Is there really a market for empty boxes?

I know folks used to look for empty boxes.

For example, I have a mint Canon 1D X box and R3 box with some accessories. Pictures available. But how do I begin to price these realizing that freight will be meaningful due to sixe and packaging.

Thanks.

rebop wrote in post #19519555
I know folks used to look for empty boxes.

For example, I have a mint Canon 1D X box and R3 box with some accessories. Pictures available. But how do I begin to price these realizing that freight will be meaningful due to sixe and packaging.

Thanks.

Get the shipping costs, then double it for your price? There is no real pricing model for these really that I am aware of. Some boxes can be folded flat too for lenses, etc making it easier to ship.

I am interested in a rf 70-200 f4 if anyone has one

Go on ebay, serach for the product you have a box of that you wish to sell. Set filters to show items that have sold.
Survey the results, figure out the average difference in price between items sold with and without box, then list your box for between 10 and 30 percent of that.

Generally speaking the newer the item the box is for the more you can ask for the box. Also the higher the value the more you can ask.

that said some boxes just wont sell, and others take time.

Never understood why folks would throw away the box as it's a great selling point.

Because I NEVER sell my gear. I may pass it on to someone, but I never sell it.

Naturalist wrote in post #19530953
Because I NEVER sell my gear. I may pass it on to someone, but I never sell it.

Then why not sell the boxes instead of tossing them? It is the ultimate recycling.

I buy and sell a lot of used gear, some with boxes, some without. I don't remember a single transaction where the box made a difference, other than having one makes it more expensive to ship when it comes time to sell. I'll take it if it's included, but I'd never pay extra for a box.

drsilver wrote in post #19531067
I buy and sell a lot of used gear, some with boxes, some without. I don't remember a single transaction where the box made a difference, other than having one makes it more expensive to ship when it comes time to sell. I'll take it if it's included, but I'd never pay extra for a box.

But you wouldn't be paying extra for a box. You would however be paying a premium for an item that come with all of its original packing and maybe manuals and has obviously been well cared for. After all it has a box and everything just like new...

When I go on e-bay I want to see photos of the item I'm buying. If its a camera front, back, top, bottom, and both side views. What I do see often is 2 Item photos and 3 of the original box it came in
plus photos of a beat up camera bag. I ask if the camera comes with everything as it was shipped new. I can fabricate a box equal to or better than the original. Because it has a box means nothing to
me its whats inside. Does anybody save the boxes from kitchen appliances got the box from that set of dishes? If you can afford a few high end cameras and you don't need the boxes use the recycle bin.

Didn’t really matter what some of us feel about boxes, I know personally when I used to go through gear like water, that I could demand a higher sale price with the box, papers, and all accessories. My experiences also include selling some of the same things as well.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #19532711
Didn’t really matter what some of us feel about boxes, I know personally when I used to go through gear like water, that I could demand a higher sale price with the box, papers, and all accessories. My experiences also include selling some of the same things as well.

A higher sale price than what?

Used gear has no set price. If I'm looking at, say, 2 identical lenses for sale and seller 1 is asking $600 with no box and seller 2 is asking $620 with a box, I'm buying the cheaper one. Most camera gear is fungible. Unless it's beat up, one copy of a lens is the same as another copy. If they're not identical, I would make that assessment based on the stuff inside the box, not the absence or presence of the box itself.

If you want a box, there are plenty of sellers who offer them. But as a buyer, you're cutting yourself off from some quality deals.

I used to sell gear on the boards, sometimes the same items back to back. Having the lens boxes would always sell first and at higher prices. It just is, whether you find it incredulous or not. Some people have a psychological need to have everything that came with the gear they buy, whether they think it means it wasn’t stolen goods or it might have been taken better care of if the person has the box.

I can’t answer that but I, and many others, know that having the boxes makes for better sales. There are many articles that also talk about this. Finally we have discussions about this for years, the topic pops up time and time again.

I guess I would have to ask, “who cares”? I keep my boxes to sell with the gear, and I have sold boxes to others, and then there are those of you that don’t see a need. There is no right or wrong answer, so do what you want. I will continue to keep all my product boxes and when I sell, great for the buyer, and for me.

Camera gear comes with a lot of extra stuff that you don't need or don't need right away - stuff like warranty papers, USB cable, manual in French, strap, tripod mount. What to do with all that stuff? I'm not throwing it out, and I'm not putting it into a drawer with other photo junk either. So I keep it in the box.

The box also has perfect packing material that is useful for protecting the item if I need to ship it or if I move.

Even if it weren't for those reasons, I would still keep the box. It's because I want to keep things like new. It's for the same reason I don't sully books by underlining.

Many buyers want the box. And they want the actual one, not a replacement box that has a different serial number on it. So while boxes are attractive and valuable, I think the market for them is poor.

All those OEM boxes take up a lot of space. I don't care, I still keep the boxes.

Archibald covers alot of it.

Archibald wrote in post #19532931
...The box also has perfect packing material that is useful for protecting the item if I need to ship it or if I move....

Which is a reason I often buy with boxes rather than without. When it ships I know at least some of the packaging is okay.
If all things are otherwise equal I'd rather pay a premium to get a working thing than deal with insurance and not have the thing I want/need.

Archibald wrote in post #19532931
...Even if it weren't for those reasons, I would still keep the box. It's because I want to keep things like new...

And this is the presumption people make when something is in the appropriate box. That the thing has been cared for.

Archibald wrote in post #19532931
Many buyers want the box. And they want the actual one, not a replacement box that has a different serial number on it. So while boxes are attractive and valuable, I think the market for them is poor.

Most people wont look that close, and if its not listed as the box being original to the item there is no included or implied warranty.

I sell my boxes and manuals etc. I don't need them sol its better someone finds a use for them. And If I can get $10-50 (Box rebate) back on a purchase I'm okay with that.

In the end, in a market place that may have more than one of an item for sale, if two were priced the same but one had a box—whether it make sense or not—the box would probably sell it.