Does a 16-35L F4 IS that needs repair have any value?

I have a 16-35L F4 IS that was damaged when I fell on some ice last week. I took the lens to Canon to see how much the repair would be and the estimate was $330 + an additional part that could not be verified until it was opened up. My insurance company decided to pay for a new lens instead of repairing it so I do have it replaced already.

My question is now that i still have the damaged lens it is worth anything. Looking at the lens there is a small mark on part of the barrel. The outer glass shows no damage but there is a part broken inside not allowing the zoom ring to move freely throughout the full range. When shaking it you can hear a part moving inside. The lens does still work as i took some images after the incident occurred and the image looked just as good as before the fall.

Do you think someone would buy for a small amount (say 200-250) knowing it would need a big repair?

you'd probably be surprised at what sells...

Put it for sale on Ebay and let people bid. Like joeseph says, you'd be surprised what people are willing to pay for it. There's quite some clever people out there that know how to fix lenses by themselves. They just order the necessary parts on Ebay for a small price.

List it as is for parts. As far as a description use paragraph two in your original post. Do not
mention Canon repair estimate. Start the bidding at 99 cents stand back and watch the action.
Do not list it here list on E-Bay.

Thank you all very much for the responses. I will put it up on Ebay

You might also consider getting a 2nd opinion, some repair facilities will charge a lot less labor than Canon CPS does.

The labor was very high IMO. They wanted $260 for the labor, $20 for the new barrel and $14 for shipping. The rest of the charge was tax and that didnt even include the broken part inside. I thought but sending it in they would give a full estimate meaning they would have to open it up and find the broken part inside. It could be another $20 part of much more. This is why my insurance company chose to just cut me a check for a new lens. I am just trying to make a few $$ off the broken item. Hopefully someone will want to take a chance on it.

You'd save $100 on the labor by sending it to a 3rd party repair place. but I'm not sure if they could get the barrel for $20.

I don't understand the advice in this thread. My advice would be to have Canon fix the lens for $330 and then turn around and sell it as a perfectly good used lens for the going rate, which will be well above what you can get for it. Any other path going forward is going to lose you money.

That lens is $1050 new, and let's pretend it would fetch $800 used in EX+ condition. If you try to sell it as-is you will never be able to get $470 for it because a potential buyer has to assume the risk of the repair and the chance that it cannot be fixed correctly, that it will cost more than $330 to fix, or that there will be something else wrong with it that they cannot detect until after the fix. Basically - busted sfuff is never worth as much as good stuff minus the repair cost.

I mean, this all assumes the extra part is just another $30-$50 or whatever, but then your best move is to fix it first, then sell it. You only lose on this if the repair cost start to approach $600 or so, at which point I'd list it for parts.

i'd list it on ebay with a photo of the letter that they sent you...this way people know that it's fixable...people buy broken lenses all the time on ebay, whether to fix them themselves, or send them in...i'd bet you get at least $400 for it...just don't put a buy it now price

I have that lens as well. Good luck with your sale.

JeffreyG wrote in post #17876663
I don't understand the advice in this thread. My advice would be to have Canon fix the lens for $330 and then turn around and sell it as a perfectly good used lens for the going rate, which will be well above what you can get for it. Any other path going forward is going to lose you money.

That lens is $1050 new, and let's pretend it would fetch $800 used in EX+ condition. If you try to sell it as-is you will never be able to get $470 for it because a potential buyer has to assume the risk of the repair and the chance that it cannot be fixed correctly, that it will cost more than $330 to fix, or that there will be something else wrong with it that they cannot detect until after the fix. Basically - busted sfuff is never worth as much as good stuff minus the repair cost.

I mean, this all assumes the extra part is just another $30-$50 or whatever, but then your best move is to fix it first, then sell it. You only lose on this if the repair cost start to approach $600 or so, at which point I'd list it for parts.

I agree with Jeffrey here. The value of the lens repaired will be more than you put into it. And judging by your comment, you're getting a new lens besides. Send it to Canon, see what they say. They will call you with the repair price before fixing it, so you can decide then if it's worth it. A lot of people are willing to buy a repaired lens as it's basically a refurb and should perform as new. I have an awesome copy of that lens, and from what I read, it's preferred above the 2.8 anymore.

jay125 wrote in post #17901149
I agree with Jeffrey here. The value of the lens repaired will be more than you put into it. And judging by your comment, you're getting a new lens besides. Send it to Canon, see what they say. They will call you with the repair price before fixing it, so you can decide then if it's worth it. A lot of people are willing to buy a repaired lens as it's basically a refurb and should perform as new. I have an awesome copy of that lens, and from what I read, it's preferred above the 2.8 anymore.

I drove this lens myself to the Canon repair facility in Jamestown. They gave it a quick look over and would not open it up until I paid the initial estimate of $330. The estimate clearly said it needed additional parts because something was broken on the inside.

I was under the same impression as you where they would open it up and find out exactly what was wrong and give me a proper estimate.

I was able to see this lens. It was a fair deal for me and a great deal for the buyer if it could be fixed for $400 or less.