Why is everyone so fascinated with camera boxes????

[Zebceponaf]

Ok, I'm sure somebody has posted this before, but really.

Whats the deal? Do you know how much we could all be saving on shipping in the buy and sell section if everybody did away with this silly love of colored cardboard?

[john-in-japan]

I didn't know it was a deal, except when seeing a camera for sale as, perhaps, proof of provenance? Silly love? First I have heard of that.
John

[Zebceponaf]

Ya, I end up keeping all my boxes for lens and bodies and such just because people tend to want them when I sell it again.

Otherwise they'd be recycled. Oh well.

[TheBurningCrown]

...they look purty.

:D

[Grimes]

Simple - secondhand buyers have the misguided view that someone who has kept the original box has taken better care of their equipment. I keep all my boxes in case I have to sell (but I do take good care of my stuff, haha).

[Roy G. Biv]

Simple - secondhand buyers have the misguided view that someone who has kept the original box has taken better care of their equipment.

I sell a lot of crap on ebay.. I can say for sure that things labled "LNIB" (Like New In Box) sell for more than things just labled "Like New".

[gjl711]

The orriginal boxes make a wonderful shipping container. the foam was specifically cast to conform to the lens.

[Tlee05]

I like stacking up my boxes and thinking how pretty they look.

[wyofizz]

Saving the boxes drives our wives insane. :p

[Zebceponaf]

The orriginal boxes make a wonderful shipping container. the foam was specifically cast to conform to the lens.


I don't think I'd slap a fedex pouch on a shiny lens box though, thats just saying steal me. Plus the buyer would likely have a heartattack "OMG, there is damage to the cardboard edge!!"

[CyberDyneSystems]

Gear Freaks!

[photoguy6405]

My opinion: This is one of the most silliest and ridiculous things that many buyers expect, but... you can't tell them any different, and it does make a difference in sales, so I play the game.

[MS-18E]

I think its a representation of how much the previous owner value his possessions. Its a very broad generalization, but its one of the very few things a buyer is left to go by to judge the seller on.

Remember, buying over the internet, on forums like these are risky propositions. The buyer is trusting a complete stranger that they will stand to their word and send them the money before the item is even shipped.

Its like requesting a picture of an item the seller claims is brand new. The buyer knows what the item he is buying looks like. The picture is a small confirmation that the item he is about to pay for does indeed exist.

[Strangely Brown]

Saving the boxes drives our wives insane. :p

^^^What he said :D

[SkipD]

I, for some reason, saved the boxes my 20D and three lenses came in. I guess I saved them for shipping if there were a need for an in-warranty repair or something.

I have not sold a camera or lens since about 1968, so I certainly don't have the boxes for "resale value".

[OdiN1701]

Yeah don't re-use them.

Let's just send them all to the landfills.

I'm also certain that these nasty camera companies wouldn't bother to have actually designed these boxes to...I don't know....protect the cameras?

[Zebceponaf]

Pretty sure that if you want to go down the green road, we should demand eco-packaging from Canon, as all the boxes are going to get thrown out eventually.

I just find it silly that all of us that frequent the buy and sell section could save each other some money on shipping if not for this cardboard fetish.

[SwitchBlade]

Eco packaging? It's a cardboard box, put it out with the rest of your recycling to be taken away if you want. Personally I think it's handy to keep hold of the box if you ever have to send it in for repair or sell it on and want to post it. Surely it's worse for the environment for you to have to have more cardboard manufactured so you can send it on a few years down the line?

[Cosha]

I spent alot of money on my gear, i also paid for the box when i brought they kit so why put it in the bin :D:D

Thats like buying a 50mm prime and putting the lens cap in the bin :rolleyes:

ok ok that example was extreme! :p

[GerBee]

Whats the deal? Do you know how much we could all be saving on shipping in the buy and sell section if everybody did away with this silly love of colored cardboard?

Nothing, it would cost more, be extremely prone to being damaged, as if it's not subjected enough to being dropped, crushed and drop kicked into trucks in it's snugly fitting protective box which is further protected by a mile of bubble-wrap ~ the chances of it surviving without a box is minimal.

AND the assumption is that if someone has a camera for five years and they still have the box in pristine condition, how much more care would they have taken of their actual gear.

[Kiwikat]

I've got my small collection of Canon boxes on my shelf... I think they look cool. Tomorrow I'll have a 430ex II box to add to them ;)

[mr7q]

I keep them around simply as a convenient and obvious place to stash the manuals, CDs, and all the other accessories I'll never use but once.

[GerBee]

I keep them around simply as a convenient and obvious place to stash the manuals, CDs, and all the other accessories I'll never use but once.

That's actually a great idea and one that I've only come to using recently myself.

My computer system is much more stable nowadays, so reinstalling is maybe an annual event ~ but three months looking for the originals so I can update ~~ keeping them in the actual box has proven results.

A great tip! :)

[JWright]

I, for some reason, saved the boxes my 20D and three lenses came in. I guess I saved them for shipping if there were a need for an in-warranty repair or something.

I have not sold a camera or lens since about 1968, so I certainly don't have the boxes for "resale value".

The last time I had to send a camera back for warranty service I took it to my local camera store and paid them to ship it to Canon and back. that way i had a place for it to be delivered because there was a possibility I was going to be out of town when it was shipped back.

AND the assumption is that if someone has a camera for five years and they still have the box in pristine condition, how much more care would they have taken of their actual gear.

Invalid assumption... What few boxes I have are sitting in the attic (and probably will be tossed in the next purge) and are in pristine condition, but my gear gets used all the time and is subject to bumps and bangs every time I take it out. I don't baby my gear... I use it.

[NickSimcheck]

Personally, I hate it.

But I know that it's what people expect when reselling so I go with the flow. But I think people only want it because then know what THEY go to sell it, they'll get top dollar. It's an evil circle.

[DDCSD]

Ok, I'm sure somebody has posted this before, but really.

Whats the deal? Do you know how much we could all be saving on shipping in the buy and sell section if everybody did away with this silly love of colored cardboard?



How on earth would you save money?

[BottomBracket]

My boxes were in the recycling bin after a month or so.

[DStanic]

Doesn't nessesarily help increase the value of the item, but helps make the sale easier. Yes we photogs do alot of gear swapping and like seeing it arrive in original packaging, even if the box is packaged within another box (that just means packed THAT much better).

Boxes hold the manuals/warranty cards/CD/caps etc. that you might otherwise lose.



When I got my 30D this spring and it was packaged in it's original box with all original accessories it felt like a brand new camera to me. I wanted a 30D back in 07 but couldn't afford it brand new. So don't try to take that feeling away from me and others!!!

[SOK]

Saving the boxes drives our wives insane. :p

This is the correct answer.

:D

[Optiq]

I'm trying to break the habit of saving boxes. I've managed to toss all of the recent camera equipment boxes so that's a start!

If you want to see something funny, browse Ebay and look at how many of the pictures of the items are just PICTURES OF THE BOXES! :lol:

[natalieegbert]

I keep all my boxes I have not only the box for my camera but my flash, filters, laptop, etc, just about everything that came in a box I have the box for. My main reason is not only to store manuals and cords I dont use but also for storage as I plan to get a new camera eventually and will not need to carry all my old cameras accessories and can then put them back in the box for use later.

[pwm2]

I keep all my boxes I have not only the box for my camera but my flash, filters, laptop, etc, just about everything that came in a box I have the box for. My main reason is not only to store manuals and cords I dont use but also for storage as I plan to get a new camera eventually and will not need to carry all my old cameras accessories and can then put them back in the box for use later.
If extrapolating to computer equipment, that means I would need the better part of a garage just for boxes.

Besides camera equipment, I keep boxes for motherboards, graphics cards, soundcards and more exotic controller cards. And I keep the boxes for the two most recent monitors.

[JackLiu]

Boxes come in handy because buyers want them. Gives higher resale value to the item for sale. Go figure.