Second hand lenses.. The bloody cheek of it !!!

paddler4 wrote in post #16529678
At whose expense, then?

Answer that yourself however you see fit....

KirkS518 wrote in post #16529596
OOPS! You're right.... I'll go hide in a corner....

No worries. The two terms are often misunderstood. I just wanted to clarify.

Nick_Reading.UK wrote in post #16529653
So I ask you this, don't you try to get as much money as you can for stuff that you sell? House, car, camera gear or do you give stuff away because businesses have to make money... ?

I don't give stuff away and I often try to get as much as I can for my stuff. However, value is not always tied to money. There is a non-monetary value in trading your equipment in immediately for other equipment or selling it for a guaranteed price to a retailer. Again, it's all tied to risk. You are "paying" the retailer (in the form of a lower trade-in or buy-back price) to eliminate your risk associated with trying to sell your equipment on eBay or in the local classifieds, or eliminate the risk of getting swindled by someone online, and remove the time it takes to sell the lens online.

It all comes down to a bird in the hand or two in the bush.

You think that's bad, I hope you don't play video games. I've never seen any shop rip people off as badly as a Gamestop. And yet everyone seems to do business with them... baffles me.

Nick_Reading.UK wrote in post #16527685
So......
I was in a camera shop today looking at the overpriced lenses (second hand and new) and I saw a 2nd hand 17-55EF-S 2.8 for £599 (same as mine) and thought sh1t that's a it steep !! Just then the sales guy came up to me and asked can I help you... I pointed to the lens and said how much would you buy mine for in good Nick(=condition for the none UK people out there) he walked back to his sh1tty little cash machine(till) and started calculating and said to me.... Wait for it!!
"We'll depending on the condition between 300-310" I looked at him laughed in his face and walked out of the store....
So after he saw me looking at a 2nd hand lens at 600 did he really expect me to give my lens up for 300...? Of course they have to make money... But 100% markup.. Kiss my southern English arse...
Anyone else had the same sort of experience.?

If you really laughed in his face you are a Douche Bag! If I was the owner I would have asked you to never come back on the way out. 50% on a used lens is more than fair. Really~!

stickerboy111 wrote in post #16530020
If you really laughed in his face you are a Douche Bag!

Read the rest of my posts on this thread before sounding off.. But with all due respect, I will not lower myself to your level, have a nice day as I am sure you will..

The OP has a point. That is a huge markup for a lens. I can certainly understand a camera having that markup because every day it's sat on the shelf its depreciating, but 100% is excessive for a lens. As someone else here stated, it's easy to see why the camera store is disappearing from the UK high street when that lens for example, can be bought new at multiple reputable UK dealers for just £40 more. The concept of profit through increased turnover seems to be taking a back-seat to the opportunistic overpricing of fewer items. Sad, as that benefits nobody.

I've bought many 2nd hand lenses & sold a few as well to stores here in London. Generally I got 75% of what they would sell them for, so I agree that 50% is low.

KirkS518 wrote in post #16529596
OOPS! You're right.... I'll go hide in a corner....

I've got to give you props for owning up to the mistake.

I don't know why anybody would ever want to sell to a reseller anyway. You are going to get more if you sell directly to a consumer. Even with the fees that ebay and paypal charge your still better off selling it yourself.

Everyone seems to be forgetting that when they go to buy that used lens, they probably are going to negotiate the price down from asking price. So they want $500 (or some arbitrary number) for a lens when selling, but only want to pay $400 (insert some arbitrary number) for the same lens because it's used. Used items can typically be negotiated when buying or selling.

KirkS518 wrote in post #16532428
Everyone seems to be forgetting that when they go to buy that used lens, they probably are going to negotiate the price down from asking price. So they want $500 (or some arbitrary number) for a lens when selling, but only want to pay $400 (insert some arbitrary number) for the same lens because it's used. Used items can typically be negotiated when buying or selling.

not in the UK my friend, you be lucky to get 10quid off...

KirkS518 wrote in post #16532428
Everyone seems to be forgetting that when they go to buy that used lens, they probably are going to negotiate the price down from asking price. So they want $500 (or some arbitrary number) for a lens when selling, but only want to pay $400 (insert some arbitrary number) for the same lens because it's used. Used items can typically be negotiated when buying or selling.

This is a very valid point. The smaller, single-owner, sole-proprietor-type shops typically have more flexibility with pricing that the larger mega-stores, but there is usually some wiggle-room in used equipment - both on the selling and buying end.

I'm struggling to see just what is the problem here. Were you held at gunpoint and forced to buy the second-hand lens? Did they hold your family hostage until you'd sold them your lens for a stupid price? Or were you, and any other punter, given the free choice to buy, sell or walk out?

So what if they will only pay 50% of what they sell the lens for? If it's that bad a deal then the shop will go bust.

hollis_f wrote in post #16533728
I'm struggling to see just what is the problem here. Were you held at gunpoint and forced to buy the second-hand lens? Did they hold your family hostage until you'd sold them your lens for a stupid price? Or were you, and any other punter, given the free choice to buy, sell or walk out?

Don't understand this attitude at all. Just because you have the freedom to walk away from a bad deal, it shouldn't be discussed or criticised?

Sprout Crumble wrote in post #16533772
Don't understand this attitude at all. Just because you have the freedom to walk away from a bad deal, it shouldn't be discussed or criticised?

Whatever floats your boat. Can't see any point myself.