Help me understand (For Sale) posts

[snyper77]

I just can't understand the logic behind some of the "for sale" posts on this site. For example: I just read a topic where someone wants to sell a 24-70L that is one month old with a UV filter, comes with all paperwork, etc. and receipt from BHPHOTO. Price is $900. Now, someone please help me understand why anyone would spend $1139 (plus shipping) on a lens and sell it 1 month later for $900?

[angryhampster]

financial stress. perhaps they need it gone NOW.

[ed rader]

I just can't understand the logic behind some of the "for sale" posts on this site. For example: I just read a topic where someone wants to sell a 24-70L that is one month old with a UV filter, comes with all paperwork, etc. and receipt from BHPHOTO. Price is $900. Now, someone please help me understand why anyone would spend $1139 (plus shipping) on a lens and sell it 1 month later for $900?


because that's what it's worth...well maybe a few dollars more.

go buy a new car and sell it a month later and see what you get for it :D.

why do they do it?

what you are really saying is this is not something you would do because you are smarter and plan more carefully :D.

people do what they do and frankly some of us accept human nature and look for the good bargains ;)!

ed rader

[RichNY]

The real question is why anyone would spend $1139 on a lens when they can pick up a pre-owned lens for $900. Also amazing is how others list a high price used lens for $50 less than someone could buy new at B&H.

[the_incubus]

Also amazing is how others list a high price used lens for $50 less than someone could buy new at B&H.

Thats what i want to know. I just dont understand how someone puts something up for sale that is several months old at next to nothing less than the B&H price.

[DocFrankenstein]

I bought a 400 dollar lens 4 months ago. 28/1.8 I thought it would be my favourite "all around, low light, perfect" lens.

Turns out it's too big for walkaround. I don't like walking around with my rebel anyways. For studio it's either too short or not wide enough. And I've stopped shooting low light stuff.

So I'm selling it with a 10 percent loss.

[Nortelbert]

Thats what i want to know. I just don't understand how someone puts something up for sale that is several months old at next to nothing less than the B&H price.

... because it has a filter on it from day one, no less

Ta-dum!
:D

[carpenter]

The real question is why anyone would spend $1139 on a lens when they can pick up a pre-owned lens for $900. .

1) full warranty
2) feel safe doing a transaction from a business vs an individual
3) Maybe lens is being sold because it's soft, or focusing issues the seller didn't want to deal with.



You can say the same thing about people who buy new cars vs a one year old car.

[Bubble]

I just can't understand the logic behind some of the "for sale" posts on this site. For example: I just read a topic where someone wants to sell a 24-70L that is one month old with a UV filter, comes with all paperwork, etc. and receipt from BHPHOTO. Price is $900. Now, someone please help me understand why anyone would spend $1139 (plus shipping) on a lens and sell it 1 month later for $900?

1. You can't return (BH has 14 days return policy)
2. You can't sell at full price (would you pay full price for this? i don't think so. :))

[P51Mstg]

There is the tax to cash reason. I buy it for my business. I need to keep writing things off on the taxes. I buy the lens, deduct it off my taxes (now it only costs me 60% of the B&H PRICE(Assuming a 40% tax bracket) in actual CASH. So I sell it for 90% of B&H a month later and I made 30% on it.

If someone asks (like my accountant), I dropped it adn it broke and got trashed. It was lost or stolen. Then I buy another one out of my business checking account and do it again.

You are kind of stealing from your own business.

That is the dishonest reason.

A more honest reason is that when you consider what it costs to RENT a lens, you might as well buyone, use it for a summer or whatever and then resell it and what you lose is less than the rental cost. There a tax advantages there too.

Me, I buy them, keep them, shoot them, and collect more.

Mark H

[ItsMike]

I have one answer for this....

Post Purchase Depression.

[snyper77]

Yes, I am the kind of person that does ENOUGH research so that when I drop $1139 on a lens, I KNOW I made the right decision (or else I'm gonna lose money). You can see my gear list in my sig below. It pretty obvious, that if you know Canon lenses, you know that the gear I bought is top notch. You buy it...and never look back. Now, if we were talking about a $99 item.... so be it.... who cares if you sell it for $50 a month later. But $1139? And take a $239 loss only 30 days later? Uhhh... I work too hard for my money!

[shutterfiend]

$1139 - $900 = $239
The lens costs $90/week ($360+/month) to rent from Adorama.
I'd say that was a smart decision.

[nicksan]

I just can't understand the logic behind some of the "for sale" posts on this site. For example: I just read a topic where someone wants to sell a 24-70L that is one month old with a UV filter, comes with all paperwork, etc. and receipt from BHPHOTO. Price is $900. Now, someone please help me understand why anyone would spend $1139 (plus shipping) on a lens and sell it 1 month later for $900?

Don't try to understand it. Take advantage of it.:D

Really though, a lot of us go through a gear swapping period and for those who buy things new, there's always going to be that depreciation hit.

Some people can't resist buying NEW. I bough my 5D and 24-105 new, but I knew that was a combo I was going to keep for a long time. I went through crop bodies rather quickly though. I bought a 30D and a 17-55IS new and took and sold it after a few months to get the 5D. I took a hit sure...but that's how it works with gear until you are solid on what you want.

I wanted a backup body to my 5D and had some money (that I didn't when I initially traded in the 30D for the 5D) so I bought myself a used 30D knowing that I might be wishy-washy about it. This way I don't take the depreciation hit. I bought it $200 cheaper than new.

[Bubble]

Yes, I am the kind of person that does ENOUGH research so that when I drop $1139 on a lens, I KNOW I made the right decision (or else I'm gonna lose money). You can see my gear list in my sig below. It pretty obvious, that if you know Canon lenses, you know that the gear I bought is top notch. You buy it...and never look back. Now, if we were talking about a $99 item.... so be it.... who cares if you sell it for $50 a month later. But $1139? And take a $239 loss only 30 days later? Uhhh... I work too hard for my money!


rules of resell "L" lens. 15% off from current retail price (regardless of you have it for a few years or few days)

[Tapeman]

People make mistakes. You have never purchased anything and regretted it, or unexpectedly a killer deal came up on a better unit so you want to bail out of the one you just got?

[Woogie]

Yes, I am the kind of person that does ENOUGH research so that when I drop $1139 on a lens, I KNOW I made the right decision (or else I'm gonna lose money). You can see my gear list in my sig below. It pretty obvious, that if you know Canon lenses, you know that the gear I bought is top notch. You buy it...and never look back. Now, if we were talking about a $99 item.... so be it.... who cares if you sell it for $50 a month later. But $1139? And take a $239 loss only 30 days later? Uhhh... I work too hard for my money!

Everybody has a different style and different styles call for different needs. I thought the 70-200 f/4L would be exactly what I needed. Turns out, I like the focal length, but I prefer using fast glass. I would have bought the 24-70, but I tried it out for a while, but I found that my styles and for what I shoot require a wider lens. From that came the decision to purchase my 17-55 2.8 IS. You can read all you want about how much people love their lenses, but different strokes for different folks.

[Yohan Pamudji]

There is the tax to cash reason. I buy it for my business. I need to keep writing things off on the taxes. I buy the lens, deduct it off my taxes (now it only costs me 60% of the B&H PRICE(Assuming a 40% tax bracket) in actual CASH. So I sell it for 90% of B&H a month later and I made 30% on it.

If someone asks (like my accountant), I dropped it adn it broke and got trashed. It was lost or stolen. Then I buy another one out of my business checking account and do it again.

Seriously? I hope for your sake you never get audited. I think the IRS will be very suspicious of the 10 24-70L lenses that got dropped or stolen :lol:

[Bubble]

Seriously? I hope for your sake you never get audited. I think the IRS will be very suspicious of the 10 24-70L lenses that got dropped or stolen :lol:

you can claim one per year. :)

[segasaturn]

Seriously? I hope for your sake you never get audited. I think the IRS will be very suspicious of the 10 24-70L lenses that got dropped or stolen :lol:
I don't think this poster said that he actually did this himself.

[Broncobear]

rules of resell "L" lens. 15% off from current retail price (regardless of you have it for a few years or few days)

This ofcourse is also without taxes. Some peopel try to put he taxes in the mix and taxes are basically swallowed by the seller.

[P51Mstg]

I don't do the tax thing myself, but I can imagine people that do. I'm prety much a buy and keep shooter.

HOWEVER, as far as deducting it is concerned, i fyou break it or lose it, there shouldn't be a limit on what you can lose a year. Also nobody has a clue what you have sitting on the shelf. You may have bought 10 24-70s adn deducted them, but you may only have one at the studio. .....

Mark H

[whowie]

I just can't understand the logic behind some of the "for sale" posts on this site. For example: I just read a topic where someone wants to sell a 24-70L that is one month old with a UV filter, comes with all paperwork, etc. and receipt from BHPHOTO. Price is $900. Now, someone please help me understand why anyone would spend $1139 (plus shipping) on a lens and sell it 1 month later for $900?



Maybe it was purchased under circumstances similar to this:

$10,000 06' Suzuki GSXR 1000
Farmington, UT 84025
006 Suzuki 1000. This bike is perfect! It has 1000 miles and has had its 500 mile dealer service. (Expensive) It's been adult ridden, allwheels have always been on the ground. I use it as a cruiser/commuter. I'm selling it because it was purchased without proper consent of a loving wife. Apparently "do whatever the heck you want" doesn't mean
what I thought. Call me, Steve. (801) XXX-XXXX

[Cybnew]

Maybe it was purchased under circumstances similar to this:
Apparently "do whatever the heck you want" doesn't mean
what I thought. Call me, Steve. (801) XXX-XXXX



Why do I know this all too well? :)

[Evan Idler]

One possible commercial reason, it that it's cheaper to buy the lense for a job, and sell it a month later for a few hundred dollars loss, than to rent it for a month. It's possible he only needed it for a short time, and doesn't want to keep it for his collection.

I know locally if I want to rent that lens, it will cost me $145.00 per week so it I want it for a month, it would cost me $580.00. So if I were to buy it, use it for a month and then sell it for $250.00 off the new price, I would still be $330.00 ahead.

--Evan

[DocFrankenstein]

One possible commercial reason, it that it's cheaper to buy the lense for a job, and sell it a month later for a few hundred dollars loss, than to rent it for a month. It's possible he only needed it for a short time, and doesn't want to keep it for his collection.

I know locally if I want to rent that lens, it will cost me $145.00 per week so it I want it for a month, it would cost me $580.00. So if I were to buy it, use it for a month and then sell it for $250.00 off the new price, I would still be $330.00 ahead.

Vistek bites, doesn't it? :lol:

[Evan Idler]

Vistek bites, doesn't it? :lol:

Funny thing is, they are the cheaper of the shops in town :-(

--Evan

[Roger Cicala]

I understand the logic of buy and sell rather than rent at those prices, but with the online price at $141 a month for a 24-70, I'm not sure its still a logical argument.
There's another point to the tax argument, this one legit: If I buy a $1000 lens and depreciate $400, then sell it for $900, I have to give back most of the depreciation. So getting every dime isn't always the most important thing.