prices as much as new prices?

[benca1]

Are there really people paying for used optics that are the same price as new!? I don't want to single out any particular sales... so I'll wimp out here... suffice it to say that my reluctance to single out specific sales and sale prices is for the benefit of me pulling the same crap. :p

And I see this everywhere too. Ebay is a joke. Everything gets bid right to new prices. I love astronomy and optics are just as bad in price there as it is with photography. Same issue.

I remember once trying to bid on a new laptop, a IBM thinkpad. The price went to 1000 bucks. I bought the same thing with more memory and a slightly slower processor for 600 bucks NEW! Same story for my 420EX, which I bought new for less then it's being auctioned off at (back in 2003).

More power to the sellers! But I take a quick look and just move on. It isn't even worth wasting time haggling or emailing. Am I going to save 10 percent in price for a chipped lens out of warranty? I would rather pay another 10 percent and get it warrantied, shiny, and new.

Is it our european friends, with healthy exchange rates taking advantage of lower prices comparatively?

Between amazon, sigma4less and B&H, why do byuers do this? I think I am missing something.

Are buyers just not doing a simple google search beforehand to verify pricing? I can't blame sellers. Shoot, I love knowing that I'm going to unload my stuff after months or years of use and have it end up costing me nothing or perhaps a few Starbucks coffees equivalently. For fun, I should factor in inflation and then I can claim to make a few bucks!

I hope I don't sound too cheap or petty, but it is annoying.

[NickC]

...why do byuers do this? I think I am missing something.

Seems to me the only thing you're missing is that some products, over time, prove themselves to be of superior quality and value, and people are willing to pay for that.

[benca1]

Seems to me the only thing you're missing is that some products, over time, prove themselves to be of superior quality and value, and people are willing to pay for that.

of course. My point is that it's the same price new or used! Wouldn't you rather have it new? ;)

[Transportithere]

I believe. I was taught to shop.
And, If you look at a woman too long.
You will watch her go out with another

[Andy_T]

Most likely not everybody shopping on eBay really knows the cheapest prices at which gear is available. Plus, the 'excitement of the hunt' might get some to bid higher than they actually wanted to. Good for the seller ... and the buyer can just move on to the next auction. There's always a next auction, and you might be more lucky there. Don't bid on auctions that end on a weekend at 18:00 hours, and don't enter your bid much before the end of the auction.

Best regards,
Andy

[digitalmax]

I will not purchase anything online new or used (auction or online retailer) unless I can get at least a 20% savings versus buying new in a local retail store. Anything less than a 20% savings is just not worth the hassle of not getting the product in hand at a store right away.

[Brian Puccio]

You're making the crazy assumption that people know the given market price for an item when purchasing/bidding.

[cjm]

If you compare any prices to B&H you will lose on eBay. But most items on eBay when not compared to B&H are a bargain. The 70-400 f4L sells for around the same price as B&H or more. But to buy that lens at a place like McBain Camera in Edmonton, its saving you over $200 when buying from eBay sellers.

POTN is a rare place. I'll see lens on it that I could buy and easily make a cool $200 off of. I dont cause I am lazy and think people should only buy what they actually need from here. The prices on eBay suck if you know about B&H but how many of us even knew about that place, who are not from New York before we came here or another Camera board and were told by word of mouth? Not many of us I would bet.

Buyers on eBay think they are getting a good deal. In some cases they are, I've got deals from there like the Tokina lens, I saved $50 and I also saved another $50 by not paying Duty on a practically brand new lens. Others though are getting ripped off, not by the seller but by not shopping around. Like the 430ex almost always sells for more on eBay then it does at B&H new.

[rdsmith3]

I agree with benca1 that some of the prices on eBay are completely irrational. The only way to do eBay as a buyer is to set your max price and not budge. You have to be patient and be willing to let items go. Do not get caught up in the last minute bidding frenzy. I think that is how people end up paying too much. Plus, some of the eBay sellers will kill you on shipping charges.

I have put in multiple bids on eBay for the same item until I finally got the price I wanted. I saw used XM radios going for more than the cost of new ones. I bid for at least 10 Amvona tripods (same model) before getting the price I wanted. I bid for at least six 550EX flash units and got none of them. The prices they went for are insane. I ended up getting a Sigma 500 DG Super.

However, I did get a very fair deal on my 300d on eBay. I have bought a fair amount of used stuff off of the Fred Miranda buy/sell forum and have not been disappointed.

My rule of thumb is that I will pay 80% of B&H prices for optics and 60% for other items (e.g. battery grip) depending on condition.

[cruzyn56]

I have noticed this myself with scuba equipment and harley parts. Unfortunately nothing I put up for sale gets bid up as high. One of my theories is that the established sellers have a network of friends or multiple ids so that the item can get bid up. Buyer beware. As in anything you need to do your research.

[cjm]

Oh thats why I always sold for nothing, I forgot to shill bid on myself.

Nah that's the only thing you'll actually be banned for on eBay, Shill bidding. Most established sellers are not stupid enough to risk it.

However it doesn't hurt them that the SPAM the listings and search words to death.

Ever try looking for a Camera Body on eBay? Its pretty hard to just get a camera body with out 6 bazillion useless gadgets for that body.

[mijbril]

...One of my theories is that the established sellers have a network of friends or multiple ids so that the item can get bid up.....

Not as crazy as it sounds, I have bid on somethings & yet get outbid by a new ebay-er with just 1 or 2 feedback. Sometimes this is legitimate I guess, but when the seller contacts you later for a "2nd chance, buy it now", you wonder.....


But I too am amazed that somethings that are 2nd hand go for close to the same price as brand new. So, as ever, do your research & set your limits & worry not if you're out bid :)

[vjack]

eBay has its own set of issues, but I have noticed this happen many times right here in these forums. I'll visit the marketplace and see someone selling a used lens for more than it would cost to buy new at B&H, Amazon, etc. Surprisingly, it almost always sells.

[benca1]

eBay has its own set of issues, but I have noticed this happen many times right here in these forums. I'll visit the marketplace and see someone selling a used lens for more than it would cost to buy new at B&H, Amazon, etc. Surprisingly, it almost always sells.

Yeah, that's common right here in the sell section! Okay, a greedy seller is one thing, but what's the buyers excuse for not doing a simple google check? Okay, if they have the money.. but if they have the money why buy used?

Someone was selling a 400mm F5.6 here for 1100 bucks. But that's what it is new and there's a 50 dollar rebate as well making the used price higher then the new price. I pointed it out. A moderator removed the comment and the poster thanked the mod and made some coy insult about myself. Alright, I was actually trying to be helpful and felt a little embarrased because I realized I was screwing up his plan for taking advantage of dim wit. Oops.

Someone else was selling the 50mm 1.4 for 300 bucks. But is' new at BH for 295 after the rebate. Sigma 30mm 1.4? Selling here for 400 bucks, at sigma4less for 400 bucks. 70-200 F4? I paid 542 bucks at amazon and just sent in my 40 dollar rebate rendering the final price 502 bucks. What's it selling for used here? 500 to 550.

Cool I guess. I'll buy new, avoid inflation, and sell it later on. Clearly, it's a sellers market!

[mijbril]

Oh yes, by the way, for Canon EF lenses etc, I don't think dSLR's have helped in keeping 2nd hand lenses down. With a dSLR being so accessable now, demand for lenses is relatively a lot higher & that must affect prices as well.

[rdsmith3]

I never understand why people buy the Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens USED. You can get a brand new, US warranty version for $80 from B&H or Adorama. The gray market version is $75 brand new. I see people selling used ones for $65, $70 or even more.

[MDJAK]

I've thought of this issue for a while. The only answer I can think of, besides buyers being unaware, is buyers in other countries who pay high import and duty fees when buying new from places like B&H, yet are able to avoid that when buying from ebay sellers.

As far as shill bidding is concerned, I feel it is sad reality of almost every auction everywhere. I still purchase products on ebay, but make sure I do my research first. I bought dvd training for photoshop, buy it now, at a savings of 100 over new. That's a good deal.

I won an auction for ink for my printer and saved over $350. That was an amazing deal. Sometimes you can just get lucky.


mark

[Ross McT.]

... If you look at a woman too long.
You will watch her go out with another
:shock:

I will buy used, but only if the used cost is 2/3 or less than the new cost.

I cant wrap my mind around the bidding wars on ebay no mater how hard i try. I will not pay someone for using a lens for a few years.
Most things depreciate over time, and a lens is no different, it have moving parts that fail, electronics that die, mold that grows on internals, dust that gets sucked into them etc.

The more that you try to rationalize thoughts, the more you realize that thoughts are irrational.

[JCR]

Digitalmax, I am of same opinion It has to be a significant saving for me to buy online.
I like jessops locally, they allow me to return a lens within 30 days if I am not happy. Big plus for a new guy like me.

[cjm]

I never understand why people buy the Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens USED. You can get a brand new, US warranty version for $80 from B&H or Adorama. The gray market version is $75 brand new. I see people selling used ones for $65, $70 or even more. I paid $110 for one in January off POTN. Then again it was Canadian funds, included a hood and free shipping. So it was a bargain. :)

[benhasajeep]

I think I have done pretty well on ebay. But I know what I am bidding one. I think alot of ebay items go what I call "over the top" just becasue they get caught up in the bidding war. They really don't want to pay that price. But then again they dont want to loose or wait till the next. I think the most I have paid for something used is about 3/4 new. I am in the thinking if you are going to pay that much, might as well get new. As for items being the new hottest, and in demmand. If a person can't seem to get it new, then desperate enough they will pay for it near new prices. Also it deppends on how you are pricing the items. An item used may sell for a B+H price of new, or even some of the lower "catalog" type stores. Those prices may be quite a bit lower than their local store. So the people feel they are getting a good deal.

[DocFrankenstein]

US has it cheaper than europe when it comes to buying new. In russia and canada for example you can't find prices that match BH... so used may be the only way to go.

[lostdoggy]

Its the old adage "...a fool is born everyday..."