Is it theft?

I'm soon to put the following on sale:

Canon Rebel 550D T2i
EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens
EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens
Battery Grip
Extra Cannon battery
Transcend 8GB SDHC card
Tamrac 5546 Adventure 6 Photo Backpack (Gray/Black)

I have everything in and including the original packaging. The backpack shows a little wear, but is in great condition, everything else is absolutely pristine. I'm also throwing in a wired and wireless remote trigger (cheap ones) that don't work with my new camera.

Now here's the question. Originally, I had hoped to get $500-600 for everything. I have a friend who might buy it for around $500, but I don't want to rip him off - at the same time I want to get as much as I can to buy accessories for my new 5D4.

Can anyone tell me if my pricing is way off the mark (either up or down)? I see lots of stuff going cheaper, but this stuff is truly in pristine condition, not even any cosmetic damage.

Would appreciate any input you all have.

Thanks.

Small theft.

I believe what you are offering is way overpriced at $500.

T2i - $150 - $200, depending on accessories and condition.
18-55 IS (not II, or STM versions) - $50
55-250 IS (not II, or STM versions) - $50-70 (Canon is currently selling II for $110, STM for $130, with 12 mo. warranty)

The rest of the kit adds nothing to the value. It is accessories to make your older/inexpensive stuff sell before the other guy's older/inexpensive stuff. If I were selling this kit, I'd start at $350, and take the first offer over $300. If you get offered less than $300, you can counter with $300 as a place to start.

Caveats:

When I put something up for sale, I want to SELL it, not squeeze the most possible cash out of, possibly at the expense of a sale.

You can peruse E-Bay looking at similar items that have SOLD. Pay no attention to asking price, look at SOLD prices. When considering price, account for the 11% in E-Bay and PayPal fees the sale will cost you.

To answer your question, yes, selling this kit for $500 is theft. You would be taking advantage of someone's lack of knowledge of resale values. On the other side of the coin, lots of people pay more than any reasonable value every day.

$350 is a good place to start.

Your friend may find extra value in being able to obtain the package from a trusted individual and not having to deal with the overhead and risk of sourcing each item from a person or place. I've certainly paid above market for conveniences that are hard to put a value on. If you are up front about things and he finds 500$ an appropriate value for the package that's anything but theft.

Personally I wouldn't call it 'theft' per se, after-all, if someone were to perceive a $500 value in the kit you're selling then so be it.

For example, look at the Arabic & Chinese amongst many other cultures where the sales price starts way above what they're often prepared to sell a given item for. There is enjoyment from both sides in the haggling as it's almost a sport & both parties walk away happy in the majority of cases - the buyer as they're happy to have negotiated the seller down & the seller (in many cases) by not having to go to their lowest sustainable price & turning over stock at the same time - if neither of you can agree then you walk away...

If you're desperate to sell, then one way for sure is to sell on price, look at what similar kit goes for & match or beat it...timescales will typically be the quickest in this scenario. You often hear the phrase "it was a steal!" Not that someone stole from you, but the buyer got a screaming deal!

If however, you believe your kit has an edge in terms of condition, minimal use, extras etc & you can wait for a sale, then price it higher & be prepared to negotiate down if required in the event that selling the kit drags on & you're perhaps more motivated to shift it. This strategy often takes longer sell but can net you a greater return.

Either way, just remember a low-ball offer is not meant to be insulting, it's merely an offer to see how desperate you are to sell & for someone to get a deal...you're not compelled to accept any offer, after all it's your kit...

If it were me & selling it to a friend, I'd come from the angle of, "if you look around & want to keep your costs low, for sure you could get similar kit for around the $350 mark plus shipping. Sure mine's a higher price, but mine's in fantastic condition & too be honest, the cheaper kit's got an unknown provenance & I tell you what, I'll walk you through how to use it etc...etc...".

The ball's in their court, there's an offer of a mutually acceptable deal & you've told them they could get it cheaper, make it clear that you won't be offended if they don't want to take you up on the offer & maybe be prepared to come down a little on the price...

Suck it & see I say!

nqjudo wrote in post #18212238
Your friend may find extra value in being able to obtain the package from a trusted individual and not having to deal with the overhead and risk of sourcing each item from a person or place. I've certainly paid above market for conveniences that are hard to put a value on. If you are up front about things and he finds 500$ an appropriate value for the package that's anything but theft.

Disagree, vehemently. Stealing from someone who doesn't know what he is buying is still stealing. If the seller were being 'upfront' he'd quote a fair price.

I run a newspaper/magazine stand. An obviously mentally handicapped individual selects a $3.50 magazine for purchase and hands me a $100 bill and asks, "Is this enough?" Just because he believes he is paying an appropriate price does not give me the right to steal his money. I'd give him $96.50 change and thank him for his business.

you're ripping off you're friend.... big time.

Bassat wrote in post #18212305
Disagree, vehemently. Stealing from someone who doesn't know what he is buying is still stealing. If the seller were being 'upfront' he'd quote a fair price.

I run a newspaper/magazine stand. An obviously mentally handicapped individual selects a $3.50 magazine for purchase and hands me a $100 bill and asks, "Is this enough?" Just because he believes he is paying an appropriate price does not give me the right to steal his money. I'd give him $96.50 change and thank him for his business.

I never said anything about not disclosing the value. In fact I recommended being up front. What do you think that means? Hiding things? It means explaining what the products are worth on the market, the benefits of buying from a trusted source and the potential pitfalls of buying used gear also with the consideration that putting a kit together takes time and resources. Those factors alone could well be worth the extra cost to some buyers. No one is suggesting stealing from anyone, let alone someone who is handicapped and the insinuation is, as mildly as I can put it on the forum, obtuse. This is a free market my friend. People have a right to pay whatever they want for something if they find that much value in it and they should also inform themselves. Caveat emptor as the saying goes.

nqjudo wrote in post #18212326
I never said anything about not disclosing the value. In fact I recommended being up front. What do you think that means? Hiding things? It means explaining what the products are worth on the market, the benefits of buying from a trusted source and the potential pitfalls of buying used gear also with the consideration that putting a kit together takes time and resources. Those factors alone could well be worth the extra cost to some buyers. No one is suggesting stealing from anyone, let alone someone who is handicapped and the insinuation is, as mildly as I can put it on the forum, obtuse. This is a free market my friend. People have a right to pay whatever they want for something if they find that much value in it and they should also inform themselves. Caveat emptor as the saying goes.

no, no, no.

A friend is buying a t2i with kit lenses..... safe to assume that it's a noobie.

An experienced shooter sells to so called friend, capitalizes on ignorance.... is no friend.

Want to get 500 for the kit? list it on ebay for 550 to cover your fees.

Charlie wrote in post #18212337
no, no, no.

A friend is buying a t2i with kit lenses..... safe to assume that it's a noobie.

An experienced shooter sells to so called friend, capitalizes on ignorance.... is no friend.

Want to get 500 for the kit? list it on ebay for 550 to cover your fees.

English isn't my first language and I assume either you're in the same boat or you didn't read my post thoroughly. This is very simple. Educate the friend - more than any other seller will do - and let him decide how much buying from a trustworthy source who will provide support and expertise is worth. Otherwise, he has the choice to go on EBay and buy something he knows nothing about from someone he doesn't know for that same 500$. What you are saying is it will sell on eBay for 500 right? So is that not a fair market value?

Personally, I am the only one to take responsibility for what I buy, it is nobody's else's job. If I have a friend selling something, I don't care what he is asking, I will do my homework first.

Therefore as a seller, I expect the same from buyers, even my friends. I can ask whatever price I want, and they can refuse to buy it. It is that simple.

I get really tired of hearing how I am responsible for other people and what they spend, etc. I take responsibility for myself and that is enough.

nqjudo wrote in post #18212326
I never said anything about not disclosing the value. In fact I recommended being up front. What do you think that means? Hiding things? It means explaining what the products are worth on the market, the benefits of buying from a trusted source and the potential pitfalls of buying used gear also with the consideration that putting a kit together takes time and resources. Those factors alone could well be worth the extra cost to some buyers. No one is suggesting stealing from anyone, let alone someone who is handicapped and the insinuation is, as mildly as I can put it on the forum, obtuse. This is a free market my friend. People have a right to pay whatever they want for something if they find that much value in it and they should also inform themselves. Caveat emptor as the saying goes.

If I sold $350 worth of gear to a friend for $500, I'd know I took advantage of her. Since I'm selling this friend gear she isn't familiar with, I'd throw in the 'education' for nothing. I'd have to be a really slick salesman to tell her it is only worth $350, but she should pay me $500 for it. Do you actually believe anyone would take that deal?

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18212342
Personally, I am the only one to take responsibility for what I buy, it is nobody's else's job. If I have a friend selling something, I don't care what he is asking, I will do my homework first.

Therefore as a seller, I expect the same from buyers, even my friends. I can ask whatever price I want, and they can refuse to buy it. It is that simple.

I get really tired of hearing how I am responsible for other people and what they spend, etc. I take responsibility for myself and that is enough.

I think this thread is lost on you. I don't believe you would offer $350 worth of gear for $500 in the first place. My apologies if that is not true.

nqjudo wrote in post #18212340
English isn't my first language and I assume either you're in the same boat or you didn't read my post thoroughly. This is very simple. Educate the friend - more than any other seller will do - and let him decide how much buying from a trustworthy source who will provide support and expertise is worth. Otherwise, he has the choice to go on EBay and buy something he knows nothing about from someone he doesn't know for that same 500$. What you are saying is it will sell on eBay for 500 right? So is that not a fair market value?

I can list the nifty fifty for $200 on ebay, does it mean it'll sell?

Bassat wrote in post #18212352
If I sold $350 worth of gear to a friend for $500, I'd know I took advantage of her. Since I'm selling this friend gear she isn't familiar with, I'd throw in the 'education' for nothing. I'd have to be a really slick salesman to tell her it is only worth $350, but she should pay me $500 for it. Do you actually believe anyone would take that deal?

Look, this is not that complicated. If you are able to sell your gear for 500$ on an open platform that's available to the general public then that's the market value. If you sell it to a friend for 350$ you're either completely lacking in financial savvy or overly generous. Either way your loss.

For the record I completely agree with TeamSpeed. Everyone has an obligation to protect their own interests. Finally, the best advice that this thread has yet to see is that it is never a good idea to sell things to family or friends. If they matter that much save yourself the headaches and don't risk anything coming between you and them. Sell it elsewhere or give it to them.